The Gift of Presence

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    "Play with me". I hear these daily words from my three year old son. Most of the time he wants me to sit with him while he plays. He does not want me to actually play, He just wants me there. He wants me to be with him, to sit on the floor, watch and interact with him as he engages me. He simply wants my presence.
    I often find myself fidgeting, not able to sit still, tempted to grab my phone, check email or flip through a magazine. That would not be “playing with him” because something else has my attention and my affections. He simply wants my presence, my full presence.
    As we prepare for Christmas, I realize that the gift of presence is coming. God came to be with us, He brought His physical presence to a world in desperate need of a Savior. Emmanuel – God with us. With Christmas comes the gift of God’s presence through His Son, Jesus Christ.
    Presence is a powerful thing. God knew it and we as Jesus’ followers should consider how we can give this gift to others as well. Whether it is Jesus coming to earth or giving someone our full presence, it is a great gift. A gift that we are tempted to hold back because of many unnecessary and lesser affections. Are your affections set on the greatest gift of presence – Jesus? How will His presence empower you to give the gift of presence to another?

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Embrace Interruption

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    Can you be interrupted? Is your pace of life so fast that interruptions cause frustration, raise your blood pressure and are seen as nuisances? Or is your pace of life slow enough to embrace interruption and respond to it appropriately?
    Many of us are not fans of interruptions unless it will benefit us somehow. I often get so enamored with my own thoughts or plans that any small interruption sends me into a tailspin. An interruption has stopped ME, gotten in MY way and is not as important as ME.
    I have found that my immediate response to interruptions is an indicator of the state of my heart and the focus of my mind. These interruptions can come from people, from ourselves, a random statement, a disappointment and even from God. Not all interruptions demand the same amount of time and attention but often we do not give enough attention to important interruptions (even if they are unwelcome). These interruptions can be gifts from God.
    How has God interrupted you lately? Have you been able to slow down, accept the interruption and receive the gift that it might be? Maybe He wants to teach you something, maybe He wants to remind you of His great love, maybe He wants to show you how to love others. The gift of an interruption is endless, especially when the interruptions are from God. How great it is to receive these gifts!
    What is your pace of life? Is it slow enough to both recognize and respond to interruptions? How might you dwell on an interruption from God, looking to hear more deeply from Him? How can the interruptions of those around you be seen as an opportunity to love and minister to them?
    Embrace interruption.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Community and Faith

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

“We are able to do many hard things, tolerate many conflicts, overcome many obstacles, and persevere under many pressures, but when we no longer experience ourselves as part of a caring, supporting, praying community, we quickly lose faith.”  Compassion, p. 59, Henri Nouwen, et al.

    Most of us are quite capable people, gifted in many ways and have been given great opportunities. We can do along and some of us have overcome a lot. We are hard workers, those who persevere and have made it. We have accomplished so much as individuals, or at least we think we have.
    I love how Nouwen connects faith with community. The nurture and growth of our faith is dependent on community. Sure our own individual times with God are highly valuable as are our times together in worship services, groups, neighborhood communities, etc. It is not only our faith that helps us through difficulties but it is the faith of the community, those who will cry with us and for us. Those who will hope for us when we cannot hope. Those who will strengthen our faith by letting us stand on their faith. Those who love when we are being very difficult to love. The community perseveres in their faith as they walk with us and we supernaturally receive the benefits of their faith.
    The body of Christ is a mystery, a mystery that includes dependence. Our God is so creative and gracious that He gives us others to grow in faith with. We need them and they need us. How has the community of Christ nurtured your faith?

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Peace and People-Pleasing

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    I confess that I often care too much about what people think, whether they will be hurt by something or whether they will like me. I like being able to influence what people think of me. This is a form of people pleasing because I want everyone to like me! There are often times in life when we have to make decisions that will upset others. We have to make decisions that are not looked upon favorably or sometimes the direction we go is met with disappointment by others.
    Often when I am trying so hard to make sure everyone is “okay” I miss what God is calling me to. I miss what the Spirit is whispering in my heart. God’s voice is clouded out by my thoughts of my image. Everyone may be happy around me but I am unsettled, there is something that does not sit right with my soul. Oh, that’s right, I sought man’s approval and not God’s. As I received one set of approval I did not receive another and I can feel it. I do not have peace.
    Peace comes when God has captured my heart not when I have captured the heart of man. Peace comes not when I have won the approval of men but followed the call of God.
    How can you seek to please God rather than others? How have you sensed God’s peace in a difficult decision lately? If you have not sensed much peace lately, remember God’s great love and seek to do whatever He has called you to.

Have more than two minutes? Read Galatians 1:10 and process this challenging verse with God.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Hearing God

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    It is the season of Christmas where unfortunately all things start to move faster, there is more on the to-do list and things are more crowded (literally). We tend to be more frustrated, less patient and lose sight of Jesus. This is the perfect opportunity to choose to slow down and hear what God wants to speak to our hearts.
    Slowing allows us to hear more clearly things that would not have heard the first time around. Chances are if we are running around busy, or concerned about our check list we often have not heard correctly the first time anyway! Slowing down allows me to hear more clearly what another is saying to me and also what God is saying to me.
    To sit and listen to God takes time, it takes discipline and it clarifies things.
    In the times I have practiced slowing I have sat down with a cup of hot tea (which almost automatically causes you to slow down), no agenda, possibly read something short and just waited. I am tempted to get up after about 10 minutes and read more or go do something productive. For me, I have found that after about 45 minutes of sitting and sipping hot tea that something comes forth. Either a truth pierces my heart or I recall something and God brings light to it. If I do not slow down and sit, I miss this.
    Consider making time to sit with God. Drink whatever warm drink you’d like and sit with Him, alone. Read a passage of Scripture and talk to God, but spend most of your time listening. Ask Him to speak to your heart. Pay attention to the things that come up and listen for God.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Waiting

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    The day after Thanksgiving, I can finally begin with the Christmas decorations! There is a strict rule (my husband’s) in our home that Christmas does not begin until after Thanksgiving. Honor the pilgrims! Although I moan and groan here and there about waiting, there is something about waiting and being patient for the time of Christmas.
    Being patient is not easy, and I do not think it is supposed to be but I could either complain or pout until the day after Thanksgiving or I can enjoy the days and moments. Enjoying them as they are meant to be and wait for the day after Thanksgiving and the time in which Christmas begins being celebrated.
    This happens in all our lives. We have seasons. We have seasons that are rich and full of life and other seasons that are dry and seemingly without life. We have seasons in which we wait and wait and others seasons where everything seems to be moving too fast.
    I am often not patient in the difficult seasons. I often am complaining and pouting rather than enjoying the present as gifts, no matter how difficult they might be. I do not wait well.
    How about you? What season are you in? How is your waiting? Do you trend towards complaining or towards embracing? My prayer is that whatever season you are in that you would have a heart of thanksgiving (and that I would too!).

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Happy Thanksgiving!

May you all enjoy a day where you sense God’s love and presence in all things!

Faith, Love and Hope

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

“We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

                                                             – The Apostle Paul, 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

    Who are you thankful for? Who do you consistently mention in your prayers?
    I love the idea of continually remembering those who are living their lives for God. It is in their faith, their love and their hope that they serve. Their work, their labor and their endurance is a by-product of their faith, their love and their hope. The people who live this way inspire, encourage and challenge me. They remind me that working, laboring and enduring well are a result of faith and trust in God, love of God and others and hope in Christ. So many times I have it the other way around and forget that it begins with faith, love and hope. This cuts to my heart and brings me to tears as I write.
     May your prayers today be filled with those who have provided amazing examples of walking a life of faith, love and hope because of Christ. May our lives also become examples to others of walking in faith, love and hope.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Joy and Grief

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    Life is full of bittersweet moments. Saying hello to one thing often requires saying goodbye to another. A new job means that we get to serve in ways more in line with our gifts and calling yet this means we say goodbye to a work team. We say hello to a new in-law and goodbye to holidays as they have been when it was just “us”.
    As we live more life we find that joy and grief often come as a pair. There is great joy as a friend receives a promotion and great grief as we are reminded that another friend is without a job. There is great joy as children receive life-saving medication and great grief as the similar children die because there is no life-saving medication.
    We are called to rejoice with those who rejoice and grieve with those who grieve. There are times when we rejoice because a friend has a dream come true. We truly are excited for them, but it is challenging to rejoice because we have to wait for our dream to come true, or maybe it never does. We grieve when another is grieving the loss of a loved one and feel a sense of guilt because our loved one remains here with us.
    Joy and grief are realities that are often tensions. Are you experiencing a life tension of joy and grief? If so, talk to God about it. Sit and listen to what He would speak to your heart and be encouraged.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Happy Thanksgiving Week! (Slowing Brings Appreciation)

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    Happy Thanksgiving All! Another slowing post and hoping that today you will find some time to slow down and appreciate all you have been blessed with.
    Slowing increases our awareness of the gifts we have in life. Slowing allows us to see our blessings and consider how we might give to others. Slowing increases our ability to see the sacrifices of others and appreciate their work. Slowing leads to appreciation, thankfulness and humility.
    Practice slowing today and look around you and thank God for the things He has given you. Look around and see how others have blessed you beyond what you could imagine.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

The Gift of Taking Notice

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    Through the Bible we read of Jesus who took notice of people. He took notice of those who were overlooked, those who were noticed by others for what they did wrong and those who were desperately seeking Him. He took the time to notice when no one else was or was noticing for the wrong reasons. Story after story in the Gospels we read of this gift that He gave people – He noticed them. He noticed, even commended them at times and told others to take notice of them as well.
    To notice someone is a gift. There are so many people that feel overlooked every day, that wonder if anyone cares or sees them. Does anyone really hear them, does God hear them? Does God see?
    We have opportunities each day to be the hands and feet of Christ and care for another by the simple act of noticing. Taking notice of them, commending them, encouraging them, sending them a link from an article or picture you thought they’d like. Let them know that you think of them. Often this is a tangible reminder that God thinks of them as well. I wish we would all consistently believe God loves us and notices us but we all have our insecurities and our struggles and we need reminders.
    Be a loving reminder of God’s attention to someone today.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Have more than two minutes? Read Luke 7:36-50 about Jesus who took notice.

Seeing Deeply and Differently

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    Slowing gives us the opportunity to see deeper. Slowing gives us the opportunity to see beyond the surface and into the true heart of a matter. This can be something that God might be doing in us and He wants us to see deeper. This might be something that God is wanting us to see in another so that we can encourage him or her.
    Slowing also gives us opportunity to see a different perspective. In slowing we look at the same person, situation or thing for much longer than if we were on our busy schedule. With slowing the longer gaze might bring forth a different perspective. This different perspective might increase our compassion or increase our love. This different perspective might lead us to live differently than we have been.
    Slowing gives us opportunity to see deeper and differently. What might God want you to see deeper today? Who or what might God want you to see differently today?

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Do you Know God?

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

“Faith, in the final analysis, is trusting someone you know, even when you don’t always understand what he is doing.”
                                                 – Carolyn Custis James, When Life and Beliefs Collide

    How well do you know God? Not just know about him, but know Him like you do a good friend, family member or even spouse? Have you ever noticed that the more you get to know someone the easier it is to trust them (that is, if they are trustworthy) and the less you know someone the more likely it is that you will make up stories of why they do what they do and who they are?
    I have found that relationship, getting to know someone helps me to trust them, especially when I don’t understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. The same goes for God yet we treat Him differently. We often learn much about Him (knowledge) and we thing that this is the same as knowing Him. Knowing Him leads to faith, not necessarily knowing about Him (although it does help).
    God desires relationship, trust and faith and wants our assurance to come from knowing Him. The more we know God the more we trust Him. Do you know God enough to trust Him? Will you sit for a bit longer than two minutes and engage Him in honest conversation, get to know Him and allow Him to speak to your heart?

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Have more than two minutes? Reading the Bible is the best way to know God. Open up the gospel of Luke and start reading at Chapter 1. Get to know God.

Love Hard and Hold Loosely

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    One of life’s tensions seems to be that to truly live we have to love hard. We get many opportunities to love hard. We are part of families, we are married, we have children. We are part of communities, neighborhoods, friendships. We have so many opportunities to jump in and love hard.   
    With the opportunities to love hard, comes the truth that those things might go away, we might lose a community because of a move, we might lose a friendship due to pain, we might lose a loved one due to a tragic event. With the reality of loss sometimes we withhold from loving hard, we withhold because we do not want to hurt again, at least not hurt very deeply.
    It seems that when we love hard we also have to hold loosely. I do not do this very well. I do not know that I know how. Loving people hard but knowing they are not “mine” is a tension. People are entrusted to me, my family, my friends, but ultimately they are all God’s. I jump into a community and I am entrusted to love and care for people as I live sacrificially but they could move at a moment’s notice or I could move. This community is also God’s.
    There is such a struggle to love hard and to hold loosely. How do we love hard yet hold loosely? Still trying to figure this one out and I have a feeling it requires a little more trust from God. (The trust thing comes up a lot for me). I have a feeling it also requires a little more belief that He also loves those things that I love and actually loves them more than I do.
    How do you love hard and hold loosely?
**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Enjoying the Present through Slowing

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    Slowing and the Present. Today, like very few other days of the year, I really want to live in the present. It is my daughter’s first birthday. I want to live this day FULLY. I do not want to miss anything and if I packed out my schedule with things then I totally would.
    Slowing naturally leads us to live more fully in the present. When we’re running around in a frenzy we are constantly looking for the next task that needs to be completed, the next to-do. We completely miss the present. What a way to live life!
    I don’t know about you, but I struggle to live in the present. I truly have to discipline myself to slow down and a result of that slowly is living in and enjoying the present. I am not forcing myself to live in the present, I simply slow things down and enjoying the present comes naturally. My life has less anxieties and worries about the future and a by-product is enjoying the present.
    Sure there was her party to plan and there is college to plan for, but slowing and getting rid of the unnecessary frees me to savor the present, savor those around me and savor God as He meets me in today.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Clutter

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    Clutter. It fills our inboxes, our homes and our minds. It is good to do an inventory of where things clutter in our lives, de-clutter and clean out. Get rid of what is of no use anymore, out of date and unnecessary. And does not de-cluttering give us such a sense of satisfaction! It feels good! It is good!
    As I consider this idea of de-cluttering I recognize the need for the discipline to de-clutter my mind as much as I do the discipline of de-cluttering material things such as closets and inboxes.  A true inventory of our minds may lead us to recognize that are minds are cluttered full of things that are insignificant, untrue and not good. Both taking ownership of the clutter and asking God for transformation will lead us to a “cleaner” mind and a sense of spiritual health. God is ready to help us de-clutter and fill out minds with what is good, necessary and true.
    Have you ever taken an inventory of the contents of your mind? If so, what did you find? Was there a lot of clutter or was it pretty minimal?
    Ask God to meet you today and help you to de-clutter.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Have more than two minutes? Make Philippians 4:8 your goal and prayer.

More is Better, right? (Slowing and Quality)

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    More is better, right? Quantity is always better than quality, right? There are times when more is better and quantity is better than quality but not always. When we live a life of busyness, addicted to hurry and productivity we live as if more is always better and quantity is always better than quality. This is just not true. There are times when less is better and quality trumps quantity.
    When we practice slowing, our compulsion to collect decreases. We learn to savor things that are of quality and of worth. When we practice slowing we notice things in life that are more valuable and we appreciate and invest in those things.
    One area I’ve noticed an increase in quality is in slowing down when I read. I used to always look for the end of the chapter and now I rarely do. It takes me a long time to finish a book. I read for transformation, especially when I read Scripture. I read and stop if something sticks out to me and catches my eye. I stop, meditate and pray on what I just read. There are times that I’ve read the same story for over a week because I sense that there is something more to it and I just need to keep on re-reading it and praying about it.
    What would you consider slowing down in order to increase quality?

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Surprises

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    I’m not much of one for surprises. My husband can tell you that. I figured out some of his surprise proposal plans before he even began to put the plan into place! I am pretty difficult to surprise yet God often surprises me. He surprises me with His grace, with His kindness and with plans that I could never have dreamed of. His surprises are sweet gifts.
    I was recently reading a book in which the author said this as she observed the life of Jesus: “No one is ever prepared for what Jesus will do”. It is true, none of us is prepared and we cannot be. Jesus is the master of surprises. For Jesus, I am not difficult to surprise at all. I love that (although sometimes I do wish I could get a peek at His plans!)
    How has God surprised you lately? What has Jesus done that you were not prepared for? How does this encourage you to trust God more and more?

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Have more than two minutes? Read and meditate on the truth in Ephesians 3:20-21

God is King

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

God reigns. God's plans are never thwarted. God is sovereign. God is King. Trust these words today.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Addicted to Busy

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    Oh how I love being on the move, active, working, busy. I love having something to think about, process, solve. I do not easily sit still and work until I am worn out. Our culture encourages busy and we have become addicted to it. When we are not busy we have a sense of loss, confusion and sometimes question if the few things we are doing are worth anything. At times it becomes a compulsion to move, say something, act. Busyness can very much become an addiction as we experience the adrenaline boost and accomplishment of doing a lot of things.
    Even though we are doing a lot of things and it makes us feel good there are times when busyness is not good. Yes, sometimes we have to get things done but I think that we get in this mode and are so used to the fast pace we do not know how to slow down.
    A discipline that I practice on and off (and really should just practice all the time) is the discipline of slowing down. It is a simple yet challenging discipline, choosing, on purpose to slow our lives down a little bit. It includes practices such as chewing more slowly, walking more slowly, reading for transformation rather than just information, not looking for the fastest check-out lane and even choosing to drive in the slow lane of traffic. I know, some of these sound crazy, but the benefits of choosing to slow in even a small way are significant. You’ll find this discipline and the benefits of it popping up on the blog here and there over the next few weeks.
    So, hopefully you’re already sitting, take a deep breath and ask God how He might want you to slow down. Ask God to show you where you are addicted to busyness and hurry. Trust Him as you choose to slow.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

The Gift of Listening

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    In a world where we are being bombarded with messages, mostly unimportant, we are losing the ability to listen. In a culture where one’s words are valued more than their silence, we are losing the ability to listen. In a society where words persuade and influence and silence is seen as weak or unintelligent, we are losing the ability to listen.
    To listen is a gift to others and a gift to ourselves. We are often impatient when listening to another, waiting for our turn to speak and thinking of what we are going to say while they are speaking. We often do not slow down enough to listen to others, listen to ourselves or even listen to God.
    Listening requires slowing down and that is just not what everyone around us is doing. That is not how the world is. Everything is going faster and faster is better. Or is it?
    Spend time today choosing to listen. Listen to God. Listen to others. Hear what is being spoken.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Being Boss

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    All of us have had bosses, people in authority over us, supervisors, etc. Most of us have been bosses to a person or persons. We have all experienced some sort of authority structure and often in these structures there are those who think they can do things better than the boss. Those who submit to the boss and at the same time think they can do things better than the boss. Children think this of parents often and this is often found in the workplace. Personally, my three year old is already telling me things I am doing incorrectly (at least in his eyes).
    Reflecting on this it caused me to wonder how I treat the boss over all of us – God. The following exploration questions are heart questions. How does your heart respond?
    Do I follow God with grumbling, thinking I can do things better or know a better way? Do I resist following God because I do not understand why He is asking what He is asking? Maybe His request is a bit absurd from my perspective? Deep down do I think I could be better at being the boss?
    How do you respond to the boss?

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**