Devotionals for the Heart: Celebration

On Celebration
A devotional by Lisa Lickel

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
~Luke 4:18-19 (ESV)

"Far and away the most important benefit of celebration is that it saves us from taking ourselves too seriously." ~Richard Foster, The Celebration of Discipline

Walking with Jesus should be a continual dance, leaping and shouting and rejoicing that we have been set free! Free! Free! Hallelujah! That’s how Jesus began his earthly ministry, remember? He went to church, took his place reading scripture from Isaiah about the Year of Jubilee which nobody since the time of Leviticus honestly held—like, ever—and, voila!, announced his purpose. In the writing world, writers recognize this as the supreme story-telling method. He stated the need, the conflict, and the resolution all at once. Subtle, hey?

The term "celebration" is used in many denominational parts of a worship service. The word probably brings up a different picture for everyone. What do you think when you hear it? What do you celebrate?

In the United States, the months of November, December, and January can be dreary with bad weather and darkness. They are also the months of a national Thanksgiving, the recognition of Christmas, and rejoicing in a New Year. However commercial we like to complain our society has become, we can’t change the origin of the celebrations. 

The heart of the national day of Thanksgiving is an appreciation for a (okay, brief) season of mutual interaction that helped a small group of determined religious refugees survive. They praised God for their new friendships which led to the first harvest. When Abraham Lincoln made the day a federal holiday, he made sure everyone knew we publicly party on behalf of the goodness of God. Recognizing the glad tidings of great joy in Christmas undergirds the spirit of Christ’s birth and what it means, and of course, a New Year is our chance to examine our hearts and redirect our faith journey.

What’s not to celebrate? Christianity is the practice of “do”: Do love the Lord, do love those around us. Jesus came to blast away the dourness of rules tacked on to grace and mercy. He came to remind us of who he is. God proclaims his love and the result of that love, the satisfaction of sin debt. He frees us from the ravages of that sin debt on each other and the world he built for us. He lifts us out of the pit we throw ourselves in; he makes the lame leap for the joy and turns mourning into laughter. He wishes we wouldn’t take ourselves so seriously that we forget to have honest, good, clean fun that helps keep our focus trained on Him; joy that glorifies his name and makes others want to join us.

What I’ve learned this year of renewal is that while I worried I’d taken a left when I should have veered right, I was still making progress. The rabbit trails weren’t in vain and The Holy Spirit always had my whole being wrapped in his embrace. I allowed the Great Physician to examine me and unclog my ears, remove the plank from my eye, and un-stuff my arteries. It’s not permanent, I know. That’s why the faith walk is a journey, a practice of disciplines—one to celebrate.

My Prayer: I will praise You (God) forever with my whole being, remembering with joy that you are the author and finisher of my faith.

~*~
Author Bio:

Lisa Lickel lives in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin. 

A multi-published and award-winning novelist, she also writes short stories and radio theater, is an avid book reviewer, blogger, a freelance editor, and workshop leader. 

She is a member of Chicago Writers Association and part of Novel-in-Progress BookCamp and Writing Retreat, Inc., mentoring writers from across the United States and Canada.
~*~
Connect with Lisa:
Website: http://www.LisaLickel.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisalickelauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lisalickel
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lisajlickel
Amazon Author page: http://amzn.to/2bPxi2X

Devotionals for the Heart: Confession

On Confession
A devotional by Lisa Lickel

“And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” ~James 5:15-16 (ESV)

“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” ~John 20:23 (ESV)

"In acts of mutual confession, we release the power that heals. Our humanity is no longer denied but transformed. "~Richard Foster, The Celebration of Discipline

I am in awe that being a Christian is a process, a journey of many steps that is a call for continual renewal and examination. When I accepted Jesus Christ into my life and confessed him as my Savior and Lord, I became a Christ-follower. We share the ABCs of faith: Accept, Believe, Confess. Confess Christ as the Savior, yes, as well as allow ourselves to confess to each other that the Belief part—the part where I act on what I believe—is often a quagmire of ugliness from which I need help to escape.

Admitting I’m wrong or make mistakes has always been a hotbed of fear for me because the punishment was old-fashioned—swift and sometimes physically and always emotionally brutal. I have been harder on myself, too, for the desire to make excuses, to not take the time to make certain the information is correct, for taking the easy way out. I have lashed out at others in fear and pride; I still cluck my tongue at others’ intentional or accidental acts of insensitivity when I’ve committed similar acts in the past.

Often, the worst thing we can do is treat others as we want to be treated. Those are the times we need to step outside of our comfort zones and examine our motives. Forgive me, my neighbor, for not noticing your need. Forgive me, Lord, for glossing over spending fifteen minutes with you and you only. Forgive me, friend, for sharing a thought that was painful for you.

Having a physical prayer partner or a being part of a small group Bible study which has a sharing time can fulfill this need to confess and accept forgiveness. I realize that unconsciously I have participated on both sides with my new friends in Christ and desire to be more intentional; hearing confession is never a time to store gossip fodder. Confession is good. It is healing. It is a lesson in growing and becoming, in transforming my life. 

Confessing should result in genuine change. I don’t want to confess simply to relieve my personal sense of guilt and shame—sure, that’s the bandage effect, but not the antibiotic to heal the deep sin-wound in my soul. 

My confession makes me want to spend more time getting to know my neighbor; for realizing that my Jesus is waiting for me—me!—to sit down with him; and for listening more than spouting off platitudes, even if personally I would rejoice in the response.

My Prayer: Thank you, Lord of my life, for reminding me of your loving presence, always waiting patiently for me to come and share the best and the worst of myself with you.

~*~
Author Bio:

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin. 

A multi-published and award-winning novelist, she also writes short stories and radio theater, is an avid book reviewer, blogger, a freelance editor, and workshop leader.

She is a member of Chicago Writers Association and part of Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp and Writing Retreat, Inc., mentoring writers from across the United States and Canada.

~*~
Connect with Lisa:
Website: http://www.LisaLickel.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisalickelauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lisalickel
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lisajlickel
Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/2bPxi2X

Devotionals for the Heart: Guidance

Guidance
A devotional by Lisa Lickel

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." 

~John 14:26 (ESV)

“As the holy humility that was in him did not allow him to trust in himself or in his own prayers, he humbly turned to others in order to know God’s will in this matter.” 

~Brother Ugolino di Monte Santa Maria, writing of St. Francis of Assisi’s 

decision process regarding his life’s mission

As I grow older (a good thing!), it seems the professionals around me grow younger. For the first time in our experience, the pastor of our church is younger, not just than we are, but younger than our children. And I’m okay with that. Right now, our pastor is a good role model in practicing his own education—he’s in graduate school—and in modeling his faith in the community. He’s also humble in recognizing his schedule is full, but that he understands his call is to his flock, then his other tasks. Maybe he’s not perfect in his balancing act, but that’s our cue to come alongside. Guidance needs to go both ways to show progress.

Part of my doldrums problem in my faith walk came from burnout. I look back and watch myself leading more than one Bible study a month, writing curriculum, teaching Sunday School, speaking, and so on. I loved it but I realized I was one person in that role. I didn’t have a role model, or even a prayer partner for several years, and that lack created a sinkhole that took me years to climb out. When I emerged, the situation didn’t feel the best but was right at the time. I needed patience and had to see with different eyes what an old, traditional congregation looked like to appreciate the surprising church where I now worship.

When my son was in high school and college, he took it upon himself to ask one of the men in our congregation to serve as a mentor. I was surprised and pleased he thought to do so, and a little jealous that I hadn’t considered his need and guided him. Unwittingly, he showed me what I lacked in my life, although I didn’t know it then. In the years that have followed, I have watched my children grow in their faith and find new role models, both personal and through music and writings.

Our church strongly encourages us now to look for guidance first through active reading and studying the Scriptures, and also through role models of the faith. Our young pastor reminds us how our long-standing principles of living our faith should be modeled on the heroes of the recent past, like those who strove to abolish slavery and those who worked for prison reform.

But I’ll share a secret. My new church is filled with people, both youthful and well-lived, who guide my faith with every thought. They live what they believe in their work and play, their family life, and worship. They’re not perfect, naturally, but they’ll admit it, and invite all of us to pray with them.

Like the earliest church in Jerusalem, we look to our triune God as the giver of all good things, including each other. The Holy Spirit guides us now, a true gift from Jesus whose perfect love models the nature of our Father, the Creator, who loves us in spite of ourselves.

My Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for refreshing my faith and providing precious guidance through role models throughout the generations and today.

~*~
Author Bio:

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin. 

A multi-published and award-winning novelist, she also writes short stories and radio theater, is an avid book reviewer, blogger, a freelance editor, and workshop leader. 

She is a member of Chicago Writers Association and part of Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp and Writing Retreat, Inc., mentoring writers from across the United States and Canada. 

~*~
Connect with Lisa:

Website: http://www.LisaLickel.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisalickelauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lisalickel
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lisajlickel
Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/2bPxi2X

Devotionals for the Heart: How to hear God in a society of sound bites

On Meditation and Study
A devotional by Lisa Lickel

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” –Philippians 4:8 (ESV)

“Study is a specific kind of experience in which through careful attention to reality the mind is enable to move in a certain direction. … Meditation is devotional; study is analytical.” 

–Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline

We have become a society of sound bites, of little blasts of noise we learn to ignore. I remember a report stating that children’s concentration has been ruined by watching what was once considered innovative programming to teach counting, the alphabet, and rudimentary vocabulary. I was horrified that I had ruined my children.

The backlash is no television at all in some households. I bring this point up when discussing the Discipline of Study and Meditation because I agree that our culture no longer admires concentration or memorization and mocks contemplation. Those who sit to enjoy a morning cup of tea or take a stroll over the lunch hour are time-wasters who will never “get ahead.” 

I wrote a biography of a successful businessman who drilled into his children to take advantage of every moment of the 168 hours in a week. You can probably spout two or three similar maxims. You may be one of those people who have difficulty calming your spirit for a few minutes to watch a bumblebee or know someone who feeds your guilt if you do.

As I develop a sense of quietude in the renewal of my faith life, I desire to study again the Scripture I once read frantically for years. I had different versions of the Bible—you know, the women’s devotional Bible, and one for married people; the different Bible studies through “this” organization or “that” famous spiritual leader; seasonal guides, some of which I even wrote for. Yes, I am involved in a fresh study book in my newly challenged faith walk, reading chunks of scripture weekly and asking questions. Outside of the noisy public group that discusses this book, I find in my preparations a new discipline of four steps that allows me to appreciate and find ways to apply God’s Word.

For the first step, I recall my Russian professor who used to say, “Repetition is the mother of learning.” ’Nuff said? Trying to bite off too big of a one-time piece of information overwhelms our ability to do anything with it and we invariably spit it out. Go small, go slow, chew well.

Steps two and three, Concentration and Comprehension, require me to pay attention in the moment as well as consult other varied, balanced resources. Instead of masticating into mush, or re-reading the same thing, my appetite for knowledge is renewed. It’s going beyond the thought of “what am I eating?” to recognizing the different flavors. In reading, I ask “what does that (word/phrase/custom) mean to me here and now?”

And, finally, the step where the discipline of silence, the ability to focus and listen, comes to fruition: Reflection. Here is my humble self, willing to open my spiritual eyes and my spiritual ears to see and hear what Christ my teacher wants me to practice what He preaches. These reflections guide my growth and application of what I am learning, as I will forever be in learning and opening-my-heart mode. 

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." ~I Corinthians 13:12 (ESV)

My Prayer: Feed and grow my desire to love you (God), know you, and honor you all the days of my life.

~*~
Author Bio:

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin. 

A multi-published and award-winning novelist, she also writes short stories and radio theater, is an avid book reviewer, blogger, a freelance editor, and workshop leader. 

She is a member of Chicago Writers Association and part of Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp and Writing Retreat, Inc., mentoring writers from across the US and Canada. 

~*~
Connect with Lisa: 

Website: http://www.LisaLickel.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisalickelauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lisalickel
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lisajlickel
Amazon Author page: http://amzn.to/2bPxi2X

Devotionals for the Heart: Silence

On Quietude and Silence
A devotional by Lisa Lickel

“Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it. But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” 
–Habakkuk 2:19-20 (ESV)

In his book, Freedom of Simplicity, Richard J. Foster says, "Silence frees us from the need to control others. One reason we can hardly bear to remain silent is that it makes us feel so helpless. We are accustomed to relying upon words to manage and control others. A frantic stream of words flows from us in an attempt to straighten others out. We want so desperately for them to agree with us, to see things our way. We evaluate people, judge people, condemn people. We devour people with our words. Silence is one of the deepest Disciplines of the Spirit simply because it puts the stopper on that."

Have you ever been in a meeting or a group activity at which one member verbally overflows and can’t find the shut-off valve? How does that make you feel? For me, I tend to go through the cycle of compassion for the speaker, then boredom about the third repetition, then wrestle with the desire to cut in and state my opinions, then frustration that I can’t get a word in edgewise, then disappointment or even anger if there’s a facilitator who won’t do his or her job and keep the purpose of the meeting flowing.

We tend to be afraid of silence—of the quiet—don’t we? The child who is quiet too long, the space between question and answer, the degree between deciding and decision. Am I wrong? Are they going to make of me? You’re wrong and I have to tell you why.

When we bought the property where we now live, my husband and I had a five-year discussion about where to eventually build the house. He had his reasons and I had mine. Mine had to do with the desire to be far away from the road and not be able to see neighboring houses. His had to do with the expense and work of maintaining a lengthy driveway. It wasn’t a contest and we each won. One of the common observations guests point out is “It’s so quiet.”

Except for the birds and the farm noises of our neighbors and the occasional clip-clop of horses and buggies, and the pheasant who crows at five thirty every morning outside our bedroom window, I think But yes. Exactly. Our home is a refuge from clamor. But there is still that meeting of the volunteer association, Bible study, of neighborhood get-togethers where we run into “motor mouths.” 

As I grow in my refreshed faith, I am learning the practical aspects of quietude at home and in public. I appreciate the positives of what happens when I don’t run off my mouth, or even my thoughts, desperate to get my point across. You know the biggest benefit? I listen much better, and not just like the birds and the clip-clop of horses. I can hear the quiet places in my neighbors’ hearts and appreciate their beautiful made-in-Christ’s-image faces. Quite often, someone else in the group has the same thing to say that was on my heart and has a much better explanation.

We are siblings and heirs, or we need to be. Sometimes the Gospel is best modeled through a quiet attitude, and in silence.

My prayer: Thank you, Father God, for two ears and one mouth, and an open heart.

~*~
Author Bio: 

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin. 

A multi-published and award-winning novelist, she also writes short stories and radio theater, is an avid book reviewer, blogger, a freelance editor, and workshop leader. 

She is a member of Chicago Writers Association and part of Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp and Writing Retreat, Inc., mentoring writers from across the U.S.A. and Canada.

~*~
Connect with Lisa:
Website: http://www.LisaLickel.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisalickelauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lisalickel
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lisajlickel
Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/2bPxi2X

Devotionals for the Heart: Service

On Service
A devotional by Lisa Lickel

“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” – John 13:14-15 (ESV)

Before I moved to a new community last fall, I had volunteered for a number of years, driving people to medical appointments or shopping, or helping service organizations or non-profits with bookwork, cleaning, and the like. I helped out with secretarial duties at our church. I enjoyed those activities; they felt like service. But I realize service shouldn’t be relegated to volunteer activities.

The example Jesus gives is for everyday life. To me, in my modern lifestyle, that means actions of kindness like filling the car with gas, washing dishes or laundry, making the bed, taking care of the yard, or cleaning the bathroom. It’s not a matter of your job/my job. It’s a matter of “ought to.” It’s a matter of giving way or giving in to each other. It’s a matter of outdoing each other with showing honor (Romans 12:10, ESV).

A Christian discipline of service rises from gratitude, not from authority. It is seeing a need and meeting it, not forcing “help” on someone just because it would be easier or faster if I performed the task. It is patience, not self-righteousness, never self-serving. Service is Christian humbleness. “When we choose to be a servant, we give up the right to be in charge,” Richard Foster says in Celebration of Discipline. “There is great freedom in this.” Amen! When we allow others to direct our efforts we surrender any form of ulterior motive for service. We might even allow others the dignity of seeing their own mistakes and correct them without needing to point it out.

There is great joy in loving Christ so much that it spills all around me. I can’t help but stop and be that third temporary hand, the one who picks up dishes so the conversation can continue, who changes the diaper, who lends a ride, who gives a drink when asked, to shut up and listen. I don’t pretend to hear every internal cry. I haven’t yet done more than meet my own need to volunteer in two areas I love in my new community.

Some days I’m still growly and grumpy when things don’t go my way. I’m unhappy when I don’t feel appreciated. In every sunset, every hymn, every blooming wild geranium, the Lord breaks through and reminds me that life isn’t about me. I’m released from the cage of narrow vision, of narrow-mindedness in which I’ve locked myself. I don’t have to be the greatest (Luke 9:46, ESV) and I can allow myself to be used as the servant of all (Mark 9:35, ESV).

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, as it would please you, bring me someone today whom I can serve.

~*~
Author Bio: 

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin. 

A multi-published and award-winning novelist, she also writes short stories and radio theater, is an avid book reviewer, blogger, a freelance editor, and workshop leader. 

She is a member of Chicago Writers Association and part of Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp and Writing Retreat, Inc., mentoring writers from across the US and Canada. 

~*~
Connect with Lisa:
Website: http://www.LisaLickel.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisalickelauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lisalickel
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lisajlickel
Amazon Author page: http://amzn.to/2bPxi2X

Devotionals for the Heart: Simplicity

On Simplicity
A devotional by Lisa Lickel

“The best way of doing good that I can devise is to make myself an efficient member of society and it is obvious that if every man did this there would be very little want to for the professional philanthropist. It is not help that men need most, but opportunity.” 

–William Dawson, Quest for the Simple Life

“Simplicity…has little to do with how many things you own and everything to do with not letting your possessions own you.” – Robert Smith

When my husband and I were finally ready to show our home to real estate agents, the one we signed with shook his head when he saw our basement. “You guys are, like, minimalists! Look, there’s nothing here.”

Of course our garage and driveway were fairly decked out with rummage—the kids’ old weight bench, a humongous freezer which a farmer around the corner came to buy, some old chairs that had actually been left by the previous owner thirty years earlier.

My husband was quite put out. “I already moved at least ten carloads of stuff out to our new place,” he said. Well, yeah...canning jars, wood, and tools from the garage, sleds, and more wood. Stuff I wouldn’t know how to use. Not stuff from inside the house.

I’m not a packrat (books don’t count). Oh, I still have a chest of drawers full of craft things I thought I might like to do, but as the years pass, I’m emptying those drawers, too. Baby and childhood mementos are going to the grandkids. Even the loss of things we stored that didn’t survive a damp summer didn’t really bother me when we finally moved into our new home. As I explore a renewal of my faith practices, this discipline of simplicity comes fairly easily. I’m drifting closer to God, further from anxiety over things that are out of my control. Building a new house can do that. I need to dig deeper into what “living simply” means.

Our possessions are a reflection of our characters. Are we determined to make such a comfortable life here on earth that heaven doesn’t seem better? I love Richard Foster’s take. He said, “Because we lack a divine center our need for security has led us into an insane attachment to things. We really must understand that the lust for affluence in contemporary society is psychotic. It is psychotic because it has completely lost touch with reality. We crave things we neither need nor enjoy.”

I may not be a packrat, but I freely confess to the above psychosis. I bought an entire series of one of my favorite television shows…two years ago…that I haven’t opened. Please don’t hate me.

Jesus basically calls wealth an idol, and cheerfully condemned the idle rich. He preached about abundant possessions—treasure that would steal our hearts—in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus instead asks his followers to give to those in need. All the time. Everything we “own.”

Everything we are.

Sobering.

So how do I reconcile that ideal with the reality of contemporary living? We don’t need to feel guilty about being comfortable. What we can do to reconcile how we survive is to consider what we purchase, if it’s ethically produced and delivered. Ask, am I addicted to acquiring? Do I give as often or more than I receive? Those answers reveal our core of self and faith.

My Prayer: Lord, I want to live for you. Help me appreciate and be content with what you have given me, and be resourceful in the future. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio: 

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin. 

A multi-published and award-winning novelist, she also writes short stories and radio theater, is an avid book reviewer, blogger, a freelance editor, and workshop leader. 

She is a member of Chicago Writers Association and part of Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp and Writing Retreat, Inc., mentoring writers from across the US and Canada.

~*~
Connect with Lisa:
Website: http://www.LisaLickel.com.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisalickelauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2839406.Lisa_J_Lickel
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lisajlickel
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2bPxi2X SaveSave

Devotionals for the Heart: Discipline and Submission

On Submission
A devotional by Lisa Lickel

“…Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” ~Ephesians 5:20-21 (ESV)

In his book, Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster says, “What freedom corresponds to submission? It is the ability to lay down the terrible burden of always needing to get our own way.”

In my quest to reacquaint myself with and freshen my faith life, I have come to appreciate prayer and worship with a renewed attitude of the with-God life. I turn next to reexamine the spiritual discipline of submission.

The word tends to make me shudder. How about you? I think of all sorts of negative connotations. But just as I have accepted that discipline is not punishment, I can rewire my understanding of submission.

At its heart, submitting means not getting my own way.

I really like getting my own way. I don’t believe I’m alone in this attitude. I like deciding which movie to go to, the kind of shoes and how many pairs I want to buy, what book to read next, when and what to make for supper, how to budget for Christmas, where to go on our next vacation. I’m right about how to fold the towels, which way to hang the toilet paper, how to make the bed, and who should go first at a four-way stop. My ideas about what to print in the church newsletter, which songs go with the service, how to decorate the church, and when to allow children to participate in worship or run around afterward are well thought out, balanced, and offered with love. Why would anyone disagree?

When I submit to the Lord, I am not allowing a cruel, controlling master to force me to do things I don’t want to do. When I submit to my fellow believers, I allow each of us to share the gifts we have been given with grace and dignity. I free my stubborn self-will from the torture of the responsibility of always having to be right. When I submit to others, I show my love and compassion by answering honestly when someone asks my opinion, not resorting to saying “I don’t care,” or “Do what you want,” or the dreaded “I told you so.”

I am learning to empathize with the world God so loved when I no longer have to stand alone in my own righteousness and look with pity on those who don’t know better. My way isn’t always the only way. It’s not always the best way. I don’t have to interrupt others or get in the last word.

What a relief! Not only can I free myself to listen in prayer and be wholly, utterly dependent on God, I can submit in deference and avoid nasty disagreements, anxiety, and grief even when “it” doesn’t go the way I think best. How amazing is that? Denying myself to show the depth of my faith is not giving in to the dark side, it’s allowing God to work through me by example and compassion.

I’m learning that the Holy Spirit leads to good decisions when I listen both in solitude and corporately for His guidance.

But I’m still right about the towels.

My Prayer: Amen and amen, Lord Jesus. Help me deny myself, pick up my cross, and follow you.

~*~
Author Bio:

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin. 

A multi-published and award-winning novelist, she also writes short stories and radio theater, is an avid book reviewer, blogger, a freelance editor, and workshop leader. 

She is a member of Chicago Writers Association and part of Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp and Writing Retreat, Inc., mentoring writers from across the U.S. and Canada.

~*~
Connect with Lisa:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisalickelauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2839406.Lisa_J_Lickel
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lisajlickel
Amazon Author page: http://amzn.to/2bPxi2X

Website: http://www.LisaLickel.com

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Devotionals for the Heart: On Worship

On Worship
A devotional by Lisa Lickel

"God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

~John 4:24 ESV

In his book Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster said, “Worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father.”

As I develop a deeper sense of the with-God life, I find worship in general and corporate worship with fellow believers becoming richer, more personal.

There was a poster I saw when I was in college that struck me deeply enough to resurface every now and then, thirty-five years later. It was a photo of the inside of a richly appointed church during a service. A figure who was unmistakably Jesus was asleep in the front row. “Peace be within Thy walls" (Psalm 122:7 KJV) wasn’t meant for us to be that kind of comfortable.

Worship at its heart is communion with our triune God. We have awe and respect for God Almighty, the Father, and a deep abiding love for His sacrificed Son our Lord, Jesus, and the ability to come to our knees through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Being able to commune is a two-way street. If I don’t listen, how can I hear and know? If all I am is a noisy, clanging symbol, as Paul puts it in his letter to the Corinthian church, what am I telling God?

Like prayer, worship comes with vulnerability. Quieting ourselves might be unnerving if we’re used to working in a place humming with activity, or having a radio or television or music on constantly.

Questions run through my mind. What if I hear nothing from God? Or what if I do? Am I crazy? What if I don’t like what I hear? What if God asks me to do something I don’t want to do? How can I tell if it’s truly God?

Jesus reminds me, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15 ESV). He reminds me that questions are good, but anxiety is a stumbling block. The purpose of Worship, I am learning, is to help me know God better. I grow in faith, in trust, by spending more time in His company.

Richard Foster says, “To worship is to experience Reality, to touch Life."

Worship heightens my senses in this new exploration of the with-God life. I am learning holy dependency, “to be utterly and completely dependent upon God.”

My reaction to that Love may be with praise, a hymn, a hallelujah, a dance, a prayer, an offering or a new understanding of Scripture. But the outcome will always certainly be a changed and growing heart for God. My desire to “seek first the Kingdom of God” is renewed.

My Prayer: Thank, you Lord for growing my faith, for surrounding me with your saints to uphold me and encourage me and challenge me. Help me hear you, live for you, love you, and share that love with others.

~*~
Author Bio:

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin. 

A multi-published and award-winning novelist, Lisa also writes short stories and radio theater. She's an avid book reviewer, blogger, a freelance editor, and workshop leader. 

She is a member of Chicago Writers Association and part of Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp and Writing Retreat, Inc., mentoring writers from across the United States of America.

~*~
Connect with Lisa:
Website - http://www.LisaLickel.com
Facebook -http://www.facebook.com/lisalickelauthor
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2839406.Lisa_J_Lickel
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lisajlickel
Amazon Author page - http://amzn.to/2bPxi2XSaveSave

Devotionals for the Heart: Prayer

On Prayer
A devotional by Lisa Lickel

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." ~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)

"Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, unuttered or expressed…"~James Montgomery, 1818.

My husband and I recently transitioned from the community in which we’d lived all of our married life across the state to the community we’d planned to live upon retirement. The move meant making many changes, not the least of which is finding a new home for worship. We are not church hoppers or shoppers, so this dance is an awkward one for us at best. There are no familiar congregations here, and we are forced out of our traditional rut. The challenge is good for me, even if it’s hard to admit.

This year I am honored to join the community of God is Love. I will share some of the lessons I am learning as I retrain my flabby spiritual life by looking at my faith with fresh eyes. I am learning to appreciate new spiritual disciplines, the first of which is prayer.

Ever since my college days with a campus ministry organization, small groups, books like Ole Hallesby’s Prayer, poems, Bible study, and learning acronyms that encompass what well-rounded prayer should look like (Praise Repent Ask Yourself, and such), coming up with formulas has never been a problem. But have I made prayer, the communion, that intimate, vulnerable, and honest sharing of myself with God, a natural means of expressing who I am? “Make my life a prayer to you,” sung by the late Keith Green has been a mantra, but am I living it?

Deliberate communication is shared interchange. Half of prayer is listening with intention—not listening while rehearsing my turn to speak. It is reacting to what I have heard. It is a moment by moment choice of practicing the with-God life. I should not be able to separate my praying self from my going-through-the-motions self. This is praying without ceasing where giving thanks and being joyful is God’s will. This is showing love.

My Prayer: Lord, thank you that you love me by listening, thank you that you love me by speaking. Help me to hear you in every part of life and share your love.

~*~
Author Bio:

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin. 

A multi-published and award-winning novelist, she also writes short stories and radio theater. Lisa is an avid book reviewer, blogger, a freelance editor, and workshop leader. 

She is a member of Chicago Writers Association and part of Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp and Writing Retreat, Inc., mentoring writers from across the United States of America.

~*~
Connect with Lisa:
Website - http://www.LisaLickel.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lisalickelauthor
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2839406.Lisa_J_Lickel

Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lisajlickel
Amazon Author page -  http://amzn.to/2bPxi2X SaveSave

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