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: 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