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May 31, 2013 by beWARM.

The results of a recent study: people are so dependent on their mobile phones that they check them an average of 150 times a day.

Impossible, I thought.  Preposterous, even.

How could we pay that much attention to an inanimate object barely the size of our hand?

Have our mobile devices become our life managers?  And how dare we let them?

So I started counting.

All tolled, my statistics put me in the lower percentiles of phone-checkers.  The fact that I don’t have Facebook friends and am not a Tweeter may have helped me here.

However, the frequency of my glancing was still a bit unsettling.

And, truthfully, this Continuous Partial Attention makes my head spin sometimes, diverting my focus from the people around me whose presence I value far more than a ringing, dinging machine.

Research has shown that excessive mobile phone use can erode relationships and even become an addiction – a sad commentary on how technology has attained such power over us.

Though I wax on about this vise-grip of devices, I have to admit I am at a loss when my phone is out of commission. (Aren’t we all?)

It has become my alarm clock, watch, daily organizer, yearly calendar, photo album, list-keeper, personal messenger…and the list goes on.

My challenge is to look less, and see more…of people, nature…life.

The world will still turn if I don’t read that message at the very moment it appears.

And here’s another thought: how many times a day do I think about God, or send Him a prayer message?

What about giving Him my Complete Purposeful Attention?

I’m aiming for the highest percentile on that one…

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so my ways are higher than your ways
    and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. ~Isaiah 55:9

To read the full article on Mobile Phone Use, click here

For more about Continuous Partial Attention, click here

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Pressing Matters

May 16, 2013 by beWARM.

When it comes to ironing, I am the Procrastinator Supreme. Why I have this aversion is beyond me.

Perhaps it stems from all of those dampened and starched pillowcases I had to press as one of my weekly chores during my childhood days.

Any household jobs requiring rubber gloves are not an issue – but the mounting wrinkled mass in the laundry basket has been, well….easily and indefinitely ignored.

A few of the clothes have rested there for so long they are in danger of becoming vintage pieces.

I knew this was a serious issue when, as I began my quest of diminishing the massive heap, my husband asked me if I had bought him some new shirts.

How could I have had such a lapse?

My disdain for de-wrinkling surely stems from the fact that, to me, it is tedious, boring work.

Oswald Chambers tells us that the challenge of walking with God is to find Him in the mundane tasks before us. He says,

The height of the mountain top is measured by the drab drudgery of the valley; but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God.

As I prayed through the ironing, God prompted me to wonder if there was anything else piling up in my life…or in my heart.

Hmmmm….making mountains out of molehills took on a new meaning.

God can certainly show us ways to reduce our emotional (and material!) pile-ups, and help smooth out life’s wrinkles.

Though we are grateful for His blessings that astound us, we honor Him most by recognizing His presence in the humdrum of our days… in the most laborious tasks.

So, dear friends…let’s press on!

We are not meant to be illuminated versions (of the new life God has put into us), but the common stuff of ordinary life exhibiting the marvel of the grace of God. ~ Oswald Chambers, parentheses mine

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Invested Development

April 24, 2013 by beWARM.

Scientists recently announced that as our life expectancies have increased, 72 is the new 30! Heartened by this exciting news, I promptly declared my adolescence and revamped my outlook on adulthood.

The promise of the years ahead has buoyed my spirits.

In all seriousness, of late I have been thankful for the wisdom of my years…and for the freedom and confidence that comes with being comfortable in my own skin (wrinkles and all).

Back in my teen years, my world was ruled by raging hormones, coupled with unbridled narcissism. Oh, that I would be popular! And would that boy I had a secret crush on ever like me?

Adolescence had me in such a spin. Thoughts of inner growth and development were a foreign concept. Focus on all things exterior were of utmost importance.

But now….oh joy…we get another chance at growing up!

The beauty of this is that we now are better equipped for the experience. Our backpacks for the journey now hold containers of life experience (along with various bags and sags which I refuse to discuss).

Way back when, puberty just happened. At this stage of the game, we can actually welcome – even cherish – new ways of growing and seeing.

All it takes is that “bring it on” attitude, and a willing and open heart…one joyfully expectant that there is more to life than we ever imagined. (And… these days just waking up every morning is enough to fuel gratefulness with a capital G.)

Now that we have such a new lease on life, where or to whom will you devote your time and energy? What thoughts will you allow to occupy your mind?

I hope that spiritual development will be high on your priority list. For as our years advance, our best and most secure investment is in the Lord. Let’s jump into to this “bonus phase” with gusto…and enjoy a deeper life for the long haul.

We will always win the popularity contest with Him.

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. ~2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (The Message)

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Stepping Out

March 26, 2013 by beWARM.

Though my powers of recall fail me from time to time, there are particular memories that have remained deeply imbedded, with minimal fading over the years.

One such recollection is a devotional given by a young woman named Jenny during an eye project 7 years ago in Colombia, which deeply moved me, and still provides food for thought.

Her devotional was based on the story of Zacchaeus, a rich tax collector. Being a short person, he climbed a tree to watch Jesus as He came through Jericho. Jesus asked Zacchaeus to come down from the tree, saying  that He would be a guest at his home that day. Most people were astonished that Jesus would want to spend time with someone they considered a notorious sinner.

In responding to Jesus’ invitation, Zacchaeus took a brave move forward – out of his comfortable, safe perch above the crowd. He then offered to make amends for any excess taxes he collected by giving money to the poor, changing the direction of his life forevermore.

Jenny challenged our eye team with 2 questions:

Have you ever taken a bold step for Jesus?

In what direction is the trajectory of your life pointing?

As we revisited Zacchaeus during our Sunday service, I asked myself those questions once again, recalling instances where I did take the  risk of exposing my beliefs through words or actions. I reflected on the current direction of my life, asking God to show me if I need to adjust my course.

It occurred to me that considering these questions during this most sacred of weeks could provide all of us with some spiritual sustenance.

Are we brave enough to take  a bold step for Jesus this week….this month.…this year?  It could be as small as saying “God bless you” to a stranger, or taking a moment to pray with a friend or family member in need. What about telling someone when you experienced the feeling of God’s presence, and how that felt to you?

And taking a moment to stop and assess your current path of life  isn’t a bad idea either.  Would God be pleased with the route you have taken – and does He play a prominent role  as you consider your future?

The truth is, Jesus continually invites us to “come down out of the tree”.  He desires to be a guest in our lives, our homes.

His hand is always extended, awaiting our grasp.

Together, let’s discover ways to make this Holy Week a Holy Walk, daring to express our love for the Lord as we thank Him for the sacrifice of His Son.

Let’s step out of the shadows…and into the trajectory of His light.

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. ~Luke 19:10

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Tuning In

March 18, 2013 by beWARM.

Have you ever been listening to a radio program intently, when suddenly, much to your frustration,  the sound becomes fuzzy and far away?

That is an apt description of my spiritual journey for the past few weeks.

Though I have not “changed the channel”, copious amounts of static have interfered with my connection – so much that my attention has been diverted away from what is most important.

How could I allow this to happen?

This takes me back to my college days, when the imminent approach of piano juries and final exams would prompt me to place organizing my closet or cleaning my dorm room as a top priority.

Here I am, 40 years later, still struggling with those nasty avoidance/procrastination issues.

Except now, God’s persistence cuts through the static.  He prods me to stop and think about what might be the root cause of my distraction. He encourages me to bring these issues to the forefront and look them straight in the eye.

No more hiding behind  household chores, piles of emails, phone calls, or mindless web surfing when God is calling.

This temporary mindspin had me in a vicegrip which was not the least bit pleasant.

So I asked…begged God to help me out of it.

What finally cleared up my reception issues (and aren’t they related to my word for the year, receive?) was honestly admitting what was preventing me from sitting down each day for quiet, restful time with the Lord.

Contemplating my contemplative challenges proved to enlighten; and admitting my weaknesses and confessing my lack of discipline lifted the heavy weight from my heart.

Feeling far away from God is no fun at all.

Once I was honest with myself, those pesky attention diverters quieted down – and moments with God became the anchor points of my day.

I could almost hear  Him saying, Don’t touch that dial! I am working to resolve your technical difficulties! With your consent, you will soon hear My Voice clearly.

God always has something to teach us – even during brief lapses when we think He is somewhere in the distance.

May you feel Him next to you today…and hear His every whisper.

For he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.

If only you would listen to his voice today!   Psalm 95:7

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