Personal Update

I am again for looking for work.  I am experienced in care giving and some general office or clerical work.  I would appreciate your prayers as I go back out into the job seeking world....

More On High Tech / Low Touch

I worked retail for a couple of months at the customer service desk. When I first started my manager told me "Greet, greet, greet."  So I did.  I tried to engage everyone one coming in the door.  I missed a few which was my bad. (She later told me that just in case I hadn't noticed!). But often I said hello or welcome to someone well engaged in a cell phone conversation. 

I guess I can understand the rudeness walking in the door but it really bothered me much more at the checkout counter.  To carry on a conversation on the phone when trying to check  out is just plain rude. I fear however, we have come to such a thing. A few people would either put the phone person on hold or actually hang up and engage in the checkout process.

I grieve what society is becoming. First we lost the big front porch and the chance it afforded to sit  and shoot the breeze with neighbors and friends. Then we lost clothesline in the backyard where women could chat over the fence while hanging the laundry out to dry.  Then we lost the single telephone with a busy single when the line was tied up.  Does anyone remember party lines? I do. Now we are so engrossed in our cellphone conversations as to ignore the person next to or in front of us. It is a scary thing to depersonalize so much. God created us in His image and as such we are social beings. We need to interact.  Next time you are in a store on the phone, hang up. You just might make the cashier's day.

Community--High Touch / Low Tech

Tonight I was able to gather with a large group of believing women who love the Lord Jesus Christ. We celebrated the fact that God had knit a baby boy in his mother's womb.  It was good to be with the sisters to laugh, share and pray with and for one another.  The fellowship was sweet and much needed. There is nothing that can replace a smile, a hug and face to face conversation.

 I haven't been texting too long and love having the feature on my phone.  But there is a caveat with it.  It is surely high tech but low on the touch meter. Texting has its purpose. It is wonderful to let others know when you might arrive somewhere or agree to a place to meet. It can be a sweet quick reminder that a friend is praying for you.  But when it replaces in person communication I think it can be dangerous. At least it was for me.  I relied more on texting and less on touching.

I realized I was losing something that God created for humans. He means for us to be relational on a personal level.  He wants us to know and see one another. One study showed that 7% of communication is vocabulary, 38% is tone or inflection and 55% is non verbal cues.  93% of our communication is not reliant on our words.  A telephone screen leaves off a lot of what it means to be human.  Am I giving up the text feature? No indeed. But I am going to be more careful to call or visit and thus enjoy the high touch low tech means of communicating.

Jehovah Azar

I have studied the names of God some in the thirty five years I have been a believer. A few nights ago I was listening to Nancy Leigh DeMoss who talked about God as the one who helps. The name is Jehovah Ezer. It is also spelled Jehovah Azar. The Lord is my helper. He is the One to whom I can turn for solace and aid. It is from Psalm 30:10 which reads: “Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me; O Lord, be my helper.”

How comforting to know that God is a very present help in times of trouble. He loves those who call on His name. He is a strong tower and all who know Him run to Him and are safe. He doesn't leave or forsake us but is out great aid.  The Holy Spirit is the paraclete and comes alongside of us.  The Father watches over us and tends us as His own children.  God had delivered David from much peril when he wrote this Psalm. He thanks God for His freedom and he encouraged others to be equally grateful.  God is a God of refuge and help. He is the One we can turn to at any time and praise Him for His faithfulness to us as a heavenly Father protecting and guiding His child.

The Stubborn Weed

I know it has been a long time since I posted anything.  I have my reasons for the sabbatical. I am not sure how consistent I will be as I start anew. But I hope to post more frequently than I have in the past few months.

 There are a lot of weeds in the lawn of my apartment complex.  I am sure the manager wouldn't be happy if I told her my blog post was about the weedy lawn. Oh well.  There is a particular kind of woody weed that is very difficult, if not impossible, to pull out of dry soil.  It has a huge root with lots of tentacles creeping underneath the sod.  Often the best that can be done is to pull the leafy part of the stem but to leave the root intact. However when we get a lot of rain the weed pulls easily out of the lawn root and all. For some reason I enjoy picking the weeds right after a heavy rain. Gives me a sense of accomplishment.  It also makes me feel like I am giving the lawn a chance.

As I was pulling some of the weeds these past few days, I thought of the nature of sin. It is very resilient. Its tentacles run deep into the often hard and claylike soil.  Sometimes we try to uproot it but only break off the leafy or showy parts above the ground.  We can make it appear we have done the hard work when we have only skimmed the surface.  However, just as water makes the weed pull up easily; the water of the Word is needed to soften the roots of sin. Only then can the Holy Spirit  totally destroy the unwanted transgression in our life. Pulling weeds from the lawn makes the grass freer to grow.  Pulling weeds from the heart makes our spirits free to grow.