"Break"ing News! Selah

Hi friends,

I’ve got some “break”ing news for you, but first lemme give you a teeny tiny bit of background:

When my son was thirteen, we gave him a cell phone, mainly for our convenience, but he wasn’t hurting over it for sure. He was very responsible with it for the most part, and he managed to keep the unlimited texting and phone calls in balance with other life responsibilities. Something happened around a year later, however, as he grew used to the freedom. He went through some changes, more friends got texting privileges (not to mention Facebook accounts), the ministry and social calendar picked up, basketball season started, the homework got heavier, and the “unlimited” became an issue for him. Maybe this is the case with your sons and daughters. If so, read on...

Brian and I took his texting minutes back to a limited number a month, a number which we felt was reasonable. We began to take his cell phone at night and keep it in our rooms. We also began to monitor the texts to some degree, all with his knowledge. At first, it was difficult to scale back, and he kicked and screamed some. But now, he knows he has a certain number, and it has helped him to realize that life changes, our schedule changes, and when it does, we have to be willing to adjust. It’s turned out to be a beautiful life lesson. That’s God. He allows us to make corrections, even if we get a step or two ahead of Him. Love that merciful heart of His.

Those lessons have not only been for our son, they’ve been there lately for Brian and me as well. WE’ve stepped into a new season of parenting...one of taxying, hosting parties and Bible Studies, heavier discipleship necessary with life and relationship issues, larger circles of friends as our kids become older and more social, less time together as a couple at night since the kids go to bed later...all the while personally continuing to grow as a son and daughter of the Most High, who loves us far too much to let us get ahead of Him.

Because of this heavier season of life, and after a great deal of prayer, my Father has led me to take a break from my devotional writing on Selah. It may be just the summer, it may be longer...it will be until the Lord gives me permission and clear vision of His calling for ministry. He is continuing to lead me to write Christian living articles and speak as I have the extra time, so I will pour what little time and resources I have left from being a wife and mama into improving and sharing in those areas. If you have the desire to keep up with what the Lord is doing and teaching us in our lives, you can follow my LauraLeeShaw.com blog...I will also post on Facebook and Twitter once or twice a day, or more if time allows. My writer and speaker page on Facebook is here.

The Lord has allowed me the blessing of some publishing opportunities this month. One is in Dallas Christian Family. If you are local, you can pick one up for free in a whole lotta places, or you can go online and read it here (pg. 8): Dallas Christian Family May Issue.

And in His incredible wisdom and timing, He chose to allow my “Out of Order” article to be published in Just Between Us magazine for the summer edition (on shelves this month). Gotta love the Lord for leading me to do what He wants me to do through publishing this article at this time.

Another remarkable choice of timing is that my mother’s tribute story, "Lessons Learned from Glory,” will be published in a book that is scheduled to be released in late May or early June...May was my mama’s birthday, and it is also the month of Mother’s Day. What a loving time and way for the Lord to give me this news in a month that is difficult for me. He is a gracious Father. I’ll post that info on my blog when it comes out. If you wish to subscribe to my blog, you can do so here.

So, yea, “break”ing news...I’ve prayed about this for a few months, and like my son with the texting, I kicked and screamed some. But I learned when He asked me to step down from kids’ ministry leadership, that, when I obey, His fruit of peace follows. When I trust him with my time and priorities, His fruit of love and self-control are expressed in and through me. He’s also taught me that He’d rather me do a few things extremely well than to try to do a bunch of things halfway and stressed in the process.

And He’ll continue to love on me and teach me as I break away from anything that hinders me from having an undivided heart. :) Selah.

How about you, my friend? Is it time to reevaluate your time, your talents, your resources, your relationships? Ask Him...He will answer and give you all that you need to obey. “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus...than to trust and obey.”

Selah.

Most Responded To Post of 2009//Out of Order

I didn't post this devo here on Selah, but I sent it to my website edevo recipients and posted it on the Internet Cafe. The Lord's conviction in and through me struck a chord with many, and I'm so glad He did. May we all keep things in In His Order this 2010:

Out of Order

Recently, I began to feel pretty flat spiritually. Okay, really flat. With little inspiration to write, to read or even to pray, it was all I could do to keep from sinking into depression. When the Lord led me to search my soul about it, an unsuspecting thought surfaced.

No, THAT is not the problem. Next thought, Lord.

No matter how much I tried to deny it, the Holy Spirit kept bringing the same subject up in my heart and mind--through devotions I would read, sermons I would hear, songs that left a thick lump in my throat, and through conversations with my friends and family.

You haven’t been putting Me first.

That’s the thought that kept coming. I asked Him to show me what I was doing out of order, and He began the process of revealing it to me. I feel led to share one moment in particular with you.

That morning I was sitting in “my chair” (the one I sit in to read my Bible). I had just checked my email and commented on a few blogs, when I got up to get my second cup of coffee. As I looked over at the side table, the image I saw froze in my mind:

It was my laptop sitting on top of my open Bible. You see, when I first sat down that morning, I had opened my Bible up to the Psalms, which is how I’d jumpstarted my morning for several years. Then I thought I would take juuuuust a second to check my email before the kids got up. After all, I’d rather them see my face in the Bible instead of my computer first thing in the morning, I concluded.

While my rationale seemed justifiable at the time, the Holy Spirit put a check in my heart, pointing out that I’d been doing this more and more lately….the end result being less and less time with the Lord. I was getting into a habit of coming before Him distracted and half-heartedly.

I hadn’t been putting Him first. (Gulp)

Embarrassingly, I had become more excited about checking my email and my blog in the mornings than I had about checking what He had to say to me through His Word. No wonder I was to the point of depleted. I was pouring myself out to things that couldn’t fill me back up.

It wasn’t that I had been intentionally walking in a life of sin or anything, but I hadn’t been intentionally guarding my time with Him either.

His Word reminds me:

Romans 12:11 (NIV)
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

I like the parallel that can be drawn from this OT passage:

Deuteronomy 11:16-17 (The Message)
“But be vigilant, lest you be seduced away and end up serving and worshiping other gods and God erupts in anger and shuts down Heaven so there's no rain and nothing grows in the fields, and in no time at all you're starved out—not a trace of you left on the good land that God is giving you.”

Friends, this applies to all of us. When we let the “things,” good, bad or in-between, woo us away from our One and Only, then our spiritual growth stops. He’s a jealous God, and He simply won’t stand for it. If we don’t stop and repent, turning our face to Jesus, we’ll waste away to nothingness spiritually speaking, bearing little fruit to offer anyone.

Is there something sitting on top of your Bible? Is there anything sapping the life right out of you? Are you being honest with yourself about this issue?

The reason I ask that last question about being honest with yourself is because I wasn’t. My husband asked me several weeks ago if I was becoming overly dependent on my laptop, and I gave him the most defensive “NO” I’ve given him in a very long time. That should’ve been the first clue.

Psalm 119:58-60 (NIV)
“I have sought Your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your promise. I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to Your statutes. I will hasten and not delay to obey Your commands.”

So sisters, in Spirit and in Truth, let’s repent and turn, moving forward in His order and seeking His face more than any other. It is only with Him in full view that we can experience His life in full measure.


Lord, I’m so sorry for putting You out of order. You have made the choice so simple for me, yet so often I seek other pleasures to give me abundant life. Thank You for Your forgiveness and mercy and for putting me face forward in the right direction again. Help keep my wandering heart focused solely on You, Father. I pray for my sisters in Christ who also struggle with getting their priorities out of whack, and help them to seek You, accepting Your perfect correction and direction for their paths in the meantime. You are so good, Lord, and I thank You for being a God of perfect order. Help me to follow Your example, I pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

In the Key of HE,

Did you know you can sign up to receive edevos at my ministry website:

Difficulties, Anyone?

Dear Father, my Papa ~

That problem or

PREOCCUPATION.

That predicament.

That stronghold or

SIN.

That struggle.

That attitude or

ANGST.

That aggravation.

That confusion or

CONFLICT.

That commitment.

Ah, Sovereign LORD, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You. Thank You, Lord, that I can give You all the stuff that doesn't make sense in my life. Whether it's my own puzzles I'm fretting over, or someone else's, I submit to You, Father. You are in control of anything that feels out of control for me. Order my life, solve my problems, and help me to obey Your counsel, I pray. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Would you like to see more Truth-filled Scripture pictures? Then hike on over to:

Out of Order

Recently, I began to feel pretty flat spiritually. Okay, really flat. With little inspiration to write, to read or even to pray, it was all I could do to keep from sinking into depression. When the Lord led me to search my soul about it, an unsuspecting thought surfaced.

No, THAT is not the problem. Next thought, Lord.

No matter how much I tried to deny it, the Holy Spirit kept bringing the same subject up in my heart and mind--through devotions I would read, sermons I would hear, songs that left a thick lump in my throat, and through conversations with my friends and family.

You haven’t been putting Me first.

That’s the thought that kept coming. I asked Him to show me what I was doing out of order, and He began the process of revealing it to me. I feel led to share one moment in particular with you...


I would love for you to read the rest at the Internet Cafe today by clicking here: Out of Order at the Cafe This is very new and close to my heart, so I hope it ministers to you in some way...

In the Key of HE,

A God-Honoring Schedule

My precious sister and new friend Sunny from A Damsel No Longer in Distress is hosting a fabulous topic at the well today: Preparing a God-honoring Schedule with No Regrets...what an awesome time for those of you reading to jump in on the subject. I'd love to hear what you have to say. Here's Sunny's discussion questions:

1. Have you ever planned your day, week or month, then regretted making the commitments you’ve made, wondering if your plan was the right one?
2. Have you ever wondered if you should’ve said “yes” to one person and “no” to another and just weren’t sure what the best thing to do was?
3. Who or what does your schedule represent? Does it represent you, your affinities, or your love for Christ?

Twill be Incredible and useful chatter at the well today…and for the most part, I'll be a student and a listener, because the word "schedule," oftentimes, can send me into a tailspin. Can’t wait to hear the advice, wisdom and admonition the other ladies have to share, and I’ll be listening with an open heart and an open mind.

I've always been pretty organized with tasks and projects, but planning and maintaining a schedule can be rather difficult for my creative, artsy-pop-tartsy brain. Unless, that is, I think of it in terms of the order of priorities which God lays on my heart each day.

Truly, I go through my "list" with Him, usually with a desperate voice, and ask for His help. I've learned that because structure is so difficult for me to maintain, He can act and work through my weakness accordingly as I readily admit my need.

I wake up earlier than my kids so that I can start my day with Him, asking Him to help me order the tasks that are on my plate. It seems they are different each day, as my kids go to school two days a week and school at home three days a week. It's a challenge to maintain a regular routine, but the Lord helps me one day at a time, hopefully bringing glory to Himself in the process.

One word I can offer to this subject is that as Christian women, we need to constantly lay our priorities and our expectations before the Lord. When those are out of balance, then everything else is too, schedule or no schedule.

To compare ourselves to others--what and how much So-and-so can do and where we are insufficient—that is the ultimate mistake. When our focus is on what someone else is doing better than us, then we can't very well focus on God, can we? (By the way, the opposite is true as well...if we think we are better than another, then eek...) I do believe it is okay to admire the Godly qualities in another and even ask the Lord to help you adopt some of those qualities, but just stay open to what the Lord wants for YOU as His unique creation.

Beware of earthly formulas that promise to help you have it all together. Just as you consult a physician before you start a certain medication, make sure you consult the Great Physician before you accept a prescription for fixing what's "wrong" with you in this area. What works for one family may not work for yours.

The Lord lives and moves and breathes in each one of us according to the measure we surrender our lives to do so. He made you, He made me, He knows us intimately, and He has a unique way of working in each one of us.

Keep your eyes focused on what HE wants you to do, be obedient to it, and He’ll begin to put your schedule in order, in a way that is best for you and your family. He will keep you open and teachable, and will direct you to people who can give you suggestions as you need it. He will always be faithful to work it out in you as you lay down your pride and follow his leading. A few of the verses that I've memorized in the NIV are perfect for this, but I'm typing The Message version in order to put it in a fresh way:

"Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life."
Galatians 6:4-5, The Message

"Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure."
Philippians 2:13, The Message

This is what He has done and is continuing to do for me. Very soon, I’ll be sharing a personal example of some huge priority decisions I’ve had to make recently, but the timing isn’t quite right yet. Besides, I want to make sure I have enough time in my schedule (lol) to take in what all the other ladies have to say at the well. While I’ll choose not to compare, I’m still certain I’ll learn a ton from the wisdom God has given them…He’ll even give me some of that stuff to work on and implement into my own life, I feel sure.

In His perfect time, in His perfect way, through His unique plan for me, I can have a schedule that honors God, and the same is true of you.

So tell me what you think about it...


In the Key of HE,

Can I Borrow A Minute of Your Time?

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (The Message)
Love God, your God, with your whole heart:
love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!
Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts.
Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children.
Talk about them wherever you are,
sitting at home or walking in the street;
talk about them from the time you get up in the morning
to when you fall into bed at night.
Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder;
inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.

My friend Tim from Pickl.com sent this to me via email yesterday, and I thought the message was worth sharing. I googled it to see if an author existed and found the story plastered all over the internet. So obviously, not new, but it bears repeating. Also, I think Tim "cleaned it up" a bit from its original version, so I thought that was cool too. Whatcha think?

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, only to find his 6-year-old son waiting for him at the door.

“Daddy, may I please ask you a question?”

“Okay… yeah, sure, what is it?” replied the man.

“Daddy, how much do you make an hour?”

“That's NONE of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?” the man said angrily.

“I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?”

“If you must know, I make $50 an hour.”

“Oh,” the little boy replied, with his head down, then looked back up.

“Daddy, may I please borrow…ummm… $25?”

The father was furious, “If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you’re being so selfish. I don't work hard every day for such childish frivolities.”

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. His father sat down and started to get even angrier about his little son's questions.

How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think: maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00--and he really didn't ask for money very often--The man went to the little boy's room and opened the door. “Are you asleep, son?” he asked.

“No daddy, I'm awake,” replied the boy.

“I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier,” said the man. “It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.”

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. “Oh, thank you Daddy!” he yelled with delight. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled-up bills.

The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.

The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

“Why do you want more money if you already have some?” the father grumbled.

“Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied. “Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.”

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. 

It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.



In the Key of HE,

Flowers On The Ledge

I was looking out the balcony of our hotel room in Vail. Draped on top of the ornate metal railing was a beautiful rectangular planter of reddish orange flowers. I was easily distracted by them, especially since I have a black thumb and can’t seem to make my own flowers live when I’ve planted them in the past. In front of the balcony was a huge waterfall. It made looking directly out of the room a very pleasant experience. 

The thing that struck me as I sat out on the patio to enjoy the beauty my second to last day, however, was that the flowers were right at eye level. They were the only thing I could see. I thought to myself, What’s the point of just having a view of the flowers? While they were very beautiful, I couldn’t see the waterfall very well or even the glorious mountains in the background. The flowers were gorgeous, the waterfall was refreshing, but my view was obstructed from the grandest scenery of all!

This caused me to remember a phrase that my friend Dan has quoted several times in the recent past: “Good is the enemy of best.” I think that is the case in my life sometimes. How often do I miss the big picture of the faith by focusing in on the good but lesser things of the faith? Are my priorities in line with what Jesus would want for me as His follower? Luke 10:38-42 comes to mind:

“As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’

“’Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’”

Martha was doing what was good, but Mary chose the better….can we say the same? Are we too busy doing good stuff to sit at His feet each day?

Volunteering at church is good. Doing Bible Studies is good. Doing your best at work is good. Keeping yourself in shape is good. Enriching friendships is good. Blogging about Jesus is good. It’s all good, unless it becomes the rival of choosing that which is better…

Let’s do the good stuff for God AFTER making the time to do the “one thing that is needed”: sitting at the feet of Jesus. Good doesn’t have to be the enemy of best in this case if we make our worship of the Lord our greatest priority.

What represents your flowers on the ledge? Go ahead and water them, but step on your tip-toes if needed to make sure your view of the better things is not obstructed. When you are looking from His high view, it may change the way you are looking at what’s right in front of you…

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9

In the Key of HE,

Sock It To Me!

***Posted for Patty Wysong's Fiction Fridays. For more great fiction, click here: http://pattywysong.blogspot.com

As mom and wife, it was uncomfortable. Being in the middle of a conflict, that is--one that I probably had some to do with creating myself. Too late now, though. I'll just have to let the consequences unfold.

“DAD, This is so lame,” our daughter Alyssa said as she stormed into our room. Her mouth proved itself teen-worthy.

My husband responded. “Lame, huh?”

“You have no right to barricade my room, Dad,” she barked, “blocking off my closet and drawers with bright orange tape!”

I held back the giggle that was begging to come out and ducked out of the room as inconspicuously as possible.

“I should’ve done it a long time ago, Alyssa,” Steve argued back. “I’ve told you a hundred times that as long as you’re living in this house, you will keep your room picked up.”

Alyssa huffed as her heavy feet spoke on her behalf all the way back to her room. “It’s not FAIR!” she screamed while tearing down the barrier to her room.

Exasperated, Steve came into the living room where I was working a crossword puzzle. “I’m so tired of this, Elaine.” My side of the loveseat sprung me in the air as he sat down beside me.

“Ok, Dad,” Alyssa walked into the room in submission. “I get the point.”

He stood up and touched her shoulder tenderly, “Alyssa, I warned you that if you didn’t get your room clean by last weekend that you would be punished. I’ve given you grace all week, but now I’ve got to ground you until it’s finished.”

“WHAT?!? But that’s not fair!” Her mascara-stained cheeks were about to see a new jet-black trail of tears.

Alyssa’s younger brother always walked in at the perfect time. “What’s goin’ on?” he spouted off cluelessly.

“None of your business, Caleb!” Alyssa stomped off a second time and slammed her door when she reached her construction zone.

Caleb looked dumbfounded. “What’s wrong with her?”

“The same thing that’s going to be wrong with you in a minute,” Steve warned.

“What'd I do?”

“You promised me two weeks ago that you would pick up all the Play Station discs laying around in the game room,” he scolded. “Some of them have huge scratches now.”

“K, Dad. I’ll do it later.” He turned around and started to strut out of the room.

“No, son,” my husband corrected, “you’ll do it now.”

He made one last attempt. “Mom, tell Dad he’s being lame…”

I stood up and tried to look serious. “No, Caleb. He’s right.”

“What a way to spend a weekend,” he sassed as he made his exit.

Steve spent a good while pouring out his heart to me after that. “It’s like nobody wants to do their work, Lainey. That can’t be God’s best for our family.”

“You’re right, Steve,” I consented.

He turned his face to me and looked me straight in the eye. “Are you in a defensive mood today?”

“Uh,” I hesitated, “I’m ok—shoot!” I tried to belt out positively.

“Well, it’s like that pile of socks in our room. I know you don’t like me to help with the laundry, Hon, but honestly, I don’t think I can stand it anymore….”

He sat down again and shuffled through my almost-completed crossword magazine.

“What? You don’t like having them all in one place to choose from?” I winked at him.

I could tell he felt disgusted with himself for even mentioning it.

“Well, do you mind finishing my puzzle for me, sweetie? I’ve got a sock-ade to tackle!” I looked at him with a loving twinkle in my eye.

He stood up and gleamed, “I’d much rather help a beautiful lady with a horribly boring task, so…sock it to me!”

“How ‘bout you go pick us up some tacos instead?” I pleaded. “Looks like we’re all going to be working into the evening.”

“Deal!” He grabbed his keys and skipped out of the room. “And she still won’t let me help with the laundry,” he muttered under his breath.

As I separated the mound of socks in our bedroom, I admitted to the Lord that I was having a difficult time completing the mundane tasks around me and asked for His help.

My prayer was interrupted by three loud honks outside the window. Alyssa, Caleb and I ran out the door only to see Steve’s car dead in the middle of the street.

“The car is out of gas!” He yelled. “I thought I could make it to a gas station before I ran out.”

Pushing the car back into the driveway, we all had a good laugh. Steve was a good sport, although…

…The kids really socked it to him.