"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.

A Celebration: Time to Weigh and Measure... :D

Drumroll please...

It's my one year BLOGoversary today! 

Thank YOU, Lord, for a great year of spreading Your Word 

and bringing praise and honor to Your name! 

I prayed about how to celebrate. A big ole giveaway? A series of old posts?

He landed me on this:

Pause. Ponder. Praise.

Time for Selah.

How cool is that?

I still haven't told you what I believe the real meaning of Selah is. Do some research on it, because it is a fascinating study. Many say it is an interlude or a break in the musical instruments of the Psalms, others say it means "pause" or "break" in the music. Still others say it puts the "Amen" or the exclamation point on a phrase.

I've decided that the research that most resonates Truth to me is that of Tony Warren from Mountain Retreat. He says the following: 

"Selah, [celah], is from the primary Hebrew root word [calah] which literally means 'to hang,' and by implication to measure (weigh). This is readily understood because in Biblical history, money, food and other valuables were 'weighed' by hanging or suspending them on a type of balance (the equivalent of our measuring scale) to determine their value."

He goes on to say: 

"And despite claims to the contrary, there is no substantive Biblical evidence that Selah is an interrupter to pause the music while voices continue, nor is there sound evidence that it is for the pausing of voices while the music continues. These ideas are based upon the conjecture and theories of it being a music stop. It is a presupposition rather an well researched conclusion. But what we do know is that it is a word which means to weigh or measure. 

And in these contexts, to weigh the preceding words of God and wisely consider them. It is a signature exhortation from God for our thoughtful reflection and weighing of what we have just read."

I love that.

So what does that mean for me? It's time for me to take a break in the sense that I need to take some time "to measure" all that is going on in my life and ministry. I will pause and ponder the Lord's message to me and His priorities for me. I will surrender my time and ministry completely to Him and see if He would have me make any adjustments. This is always my goal, but somehow a break makes me more intentional and accountable to it.

Will you join me in prayer about a few of the things He's laid on my heart already?

1. I need to get organized household & health wise. Have some adjustments to make.

2. I'm preparing for a God-sized ministry commitment. He's led me to go on a missions trip to Cambodia in late October for ten days, and I have a TON of research, planning and training to do before I go. I will be leading kids in teaching and worship while I'm there. Please pray. I have never been on an overseas missions trip. I don't even have a passport yet. Completely going with God's leading on this one. Like I said, God-sized.

3. I'm heading to She Speaks/She Writes in late July, and I need to prepare my two presentations, as well as prepare for a publisher's meeting for a few of my manuscripts.

And there's so much more. Books to read, SUV to drive with the kids out of school, Writing Projects to submit for pay, scheduling for fall, etc.

What do you think about this? Crazy, eh? But His ways are not mine, and I would rather obey than end up in the belly of a big fish, so I'm off to Selah for awhile, a month or so...with the exception of one post for the Internet Cafe on the 18th which I'm setting up in advance. :D 

I look forward to what God will do with my extra time. He always surprises me when I obey Him. Thank you for celebrating and praising the Lord with me today! I pray that in the spirit of God's leading for me, you will consider taking the time to weigh and measure exactly what He has for you as well. He will not withhold anything good from you as you seek His face.

Psalm 84

"How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob.
Selah

Look upon our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.

Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

O LORD Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in you."

Picture-Perfect Pause

Happy Word-Filled Wednesday!

If you could paint a picture-perfect place to take a "selah," what would it look like? By "selah" I mean a place to stop and reflect on your faith walk.

For me, it would look much like this picture my friend Peter let me borrow, which serves as the background for this week's WFW.  


Truth be told, when I ponder a picture-perfect pause, it almost always has this sort of scene associated with it. To lay reclined against that grassy hill, looking out over the blue waters reading my Bible, praying with my eyes open wide would be the ultimate Selah experience for this visual worshipper.

But oh, what I truly desire--is picture-perfect fellowship with my Savior. Nothing compares to that scene. To lay reclined in His strong arms, looking out over whatever situation I need to face, having Him speak His Word to me as I seek Him with my heart's eyes open wide...THAT is the daily Selah experience for this visual worshipper. And it is a glorious one when I choose it.

I'm going to dive more into what "Selah" means in the days to come. I used to think it meant "to pause," but it is sooooo much more than that. I'm wondering if I were to "Selah" each and every one of the Scriptures I read today, what a difference it would make in my life. Something to ponder...

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