Devotion 9.15.22

"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the say, and when you lie down and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between our eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of our house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:6 - 9

"...teach them diligently..." at the start of v 7 has some interesting notes in my bible. The phrase comes from "Hebrew 'shanan;' verb for sharpening by repeatedly running the blade over a whetstone. Parents are to teach God's Word faithfully and repeatedly to their offspring so that God will continually dwell with His people." (Lutheran Study Bible notes, pg 288) So, what do we take from this?

Parents are noted as the primary source of instruction in this passage. In many places in scripture, it notes a father's role in discipline.  This goes beyond "punishment" as we so often define it, but rather in teaching, guiding and leading a child. What's interesting in this is the motion given by the Hebrew word "shanan" in terms of sharpening. My dad was a meat-cutter who could sharpen a knife blade to a razor's point. The motion mentioned in the definition of the Hebrew word, "repeatedly running the blade over a whetstone," indicates a rhythmic approach, made clear in v 7, "...shall talk of them when you sit...walk...lie...and rise." That doesn't "imply," it states directly to talk of God in every available moment.

So, why do we forget? Forget what you ask? Forget history? I have a love for history and taught it in school for six years before moving to administration. My observation was that kids would retain history better if you could link it to the here and now. How do you do that? You can start by teaching that there is literally nothing new under the sun in terms of what happens today. It is linked to our story of how we arrived to where we are today. It's found in every day life, not just in the headlines, but in many aspects of what we do, why we do it, and how we do it.

What about your family? My observation as a teacher is that it was good to link issues of the day to the everyday life of people in our community. The family unit being the most significant part of a community, each family has a story about how it got there and what brought them there. Not separate from that is the church (or churches) in that community. So, you have a basis under your own roof to talk about your family in the context of its history, how you got here to this point today, and faith's role in your family. What do we talk about around our dinner tables, in the car, as we pray and as we have time to talk/teach our families about their past and the faith that is a significant part of that?

That makes history and faith active in our lives. Rather than say, "Never forget," we say, "Always remember." Remember who we are, where we've come from and how God has a plan for us in our past and in our present (Jeremiah 29:11). We pray that our parents are taking an active role in the development of our children, and we pray that we, as members of a larger faith community, the church, take our role in helping shape those children when opportunities arise.

Retreat Devotion 9.12.22

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

(This will be part of our devotion at the retreat, but since some won't be there, we will share in advance for all to benefit and prepare.)

What is your purpose? Why am I here on this earth? Am I significant and do I make a difference?

These are all questions we ask ourselves at some time in our lives. If you do a simple scan of my life, let's say look at my calendar and see what my schedule looked like from 22 years of age until now, you'd come to the conclusion my purpose was to be in meetings. In fact, it is almost a steady march each day, especially in my education years, of meetings. Even in retirement, I meet. Don't try to draw a distinction between being an educator and the "real world," because when I retired and went to the private sector, the meetings increased.

Surely I am meant to do more than to convene around the table or in a room with others, and I bet you feel the same. We all seek significance or meaning in our lives, but where do we turn for this?

Scripture tells us in passages like Ephesians that we were created with a purpose. In fact, our being means that we were put here to do "good works," which God prepared with us in mind. That means that God is intimately aware of us and what our time on earth is for (Psalm 139), as He "knit us in our mother's womb." My task, then, is to seek God's Will in my life, to open those doors maybe I haven't been, to make that call I haven't made or to seek out that visit with someone I have been putting off. 

We pray for insight into God's will for us and to open those doors of opportunity that we may have walked past many times. We ask for God's Spirit to guide us to help us see those opportunities and to equip us for service as needed.

Retreat Topic 1 - Devotion 9.5.22

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41 - 42

(These next several devotions will be part of our conversation at the retreat, but not everyone can go, so we can share and prepare in advance.)

Which is more important? Leadership or management? I wrestle with this from time to time because of my former role in education leadership.  I'm not alone though because I know for a fact the military wrestles with this as well.  None other than one General (then later President) Dwight D. Eisenhower left us a management tool that to this day still bears his name:  The Eisenhower Matrix. It's divided into four quadrants. Across the top it says "Urgent" over one quadrant, and "Not Urgent" over the one to its right. Then on the descending left side of it at the side of it reads "Important," and the one below it is "Not Important." (Like me and need to see these things? A link is at the bottom of the email to a site that explains it fully.)

Martha, the subject of the occasion, finds herself worked into a frenzy. She is in the "Urgent"  and "Important" quadrant (Q1). This is not a good place to be. Eisenhower realized that being in the Army and leading the Army in Europe could mean everything is urgent and important all at once (generally crisis management 24/7). The problem is that requires too much energy because much of what some people think is urgent and important is really a crisis caused by poor planning.  General Eisenhower knew that to be effective, he needed to focus on "Important, Not Urgent." Strategy, reflection, sharing leadership thoughts, teaching, and planning can go into that quadrant two (Q2). It's important, not urgent.

Mary is at the feet of Q2: Christ. Christ all but tells an exasperated Martha that when she interrupts his teaching and presence by protesting Mary's lack of help. "Mary has chosen the good portion."

I realized in administration that if I was going to lead, I had to manage effectively. So when a mentor of mine showed me this and a corresponding folder system, I went back and implemented it immediately. Want something signed? It goes in the "Signature" folder. Why? Because if I signed based on employee need, that is all I would do because people arrive a decisions independently and bring things to you individually. The staff soon learned I review and sign every day during lunch. Get it in before noon. (There were two other folders, but save that for another day.)

Why is this important? Because one area of focus for all of us is "Reflection." How and when do I give myself time to reflect? Where am I and how am I doing in my four pillars in life - faith, family, learning and giving/sharing. What are your "big areas" in your life that drive your activity? How much time do you give them in reflection daily, weekly, monthly and yearly? It's important, as Christ notes, and if it can make the difference in winning and losing a war, think about what it can do with your life.

How and when do we reflect on God's Word and will in our lives? How do we become men of action, not activity?

Pray to God for time to reflect on what is important in our lives as He sees it and pray for the ability to act when we begin seeing these things more clearly.

https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/eisenhower-matrix

Devotion 9.2.22

"And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay." Daniel 2:41

You've probably heard the phrase "feet of clay" used when it comes to describe the state of man. We hope to be iron, as in the passage "iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27)," but in reality we are in a constant state of being. That means we move forward, and we slide back. Much like the kingdom described in the dream Daniel interprets, we are a combination of iron and clay. Both will decay, but one is stronger than the other. One is less fragile than the other.

"Only what's done for Him will last" is the refrain penciled in a print my wife and I bought at the start of our marriage at an art show. Of course, it's at the bottom of an old church somewhere in everyday America. It's a wood frame church that is deteriorating. That line comes from a poem by the same title. Rather than focus on being feet of clay, we'd rather focus on the source of our faith, salvation and strength - Christ.

"I can do all things through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13) As we seek to be more Christ like in our walk, we focus on Christ, His Word, his sacrificial and sacramental acts that saved us and give us faith, which give us strength and hope.

The theme for the retreat this is from this brief devotion:  "From Feet of Clay to Feats of Strength." We will have devotion time, activity time, and meal time. What we hope it all adds up to is an enjoyable time for everyone who participates. Please consider joining us Sept 30 - Oct 2 in Mason, TX at the Schwede Ranch where there will be abundant opportunities for learning, fellowship and fun.