Running the Route

Posted on October 14, 2015 by dinahoverlien

It’s football season and for us Cheeseheads, there’s excitement in the crisp, cool autumn air. Our Green Bay Packers are off to a 5-0 start. Things are looking up after a dismal summer of baseball doldrums in Wisconsin.

I admit that I don’t completely understand football. Other sports seem to be more straight-forward. For instance, golf — a little ball, a little hole. Chase the little ball around until it goes in the little hole. What’s so hard about that?

In baseball, there is a fairly small window across home plate where the pitch is predictably coming. The batter knows the ball is arriving somewhere between his knees and the letters on his jersey. All he has to do is hit that ball when he sees it coming straight at him. Easy schmeesy.

In basketball, everyone on the court knows where that ball is going — through a round hole 18″ in diameter and 10 feet off the ground. Every single time. Yawn.

But with football, there’s this thing called a moving target. The quarterback must throw the ball to where the receiver is GOING to be. Sure, they plan it all out when they huddle up before the play. Hopefully, the guy runs his route as expected so he happens to be at exactly the same place as the incoming ball at exactly the right time, if the quarterback threw the ball at exactly the right speed.

That concept is a little beyond my grasp, obviously. But some measure of truth did leak out into my soul.

I need to get in a huddle with God at the start of every day. I need His Word to give me the game plan. Then, I need to run the route in obedience rather then tearing around on the field expending lots of energy but never being in the right place at the right time. I need to be open to receive whatever comes at me during the day and run with it.

Football is complicated.

That’s why it’s so impressive when teams make it look easy.

Following through on God’s commands is not that hard.

That’s why it’s so baffling when we make it look complicated.

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

Adoration

Posted on September 9, 2015 by dinahoverlien

The ACTS acronym has been around a long time. It serves as a method of prayer that includes Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. I remember learning this handy dandy prayer model when I was a kid. Plus, it’s in the book “Christian Prayer for Dummies”. So it’s nothing new.

I’ve never had trouble coming up with things to confess — there’s plenty of fodder for that. Thanksgiving is easy — I just have to open my eyes and look in front of my nose. My prayers tend to lean heavy on the supplication side — there’s no end to the list of things I ask God for on a regular basis.

Adoration is my weak spot.

I can’t think of much to say.

According to the dictionary, to adore means to regard with the utmost esteem, love and respect; to like or admire very much.

If I was at Menards and happened to see a certain HGTV decorating star, I’d go up to her and say, “I love your show! Your style is so warm and inviting and your creativity is so inspiring! I so look forward to seeing your designs each week! You are my favorite decorator!” (Yes, I would use all those exclamation points.) (And I would say “so” three times.)

If I was at the library and ran into an author I highly respect, I’d whisper, “Your books have meant the world to me. I admire the way your stories connect with life. You are so good at putting things in a way that resonates with me. I’m so honored to meet you and be able to tell you how I feel.”

If I had a backstage pass at a concert and had the chance to speak to a musician I’ve always loved, I’d say, “The songs you sing speak right to my heart. I play your albums all the time and know every one of your songs. I think you’re the best songwriter ever.”

There. That wasn’t so hard.

Adoring God is simply telling Him what I love about Him.

“God, I love Your style, Your creativity, Your words, the way You touch my heart. You are my favorite — the best ever, and I’m honored to worship You.”

Adoration.

Teach Us To Pray

Posted on September 3, 2015 by dinahoverlien

The disciples didn’t ask Jesus to teach them how to

walk on water,

or multiply loaves and fishes,

or quiet a storm.

They never asked for lessons in

preaching

or healing

or driving out demons.

There was no request for interpretation of Old Testament passages,

or an explanation of original sin and the fall of man.

The only thing the disciples asked Jesus to teach them was

how

pray.

So let’s not ask God to wow us with wonders,

or check off our wish list,

or indulge our whims.

Let’s not get hung up on

eschatology

or hagiology

or epistemology.

Let’s just lay down our pride and say,

“Lord, teach us to pray.”

Going Into the Closet

Posted on August 30, 2015 by dinahoverlien

“But when you pray, go into your closet, close the door and pray to your Father….” Matthew 6:6

What do you think Jesus really meant when He said this?

Was He implying that I should try to find a happy place in my mind so I can feel a sense of calm and peacefulness?

Was the Lord hinting that I should shut my eyes when I pray to cut down on distractions?

Did Jesus mean that I should pray about what clothes to wear every morning?

Could He have been suggesting that if I can’t close my closet doors, that perhaps I have too many clothes?

Or was He instructing that I should

go into a closet

close the door

and pray?

Could you do it? Would you do it? Should you do it?

I mean, actually clear a place in an actual closet in your house, put a folding chair inside, and go sit on it for a few minutes every day. What would it be like to close your closet door and talk to God in there?

Nah, that can’t be what He meant. I’d feel foolish sitting in my closet, praying. What if someone heard me? That would be embarrassing. How would I explain my unusual actions? Surely He wouldn’t ask me to do something odd like that. What could possibly be the benefit of such a strange practice? I must be taking Jesus’ words too literally.

“Prayer is not learned in a classroom, but in a closet.” E.M. Bounds

Prayers

Posted on August 19, 2015 by dinahoverlien

I used to pray the same bed-time prayer every night. My mom would tuck me in and listen to me recite this verse:

“Day is done, gone the sun, God be with us everyone.”

Then I would go on to “God Bless” everybody — Mommy and Daddy, Grandpas and Grandmas, brothers and sister, cousins and friends.

When our family gathered around the supper table and it was my turn to say the blessing, I always rattled off this little ditty:

“Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat,
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God, for everything.”

My siblings and I each had our own special prayers to recite. I don’t know who chose those little sing-songy verses or they how they got assigned to us. Meals didn’t start until dad called on someone to say grace and we all bowed our heads. For Sunday dinner, my brother would usually get the nod because his prayer was short enough to get in between plays of the Packer game:

“God is great, God is good. Let us thank him for our food. Amen.”

My prayers have changed since those days, but sometimes I still feel like I’m saying the same things over and over again. If I’m getting bored with the way I pray, I wonder how God feels. I have a lot to learn here.

Prayer is one of those topics that tend to induce guilt (“I know I should pray more.”) or anxiety (“I don’t have to pray out loud, do I?”) or doubt (Does it really make a difference?”). Prayer can seem mysterious, but as Billy Graham once said, “Prayer is simply a conversation between you and God.” And most of us are pretty good at talking. Listening, on the other hand, can be a problem.

This fall I’m going to be leading a Bible study on prayer, so expect the topic to come up here in the coming weeks. I don’t expect to have an answer for every question about prayer or attempt to solve this thing once and for all. Instead, my hope is that we will take a step forward in enjoying our relationship with our loving Father, who wants to chat with us awhile every day.

Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth. Psalm 54:2

It’s Time

Posted on August 14, 2015 by dinahoverlien

Sometime this summer, this old clock stopped ticking.

Actually, it’s not an old clock. It’s a $5.99 clock from Ikea.

I remember the day it happened.

One of my grands dipped it in the bathtub until the 5, 6, and 7 were drowning.

I dried it off and set it back on my desk, but the ticker was silent.

I guess you could say that sometime this summer, I kinda stopped ticking, too.

I don’t know when it happened.

Maybe I was drowning in funerals (5) and weddings (6) and fun activities (at least 7).

I allowed myself to be silent for awhile.

Today I picked up that clock, wiped off the soap scum, twirled those hands around, and gave it a shake.

The ticking returned! The rhythm is back!

My clock came back to life!

So I figure it’s telling me to do the same —

dust off the dander, limber up my hands, and breath some life back into small drop.

May the click of ideas and the rhythm of words return.

It’s time.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Novocaine

Posted on July 22, 2015 by dinahoverlien

God bless Alfred Einhorn, who developed the pain-killer Novocaine in 1905.

I was the lucky recipient of a syringe full of the merciful magical anesthetic today.

For the past two weeks, I haven’t been chewing on my left side. Because it hurts. Okay, maybe it’s more like four weeks. So, being the adult that I am, I made a dentist appointment. Making that call required an enormous amount of self-control due to a traumatic dental history.

My mother took me to a small-town dentist near our home when I was very young. His office was above a store and we walked up creaky wooden stairs and through a creaky wooden door. The dentist had very thick glasses which made his eyes look huge. There was no dental assistant, no laughing gas, and no novocaine.

That’s right. I said no novocaine.

Once when he was drilling my tooth, he hit a nerve and I fainted dead-away in the chair. He picked me up and carried me in his arms out to the small waiting room. I’ve always wondered what my mother thought at the sight of her limp little girl. All I remember is coming to with smelling salts and his magnified eyes inches from my face.

Hence, the four (ok, maybe six) weeks of no chewing on my left side.

Today, as I sat in the dentist’s chair and felt my tongue and cheek go numb, I was grateful. Not for the Novocaine, but for a Savior that refused the pain-killer, because He was determined to be a sin-killer. As Charles Spurgeon, my favorite old dead guy wrote, “To us, sensations such as our Lord endured would have been insupportable, and kind unconsciousness would have come to our rescue; but in His case, He was wounded, and felt the sword; He drained the cup and tasted every drop.”

“They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.” Mark 15:23

Vacation

Posted on June 6, 2015 by dinahoverlien

Today,

I smell a yellow rose,

drink coffee from a smiley cup,

and watch PB read the paper across the table.

No deep thoughts,

no pressing demands,

no duties to perform.

I am taking a vacation

from myself.

“Come away with me to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31

Hall of Fame

Posted on May 20, 2015 by dinahoverlien

Last Sunday our church honored those brave, hardy souls that came week after week to teach squirrelly children about the love of Jesus in Sunday school. These are people who intentionally chose to not sleep in on Sunday mornings for a good nine months. They volunteered knowing that antsy little boys and chatty little girls would ask unbelievably hard questions about God and life and the universe. Some of our teachers who serve week after week also have been faithful year after year. If there was a Sunday School Teacher Hall of Fame, I would have several inductees.

Being a Sunday school teacher can be daunting and thankless. So, at the close of the school year, we sing the praises of these unsung heroes.

After applauding the sacrifice and dedication of these wonderful people, the congregation settled in for PB’s sermon. He was preaching on Hebrews 11 – the great “Faith Hall of Fame” chapter. The writer names several giants of the faith like Abraham and Moses, but ends the chapter with many unnamed saints who “faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned, they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword.”

That jarring statement suddenly made teaching Sunday school look pretty tame.

So far, not one of our teachers has been sawed in two.

What we call “sacrifice”, the saints of old might have called “privilege”, “opportunity to serve”, or even “joy”. Until I am chained and put in prison, maybe I better rethink the use of the word “sacrifice”.

a small drop of ink

Reflecting God's Heart, Refreshing Yours

Category Archives: Devo Drops