Honor your Husband

Honoring your Husband this month

Merriiam-Webster.com provides one Definition of HONOR as --a showing of usually merited respect, recognition

Romans 12:10 says :  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

I am blessed with a wonderful dad and husband, men who love me and who are worthy of honor and praise.  I hope you are as fortunate!  This Fathers day, I challenge you to put the father of your children, your spouse, and your father in the biblical position of HONOR…whether they deserve it or not, whether you feel like it or not, whether they are living or dead.

Honor them in your heart by loving them as Christ would love them, in spite of all their faults and forgive them as you are forgiven.  Matthew 6:12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  For some of you this may be extremely difficult because your father or husband has committed a serious wrong and only with God’s help and some serious Knee-mail will you be able to honor them in this way. 

Honor them with your lips by practicing Ephesians 4:29:  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  Don’t make any critical or disparaging remarks about a man.  (This is a hard one, I just warning you!--especially when you include their driving, the way they fold laundry or ___ fill in the blank with your own pet peeve!  LOL).  Instead share words of praise, stories of their successes with others, build them up with words of affirmation.  Focus only on the good, not on what irritates you or with what “needs fixing”.

Honor them with your life by picking one thing the man does that is worthy of emulating and put it into practice this month.  Philippians 4:9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Happy Fathers Day!

Preparing for the DR 2015 Night of Music Fundraiser

"Without music, life would be a mistake" —Friedrich Nietzsche

When I was a girl I took, in music lessons in this order, Piano, Clarinet, Violin, Piano (again) and eventually the drums in my 50s.   I can’t play a song that you’d want to listen to on any of those instruments.  Music is amazing-it can evoke strong emotions, help you recall a memory, inspire creativity, calm your nerves and even put a baby to sleep.   

In a well written musical score, each instrument, each note is dependent on all the others to create a song worth listening to.  Every musician in the orchestra has an important role to play and no instrument or the individual playing it  is independent of any of the others.   All parts must work together so that beautiful music can be created.  If you broke down a song into its many parts and played them independently, much of what you heard would likely sound like discordant noise.   Musical notes and instruments need each other to create music.

Paul often describes the church as Christ's body. But I’d like for you, as we prepare for our “Night of Music” that you consider the 2015 DR team a song.  Followers of Jesus are interrelated with every other person in the body of Christ.  Though each believer may be unique, each believer is also dependent on the rest. Like interrelated musical notes, each person is critical to the music we will play.  We must work together in unity and oneness of purpose to help bring about Gods purpose for our Mission and this fundraiser.

You might be a loud trumpet call, or a harmonizing note.  You might be the steady beat that keeps the team on task daily.  You might play in the minor key or even be the rest-a pause in a musical score.  Musicians say that without rests, music would just be noise, bedlam instead of beauty.   God has equipped each individual member with an instrument to play, notes to contribute--gifts and talents for the building up of the body.   Play your part with confidence and enthusiasm and together we will make beautiful music!

Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out

I've adopted a WORK related New Years resolution that is completely different for me.   It doesn't involve saving money for the company, launching a new program or even increasing implementing new policies and procedures. 

It is an Attitude Goal. 

1)  I will only speak those works to others that I would be willing to speak directly to the CEO and President of my company. 

That rules our swearing, whining, complaining without offering solutions or gossip.  Now, I am not in the habit of doing any of these frequently but...even a little bit goes a long way to poison the pool.  A colleague of mine says, in jest, that her swearing is better than Xanax in reducing her work related anxieties. 

 It means modulating my tone of voice and taking the time to make the right choice with regard to words chosen.  It may mean taking a walk around the block or a deep breath.

It means selecting the best time and place to have a discussion or making the choice to not start the discussion at all.  IT will require me to be more empathetic and be mindful of whether the other person is able to hear my message at that time.  

It may mean not offering a solution to a problem, my expertise, a comment or advice unless expressly asked to do so. It means I will listen twice as much as I speak and it may mean I keep silent (Those of you that know me realize just how hard this will be!). 

I will offer words of encouragement and praise.  I will give compliments, I will look for the good in others and make sure to speak it out loud. 

As you can see, this may be a difficult commitment to keep.  But like my mother said..."If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.   

1 Peter 4:11New International Version (NIV)

If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.