Posted on in 2013 Posts

We All Need a Little Grace Now and Then…

phone operatorOur internet hasn’t been working right so I called customer non-service the other night to report our problem.  I got a recording that told me they would call me back between one hour and four minutes and one hour in forty-seven minutes.  Being the optimist that I am, I thought, “OK”.  I figured they had over- estimated and would be calling me in 10 minutes.  However, it was even longer than the one hour and forty-seven minute mark which meant my phone rang after I had been in bed for quite some time.  I groggily answered and was informed I was, “Next in line, so when Lori Kempton (a recording of my own voice) was on the line, please press one.”  I did and was told, “Please hold”.  So I proceeded to hold for the next five minutes.

Then when the rep from my phone company answered from somewhere obviously in a foreign country, she said, “Can I ask who is speaking?”

I said, “Lori Kempton.”

She said again, “Can you please tell me who I am speaking to?”

I’m thinking, “You called me on my home line you provide and made me confirm already that it was me…five minutes ago…before you were even willing to put me on hold.   Why are you asking again?”

I answered a little louder, but trying not to wake up Jim, “Lori Kempton.”

Then she proceeded to say, “We have a bad connection.  I can’t hear what you’re saying!”

I haven’t been feeling well lately and actually to be honest, have been pretty grumpy which is totally out of my nature. At that point, I got totally frustrated and just said, “Forget it.  Please don’t call me back again.”  I haven’t been able to sleep lately and the last thing I needed was to be frustrated at 11:00 at night when I was trying to get to sleep!

I hate it when someone frustrates me to that point.  I feel at times like the world is watching and waiting for me to mess up.  I certainly wouldn’t have disappointed them that night!  Let’s face it…I’m only human.

Then on the other hand, you can be doing everything to the best of your ability and still have someone criticize you.  We were at the store yesterday and needed to be directed to the right area for our purchase.  A salesman saw we were lost, asked Jim how he could help and walked with us to the right department explaining along the way how everything was set-up.  He asked if we needed help from there and so Jim said, “Sure, if you can.”  The guy said, “Sorry, it isn’t my department so I’m not permitted to help.”  I’m sure his next step was to get us a salesman who could, but Jim told him he would be fine from there and we parted.

I heard someone behind me say, “That was terrible that the guy helping those people just said, “It’s not my department, I can’t help. What kind of customer service is that?  That is like saying, “No, it’s not my job to help you.”

In my mind, the employee had been very helpful but had just gone as far as he was permitted by his company to go.  However, the onlooker didn’t have all of the facts.  He had no idea how helpful he had been since he only witnessed his last statement to us.

I pray that I never become that person that judges someone…especially without all of the facts.  However, I humbly admit that at times I fail.  It’s easy for us to look at other people’s lives and criticize.  However, we really do need to stop and consider the grace extended to each and every one of us when we feel like hurling a rock of judgment at someone.  It’s an ugly spirit and one that needs to be tamed immediately.  Lest any of us forget we are all sinners…imperfect beings…in need of a Savior full of grace.

I think we’ve figured out that my grumpiness as of late has been born from a medicine that I was on not agreeing with me.  If you were on the receiving end of my conversation the other night with customer non-service, you might have judged me as being impatient or unfriendly.  When the fact is, I am typically a very patient person full of vim and vigor when I am not in a toxic situation with medications.

I, on the other hand, judged the operator on the phone immediately when I knew she was a foreigner.  She couldn’t help it her company didn’t provide her with the tools to do her job.  You would think a phone company could have given her a clear phone line to serve their customers!  It wasn’t her fault.  She may have been really good at her job.

Have you ever judged someone and felt bad afterwards?  Perhaps you’ve been on the receiving end of criticisms that have no truth to what is really going on in your life?  I think we have all been there at one time or another…on both ends of the spectrum.

So a reminder to us all of what I have learned from these life lessons. Before forming an opinion, stop and get the facts.  If there isn’t the ability to make a good enough connection to understand the truth, don’t judge by the little that you did hear or see.  Remember, any one of us can easily fall into the traps set before us that bring frustration and cause us to fail before others.  Guard yourselves against the temptations. Lastly, don’t forget…none of us are perfect.  We all are in need of the Grace that only our Savior, Jesus Christ, can give.

He never forgets our name.

He is always ready to connect.

He knows the whole story about us and He still loved us enough to die for us.

His Grace covers all…

Have a great week and don’t forget…get out there and be a blessing!

Matthew 7:1  (NKJV) Judge not, that you be not judged.

2 Corinthians 12:9 … He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

Posted on in 2013 Posts

Clueless in D.C.

I’m sure you all have heard of the movies, “Sleepless in Seattle,” and “Maid in Manhattan.”  Jim and I are going to write one titled, “Clueless in D.C.”  Although in light of the recent news, someone may beat us to that title.

IMG_2142I don’t want to bore you with our stories of cancelled flights, different airports, changed rental car details, etc.  However, after all of that, when they told us we were in room 4-1-1, it should have been a sign.  Some of you might not remember those days, but in the past when we needed to look up a phone number, we didn’t talk to Siri or pull up Google.  We had to dial 4-1-1.  A nice operator would answer the phone and you would give her the name and city of the person you were trying to reach.  They would look it up, tell you the number and then you would dial it on your rotary phone or later touch tone phone to make your call.  So, with that lengthy explanation, there we were, what felt like country-folk in the big city, assigned to room 4-1-1.  At least it wasn’t in room 9-1-1 or 1313 or something like that!

The whole reason we went was to go to a wedding of a wonderful friend.   However, on our last day there, we decided to buy a metro pass and headed into the big city.  Jim had never been there before to sight-see so I decided that first and foremost, he needed to see the monuments.  He was really interested in seeing some of the Smithsonian Museums, too, so we set out to do that, as well.  The first one that intrigued us was, “The Castle.”  If you know me, you know I don’t do well in museums.  However, this building was cool enough, architecturally, that I was interested in going inside as we were passing by. Somehow until that moment, I missed the part about the Smithsonian buildings having something to do with a guy named Smithson who left a lot of money to the government.  When we walked into The Castle, just inside the door, was a tomb that housed the crypt of James Smithson, himself.  Then there was a small gift shop and some administrative offices.  Boring.  We left.

After studying Answers in Genesis with Ken Ham materials, I wasn’t all that thrilled to see the next building, either.  It was full of bones that had been dug up from dinosaurs from what they say was from millions of years ago.  They were hanging from the ceilings and kind of cool except I questioned the legitimacy of everything I was seeing.  Thanks, Ken!  It probably didn’t help to see an advertisement about evolution on the sidewalk before I even walked in.  It set the tone and basically went against everything I believe to be true.  Then there was a section with dead animals that were stuffed and others that were in big glass jars so you could get an up close look at all of the dead things.  I guess I’m spoiled, but here in Cincinnati, if I want to learn about mammals I go to the zoo.  If I want to learn about the ocean, I visit the aquarium.  I didn’t want to disappoint Jim, but all of this dead stuff was not going to keep my attention for long.  We needed to move on. I just couldn’t take it.  Besides, I knew the Lincoln Memorial would be way cooler and I didn’t want him to miss out.

lincolnI have always admired Abe Lincoln as an entrepreneur and as a Godly leader.  He had a lot of losses, trials, and defeats in his life but he never gave up until he made a difference for having been here.  I love that about him.  Three and one-half hours after walking non-stop from the time we originally set out to find his memorial, we found ourselves finally standing at the bottom of the steps leading to his memorial.

I know.  We had metro passes.  We should’ve gotten pretty close and been able to walk there quickly. (Yes, we were clueless in D.C.  It never occurred to me to pull up an app.  I must be getting old.  On the bright side, I am sure we saw things very few see as they ride boring tour buses all over town!)  As we got to the top of the steps we paused to take in the statue and read the words from the speeches he had given while he was president.  I believe that no matter what people say, he was a man who knew God and sought His direction in everything that he did.  I was so excited to share this moment with Jim who I knew would be patriotically inspired.  He was.

Even though we were clueless, God clued me in on a few things while we were there.  I realize the more time I am a Christian, the lower tolerance I have for stuff in this world that just doesn’t matter.  There were hundreds of people spending countless hours walking through museums looking at dead stuff.  I heard one man trying to explain to his young son just why they were looking at these dead, stuffed animals.  It really didn’t end well as the youngster couldn’t understand the concept either.

Through all of this though, I realized one thing.  I am so grateful to serve a God of the living.  He is the One that caught and has kept my attention for nearly 30 years now. I was also reminded that each one of us was created with eternal life in mind.  I don’t have to wander through museums of the dead to get to know the Creator who created it all and is still alive and well today.  What a joy it is to know that as I wander aimlessly through life, I will never be lost again.  It may take me 3.5 hours to find a monument of a man that went before us and made a difference.  However, I can simply pray and ask to be put on the straight and narrow path that leads to the Creator of it all, Himself.  What a joy it is to know that my own personal 4-1-1 is just a prayer away.  All I need to do is call on the One that holds the map to where I’m going and Who will gently guide my way to life everlasting!  No app required!

I do have to add…while we were at the Lincoln Memorial, a group from South Africa had received a permit to stand on the plaza and sing, Amazing Grace.  It seemed so appropriate that they would be singing…I once was lost but now am found.  God sent them a long way to bring His message to America…and as a confirmation to me… Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; ’tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

Have a great week and don’t forget to get out there and be a blessing!

1Timothy 4:10 (NIV) That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

 

Posted on in 2013 Posts

Let Me Tell You About My Ah-Ha Moment!

suprised meI absolutely LOVE serving the Lord!  It is not always easy and I’m never the most popular doing it.  However, I consider it a huge privilege every time He appoints me for a job.  I am finding that even though He uses me to share His message, it’s not because I’m a good teacher.  It is usually because He wants to teach me an important lesson.  Teachers often are the ones who learn the most when they teach!

This last month as I prepared for a retreat I spoke at yesterday and for the Bible study I taught after speaking, I struggled to get it done.  It seemed that my schedule was so hectic that when it came time to study and plan, I was WORN out!  As I worked on the final pieces Friday night, it dawned on me… “This lesson is for me!”

I have always been very timid about teaching the Bible as I feel very under-qualified to say the least.  However, I agreed to teach a lesson on Elijah that showed how when he allowed his physical condition to deteriorate—not getting enough rest, not eating right, and over-exerting himself to the max physically, his outlook on life became very bleak. Although he had one of the most arduous ministries in one of Israel’s darkest times, he allowed himself to become so tired that he literally found himself under a tree, all alone, whining…woe is me!  This was even after he had seen God do mighty things right in front of his eyes just a short time before that and knew better.  He was actually at a point in his ministry he simply wanted to be done and die.  He had lost sight of God and all of His power while he focused totally on himself, even to the point of believing he was the only believer left.  His perspective was not reality but his physical condition made him feel that it was.

I woke up the morning of the retreat and did my devotion as I typically do while I drink my first cup of coffee.  I was still feeling a little alone and concerned whether or not I was the right person to lead the Bible study.  However, as I read, right there in front of me was the scripture from my lesson I was teaching in 1 Kings 19:12 that afternoon.  It said, “After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”  I had been so busy lately that I was beginning to panic thinking God wasn’t going to be there for me when I taught the lesson even when I intellectually knew better.  However, He was faithful, once again, to show up Saturday morning in His quiet and calm way as I read the Bible.  This simple verse assured me instantly that He had it all under control.  He was going to meet me there and His Holy Spirit would guide me that day.  I was not alone!  I never was!  He was there all the time.  I was just too busy and tired lately to remember it!

Another part of the study went on to add the verse in 1Peter 5:8—Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  It is easy to teach others about the need to surround themselves with other Christians who will speak truth into their lives when their perspective is skewed for some reason or another.  However, I know that when I get tired, I’m the first to start pulling away from everyone in my world.  Just as the lion uses the tactic of separating its prey from the rest of the group so it can attack; so he does the same to believers when they allow themselves to become isolated because of tiredness, hurt feelings, illness, or for whatever reason when they pull away from others who would typically encourage them.

So this week’s lesson I learned is:

  1. I need to take care of myself physically…nutrition, rest and even exercise.  Ouch.  Had to say that last word…sorry.  If I don’t, I may find myself too distraught or unfocused to even know He is trying to get my attention.
  2. I need to have quiet times in my life so that when God whispers, I hear. If I wait for Him to shoot down a lighting strike or send a note on a string like Charlie the Tuna used to get…some of you young’ns won’t get that…go ask your mom…it will never come!  If my life is too busy and noisy…I may never hear His voice. I might even think He has abandoned me!
  3. I need to allow other people into my life so that when I get down and discouraged, they can help me get my perspective back on the truth.  If I isolate myself from others, my perspective might become something other than reality.

Thank you, Lord for your still small voice that speaks truth to me…even when I am supposed to be the teacher.  Although this is another busy week, I am going to be doing some rearranging.  I’m going to be saying “no” to some things while saying “yes” to some down time.  I am also going to make an effort to go to our small group that starts back up this week even when I don’t feel the strength to go.

Who do you have in your life holding you accountable?  Have you allowed yourself to be separated from the pack?  Are you taking the time to take care of yourself physically?  How about spiritually?  I pray that this week we all take the time to listen for God’s quiet direction in our lives.  Until next week…blessings!