Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Pray before you play

Today’s Reading: Acts 13:26 NIV

26 [Paul said,] “Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.’”

Good morning!

Every Tuesday afternoon, my mother would pick me up from school and drop me off in front of Mrs. Roundtree’s home for a piano lesson. She lived just a few blocks from us; because of the traffic surrounding our subdivisions, Mom thought it might be too dangerous for me to walk alone. Mrs. Roundtree’s husband was a Nazarene Pastor; they lived in a modest, ranch home in a quiet neighborhood. In the fall, as we drove along the colorful tree-lined lane, I loved wading through the crunch of newly fallen leaves leading up to Mrs. Roundtree’s front door.

She was the only piano teacher I ever had who insisted on praying before every lesson. Her prayers were powerful! She would call upon the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, asking them for a meaningful lesson, drawing out the gifts they had planted in my heart, and the music we played would be a pleasing to the Lord. She always prayed in the name of Jesus, and I absolutely knew her piano bench was holy ground. If my feet could have touched the floor as I sat there on the bench, covered in His mercy and grace, I would have removed my socks and shoes.

I found it odd that her husband was generally home in the afternoons. My father never got home before 5:30pm. Rev. Roundtree was always there, waiting for his children to walk through the door from school. Just around the corner from where I sat, their family would gather together in the den and quietly discuss the events of their day together. It was somewhat distracting to me, not that they were loud, but because there were times when I longed to be in that room with them. He would gently ask each of his children about their day. As they replied, he would whisper “Praise God” to the good things, and “Let’s pray about it” when hurtful words of a sharp-edged teacher or the actions of a class bully made one of his children frustrated. Rev. Roundtree would then begin reading the Holy Scripture and discussing it openly with his children. Whenever he would begin reading Scripture, my ears would burn with excitement. I tried very hard to concentrate on my own piano lesson. Sometimes I would ask Mrs. Roundtree to demonstrate a particular part of the lesson, so I could really listen to God’s Word being spoken through words and music, all at the same time. Their family made a huge spiritual impact on my life. I will never forget their hospitality and loving kindness.

Every ear must have been burning that day, as Paul proclaimed the message of salvation is given not just to the children of Abraham, but to God-fearing Gentiles. It was as if a holy door had swung opened, bridging the gap between nations, customs, and culture. The Lord Jesus Christ had come for all people – not just those gathered in the inner circle or the outer chamber. He came for the folks standing in the streets, listening carefully to the words echoing throughout the city. Jesus came, not just for preacher’s kids, but for not so great piano students sitting in the other room. Jesus came to heal the sick, find the lost, and love the unlovable ones. This is really good news for someone just like me.

Are you ears burning? Do you long for the Savior to lead you in your life’s song? I invite you to follow the advice of Mrs. Roundtree: pray before you play. Invite Jesus Christ to be the Lord of your life right now. Make a daily commitment to dig deeper into His Word during this season of Lent, beginning this morning. If you will pray before you play, you will hear His voice, speaking to you all day long.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2010, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

A different perspective on dirty laundry


Today’s Reading: Acts 13:24-25 NIV

24 [Paul said,] “Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his work, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not that one. No, but he is coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’”

Good morning!

I like doing laundry, most of the time. I enjoy the sweet scent of freshly washed clothes as I transfer the load from my automatic washing machine into the dryer. I have a friend who struggles to breathe whenever her neighbors use scented dryer sheets. The wafting fragrance blowing through the air makes her incredibly ill. When she told me this, I realized she had a totally different perspective on laundry, something I have taken for granted my entire life.

When our children were teenagers and still living at home, Saturdays were always big laundry days. Being away most of the week for work prompted me to spend a lot of time in front of our washer and dryer, loading and unloading clothes. I often wished for a second clothes dryer, knowing I could have done twice the laundry in half the time with one heavy duty washer and two dryers. By the time I got everything folded and upstairs, back into their respective closets and dresser drawers, I was tired – or at least I thought I was. I have a friend who lives on another continent. His life experience with laundry is very different from my own. He gently reminded me yesterday that they have no running water for laundry, no machines to do the washing or drying for them. They spend an entire day simply hauling water from a nearby river to a place where they can actually wash their clothes by hand. Then they must hang their clothing out to dry. It is a necessary, yet extremely difficult chore. This made me wonder just how many conveniences I take for granted. Sweet scents, machines that do all the work, the convenience of running water in my own home – and I found I was ashamed of my personal perspective on laundry. My view is definitely skewed.

It takes a different perspective to fully grasp the love of our Lord. No one could even begin to imagine the kind of love that the Father has for all of His children. How broken-hearted He must be, as He sees us continually disobeying His teaching, refusing to love our neighbors; choosing to live such self-centered lives. He went to such great lengths to give us clean hearts, clean hands, a clean slate – only His blood can provide the spotless covering we will wear one day when we stand before the judgment seat. If it were not for the love of the Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, the foul stench of our own dirty laundry will be wafting through the air, unavoidable to all who have their keen sense of smell. John tried to explain the differences between a messenger and a Savior. Many of the people who heard him speak that day had no earthly idea how stinking filthy their lives had truly become.

The next time you run a load of laundry, stop and think about the stench of your dirty gym socks, and what it takes for you to get them really clean. How much bleach and scented laundry detergent will you use to bring them back to life? Remember your neighbors, both near and far, who physically struggle just to wash their clothes each week. Think about your neighbors who cannot breathe because of our own man-made, manufactured performed scents. Remember the cost of receiving a permanent stain remover for sin, and the sacrifice Christ made just to give us clean hearts. You may find a totally different perspective in how you handle your dirty laundry from here on out. Stop trying to hide your dirty laundry - come clean before the Lord Jesus Christ today! Ask Him to wash you, inside and out, once and for all. You see, His love is the only covering we need to become truly clean, now and forever.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2010, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles.