Feb 11
“Mommy is going to go pee and I’m closing the bathroom door!” I remember announcing to my three very active daughters–then ages 3, 5, and 7. “I do NOT want to be disturbed unless someone is bleeding or the house is on fire!”
Those four minutes of peace were wonderful.
I think most of us have times we really dislike interruptions. If we’re sleeping, we usually don’t want to be disturbed by loud noise. If we’re watching an exciting movie, we probably don’t appreciate being interrupted with a bunch of questions. If we’re trying to play a quick round of online Boggle with our friend Gigi, we hate to be disturbed by our husband making a smoothie in his very loud Ninja blender (hypothetically speaking, of course).
I’ve been thinking more about “interruptions” ever since I was sitting at my favorite local coffee shop and watching a woman at the nearest table. She got up, walked four tables away, and said to the guest: “Can I ask you a question?”
The second woman responded “of course” and a conversation ensued about finding a certain building in town. The two ladies ended up chatting quite a while.
I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the reporter in me had a lot of questions.
I especially wondered why the woman interrupted the person who was obviously working as she typed on her laptop, while I was much nearer and not engaged in any work.
No satisfactory answer came to mind until I got up to clear my dishes and noticed the working woman’s table sign:
I smiled and decided to interrupt her and ask about the sign.
“I stole the idea from someone else,” acknowledged Beth, pastor of a local church. “I’m a planner and don’t really like interruptions, so this is good for me.” (We exchanged contact info, I gave her a couple of my books and now she wants me to speak to some of her church folk. )
Planning is basically my middle name, so I am not a happy camper when “interruptions” upset my plans.
I remember almost 35 years ago when God allowed cancer to “disturb” my world. I eventually became so disturbed by the thought of people fighting cancer without knowing Jesus or at least without sensing His care that I founded a cancer prayer support group. And I continued to be so disturbed that patients and caregivers needed understandable truth in their minds and real hope in their hearts that I literally could not sleep until my thoughts spilled into books. 
Have you or your loved one experienced any interruptions which sidetracked your plans?
They don’t have to be as seismic as a life-threatening diagnosis; interruptions can be anything or anyone that stops us from what we were doing.
But big or small, these intrusive events can be “holy interruptions” when we allow God to capture our attention, speak to us and draw us to Himself. It’s how we seek God in the midst of them –and even let Him shine through us–that make them sacred.
As the lyrics of the song below remind us:
“Where did you see God today? Was it in an unexpected place? …
Time to open up our eyes and see for ourselves the holy interruption up ahead.”
I don’t think I’ll make an actual sign encouraging interruptions when I’m eating out, but I am entertaining the idea of adding “watch for holy interruptions” to my daily to-do list. How about you?
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Open in your browser to hear the song “Holy Interruption,” a simple, short tune with profound words by Jeff Lowery.
Jan 28
I’ve been pondering knees lately. My knees, my husband’s knees, even the “bees knees” (whatever that old expression means). 
I’m not exactly sure why knees are on my mind.
Maybe I’ve been watching too much football and all those kneel-downs before the game or as time runs out (like THE Ohio State Buckeyes did on their way to winning the College Football Championship last week–oops, how did that get in here?)
Our posture–whether standing, sitting or kneeling–often can reveal the intentions of our heart.
Many years ago I heard a humorous story about a little girl who was reprimanded at school for repeatedly standing up in class. Her teacher insisted she must sit down, which the girl finally did, while loudly muttering “I’m still standing up on the inside!”
Kneeling can symbolize many attitudes–surrender, reverence, repentance, humility. Desperate prayers of weary folks often are voiced on bended knees.
Image by Yvonne Huijbens from Pixabay
The New Testament doesn’t command kneeling, but does mention many examples of it.
Servants falling on their knees begging for mercy.
A kneeling mother asking Jesus to favor her two sons.
A rich young ruler on his knees inquiring how to inherit eternal life.
A gratefully kneeling, no-longer-hemorrhaging woman.
The Apostle Paul on bended knee, crying out for a blessing on God’s people.
Peter kneeling in prayer petitioning God to heal a little girl.
Jesus refusing to kneel down and worship Satan.
Kneeling days are long gone for my 78-year-old husband and me. He’s had three knee replacements (not a typo–one had to be done twice because of an infection) and can’t put full weight on all that metal, ceramic and plastic.
Thankfully, I haven’t had to have any knees replaced–nor do my 71-year-old knees hurt–but for the past several years I’ve had an issue with my psoas muscle (yeah, I never heard of it either). Despite spending a couple thousand dollars on imaging, physical therapy and chiropractic, I cannot go down on my knees without causing severe lower abdominal pain which lasts for days.
I still bow my head and my heart in thankfulness to start and end each day, but now you know why I never pray on my knees.
Perhaps you do literally pray on your knees. Or maybe you’re like my husband and me and physically unable to. Or you don’t go down because you know you can’t get back up!
Take heart, a new day is coming when our hearts and knees will be bowed:
Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor
and gave Him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11
In the meantime, I’ll be sitting down as I surrender myself to the Lord. And I’ll stay seated while I cry out for His grace, mercy and healing on friends, family and weary folks around the globe whom I don’t even know.
But I can tell you that even if I’m sitting down…on the inside I’m still kneeling.
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Open in your browser to hear the song “Fight on My Knees” by Evan Croft.
Jan 14
Many people make New Year’s resolutions to get in shape–perhaps walking or maybe strength training. But I’m wondering if you’ve considered any “internal jogging?”
That’s the phrase some researchers use to describe the therapeutic benefit of laughter because it increases our heart rate and our body’s ability to use oxygen much like physical exercise does. I don’t know about you, but I like the idea of “yucking” it up much better than the notion of pounding the pavement!
When I was first diagnosed with cancer as a young wife and mother, I honestly wondered if I would ever really laugh again. 
That’s why when I came home from the hospital I sent my husband to the video store (remember them?) to get every “Pink Panther” movie he could find. I don’t know if you enjoy Peter Seller’s slapstick comedy as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau, but I always have found it impossible not to chuckle.
So I watched them all. I laughed through them all. And it was very good medicine.
I certainly don’t believe laughter always can cure what ails you, but I definitely believe the proverb that tells us “a cheerful heart is good medicine.” My Bible footnotes say the literal translation is “a cheerful heart causes good healing.”
(I was considering inserting an illustration here about how my husband and I got a lot of good medicine last Friday night as we watched THE Ohio State Buckeyes beat Texas and advance to the national
College Football Championship, but decided you might think that was tacky of me.)
Even if my last comment didn’t make you smile (pretty sure I can still hear my Penn State friends groaning), I absolutely believe it is possible to find joy every day. Consider Psalm 118:24:
The psalmist isn’t waiting to rejoice when there’s good health news. Or if the issue is resolved. (Or after his team wins.) No, he’s rejoicing in this day. God has made this day and it is a gift.
No matter what else happens–or doesn’t happen–go ahead and simply be glad in today. It will be good medicine for your soul.
Here’s a prayer for all you joy-seekers (based on Nehemiah 8:10 and Numbers 6:24-26):
Lord, I pray that You will give me a cheerful heart, in spite of all the struggles and heartaches in my life
and in this messed-up world. I don’t want merely to smile and pretend I’m happy.
But I do want to feel Your quiet joy and perhaps even hear laughter from my lips.
Please help me to heed Nehemiah’s words not to be dejected and sad, for “the joy of the Lord is my strength.” And Holy Spirit, please develop in me the fruit of joy—not based on my circumstances, but on my relationship with my heavenly Father. Let it be a joy that simply is grateful for a day to love and be loved.
I pray, Lord, that You will bless me and protect me. That You will smile on me and be gracious to me.
And that You will show me Your favor and give me Your peace. Amen.
(This blog is adapted from my devotional published in Praying through Cancer: Set Your Heart Free from Fear, ©2006 Susan Sorensen and Laura Geist, W Publishing Co., a division of Thomas Nelson Inc.)
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Open this music video in your browser if you want a chance to smile because ain’t nothin’ gonna steal one little girl’s joy!
Dec 31
Interviewing Atty. F. Lee Bailey 1989
Sometimes I miss my days of being a newspaper reporter–reading three daily papers and chasing after big stories (like interviewing F. Lee Bailey, attorney for such notorious defendants as the Boston Strangler, O.J. Simpson, and Dr. Sam Sheppard, a.k.a. “The Fugitive.”).
But most of the time nowadays I don’t even want to hear much of the news.
Devastating wars, the constant threat of terrorism, political unrest, severe weather disasters, so much hate, and too many friends and relatives battling illnesses.
Life is not only hard; it’s downright unfair, as some people seem to have more than their share of trouble. You or your loved one might even be one of those people.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we lived in a world where everything was fair, people didn’t get sick and sad things didn’t happen? That would be a great place to call “home.”
Did you ever wonder why there’s such a longing in each of us for just such a place? It’s a longing for home, you know. A longing for our real home. You see, we weren’t created to live in Pennsylvania or New York or anywhere else on the face of this planet. We were created for our real home…Heaven.
Image by Tumisu from Pixabay
The Bible describes Heaven as the place where God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.” (Revelation 21:14)
And why won’t there be any more tears or death or pain? Not because we’ll have all the money we ever wanted. Or all the success. Or all the beauty. Or any other tangible item.
It’s because we’ll have God Himself.
“Look! God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them and they will be his people.” (Revelation 21:13)
We’ll have what we always really needed to be whole—the constant presence of God Himself.
The great 17th-century philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal wrote that we all have a “God-shaped vacuum” inside. There’s a hole, so to speak, in our souls that leaves us longing for something more than this world has to offer.
God has “planted eternity in the human heart” the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us.
God knows only He can fill that hole of longing even though we try to fill it ourselves. Some of us try to fill it by buying “stuff” or with relationships or with work or sports or with learning or religious rituals. Some even try things like food or sex or drugs or alcohol. But none of these can fill the God-shaped vacuum in us…instead they only make it bigger.
The only thing that fills that hole and makes us whole is when God fills it with Himself by putting His very Spirit inside us. And when God’s Spirit lives in us, we discover our purpose for living.
It’s really quite simple…Do you know what it is?
We were created to praise God.
That’s right. We find true joy, true fulfillment, when we realize there’s Someone bigger than us. Someone greater than us. Someone worthy of every bit of praise we can give.
If you’ve not really had praise for God well up in your heart lately (or ever!), I pray that you will today.
And if you’re still trying to fill that God-shaped vacuum with other things, I pray you’ll allow God to fill you with Himself and satisfy that longing for your real Home
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Open in your browser to hear “Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin and please sing along–out loud or in your heart.
And here’s a bonus video of Chris singing about “Home.”
Dec 10
It’s the time of year when people talk about “getting in the Christmas spirit.” I’m not exactly sure what is meant by that phrase, but it certainly implies feeling joy and excitement for celebrating this yuletide season (like attending a CeCe Winans’ Christmas concert!)
But what about those who aren’t “in” the spirit? Those who are deeply grieving the death of a loved one. Those who are battling depression and can barely get out of bed. Those whose hearts are breaking over a family member’s addiction. Those whose spirits are crushed by a spouse’s betrayal.
What do weary folks like these need to do at this time of year?
That’s the situation in which my friend Connie found herself back in 2004 just three months after her 47-year-old husband Brad collapsed and died while doing light construction work at a Guatemalan orphanage. Facing the Christmas season without her “best friend, soul mate and life partner” was overwhelming.
“I felt terrible that because of Brad’s death I did not want to celebrate Jesus’ birth,” Connie recalls. “There is an unending ache in my heart and I just want him to come home–I just want to see him again.”
Thankfully, a good friend gave her some insight that helped ease the young widow’s holiday pain.
He asked and answered a question for her: “Do you want to know what Jesus is doing this Christmas season?…He’s weeping. He’s weeping with you.”
I love that image. Jesus wasn’t urging Connie to get in the spirit of the season. He wasn’t chiding her for expressing the painful feelings. The Lord wasn’t disappointed that she couldn’t just put a smile on her face. He didn’t care whether she had a Christmas tree or sent out holiday cards or baked cut-out cookies.
No, He wept with her because her world had been rocked and her spirit was crushed.
Perhaps that’s how you feel this holiday season or maybe someone you love is struggling to “get in the spirit” because of their painful circumstances. Or perhaps you have a little of the “Christmas spirit,” but think you should do more.
What a great time to show grace either to yourself or someone else.
That mental picture of Jesus weeping with Connie in her grief helped her believe that her Lord truly did understand what she was feeling…even if no one else really could. She stopped worrying about a holiday to-do list and instead prayed:
“Just for today, I need to see Jesus.
Just for today, I need to seek Jesus.
Just for today, I need to serve Jesus.”
She celebrated the Savior…without the Christmas spirit. And I believe all of us weary ones can too.
“Somewhere in your silent nightHeaven hears the song your broken heart has cried.Hope is here, just lift your headFor love has come to find youSomewhere in your silent night.”
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Open in your browser and click “Watch on YouTube” small arrow in bottom left corner to hear the beautiful song “Somewhere in You Silent Night” by Casting Crowns.
I’m a newspaper reporter-turned-author. And I’m a passionate encourager, but always a truth-teller. I worked for nearly two decades in a unique position as a patient advocate in my oncologist’s office and the Cancer Prayer Support Group I founded in 1991 is the country’s oldest such faith-based group.
