One morning several months ago I was in a particularly bad mood. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened. In fact, I had started my day the way I start every day: get up, turn on the coffeepot, feed the cat, wash my face, pour the coffee, turn on my laptop, turn on the TV and plop down in front of the news for about an hour. As I dropped my daughter off at school that morning, her parting words to me were this: “Mom, don’t turn on talk radio today. You aren’t in the frame of mind to handle it.” Hmmm. Sometimes I wonder who the parent is in this house.

A couple of Praise Projects ago I alluded to something that God has been working on me about. It’s been months that we’ve batted this thing back and forth He and I. In fact it’s become such a topic of discussion that every sermon I hear, every article I read and every conversation I have with people about spiritual things somehow comes around to this subject: where does God fit in my noisy life?

I wonder as I look back over the course of the last three years and what it has taken to get out and stay out of debt- that is, the changing of habits, the changing of loyalties and priorities, the important lesson of delayed gratification-if maybe all of that was just the testing grounds for something much bigger. After all, debt is nothing more than a symptom of something greater. It’s never the real issue.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23, NIV 1984). This verse has haunted me for weeks.

At first I thought I was dealing with a time management problem. I start my day with the news, clean houses to the rhythms of talk radio and finish the day online catching up on blogs, missed television shows, email and Facebook. And then I realize time isn’t the issue. Nothing in life is ever the bottom line issue: money, time, relationships, worries, fears, joy, wondering, frustration, life changes and the myriad things we encounter in a lifetime. It all comes down to the heart and guarding what goes into it.

I spent the summer of 1987 camping in the French Alps. Running down the side of the mountain was an icy cold stream. It was our only water source, and we used it for everything, cooking, bathing, drinking. It was also the only water source for everyone else living on the mountain. I know this because at one time the little old lady at the foot of the mountain complained to our hosts that she was finding bubbles in her drinking water. I don’t blame her for being upset. We were tainting her life source.

If we believe that out of the heart the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45) than protecting what goes into it must be of utmost importance. It is for this reason that I have decided to make some changes. Before I continue you must know a few things: 1). This is not a ploy at self-promotion; 2). This is not a judgment on anyone but me. These changes are because of what I have been working on with the Lord; 3). None of the things I am taking out of my life are evil nor do I intend to remove them forever; and 4). If you desire to join me in paring down your personal life and amping up your spiritual life, I’d love the company.

Change number one: When we think of tithing, it goes without saying that money is what we are referring to, giving to God the first fruits of our earnings. What if we looked at each new day the way we do an uncashed paycheck, unspent with limitless possibilities? Instead of giving the world the first hours of my day, I will give those moments to God and let Him set the tone for the rest of my waking hours.

Change number two: I am jumping off of Facebook for the summer. This media phenomenon is arguably the greatest invention this century. I’ve caught up with people I haven’t seen in years, followed medical conditions of friends, asked for prayer more than once, vented frustration at injustice and on and on. I’ve also spent countless hours reading feeds from others in an effort to avoid certain responsibilities. If you get to this blog from Facebook, you will still be able to do that, but that will be my only tie to Facebook. My blog will (hopefully) automatically post to it.

Change number three: If my disposition was a little different, I would probably run for public office. Obsessed with politics, I spend anywhere from two to five hours a day listening to talk radio. I can’t help myself. What that has gotten me is discouragement and tears of frustration. So I’ve traded in my radio for one that does not carry the stations I listen to and have replaced it with a couple of  hours of sermons from the likes of David Platt, James McDonald and Chip Ingram. The rest of the time is spent listening to praise music or simply silence.

Change number four: At the risk of being incredibly vulnerable I will tell you that pride in the form of self-doubt is something that I have always and probably will always wrestle with. My blog host, WordPress, keeps a tally of the number of visitors to my blog everyday. This can be incredibly distracting and debilitating. Because of some problems I’ve been having lately, I now log on differently which has inadvertently made it so that I can’t get to these stats. Oh the freedom!

I recently posted on Facebook that I believe success is measured by the motives of our heart. How successful I am at writing or anything else I do in life is not dependent on whether I receive a paycheck for that work or thousands of followers to my blog or words of acclamation. Success is measured by the obedience to the life of discipleship God has called each one of us to personally. No more talking. Do we want Jesus or not? Do we want Him living in every moment of our day or only when we really need Him or when it’s convenient for us? Discipleship simply demands choices. There’s really no way around it.

Luke 14:27 “And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

This week I’m thankful for:

1). Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.” This applies to our kids’ hearts too.

2).  I Timothy 6:6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” We have the choice to live a life of contentment, to decide when enough is enough, to take joy in simple things.

3). Friends who bring me flowers because I’ve had a bad day.

4). Romans 8:18 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

5). A good chiropractor and mega amounts of magnesium, both of which have helped my daughter’s headaches to subside.

6). The rare moments (too quick and rare to capture on camera) of sibling love between the two teenagers Bruce and I share space with.

7). In the words of my son, “Other religions are so complicated. Christianity is simple.”  I love the truth of this and the fact that my kid knows it and can articulate it.

This week I’m praising God:

1). For the opportunity to teach English as a second language to adults this fall, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

2). Every summer my daughter spends a week or two with my mom. I’m thrilled that she still loves to do this, is having fun, and is enjoying it with a minimal amount of pain.

3). Most summers my husband works a part-time job. This summer he’s working full-time. I am married to the hardest working person on the planet, and I’m so grateful for his strong work ethic and commitment to knocking out some of our last remaining medical debts.

4). You may or may not know this, but dairy is not my friend. On the rare occasions that I indulge in it, I regret it. I am blessed beyond measure for my friend who has spent time and money experimenting in an effort to find me a suitable alternative. Thank you Carol!

5). I love watching my kids have success. Last night Nick hit a triple hopefully pulling him out of his hitting slump. As trivial as it may sound, I am praising God for this because it’s hard to watch him struggle.

6). For the reminder this week that the world is our mission field, not our enemy.

7). Also, for the reminder that though God’s holiness demands wickedness be punished, He does not delight in the death of the wicked. Ezekiel 18:23

This week I’m praising God for:

1). In memory of the fallen heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, I praise God for you. Thank you.

2). I don’t know how you get when your computer is on the fritz, but when it happens in my house it’s cause for stress, heavy breathing and general freaking out. A few days ago my daughter’s computer was infected with a virus that had even my computer guy a little unnerved. I am not kidding when I say I was praising God all the way home with a fully functioning computer after only 3 hours of work!

3). The sound of my daughter’s laughter, a very big deal when she’s had a headache for at least a month.

4). Hot, muggy 90 degree weather! I love it!

5). Friends. My life is indeed richer because of them.

6). The new Jerusalem. It must sound strange, but I spend a weird amount of time thinking about the Eternal City and what is waiting for us. I CANNOT wait.

7). The fact that suffering here is temporary. Everything-the good, the bad and the ugly-is temporary. Praise God!

 

For some odd reason I start off most of my days watching the news. I don’t know why since it’s mostly bad news and repeat stories. I love a good story, and maybe each day with the click of the remote I’m hoping to be rewarded for my continued pursuit of stories with happy endings. It rarely happens so when I heard about a young woman bravely proclaiming truth in an unfriendly setting, I had to tell her story.

I heard about Elizabeth O’Grady through a friend via Facebook. My friend shot out a quick post congratulating her niece on her brave stance for a classroom assignment. Intrigued, I was able to get in touch with Elizabeth to interview her. It’s not everyday a teenager will take on one of the hottest political topics in an intensely liberal school and defend her conservative views. This is hero material. So without further ado, the following is an interview with Elizabeth O’Grady in a series I’m hoping to continue entitled Everday Heroes.

Who is Elizabeth O’Grady?  

I am 18 years old, and I go to Ward Melville High School. I live on Long Island in NY and have lived there my whole life. I’ve been raised in a Christian family since I’ve been born and have been brought up with strong values. I don’t have a certain age I became a Christian because I’ve always believed in God. It seemed when I was little that I was a Christian because almost everyone in my family was. As I got older I realized it was my responsibility to take the initiative, go to church and pray. Daily I am told constantly by my mom that God saved my life, and she is absolutely correct.

My Background: I was born prematurely at 26 weeks. I only weighed 2 pounds and stayed in NICU for 3 ½ months. I was given the death sentence and was diagnosed with brain damage, blindness and paralysis. After I was released, my house turned into a hospital, and I had 24/7 nurses around the clock. A year later, while visiting family in Illinois, I began to turn blue due to my airway closing and was not receiving enough air. My mom raced me to the hospital knowing that every second I didn’t have oxygen was a second closer to death. The local hospital couldn’t help me so I was airlifted to Indianapolis Children’s Hospital where the doctors performed a tracheotomy. Although this operation saved my life, it brought many struggles.

For the next year my parents watched my every move knowing in a split second the hole in my neck could become clogged, and I would stop breathing. Every week would be a different respiratory infection that would bring long nights of coughing and trouble breathing. The next seven years of my life I was in and out of the hospital. I always had pneumonia due to my small airway and low immune system. Every night, I would be awake coughing and unable to breathe. It was a long journey but I defied the odds, and God saved my life.  I am perfectly healthy today with 20/20 vision, no respiratory problems and very athletic.

Tell us what the assignment was for your class:

This assignment was done for Public Speaking. In class we did acting scenes, demonstration speeches, persuasive speeches, and one of the last assignments was a debate. I thought that it was great how my teacher put her views aside and listened to the debate fairly.

How did you decide on your topic?

Our class of 30+ students gathered together and gave ideas on topics we wanted to debate about. Many people chose topics like gun control, armed guards in school, standardized testing, women in the army and legalizing marijuana. I chose abortion. I said I was pro-life so two students volunteered to be on the pro-choice side. My teacher then asked who else was pro-life, and a guy raised his hand. It was fairly matched with two for pro-life and two for pro-choice. But the next day, when we were beginning to research our topics, my partner switched to another group, and I had no one. Then a minute later, a girl in the class switched her topic to be pro- choice for abortion. In the first 5 minutes of class it went from 2 vs. 2 to 1 vs. 3. I told my teacher that I was fine and that I didn’t mind debating by myself. Although it was a lot more work, I knew exactly what was going to be said and didn’t have to rely on a partner for information.

Why are you so passionate about this subject?

I am very motivated about the right to life because unlike any other political issue such as gay marriage, gun control, or the war on drugs, abortion is dealing with the life or death of a person. I have such a passion for defending the pro-life agenda because I know the unborn cannot fight for themselves, and the responsibility is left in our hands. There are so many options for pregnant women other than abortion that I feel many people are unaware about. My heart goes out to the women who are suffering and in a difficult situation. What upsets me more is people having the right to end an innocent life for the benefit of themselves. Everyone in today’s society is so focused on “women’s rights” that we forget about the rights of the fetus and the potential opportunities and happiness we are taking away from them.

During my debate I discussed the definition of life and the four stages, the effects of an abortion, the rape scenario, the development of the fetus, adoption methods, a negative diagnosis of the baby and much more. I stated how I was supposed to be blind and brain damaged, but a miracle happened and I was healed. I want to share my story with mothers who were in my mom’s situation to tell them to not give up and to remain hopeful.

What were your reservations, if any?

I did not have any reservations at all. The second I knew we were having a debate I wanted to do it on abortion. I know it is a very controversial topic, but it is affecting us right now. That’s exactly why I wanted to do it. I knew it was going to be a heated debate, but I was up for the challenge. My school is very liberal including the teachers. I knew many people would be against me like they have been in the past on the debate about legalizing gay marriage, but that didn’t stop me.

I never once thought to not speak about it because abortion is the one topic I am deeply passionate about. In school we don’t have many opportunities to express our opinion to a significant amount of people so I thought this was a perfect time.

What were you hoping would be the result?

Honestly I was hoping for the students to have an open mind and listen to the words I was saying about abortion, and if, in the process I won my debate, then it would be even [better]. My goal was to make the students realize that abortion isn’t just words on a paper and a simple law that was passed. It has a major effect on people and is the end of a human life. I created a graphic poster of abortions from seven weeks to 24 weeks, not to scare them but to open their eyes and see what it really looks like. Many people have no problem saying abortion is fine and that it’s the woman’s choice, but when they see pictures of it they are shocked. When newspapers and magazines write about abortion they always show a picture of a pregnant woman, never the actual fetus being killed.

My poster was very disturbing and showed heads being ripped off the baby, little bloody fingers and toes, ribcages, eyeballs and babies burned from saline. On the poster I also included the methods of abortions: using forceps to rip the baby out of the womb and as a result its limbs falling off; saline injected into the mother’s abdomen, transferring into the baby’s sac where the chemical poisons the baby turning [it] black through a slow death and using a suction which is a hollow tube with a knife end tip.

What were you most afraid of?

I was mostly afraid of not having an answer to my opponents’ questions or accusations. But instead of letting this fear take the best of me, I spent hours researching and making rebuttals.

The day before the argument I was told by one girl that I was going to get “ripped apart” and lose. Instead of this angering me, it only fueled my fire, and I was even more determined to win.

What was going through your mind while you presented?

I was extremely nervous when I gave my opening statement, but at the same time, I had so much adrenaline. I have always had a fear of speaking in front of others, but I had to calm myself down because I only had one chance. As the debate progressed, the nervousness left, and the excitement came in. I spoke louder and looked directly at the crowd and into the students’ eyes.

What was the response by classmates and others?

The responses by my classmates were encouraging. In order to decide a winner of the debate, my opponents and I left the room and the students and teacher discussed whom they thought won. When we came back into the room my teacher told me I won and that I did an amazing job. She said I was so passionate about it and was a great speaker. She said she is pro-choice, but after listening to my argument, she wanted to be pro-life. She then asked the class why they said I won, and a student told me it was because I had a rebuttal to everything the other team said and knew exactly what I was talking about.

Who are your heroes? Why?

My mom is my hero. She is extremely loving and would do anything to help someone, even a total stranger. Though she has had many health problems she has never let it stop her from taking care of her family and preaching the word of God. She is truly unstoppable, and I could never imagine my life without her.

What is your favorite quote?

My pastor said awhile back, “God hears the words of your mouth but knows the words of your heart” while delivering a message. It has stayed in my heart ever since. I think many people, including myself, say things we don’t really mean. God hears everything we say but knows our true intentions. We can say we are great Christians, never miss a Sunday service, and treat everyone the best, but then a moment later we hide behind a fake shell we’ve created. We try to fool God by speaking great things and making promises to him that we can’t or will not keep. What my pastor said has motivated me to be real with God, myself and others and to always follow through with my actions.

If you have you further questions for Elizabeth regarding her research and arguments for this debate, feel free to email her at eogrady02@yahoo.com. She would love to hear from you.

 

 

I feel compelled to give a brief explanation for each of the things I’m praising God for this week. I don’t know why, other than I want you to know that these weekly lists are not random thoughts to fill a blog post that I committed to doing all year. Sometimes a simple list will suffice. Other times, an explanation is in order. So on that note, here’s what I’m praising God for this week with commentary.

1). Eighteen years ago, my husband and I bought our first (of four) houses. About two years into it, we decided to remove the cedar shingles and replace them with vinyl siding. What started out as a “simple” project turned into a project involving the gutting of the only bathroom we had. Apparently, most of the bathroom was resting on the weight of a window we wanted to take out of the bathroom and cover with siding. Upon doing so, the walls came down. If only I could find the picture of my husband standing in the middle of the rubble with a phone to his ear! I tell you this because as thankful as I was about getting a new refrigerator, I was worried. I have not recovered from the bathroom incident 18 years ago and all of the other home improvement disasters over the years. So when our new fridge went in without a hitch and without the need to remove cabinets setting off a domino effect of new projects, I was, as you can imagine, praising God and not quietly!

2). If you are the mom of an 8th grade boy, the graduation ceremony is for you, not the teenage boy. If you have a girl, the ceremony is for them. They have a completely different take on the whole event. For the girl it involves getting gussied up with fancy dresses and extra care with hair and makeup. Since I have a boy, the only mention of clothes was “I look ridiculous in these clothes.” Despite his fussing, it was an absolute joy to watch my 14-year old walk across the stage even if he would have given anything to be somewhere else. I’m very proud of him.

3). In addition, I’m praising God for all of the friends Nick has in his life, most of them from pre-K 3. Good friends are a rare commodity, and he has been blessed.

4). Gentle and pointed reminders from the Holy Spirit specifically Proverbs 4:23 “Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” More on this in an upcoming post.

5). Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I am praising God that despite all the nastiness out there, there are still people rising up and standing up for what is right and for the things of God. Everyday Heroes is coming up in my next post.

6). School’s out. Need I say more?

7). My husband’s excitement over moving up to 7th and 8th grade next year. He’s spent 12 years teaching 5th and 6th grade, and his excitement to go deeper in teaching the Bible with older kids is indeed praiseworthy!

Have you ever had a week or a day that required serious thought on what to be thankful for, to praise God for?  I’m ashamed to say that’s where I am right now, not because I have a horrible life, but because life’s little inconveniences, or ankle biters as my friend calls them, have gotten the best of me. As I’ve said before, these are the weeks that make this project so necessary. Without stopping and intentionally praising God for what He’s done in my life, no matter how simple it may seem, I could very easily turn into a bitter narcissist. So the following are what I’m praising God for this week:

1). For the money to buy the things I need even if those are not the things I want to spend my money on.

2). That Nick’s ears finally unplugged taking him out of the muffled tunnel his allergies put him in and back to normalcy.

3). For my friend, Ruthe, who has been having coffee with me every month for four years.

4). For the layers of truth in the Word of God that I will never have enough lifetime to uncover. More on what He’s teaching me in my next post.

5). For my kids’ speedy forgiveness.

6). That when people need something, they think to call the Nielsons. It’s so nice to be the giver and not always the receiver.

7). That the rest of the week was nothing like today.

This week I’m thankful for simple things like:

1). The smell of the lilac bushes in my backyard (no, I did not plant these. If I had they wouldn’t be there).

2). The people at the bank who all but kill themselves to help me out of my banking messes like the one I had yesterday when I sent the money for my cell phone bill to a charitable organization instead.

3). The charitable organization that very sweetly reassured me that they would process the money as quickly as possible and get it sent back to me so I can pay the cell phone bill so it doesn’t get turned off and I have to pay a few to have it turned back on.

4). For friends that take an entire evening they could be doing something else to come and watch my kid play baseball.

5). For the room of beautiful faces that I got to interact with this morning while they diligently tried to learn English.

6). The fact that no matter what language we speak, God understands them all and speaks them all!

7). My sweet neighbors who honored us by inviting us to celebrate their daughter’s first communion with them and attend the fabulous party afterwards complete with authentic Mexican food.

Yeah, it’s been a good week.

 

On most Sundays at the end of the sermon, our pastor will often invite anyone who needs prayer to come forward and meet with a member of the prayer team. One particular Sunday several months back I found myself talking to the sweetest woman who listened as I blabbered on about how tight money was that week (when isn’t it?). She prayed for me asking God to open the coffers of blessing. Well, He did just that last week, all on one day. So this week I’m praising God for:

1). $1000+ of my medical bills written off by the hospital (Friday).

2). Giving us a much-needed new refrigerator courtesy of one of my clients (Friday).

3). For giving my daughter a new bed (as the one she currently has is being held together by blocks of wood) courtesy of the same client (Friday).

4). For warm layers on a cold night of baseball.

5). For being reminded of my warm layers on a cold night of baseball (thanks, Robin).

6). That my daughter has one, possibly two jobs for the summer. There really are jobs to be had out there!

7). For the sheer enjoyment of watching my son pitch well this weekend. Makes my heart sing!

Malachi 3:10

“‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,'” says the Lord Almighty, “’and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

This week’s praise project is very special because it centers around one event that, upon reflection, I have much to praise God for. My grandmother went home to be with Jesus on Easter Sunday. You’ll forgive me if I’m not sad. I couldn’t be happier for her. The following are the things I’m praising God for regarding her life.

1). For 89 years of a really good life.

2). For saying “yes” to her friend who begged her to go on a double date with a guy she really didn’t like initially, resulting in 62 years of of wedded bliss (most of the time) to my grandpa.

3). For modeling what it means to stand by your man.

4). For her salvation, a legacy of hope for the rest of us.

5). For finally getting her wish to go home and on Easter Sunday of all days!

6).  For the many friendships she enjoyed.

7). Finally, I am praising God that she had more years of living in a relationship with Jesus than she had without.