“I wish you would make up your mind, Mr. Dickens. Was it the best of times or was it the worst of times? It could scarcely have been both.”
(oh yes, it could….)

New Yorker cartoon caption

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I am short on time for updating my blog decently, but I will jot a few highlights from the month of March. Some are good, some a bit challenging, but isn’t that life?

Michael and I flew to Tennessee to spend time with my oldest brother and his family. Photos and details to follow sometime soon.

My daughter Sharon’s yarn business is up and running in our neck of the woods, after she and her family moved here from Maryland four weeks ago.

I hurt my back hefting luggage and it’s bad enough to put me in bed several times a day. 🙁

March is our snowiest month and as of this writing there is no snow on the ground and will be in the fifties and sixties this week.

My daughter Carolyn comes over to cheerfully help me twice a week and I don’t know what I’d do without her.

I have a meat loaf in the crockpot.

Our Girl Scout cookies were delivered last night.

I’m reading Same Kind of Different As Me out loud to Michael.

Michael sees a surgeon this week about a rotator cuff tear in his shoulder.

Sara is on her way to Minneapolis with two friends where tomorrow they will catch a plane to New York, New York.

I have Minnesota Public Radio playing softly on the house intercom.

I bought a book at the Nashville International Airport that boasts, “once you have read it, you’ll want to tell your friends about it.” So far, not so much.

They make Birkenstocks big enough for men with size 14 feet.

I expect to feel improved enough to go to Community Bible Study tomorrow.

I saw almost a dozen cardinals all together in one Tennessee tree last week.

Our monthly SAGs meeting is tomorrow night at a new Japanese restaurant downtown.

I am flying to Dayton, OH next week.

I am going to try to tackle my paperwork by doing one hour per day.

I need to go make rice pilaf, dish up dinner for the multitudes, then bring out the Ibuprofen again.

Soon I will have a wonderful guest blogger writing a post for you all.

I need to update my blog.

What are a few of your March highlights?

Sometimes old hymns say best what the soul needs to proclaim.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Words by Edward Mote, Music by William Bradbury

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“God does not give us overcoming life; He gives life as we overcome. The strain is the strength. If there is no strain there is no strength. Are you asking God to give you life and liberty and joy? He cannot, unless you will accept the strain. Immediately you face the strain, you will get the strength.”

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

What can almost thirty years do to a person? I’ll tell you.

Almost thirty years can line the face and sag the skin. Almost thirty years can dim the eyes and thin the hair. That many years can wear away at the joints and stiffen the back. Almost three decades can steal the sense of smell, shrivel up the estrogen factories and turkey the neck. Almost thirty years can make sounds seem softer, turn stretch marks to silver, pad the hips, flap the thighs and build the butt. The passage of time can crook the fingers, flatten the feet, disturb the sleep and make the memory a sieve.

1981 - our wedding day in CA

2009 - on a weekend trip in Grand Marais

 But I’ll tell you what else almost thirty years can do.

Almost thirty years can bring marital comfort, especially if one of the people in the marriage is patient and faithful and an example of Jesus’s love.  The passage of time can result in adult children who turn into wonderful friends. It can bring grandchildren who almost burst the heart with love. That many years can refine friendships and remove petty misunderstandings, bringing joy and encouragement.

Almost thirty years can put a better set of lenses in front of the eyes, giving one a more eternal perspective. The passage of time can devalue things that we used to think were necessary, and make priceless those things we used to pay almost no mind to.

Nearly three decades can loosen the grasp on mammon, weaken the clinging to this earth, and sharpen our longing for heaven. The passage of time can fling open the doors of giving and bring contentment with very few possessions. Almost thirty years can fill the heart to the brim with love for all the people in your life, and wrench the heart with agony when those you love are hurting. The passage of time reduces the things you think are crucial to happiness to about five things.

Almost thirty years can bring about a lot of change in a life.

It has been twelve days now since the post about The Philippians Path to Peace. If you missed it, you can read about it here.

I received many responses, either by readers leaving comments on the blog or sending an e-mail to let me know they were going to begin praying every time a worry knocked on their mind’s door. I also heard from one dear friend who took the challenge and was surprised by what it revealed to her: that she is not a worrier at all, and that her box stayed pretty empty. That would be a good thing to discover about yourself, wouldn’t it?

I’m checking in now to see how it’s going for everyone? I am still firmly on the path, although yesterday I was gone a lot and was quite busy. I found myself beginning to perseverate on a few things of concern, and pretty soon I realized I was not giving them to the Lord at all, but just letting that wicked wheel spin again. I know most of you know this already: that spinning wheel of worry does not bring peace and trust in our heavenly Father.

For the most part, however, I have been praying rather than worrying. I have been traveling on The Philippians Path to Peace and it’s a better route. It has beautiful scenery and delightful weather. There are fewer ruts and there are clear directional signs. There are fresh breezes on this path, pure streams from which to drink, and many comfortable inns along the road where I can rest.

The Way of Worry is a terrible way to travel. The roads are treacherous if there are any roads at all. There are boulders, sinkholes, predators at every turn. The signs along the shoulders of this horrible road trick you and send you in the wrong direction. The Worry Way always results in people getting lost. And the weather! It’s never conducive to good traveling progress. There are usually many fellow travelers on this road, though. And none of them are in very good humor as they trudge.

I had intended to nicely decorate my Prayer Box when we first began, but I haven’t gotten to that yet. I still might do it. But the important thing is that I have my box, I have my slips of paper, and I’ve been putting my prayers and concerns down, briefly and fervently written to God, with thanksgiving, and then I’ve been dropping them in. This is a tangible way for me to bring my requests to God, trusting Him with them, and not worrying about them.

Here’s my beautiful box:

It doesn’t have the pretty wrapping paper I had envisioned yet, but it’s functional. And the important thing is that it reminds me of the passage in Philippians that inspired this March challenge to begin with:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

So how are you doing on The Philippians Path to Peace? Have you taken any detours? Have you learned anything? What does your container look like? Has God answered any of your prayers yet? If you would like to send a photo of your prayer box to me, I’ll put it on the blog.

Let me know how you’re doing, even if you’re still just trying to pray instead of worry.

Blessings to my fellow travelers…

UPDATE:

Here’s our first report from Deb, and a photo of her prayer jar:

“Here is my Worry (morph into) Prayer jar!  I used an empty parmesan cheese container and a picture I printed from the web.  It has a flip top opening that is handy to pop open and drop my prayers into! This has been a GREAT exercise!”

Thank you Deb! I love the ruffle.  🙂

TRUST protects you from worrying and obsessing.

THANKFULNESS keeps you from criticizing and complaining.

–Unknown

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My husband Michael used to be a carpenter. He has built new homes, remodeled old houses, built shopping malls and hospital additions, and colossal garage extensions. He worked inside and outside, sometimes in Minnesota winter weather that was way below zero, but he never complained. Not once.

He took the first house we ever owned, which was a hundred years old and to me almost uninhabitable when we bought it, and transformed it into a beautiful place I loved. He tore down walls, enlarged rooms, hung new Sheetrock and applied new plaster, put in new windows, added two new bedrooms, built up kitchen counters to accommodate my height, put up new siding, a new roof, and more.

He was never quite content unless he was building something, even if it was just a small project.

Now Michael has retired from home building and carpentering, unfortunately out of necessity. He has Parkinson’s disease, which stiffens the joints and muscles, slows movement, robs the speech and brings exhaustion.

But as God would have it, Michael is still a builder.

Even after all these years, he continues to build in our home and in my life — from the inside.

He builds with patience, gentleness, humility and steadfastness. He builds with optimism and prayer. He builds with his few words and his smile. He builds with his kind eyes.

I grew up in a family that had many wonderful strengths, but we needed lessons in building. We were more adept at demolition.

My man is no longer building buildings, but he continues to graciously and quietly build lives.

Mainly mine.

Happy March 1st! That also means Rabbit!! to those of you who are in my family or were in Mrs. Lokken’s second grade class with me at Workman Avenue Elementary School in Southern California.

Michael actually woke me up this morning a little after 4:00 a.m. and whispered urgently in my ear, “Julie? Julie?” and when I woke up startled, and said, “What?” he said “Rabbit!” I could hear the mixture of glee and grogginess in his voice. I was a good sport about it and said, “You got me.”

Anyway, a little while back I posted something about worrying vs. praying, and if you missed it you can see it, and everyone’s great comments, right here.

So today begins an experiment in faith and trust, to all those who read this and would like to grow in those areas. If you would like to take part in The Philippians Path of Peace for the month of March, get your hands on a container of sorts today. I have chosen a large shoebox that I will tape shut. I’ll cut a narrow slot in the lid. If you’re a crafty and creative person (Jessica!), you could make your container into something really attractive. But the important thing is to just get something today, and get started. You could use a basket with a lid, a large jar, a cylindrical oatmeal container, a big manila envelope or an old backpack. Use an item that is secure for your environment, though — this container should be something that can stay private, yet accessible to you all throughout the day. Consider where you might place it so that it’s not in the way of anything, but is where you’ll be able to get to it as much as is needed. I will put mine in my office.

Don’t hesitate to tell your family members what your container is all about and that you’re joining with others in a faith experiment for the month of March, but make sure they know to respect your privacy and leave it alone for you and God.

Here are the verses from the fourth chapter of Philippians on which we’re basing our month-long exercise:

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

And the paraphrase from The Message is good:

^4-5Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

^6-7Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

^8-9Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

You also need to get several sheets of blank paper and cut them into smaller pieces that are just large enough to write a concern on, but small enough to fold up small and put into your oatmeal container or basket or shoebox. Have these pieces of paper and a pencil near your container at all times.

I googled the phrase Prayer Box and saw, as I expected, that this is not a new idea. Apparently several authors have written about this before and it has been a practice for many people for years. I haven’t personally done this before and had never read about it, so it’s a new experiment for me.

I’m also aware that there are probably a multitude of believers who already pray instead of worry. Even I, myself, sometimes pray about things instead of worrying about them. 🙂  If you are adept at prayer and already have your feet planted firmly on the Philippians Path of Peace, then you can forgo this experiment and pray for those of us who are embarking. But the reason we’re doing this is to learn to pray each time a potential worry presents itself to us. During the month of March, we’re aiming to begin a new, lifelong habit of doing what Paul counseled almost two thousand years ago. We want to pray and leave our cares with our loving God, and not worry.

A couple of thoughts before I reiterate the steps we’ll take, and why we’re doing this. For those of you who are reading this and you don’t even believe in God, that’s okay. This experiment could be something you don’t think will have any effect on you at all, but you’re willing to try it at any rate, just to see what happens. I encourage you to write down your concerns and requests anyway, maybe something like this: “Dear God. I don’t really believe you are there. But in case you are, here’s what is on my heart today. Please do something about ________.  As best as I am able, I’m handing this over to you, if you are there and can do anything about this. Thank you.”

Also, if you know anyone you think might like to join us in this March journey, please refer them to this blog post. I’m going to be emailing a few friends to see if they’d like to come along too.

Each week in March I’ll put up a post about walking the Philippians Path of Peace and ask for your comments. Please share how it’s going. Even if it’s not going as you expected, please tell us your experiences. At the end of the month we’ll see what praying instead of worrying has accomplished in our lives.

Be patient with yourself. If any of you are prone to worrying, you probably won’t jump from fretting to freedom in one day. You might write two requests on slips of paper and put them in your Prayer Box the first day, and find yourself in worry mode sixty times. Keep going. Ask for divine help to begin to pray instead of worry. Don’t give up.

You might want to take a few small scraps of paper with you when you go somewhere – put them in your wallet or in a pocket in your purse, and when something comes up that would invite you in to that useless, destructive place of worrying, pull out your scrap, write down your prayer, and put it in your Prayer Box when you get home. Do what works for you and constantly ask for help in this. I believe with all my heart that Jesus will help us. He’s the One who kept saying, “Don’t be afraid. Come to Me and I will give you rest.” We are going to take Him at His word.

So here are the basics.

1. Get your container and scraps of paper ready today. If you’re reading this after March 1st, start on the day you read. Even if it’s March 15th, get started.

2. Read the passage from Philippians above or in your own Bible to remind yourself why you’re doing this. You might even want to put those verses on your Prayer Box in some way. Seriously ponder what we’re promised if we will do this: the peace of God, and His protection for our hearts and minds. Are there any of us who don’t need the peace of God, who don’t want His protection for our hearts and our minds? I desperately need and want all three.

3. When a need, a concern, a worry, a burden comes to you, briefly write down on the scrap of paper what you are asking God to do. Tell Him about it in print. Yes, sometimes we don’t know how to pray — we don’t know what would be best or we know our own motives are skewed. Write something down anyway, like, “God – help! Please touch my brother. Thank you.” Or, “Lord, help me not to ______! Thank you.” God is big enough to sort out our stuff. We have been invited to bring our stuff to Him, not to figure it all out before we bring it. The purpose of this exercise is for us to immediately bring what’s concerning us to the Maker of heaven and earth, and leave it with Him to work His awesome ways in us and in those around us.

4. Say thank you. If you look at the Philippians Path of Peace, we are to bring our prayers and petitions to Him, with thanksgiving. I think this is really important. With whatever tiny bit of faith we can muster, we present our requests to Him, and we thank Him ahead of time for what He’s going to do. When we say thank you, we take ourselves out of an attitude of complaint or ingratitude and put ourselves into the attitude of thankfulness. I really need to remember this one.

5. Keep a proper perspective. This March experiment is not about seeing how many prayers God will answer if we stop worrying and put all our requests into a box. This is about learning to live in trust and peace, making prayer a way of life and resting in the goodness of our loving God. It’s about not letting worry steal from us any longer. It’s about relinquishing to the Lord the truly serious concerns and even the smaller irritating ones, telling Him and ourselves that we’re going to cooperate with Him as He deals with each detail in our lives, and in the lives of those we love. I have no doubt that at the end of this month, some of us will have amazing things to share. I also know that there will be things that may not be answered as we had hoped. But our goal is to bring them to God and ask Him to take care of them, rather than fretting. We want His peace even in the midst of difficult times.

6. If you need to write down the same request several times a day, that’s fine. It’s better than fretting about it several times a day.

7. Don’t be in a hurry to open your box. Wait until you’re sure you should. I can picture that I won’t open my Prayer Box for a long time – maybe even months or years. The aim is to stay on the Philippians Path of Peace, not to count answered prayer requests. But someday it will be a blessing to open it and see that indeed, God took care of all your needs in ways you never imagined.

8. Keep at it. Anxiety or worry didn’t overtake us in a day. Peace and prayer won’t become a way of life in a day either. Each request written down and placed in your Prayer Box is a step toward God’s peace.

9. Tell someone else what you’re doing and invite them to join you. Traveling companions would be a joy and an encouragement.

10. After you get your container and scraps of paper ready, ask God to help you, to make Himself real to you this month, and to help you to trust Him in ways you never have before.

I’m sure I’ve left something out – if anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them. I will be thinking of you and praying for you as we begin this journey.

Please consider leaving a comment (you can be kept anonymous if you like) and share if you’re taking this journey with me. I would love to know if I have traveling companions.

God bless you all!