Share this:

“Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel.” Philippians 1:12

Photo by Sierra Renter

Paul was in prison when he wrote those words – in prison. Many of us in Paul’s situation would take one look at our surroundings and collapse in a heap of despair, but not Paul. He viewed his temporary placement in a Philippian jail cell as God’s sovereign plan to bring strategic members of the Roman government to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

That probably would have been the last thing on my mind when I heard that cell door slam. I’d have been more worried about my own hardship and suffering than about the eternal souls of the men whose job it was to make my life miserable. I doubt I would have been so noble…

…but we can be.

Every day we find ourselves in a set of “circumstances” that we can use to either inspire others to pursue a life of hope in Jesus, or discourage them from ever seeking him altogether. How we manage our unexpected circumstances is one porthole through which the world looks to verify the authenticity of our faith.

We’re on the move again. Little did I realize when I started this blog a year and a half ago that we would still be rootless and restless, but we are. What began with just Bob and me pulling up stakes and moving to Colorado grew to include sons Philip and Steven, and then Philip’s new fiancée, Amanda. Last Thanksgiving our friends Josh and Jess with their son Isaac came out to join the adventure and now there’s talk of one of our favorite east coast friends hopping a plane and joining us for the summer.

Did I mention we have been staying in a hotel since January? At one time there were 8 of us here, and we’ve joked with the hotel staff that we’re renting to own this place. That’s all changing now, though. Within the next week all of us have to vacate the hotel where we’ve been staying because the rooms have been reserved for local college graduations. We’re not sure what’s next for us at the moment.

Cue Willie Nelson:

“On the road again. On the road again. Just can’t wait to get on the road again. The life I love is making music with my friends, and I can’t wait to get on the road again.”

Whoa. Wait. Stop the music!

Our situation is changing. We don’t know where we’re going, where we’ll live, or how this is all going to work out, but if I’ve learned anything about transitions, it’s to stop and take a breath right before things lurch off in a new direction.

After the nation of Israel crossed the Jordan River and entered the land, they stopped. They paused. Their forty years of wandering had come to an end and God wanted them to remember. He didn’t want them to dwell on their suffering and hardship; instead, God wanted them to remember his goodness to them. So, Joshua instructed 12 men (one from each tribe) to haul 12 large rocks out of the middle of the river and set them up as a tangible tribute of the day they entered their new land.

“Then you shall say to them (your children), ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.” Joshua 4:7

So, before we top off our tanks, load ‘em up, and move ‘em out again maybe it’s good to remember all that God has done.

Our mornings at the hotel usually start in the quiet of the lobby after the storm of breakfast and check-outs are done.

Quiet Mornings in the Lobby

How grateful we have been to our church who has allowed us to use their kitchen to make dinners a couple of times a week. As you can see, everyone joins in contributing to the meal in progress. This was the night Amanda and Philip made banana bread.

Feeding a Herd

During the months of February and March we had several snowstorms. Whiteout conditions during these storms made driving treacherous so the hotel often filled with stranded motorists. When that happened, Jess and I pulled out crock pots and made dinner for whoever was hungry. The group below included some of the housekeeping staff who got stranded, as well as, a family of Native American Indians on their way to South Dakota to commemorate a special day of their heritage.

Stranded and Hungry Travelers

Music…always music. Here are the boys jamming by the fire pit one night. One of the guests came out to join them and they had great time!

Jammin’ at the Fire Pit

“On the road again, goin’ places that I’ve never been. Seein’ things that I may never see again, and I can’t wait to get on the road again.”

You know, living in a hotel for five months was the furthest thing from my mind when we moved to Colorado, but it’s been an adventure.  Allowing God’s sovereign plan to redefine our own understanding of what we think is best, has exploded our opportunities to share God’s love with the hurting around us. When you see God so strategically working, it’s a lot easier to be content with the circumstances his plan throws at you.

“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” Philippians 4:11

Joy in the Journey

Is God asking the unexpected of you? Is he calling you out to an adventure with him? How does God want you to honor this moment of transition between what was and the unknown of what will be?

Don’t be afraid…

“Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

© Copyright, 2013 by Donna Tallman.

Contact: sogreatajourney@yahoo.com

Share this:

We’ve been here before, America. We’ve walked this now familiar road of carnage and debris. We’ve flooded your streets with our tears of despair and sat dazed at your curbsides of catastrophe. We’ve loved. We’ve lost. We’ve mourned uncomforted.

Yesterday, we all watched in horror as explosions rocked the finish line at the running of 117^th Boston Marathon. It is in these times of national agony when I desperately search for comfort. My first inclination is to gather as much information as I can hoping that somehow, in the knowing, I will find the comfort my heart urgently needs.

I didn’t find it in the newsfeeds.

Yesterday, all I saw in my newsfeed was the juxtaposition of the insane and the inane.

“There’s been an explosion at the Boston Marathon. Early reports indicate there are 3 dead and 80 injured.”

Explosion in Boston 4.15.13

The most searched item on my newsfeed?

“Rumors are circulating that Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne split up over the weekend.”

The Osbournes

Really? We’ve just had a national tragedy and people just want to know if the Osbournes are still together? Are we that shallow?

“’The medical tent began filling with people who had no limbs,’ said Tim Davey of Richmond, Virginia.”

Holding on

“The long running soap opera, General Hospital, celebrates 50 years by bringing back favorite cast members of yesteryear.” While this is a significant milestone in television history and one worth celebrating, its timing couldn’t have been more rupturing to my spirit.

General Hospital Cast and Crew

General Hospital is not real medicine! The unfortunate contrast to the bloody scenes I was seeing on TV ripped me raw.

Boston Marathon Cast and Crew

“Reports are just coming in that a child under the age of 10 is among the deceased.”

Rescuing the Children

“Isabella Barrett has become the new darling of Toddlers and Tiaras. She is a 6 year-old millionaire pageant queen whose penchant for lavish living includes a collection of more than 60 pairs of shoes.”

God rescue her…rescue us!

Isabella

“An official from Massachusetts General Hospital lamenting that he had never seen this amount of carnage in the civilian population. ‘This is what we expect from war,’ Alasdair Conn said.”

Patriots Day 2013

“Lindsay Lohan rebuts reports that she was partying over the weekend just days before she is due to begin another stint in rehab.”

Lindsay Lohan

The contradictions were endless. By the end of the day we would learn there were 3 fatalities and more than 150 injured. The merging of the tragic and the trite left me spun out and wrung out yesterday. I needed to grieve but wasn’t quite sure how.

The Boston Marathon is held on Patriots Day every year, which commemorates the first battles of the American Revolution, in 1775. Ralph Waldo Emerson immortalized the first battles of the Revolutionary War at Lexington and Concord in his poem, “Concord Hymn.” The first stanza could not be a more appropriate lament for the Boston Massacre of 2013:

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,

Here once the embattled farmers stood,

And fired the shot heard round the world.

America…America…

Today as we continue to search for comfort in the wake of national tragedy, I’d encourage you not to look for it on your newsfeed. Look, instead, to the God of all comfort who can supply all you need and equip you to share that comfort with others who are grieving as well.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

© Copyright, 2013 by Donna Tallman.

Contact: sogreatajourney@yahoo.com

Share this:

Photo by Steven Tallman

Moving day has come again, but this time I’m not the one moving. Today we said a sad goodbye to my son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren. They are moving to the East Coast tomorrow and are so excited. I’m excited for them too – well, actually, I was excited for them until today came and the reality of their leaving hit me full force. 

I’ve moved a lot in my life so I’m pretty much a pro at this whole upheaval thing. After more than 30 moves, I’ve decided that it’s much easier to leave than to be left. If I move away there are new adventures waiting for me, but if I’m the one left behind, then all I have to fill the crevices of someone’s absence are my memories of the times we shared together.

Yes, I’d much rather leave than be left.

Almost Home
Photo by Will Holmer

Earlier this week a former student posted this picture on his Facebook page. I’m not sure if it was the picture, the title, my son’s move, or the fact that I’ve been living in a Colorado hotel for three months, but his picture has captured my spirit and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

Almost home. Will called his photo, Almost Home. The afternoon he took this picture, Will was flying between Colorado where I sort of live, and Portland, Oregon, where his home is, and my home used to be.

Home.

Where is home? Where is my home? Is this freeway off-ramp hotel going to be my home forever?

My mind drifts back to a nighttime rainstorm in Germany during the summer of 1967…

Spotlight. Night sky. Churning winds cough up dirt from the roadway and spew it all over the windshield of our Opel station wagon. Rain blows in sideways blurring our vision. The kilometer signs at the side of the road are barely visible as we speed by looking for the Air Force Base. We’re lost. Dad took the wrong access road and now, we’re lost. He drives frantically through the German countryside searching for the base. Rain furiously pounds the windshield and now we can barely see between the wipers. It feels very much like the flash floods they have in Tennessee, and I am afraid. I just want to go home.

A searchlight paces back and forth in the darkness, awaiting our arrival. Dad drives toward the light. It’s searching for us just as desperately as we’re trying to find it, but like hunting for the end of a rainbow; the light eludes us. Every turn we make to chase it down, is one more turn of disappointment. Wait! There’s a guard-duty station ahead. My brother, Randy, sees a pole. The spotlight illumines the pole. It’s got a flag on it. We all strain to see its nationality. German? American? It is…it is…American!  Wiesbaden Air Base. We made it!    

Strange how one minute I am a foreigner lost in a foreign country, and the next I am an American on American soil even though I’m somewhere in the middle of Germany on an air base I’ve never even seen before. That’s one of the great things about being an Air Force Brat. No matter where I am on the planet, whenever I enter an American military installation; I step onto sovereign United States soil and am instantly “home.”  Beyond the gates, I am an outsider. I represent all that is America to others and am an ambassador, but inside these gates I’m “home.”

*     *     *     *     *

Christians talk a lot about heaven being our eternal home and the concept that we’ll never really be “home” until we’re dead. (that comes from 2 Corinthians 5:8) It’s usually said when someone is trying to offer comfort to another who is grieving. I’ve never really been comfortable with the concept, actually. I believe it can strip my earthly years of purpose, and disconnect me from God. My time on earth cannot just be a plaza en route to somewhere else. It cannot be just a place to accumulate relationships, things, and accolades. My life has to be more, it has to offer more; it has to mean more.

“God, can I ask you a question?” I asked him one afternoon. Like God didn’t already know what was coming. 

“You want to know where home is?”

“I’ve been looking for more than fifty years, Lord, and haven’t found it yet. Everyone else has a home but me.”

“Stop looking,” he instructed.

“Are you going to tell me that I won’t truly have a home until I get heaven…that I’m just “a passin’ through” like the old gospel song said?  I’m so tired of that…”

“Stop and listen.”

“There’s a place for us, somewhere a place for us,” suddenly runs through my head.

“It’s from West Side Story, Lord. It’s a movie.”

Does God really need my lesson on American pop culture?

“Listen,” he gently chides.

“Are you tormenting me?”

“No, not to the song.  Listen.”

I quiet my heart and God draws near again.

Photo by Donna Tallman

Home is not a place, and it doesn’t have an address. I can’t Google “home” and have it plot out a map with directions. Home is something so much greater than that – so much bigger than my fixation on having a house. As I sat in the stillness the Lord and I carved out that afternoon, I realized that my “true” home is simply those beautiful moments of intersection with the God that I so deeply love. When Jesus draws near and traverses my life, I am more at home than I will ever be. In John 15 Jesus says he will come and make his abode with me, his home with me, and he certainly has.

Home is the pond in Colorado Springs where I would go talk with the Lord when high school got too much for me to bear. Home is the hospital corridor where I paced back and forth while my son, Bryant, battled epiglottitis and youngest son, Steven, later fought against “failure to thrive” syndrome. Home is the rehab center where I sang to my mother-in-law just before she passed away.  Home can appear in my car when I take off to chase a sunset.  Home is the upper room of a coffee shop where I go for inspiration, Arlington National Cemetery talking with soldiers just back from war, the back wall of my church’s sanctuary where I often stand during worship, and the floor of my bedroom where I spend my early morning hours alone with the Lord.  When I need a bigger view of God, home is standing in the waves at the Oregon Coast feeling the power of the ocean and the pull of the tide. Home is a late afternoon dash to the grocery store only to look up during checkout to see a breath-taking sunset over the Air Force Academy Chapel set against the Rocky Mountains. “Home” also appeared in the snow-filled gully near Omaha when I was just four years old. Trapped in a waist-high snow bank, Jesus drew near and whispered his reassurance to me for the very first time. These are the places of divine intersection in my life; these are the places of meaning; these are the places I call “home.”

Longing for home is a universal desire. Troubadours and songwriters throughout the ages have attempted to capture that longing, and some of the most memorable songs of all time explore the emotions of coming home. Homeward Bound by Simon and Garfunkel, John Denver’s Take Me Home Country Roads, Home by Michael Buble, Daughtry’s song of the same title, I’ll Be Home For Christmas, and If You’re Reading This by Tim McGraw all express that deep-seated desire to get home after a long hard journey, after a separation with loved ones, or even after war. We all long to experience the warmth and safety that is “home.”

Because I grew up military, home has never been a place or a location. Home for me has always been the shared experience of world events and the intersection of the military sub-culture. One of the most enduring of those shared experiences was the daily bugle calls on base which always ended with the playing of “Taps.”

Day is done, gone the sun.

Photo by Donna Tallman

From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky.

Photo by Donna Tallman

All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

Photo by Donna Tallman

God is nigh. I know it’s a military bugle call. I know the Girl Scouts sing it at the end of their troop meetings. I know it’s played at funerals. I know it’s more cultural than spiritual, but I’ve always found a great deal of comfort in that last line because I know that if Jesus is drawing near to me, then “home” is just around the corner. When I sense the Spirit of God hovering nearby, I know for certain that I’m almost home; that my agony and my ordeal is almost over.

I don’t know what you’re facing today, but I know where God is in your trial; he’s right there with you. Maybe you’ve just found out that your son or daughter is addicted to drugs; God is nigh. Maybe you’re pacing the corridors of a hospital waiting for word on your baby who has been taken to ICU; God is nigh. Perhaps you’ve been working three jobs to take care of your kids, but there’s never enough money to cover their needs; God is nigh. Maybe your spouse has asked for a divorce; God is nigh. Maybe it’s been six days since you’ve heard from your soldier husband serving in special forces and you’re worried about his safety; God is nigh. Maybe your son and his family have just moved across the country and taken your grandchildren with him…

Photo by Steven Tallman

All is well.

Safely rest.

God is nigh.

© Copyright, 2013 by Donna Tallman.

Contact: sogreatajourney@yahoo.com

Share this:

Photo by
Donna Tallman

Two days ago my Facebook page blew up with complaints about how cold, snowy, and miserable this winter has been across the United States. We were only two days into the “official” start of spring, but everyone was fed up with winter’s iron grip and its dogged tenacity to hang around way beyond its welcome. Record-setting snowfalls across the plains and up the eastern seaboard have exhausted our patience, so now Americans are lining up to point fingers.

Blame it on El Niño. Blame it on La Niña. What’s that country song? Blame it on Texas; don’t blame it on me. Better yet, let’s blame it on Phil. After all, it’s Phil’s fault we’re all sick and tired of this winter anyway.

You remember Punxsutawney Phil who came out of hiding on February 2 long enough to predict an early end to winter? We set our calendars and hearts by that groundhog’s annual prediction, and this year he got it wrong.

Oh, so wrong!

Groundhog on FB

Well, prosecutor Michael T. Gmoser of Butler County, Ohio, is not happy. He’s more than cranky about Phil’s “err apparent” and ready to charge him with a crime. Gmoser was ready to indict the guilty groundhog with fraud last week, saying Phil should be held accountable for his “misrepresentation of an early spring” and for his massive faux paws (sic on purpose). Fortunately for the groundhog, his handler, Bill Deeley, stepped up with an explanation. Seems something got lost in the translation and the misstep was Deeley’s not Phil’s. So, the groundhog gets a reprieve, but what about us? Do we get a reprieve?

When is winter going to be over?

Is it spring yet?

I don’t remember asking those questions when I lived in Portland, Oregon, because the winters there were so mild. Predictable, but mild. Sometimes the first daffodil pushed its way through the ground as early as February heralding the end of winter in Oregon, but never an end to the rain. I do remember asking when spring would arrive when I lived in Chicago and Nebraska, however. Winters in the Midwest could be brutal. Trees lost their leaves early in September and didn’t even hint at rebirth until April or even later. The winds were relentless, the ground froze, and the snow buried large sections of the farm fields around us for months.

Photo by James Hawkins
publicdomainpictures.net

My elementary school even hosted a competition for sighting the first robin’s return after its annual migration to wherever it was they went every winter.

We just had another snowstorm in Colorado this past weekend. I think that makes 6 this year with 4 of them of them classified as blizzards. As I looked out the window of my hotel room, I lost hope. Fall and winter are my favorite seasons of the year because I like to hole up and write for weeks at a time, but this weekend’s snowstorm even did me in. The 50mph wind gusts, single digit temperatures, below-zero wind chill factors, and treacherous roadways finally got to me; I had had enough. As I sat by my window looking at the one-dimensional landscape, I heard myself ask for the first time since we moved here, “Is it spring yet?”

Photo by
Donna Tallman

Okay, I whined.

Everything was cold and barren. The trees across the field reverberated with rigid emptiness being shaken by the Rocky Mountain winds. The land hidden underneath the jagged snowdrifts was unresponsive and frozen. All about was frosted exhale suspended momentarily before being sucked into the wind’s violent vortex. As I watched a 4-wheel drive SUV lose traction on the icy hill outside the hotel, it was easy to see that all forward momentum was lost as people retreated in the face of the powerful storm. Like a time capsule buried for posterity, I wondered if I’d ever see the ground again.

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” (Ezekiel 36:26-TLB)

Winter will not last forever. Seasons are temporary. Temperatures will rise, ice will thaw, and winter will eventually relent; it has to. It will give way. Despite this temporary delay, spring will come and warm both the ground and our hearts once again with its wonder and its stunning beauty.

“…Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

After the dark of midnight, comes the dawn. After the storm passes by, a rainbow appears. Hope follows despair. Joy follows sorrow. Life follows death.

“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

What in your life needs a resurrection? What sorrow, loss, or disappointment does God want to breathe life into? What “winter season” needs the coming of spring in your life?

Maybe you’ve just endured a record-setting winter season in your heart and are anxious for the spring to come. What you’d really like to do is to find some bless-ed groundhog to blame for the pain you’ve endured this season. Don’t waste your energy. Winter comes to everyone, and adversity knows no boundary, so save your energy for the beauty of spring that is on its way.

Photo by
Donna Tallman

Spring will come, although it may not come all at once. Your “spring” may enter quietly, slowly thawing the frozen panes of your heart one panel at a time. Permit God’s warmth to melt your heart and usher in a new season of renewal, a season of resurrection.

Be patient. The spring will come.

Winter will relent.

“So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.” (Hosea 6:3)

God is faithful. He is as dependable and predictable as the dawn. He wants to breathe life into the dead places of your heart, and I can’t think of a better time than during Holy Week to let him.

Will you allow Jesus the freedom in your life to resurrect what has died or gone dormant?

“I am the resurrection and the life!”

© Copyright, 2013 by Donna Tallman.

Contact: sogreatajourney@yahoo.com

        

Share this:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…

Photo by Donna Tallman

Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so.

Photo by Donna Tallman

The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 

Photo by Donna Tallman

God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind.

Photo by Donna Tallman

God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. (Genesis, Chapter 1 portions)

Steven Tallman Photography

I’ve been thinking a lot about the phrase “after their kind” lately. I got hung up on it one morning as I was speed-reading through Genesis, chapter one, because the passage is way too familiar to me. Just as I was about to jump the chapter break and blaze into chapter 2, I was drawn up short by an unexpected question from Jesus.

“What kind of “offspring” are you reproducing?” Jesus asked.

In the physical realm everything reproduces after “it’s own kind.” Trees beget trees, plants yield plants, orcas birth orcas, owls produce owlets, sheep deliver sheep, creeping things produce more icky creeping things, and people bear people.

“Let’s see, I’m a people, so I beget people,” I answered.

My Three Sons!

Sometimes Jesus’ questions about the obvious make me laugh. Since 1982 I’ve begotten three people, all grown men now…

“That’s not what I’m asking,” he interrupted.

Luke 6:40 flew through my heart and my spirit instantly convicting me. “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”

“Ack!” as my friend likes to say. Is Jesus my teacher? Am I becoming more like Jesus? What kind of fruit am I exporting to the lives of others around me? Is it the fruit of Galatians 5:22, 23?

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Or am I exporting the fruit of the flesh found in the verses just above in Galatians 5:19-21?

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these…”

Well, I gave a lot of that stuff up earlier in life, so I felt safe from any confrontation that might be coming. Jesus wanted to go a little deeper, so I deftly sidestepped his advances hoping to divert his attention.

He pursued. I resisted. Dumb idea; I know better.

As believers in Jesus, we’re in a bit of a catch-22. We’re not only students who are learning about Christ and our faith; we’re also teachers of others who constantly watch our lives.

“Ack again!”

I came to faith in Jesus almost 40 years ago. Following my decision to trust Jesus, I was mentored consistently by a group of women for two years. They taught me how to read and study the Bible for myself, how to memorize large passages of scripture, how to share my faith, and how to pray. Later, youth pastors and other instructors taught me how to teach the Bible, how to preach, how to mentor, how to organize, how to serve others, how to fast, and how to deny myself.

Only suffering taught me why any of that mattered.

As I sat before the Lord that morning reading Genesis 1, my heart wrenched with the reality that I spend a lot more time and energy reproducing a “how to follow Jesus faith” in others, instead of teaching them why Jesus matters in the first place. A “how to” faith is external; it’s about conformity. A “why it matters” faith forces everyone to have an intimate, personal encounter with the Holy Spirit – who loves to intersect us with the unexpected and the supernatural.

Photo by Donna Tallman

So, how about you – what are you exporting to the lives of those around you?

Dear Jesus,
I love it that you want us to be audacious in our faith. You want us to be bold and fearless as we follow you. You have given us everything we need to be successful, yet we still fail. Today, Lord, would you lead each of us into a personal encounter with your Holy Spirit that forever alters way we see Jesus? Give us new eyes to see you as you are and may we become more like Jesus today! 

© Copyright, 2013 by Donna Tallman.

Contact: sogreatajourney@yahoo.com

Share this:

Photo by Donna Tallman

Would I teach? Absolutely! Of course I would teach. I love to teach – anywhere anytime. I was happy to say yes. When the “senior pastor” (instead of the Sunday school superintendent) assigned me the 5^th and 6^th grade Sunday school class, I should have realized the picture was crooked, but I didn’t. I was clueless.

I bounded into my new classroom that first Sunday with all the anticipation and enthusiasm of a high school cheerleader at a state football game. Students slowly trickled in as I set the room in order. They barely spoke to me. I eagerly tried to engage them in conversation, but they only mumbled.

“Maybe they’re just shy,” I encouraged myself as any cheerleader would. “Give them time.”

Maybe not.

I was the fourth in a line of Sunday School teachers who had given up on this class, but the pastor hadn’t mentioned that to me. Richard was the one who announced it when he entered the room with his buddy, Timmy. I was equally unaware that hidden behind the cherubic faces in front of me lay sadistic mayhem just waiting to run amok.

I was new. I was naïve. I was toast.

Like the proverbial lamb to the slaughter, I turned to face my executioners. As soon as I closed the door to my classroom, chaos exploded around me. Instantly, the “shyness” they portrayed upon their entrance gave way to wild, unruly anarchy. Led by the king of mean himself (Richard), they were disrespectful, sarcastic and downright unkind to me and to each other. Particularly caustic were the brother/sister duos in the room who took special glee in swapping mean-spirited barbs with one another. Within minutes, Richard’s younger sister was reduced to tears by his taunt about her hair so she ran to the bathroom to cry.

Pandemonium reigned. Most of the students didn’t want to be there in the first place, and it wasn’t long before I agreed with them. They were so horrid I began to wonder if God Almighty could even redeem this mess.

He could. Of course he could, but how?

*     *     *     *     *

Jesus was a master teacher. He was also a master of changing the conversation, people’s perspectives, and the atmosphere around him. How Jesus handled his cynics provides great encouragement to me when the environment I am stranded in gets discouraging, sorrowful, or even caustic.

The woman caught in adultery is one of the best examples in the New Testament of Jesus intentionally changing the atmosphere around him. It’s recorded in John, chapter 8. A hypocritical mob of Jewish leaders brought an adulterous woman to Jesus for judgment while he was teaching in the temple. Figuring that Jesus’ grace would outweigh his scriptural justice, they intended to trap Jesus by setting the woman up and then dragging her before him to be condemned. Had he condemned her, her sentence would have been death by stoning.

Jesus not only didn’t fall for their malicious scheme, he completely upended the emotionally charged atmosphere instead. Here are some principles I pulled out from John 8 that might help when we find ourselves in negative environments:

Jesus prepared his heart

Photo by Donna Tallman

Jesus started his day on the Mount of Olives. (John 8:1) The Mount of Olives was a place of refuge for Jesus, and he often went there to be alone or to pray. Before Jesus was accosted by the leaders in the temple, he had already spent time alone and prepared his heart for the encounter.

Am I careful to guard my heart from invasion and feed my own spirit?

Jesus discerned the motives of the woman’s accusers

Jesus could tell instantly that the men in the courtyard were complicit in the woman’s sin. John 8:4-6 records their accusations followed by, “but Jesus.” Rather than allow himself to get entangled with their ruse, Jesus instead confronted their hypocrisy.

Do I stop and ask God for his wisdom when I am confronted with a hostile or unsupportive environment? Could it be said of me “This situation was deteriorating, but Donna?”

Jesus didn’t respond “in kind”

When the men maliciously accused and condemned the woman, Jesus remained silent. They were looking for a fight, but Jesus suddenly went mute. Instead, he knelt down and began writing in the dirt. (John 8:6) The challenge of discouraging or rage-filled environments is to not react. We need to “choose” our response instead of just spitting back the same emotion directed at us. Jesus controlled his emotions and intentionally responded rather than reacted.

Am I able to control my emotions so that I respond wisely, or do I just react by instinct?

Photo by Donna Tallman

Jesus’ response forced the accusers to look inward

The exciting thing about learning how to change an environment is to measure the impact personal attitude change has on the community at large. Private, personal accountability will always positively impact a group. (John 8:9)

Does the wisdom I exert in a situation compel others to better themselves?

Jesus acknowledged the reality of the woman’s sin without condemning her himself

Once Jesus eliminated the malicious threat to the woman and the men departed, he was able to address the legitimate concern of her adultery. Changing the atmosphere sometimes requires that we remove hostile accusers so we can breathe freedom into the lives of those who desperately need it. The men were accurate in their charge that she had committed adultery, but Jesus could not deal with the woman in love as long as the men spewing hate were present.

Is love my motive for addressing sin, or is it revenge and/or condemnation?

Jesus changed the atmosphere from:

1. Arrogant entrapment to personal conviction for the men
2. Hostile condemnation to compassionate redemption for the woman

There are lots of examples in the New Testament of Jesus changing the atmosphere in his environment. In Mark, chapter 5, a synagogue official begged Jesus to heal his daughter, but she died while they were on the way. Scripture records Jesus’ impact on her funeral by telling the mourners the daughter was only sleeping. Their laughter was quickly turned to awed fear when Jesus raised the little girl from the dead. Jesus’ cleansing of the temple in John, chapter 2, provides yet another episode from the New Testament when Jesus would not accept the status quo and intentionally reordered the atmosphere around him.

We have the power to do the same.

Photo by Donna Tallman

Last week on Valentine’s Day I had a list of errands to run before yet another snowstorm set in along the Rocky Mountain front range. We decided to have a party for the other hotel guests where we are living so I was in a hurry to get goodies and soda for the party. On my way through the Walmart parking lot, a 30mph gust of wind grabbed my shopping cart and yanked me down the hill with it. As I fought back and steered my wayward cart back to my car, a woman just across the way was caught in the same vortex. As she tried to load her own Valentine’s Day treats into the back of her car, the wind sucked two bottles of her soda out of the back of her car dashing one of them to the ground. That bottle exploded on impact while the other bottle rolled toward my car.

As I retrieved the bottle and returned it to her she said, “It’s going to be one of those days.”  Her frustration had already started to spiral out of control and she was sure things would only get worse. Since I’d already been thinking about how Jesus changed the atmosphere that morning, I ran back to my car, pulled out a bottle of soda I had just bought, and gave it to the woman as a replacement. As she began to protest, I heard myself say, “It’s Valentine’s Day and you’re on your way to a party. You absolutely can’t have this kind of day; I forbid it.”

I’m not usually so bold, but I just hated to see her emotionally beaten by a Colorado windstorm. Instead, I wanted to change the atmosphere of her day so God would have a platform to speak to her. He wanted her to know she was loved, but she’d never hear that in the midst of her frustration. Reordering her environment opened her heart to all God had for her…I could see the change on her face.

*     *     *     *     *

Every class I’ve ever taught has had a “Richard.” Richard is that brash, cocky, self-appointed class leader. Underneath he is often a spiritual cynic who dares me to teach him something, or (God forbid) change him. No matter how many long hours of study and preparation I put in, a Richard can wreck havoc on any lesson I teach with little to no effort on his part. Contending with him can be my worst nightmare or my greatest triumph. The key to limiting Richard’s impact on an entire class is to win him over. I have found that if I can win the cynic, the atmosphere immediately changes and the entire class follows.

Photo by Donna Tallman

How did I win my first Richard over? I gave him a camera and made him the Sunday School class reporter. He started a class journal that included photos and all the doodling he used to do to distract those around him. I made him wrestle with the topics we were studying in class as he wrote his articles for the journal. Then I published his work for everyone to see. Instead of getting laughs and riots from other students and Devil stares from the teacher (me!), Richard gained faith for himself and earned the respect of us all. Consequently, he became one of my greatest cheerleaders.

How does God want you to change an environment today? What can you add to it? How can you come alongside someone who needs a boost?

© Copyright, 2013 by Donna Tallman.

Contact: sogreatajourney@yahoo.com

Share this:

 

mercurynews.com

Yesterday afternoon I watched in horror with the rest of the nation as the nine-day manhunt for a former Los Angeles police officer gone rogue came to a violent and fiery conclusion. As law enforcement officials surrounded Christopher Dorner who had holed up in a cabin near the town of Big Bear, California, media outlets began blasting updates on the incident with lightning speed. Some of the information was accurate, but much of it was not and later had to be retracted.

Wolf Blitzer, veteran news anchor from CNN, spent much of his afternoon repeating one question over and over, “What do we know? What do we know?” Returning to what had actually been confirmed and verified by local authorities was Blitzer’s way of navigating the tidal wave of information spewing out of Southern California media outlets and online social networking sites.

What do I know?

I know that a dear friend from college days had a husband and a son on duty with the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department throughout the ordeal and was concerned about their safety. I know the law enforcement community of Southern California is grieving the loss of several police officers and related family members. I know that uncontrolled rage has catastrophic consequences.

I know that God is faithful. I know that God is good. I know that God has appointed governing authorities over us for our protection and wellbeing. I know that people don’t always appreciate them. I know that most law enforcement officers are dedicated public servants willing to sacrifice their lives for mine…

…I know that I am grateful.

“Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the sons of God.”
Matthew 5:9

pennylibertygbow.wordpress.com

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4

Grieving

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
 Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!’
For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.”
Psalm 91:1-4

My Refuge
Donna Tallman

Please pray for the law enforcement community in Southern California.

What do you know?

© Copyright, 2013 by Donna Tallman.

Contact: sogreatajourney@yahoo.com

Share this:

Considering Jesus Challenge

31 Day Summary

Come, Follow Me!

Well, we did it!

31 days of our Considering Jesus challenge is done. I hope you had as meaningful a January as I did. I realized last night that this is the first “resolution” I’ve actually ever kept. Today we focused on Matthew 28:18-20 and I’ll have my thoughts on this passage posted in the next couple of days. Today is another travel day so I won’t have the chance to write, but I do have the time to be grateful for all of you who participated and shared your thoughts and insights.

Y’all were amazing! For now, I don’t think I’ll look at the Gospels the same way ever again. Putting Jesus into the center of the accounts which include him has been life-changing. And as Jesus said, “It is finished!”

If you’d like to take your own 31-day challenge to consider Jesus, the verses we used for the month are listed below. If you want a better understanding of how it all got started, see my post from 12.31.2012 entitled Ditching New Year’s Resolutions

Basically, we would read the passage for the day and then just sit with it. Rather than follow the characters in the stories, our focus has been on Jesus. What is Jesus doing? What is he teaching? Who is he? What can we learn about his character? I’ll have to admit, it was challenging to stay on Jesus’ side of things. It’s much easier to focus on the others and put myself in their shoes, but this journey was all about Jesus. I hope you enjoy your journey as much as we have!

Blessings for your journey,
Donna.

Verses we looked at:

• Day 1 – Philippians 3:10
• Day 2 – John 15:11
• Day 3 – 1 John 1:5
• Day 4 – Matthew 9:36
• Day 5 – Mark 8:29
• Day 6 – Luke 9:46-48
• Day 7 – Matthew 14:28-31
• Day 8 – John 10:11-14
• Day 9 – Matthew 5:43-46
• Day 10 – Luke 9:23-25
• Day 11 – Mark 2:14-17
• Day 12 – Luke 10:38-42
• Day 13 – Matthew 14:10-13
• Day 14 – Philippians 2:5-10
• Day 15 - John 8:1-11
• Day 16 – Mark 14:3-9
• Day 17 – Hebrews 12:3
• Day 18 – 1 Peter 2:21-25
• Day 19 – Hebrews 13:8
• Day 20 – John 14:27
• Day 21 – Hebrews 4:14-16
• Day 22 – Matthew 11:28-30
• Day 23 – John 14:9
• Day 24 – Revelation 21:3
• Day 25 – Revelation 21:4
• Day 26 – Revelation 21:5-7
• Day 27 – Luke 4:1-13
• Day 28 – John 21:15-17
• Day 29 – John 20:26-29
• Day 30 – Matthew 21:12-13
• Day 31 – Matthew 28:18-20

Share this:

Considering Jesus Challenge

 What Makes Us Angry?

Matthew 21:12-13

Day 30, January 30, 2013, Wednesday:

“And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, ‘It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.’” Matthew 21:12-13

I know I’ll probably regret this blog post as soon as it goes live, but I decided to try and be authentic to the entire “world” anyway. I found today’s challenge passage pretty convicting – agonizing actually.

Photo by
sccoec.edublogs.org

Just for kicks I decided to list some of the things I get angry about, and while I don’t consider myself an angry person, I was shocked to see how stupid some of the things are.

Things that make me angry:

• When I’m late
• People who talk or text on their phones when they are in a meeting
• A flat tire or car problems
• Running out of gas because the last driver ran it down
• Sarcasm (yes, for those of you who know me, this is absolutely the pot calling the kettle black)
• People who are condemning
• Being misunderstood
• When someone leaves only one small spoonful of ice cream in the container
• When a basketball game preempts The Biggest Loser
• Reaching an intersection at 3 in the morning only to have the green light turn red but there’s no cross traffic
• When the Denver Broncos lose
• When John Elway traded Tim Tebow to the Jets only to have him treated like trash all season

Really?

Am I really this shallow?

Yes, unfortunately I am. Given that most of my list comes from self-pity or is outside of my control, I decided to try to list the things that made Jesus angry. Maybe I could learn something.

Things that made Jesus angry:

• Hindering children from seeking Jesus – Mark 10:14-15
• Hard hearts to the freedom Jesus offered – Mark 3:5
• Religious hypocrites – Matthew, chapter 23 (all of the chapter, Jesus really despised hypocrisy)
• Hijacking the worship of God with financial ambition and profit – Matthew 21:12-13

As I looked through Jesus’ accounts of expressing anger and thought about my own tendencies, it was immediately evident that I flash angry about personal insults and slights, rather than saving my anger for unrighteousness, hypocrisy, or things that are unjust.

I’m thinking my view of myself is a mite too big, and my understanding of what made Jesus angry and why is a mite too small.

Agonizing, simply agonizing.

What makes you angry? What is a better use for your anger?

Considering Jesus Challenge Passage for Tomorrow, January 31, 2013:

Well, everyone, tomorrow is our last day of the Considering Jesus 31-Day Challenge. Here is our last verse to meditate on.

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20

© Copyright, 2013 by Donna Tallman.

Contact: sogreatajourney@yahoo.com

Share this:

Considering Jesus Challenge

The Unbelievable

John 20:26-29

Day 29, January 29, 2013, Tuesday:

“After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” John 20:26-29

The Christian life is full of unbelievable things.

photo by psbible.blogspot.com

During the 3 years they were with Jesus, the disciples had seen Jesus heal the sick, walk on water, feed the masses, change the weather, raise the dead, and come back to life 3 days following his own crucifixion.

Unbelievable episodes, really.

But I believe them.

Seriously?

I do.

Jesus addressed two types of people in today’s challenge passage. The first were those Jesus wanted to see things for themselves – the disciples. Jesus appeared to them while they were meeting in secret after his crucifixion in the Upper Room. The disciples were terrified when Jesus suddenly materialized in the room, but he quickly reassured them. Jesus encouraged them to look at the scars on his hands and side so they would believe it was he, and believe he had returned from the dead. Being first-hand observers was incredibly unsettling to the disciples.

The second person Jesus addressed was the one he wanted to believe after hearing the testimonies of those who had been first-hand observers. In today’s account, that would be Thomas. Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus came the first time, so he rejected the disciples’ testimony and refused to believe Jesus was alive. I have a lot of sympathy for Thomas. We all want to be the ones who see and share what we’ve observed, but the reality is we might be asked to be the ones who hear and believe instead. Regardless of which camp we fall in, Jesus expects us to believe.

Even the unbelievable.

In Mark 16:11 Mary reported to the disciples that she had seen Jesus alive near the tomb after he was supposed to be dead. The disciples refused to believe her. What impressed me this morning was that Jesus confronted them about their rejection. He could have just ignored it and shown up to prove them wrong, but Jesus had more to say. He was not pleased that they had dismissed Mary and the others who had reported accurately.

In Mark 16:14 it says, “Afterward He (Jesus) appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.”

There will be times when we all have doubts. Sometimes Jesus will address those doubts with concrete expressions of himself so we can see and share with others. Often he does not. Jesus wants us to be those who hear and believe instead. In fact, he expects us to be.

Why?

Because expressing our faith, especially in the face of the unbelievable, is one of the highest expressions of love we can have for Jesus.

“And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” 1 Peter 1:8

What is Jesus asking you to believe today? Does it seem outrageous? Are you afraid of looking ridiculous? What do you think he would he say to you if he suddenly materialized right next to you?

I think he would say, “Peace be with you.”

Lord Jesus, we are grateful you have called us into a relationship with you and we long for that day when we see you face to face. Until then, we may struggle with doubt about spiritual events that seem unbelievable and impossible. They are not. With you all things are possible – even the outrageous. Father, when we sense our faith is weak, help our unbelief because we don’t want to be unbelieving but believing. Fill us with your peace and make us people of great faith!

Considering Jesus Challenge Passage for Tomorrow, January 30, 2013:

“And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, ‘It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.’” Matthew 21:12-13

© Copyright, 2013 by Donna Tallman.

Contact: sogreatajourney@yahoo.com