God and the Telemarketer
November 4, 2008
You may not believe this, but I know it for a fact: God talks on the telephone.
Many years ago, I was putting together a talk on having a gentle spirit. As usual, I searched my concordance for appropriate verses and found many that applied to both men and women. But since I was preparing to speak to women, I typed 1 Peter 3:3-4 into my notes and then wrote, "Ladies, we must pray earnestly and daily for a gentle and quiet spirit." (Hang in there with me, men...this is going to be for you, too).
I leaned back in my chair and gazed at the life-changing words I had just typed. The cursor blinked like a heartbeat on the screen. Then, as every Christian writer should do, I prayed. "Oh, God, what do You want me to say next? What words of wisdom do you want me to share with these women?"
The phone rang.
Now, I don't know about you, but God had never called me on the telephone.
"Hello."
"Is Gary Skeleton there?"
Grrrlll. A telemarketer. I could feel my blood pressure rising. In case you haven't noticed, my name is Skel-ton, not Skel-e-ton. I didn't even try to hide my frustration. "There's no Gary Skeleton here!"
So she spelled it for me. "There's no G-A-R-Y Skeleton there?"
"There are no skeletons in this house!" I yelled, and slammed down the phone. Grumble . . . grumble . . . grumble. How dare she call at this very moment, when I'm trying to hear from God?
My eyes refocused on the screen, and there, pulsating in rhythm to my heart, were the incriminating words, "Ladies, we must pray earnestly and daily for a gentle and quiet spirit."
GULP.
I guess you could say God called me on the phone that day. He called to tell me I'd better keep praying--because I was a long way from achieving the spirit He was looking for!
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Jesus says to come to Him because He is gentle and humble of heart. Gentle. Humble. Hmmm. I don't know about you, but there are many times people would categorize me as anything BUT gentle and humble. In all honesty, there are times that words like selfish, self-centered, and know-it-all come to mind. When I sincerely look at my life and my attitudes, I'm saddened to see the many times I'm so far from gentle and humble.
Not exactly a picture of Jesus.
In this day of filling every moment with "stuff" and rushing here and there in an effort to get it all done, what does the world see (or hear) when they come in contact with us? Are we so busy looking out for number one that we miss the opportunity to be a gentle representation of Jesus? Are we so busy trying to get our work noticed or published or paid for that we miss the divine appointments God has for us to be an encouragement to someone else?
Oh, how sad it would be to gain success in the eyes of the world...while tromping over the very ones God planned for us to reach! If we truly love Jesus and hope to point others to Him, we must take on His character. We must be gentle and humble.
When the rejections come and the friends go; when the sales are low and the cost is high; when those we've been mentoring suddenly dash past us on the road to publication, can we be gentle and humble and genuinely happy?
Yes, we can. Because we want to be like Jesus...gentle and humble in heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't Forget I Love to Write Day!
I hope you'll seriously consider how you can encourage the art of writing as we celebrate I Love to Write Day, November 15. Could you speak to your child's class? Help an elderly person write a letter to a loved one? Teach your grandchildren how to write a thank you note?
Don't let this special day get by without celebrating the joy of the written word!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who Won The Ark, The Reed, and The Fire Cloud by Jenny L. Cote?????
Amy at the Momlogic.com blog! Amy, email your address to me through my website and Jenny will send you your own autographed copy. I know your children will enjoy it!
And readers, it's easy to be a winner here at The Christian Writer's Den. Just leave a comment whenever we have an author interview and your name could be drawn. The blog is posted here at my website, at Momlogic.com, Greenvilleonline.com PinkCollarClub.net, CelebrateMoms, and Shoutlife. But even then, very few people post comments for some reason. So don't be shy--you could win a free book!
(Amy, don't forget to send me your address!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's the Day to Let Your Voice Be Heard!
Don't miss your opportunity to speak your mind and your heart. VOTE TODAY!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I leave you with these words, written in the 5th century B.C., but still applicable to America today:
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
I pray God's blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,
Vonda
(Lamb photo courtesy of ChristianPhotos.net)
You may not believe this, but I know it for a fact: God talks on the telephone.
Many years ago, I was putting together a talk on having a gentle spirit. As usual, I searched my concordance for appropriate verses and found many that applied to both men and women. But since I was preparing to speak to women, I typed 1 Peter 3:3-4 into my notes and then wrote, "Ladies, we must pray earnestly and daily for a gentle and quiet spirit." (Hang in there with me, men...this is going to be for you, too).
I leaned back in my chair and gazed at the life-changing words I had just typed. The cursor blinked like a heartbeat on the screen. Then, as every Christian writer should do, I prayed. "Oh, God, what do You want me to say next? What words of wisdom do you want me to share with these women?"
The phone rang.
Now, I don't know about you, but God had never called me on the telephone.
"Hello."
"Is Gary Skeleton there?"
Grrrlll. A telemarketer. I could feel my blood pressure rising. In case you haven't noticed, my name is Skel-ton, not Skel-e-ton. I didn't even try to hide my frustration. "There's no Gary Skeleton here!"
So she spelled it for me. "There's no G-A-R-Y Skeleton there?"
"There are no skeletons in this house!" I yelled, and slammed down the phone. Grumble . . . grumble . . . grumble. How dare she call at this very moment, when I'm trying to hear from God?
My eyes refocused on the screen, and there, pulsating in rhythm to my heart, were the incriminating words, "Ladies, we must pray earnestly and daily for a gentle and quiet spirit."
GULP.
I guess you could say God called me on the phone that day. He called to tell me I'd better keep praying--because I was a long way from achieving the spirit He was looking for!
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Jesus says to come to Him because He is gentle and humble of heart. Gentle. Humble. Hmmm. I don't know about you, but there are many times people would categorize me as anything BUT gentle and humble. In all honesty, there are times that words like selfish, self-centered, and know-it-all come to mind. When I sincerely look at my life and my attitudes, I'm saddened to see the many times I'm so far from gentle and humble.
Not exactly a picture of Jesus.
In this day of filling every moment with "stuff" and rushing here and there in an effort to get it all done, what does the world see (or hear) when they come in contact with us? Are we so busy looking out for number one that we miss the opportunity to be a gentle representation of Jesus? Are we so busy trying to get our work noticed or published or paid for that we miss the divine appointments God has for us to be an encouragement to someone else?
Oh, how sad it would be to gain success in the eyes of the world...while tromping over the very ones God planned for us to reach! If we truly love Jesus and hope to point others to Him, we must take on His character. We must be gentle and humble.
When the rejections come and the friends go; when the sales are low and the cost is high; when those we've been mentoring suddenly dash past us on the road to publication, can we be gentle and humble and genuinely happy?
Yes, we can. Because we want to be like Jesus...gentle and humble in heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't Forget I Love to Write Day!
I hope you'll seriously consider how you can encourage the art of writing as we celebrate I Love to Write Day, November 15. Could you speak to your child's class? Help an elderly person write a letter to a loved one? Teach your grandchildren how to write a thank you note?
Don't let this special day get by without celebrating the joy of the written word!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who Won The Ark, The Reed, and The Fire Cloud by Jenny L. Cote?????
Amy at the Momlogic.com blog! Amy, email your address to me through my website and Jenny will send you your own autographed copy. I know your children will enjoy it!
And readers, it's easy to be a winner here at The Christian Writer's Den. Just leave a comment whenever we have an author interview and your name could be drawn. The blog is posted here at my website, at Momlogic.com, Greenvilleonline.com PinkCollarClub.net, CelebrateMoms, and Shoutlife. But even then, very few people post comments for some reason. So don't be shy--you could win a free book!
(Amy, don't forget to send me your address!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's the Day to Let Your Voice Be Heard!
Don't miss your opportunity to speak your mind and your heart. VOTE TODAY!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I leave you with these words, written in the 5th century B.C., but still applicable to America today:
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
I pray God's blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,
Vonda
(Lamb photo courtesy of ChristianPhotos.net)
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