A Shelter in the Time of Storm by Pamela Mytroen

 A Shelter in the Time of Storm 

My phone vibrated in my pocket and whoop, whooped. "Tornado Watch. Funnel Clouds are in the area and could develop into tornadoes. Stay alert and take cover as danger escalates." I swivelled my shopping cart back to the entry of the store and parked it. Bursting out into the open area of the mall I searched for my husband. Where would we go? Where could we take cover? We were in a mall in Branson, Missouri and there was no basement. I paced back and forth in the corridor looking for him, going over my options. We could go down into the theatre, I reasoned, since it was a few steps below ground level, but still not far enough below ground to be protected from a tornado.

Finally I spotted my husband in a store across the way and I zoomed over to him. He chatted with a salesman. They had their backs to a huge window. Wind whipped the trees into arches that touched the ground, but they seemed oblivious to it all. I tugged on my husband's coat sleeve and mentioned the tornado warning that had blared through my phone. The salesman chuckled. "Oh we don't pay much attention to those warnings. They are non-stop at this time of year."

I looked at the trees bending beneath the fury of the wind, and then I glanced across to the store I had just stormed out of. People chatted, picked up merchandise, set it down, and strolled around like they were enjoying a walk in the park, even though their phones were also spewing warnings like popping corn in a theatre.

"But where would we go if there was a tornado?" I ventured, always the cautious one.

"Well, we would just crouch down, I suppose," he said in his slow drawl. He returned to his sales pitch.

I relaxed a little, seeing everybody go about their business like they were at the fair. But the next day we learned of several tornadoes, one that had left fatalities in its wake and of another one close by that had devastated a city.

It's true that when you live in Tornado Ally, you don't heed the warnings until it's too late. They are too common, too everyday to stop and take notice. On one hand people do not pay attention to warnings of imminent danger, and on the other hand, I seem to create imaginary situations to worry about as I think about my family, my job, and my health.  My pendulum swings to the worry extreme while other's pendulums swing to the careless and carefree side. While some people die of a tornado by not heeding the dire warnings, I might die of high blood pressure by worrying about situations that are barely a fist-sized cloud in the sky.  


The stress from my job and family situations had been building like black angry clouds, and swirling into tornadoes of anxiety. After much prayer, the Lord showed me that I was trying to meet everyone's expectations, which was impossible. He showed me that I needed a new mind-set. He whispered that it was okay to fail, to do my best and to stop striving. While I still tend to shoulder people's troubles, I'm learning to push my computer chair away from the desk, and take a break from the never-ending lesson planning. I'm learning to stop thinking about what could happen to my job with a new manager coming on board; I am learning to let go of the sky-high expectations my students place on me; I'm learning to fail and accept that I can't be perfect and I can't please everyone. I'm learning to stop worrying about my family, and their health, and be thankful instead. Switching one set of thoughts for another takes  self-discipline. I am amazed at the freedom and the space in my mind that was once taken up by stress and anxiety.

My daughter texted me as I was writing my blog and said that her two-year old dropped a can of Pepsi on his bare foot. She thinks his toe might be broken. Off she goes with her children into town on unplowed gravel roads while the snow is coming down. I could worry but I'm letting it go. I can't take on the burden. Instead, I find myself saying, "Thank you Lord for my daughter being a good mother. Thank you for doctors being available and for the wisdom they have. Thank you for watching over them."

As much as it takes concentration and hard work as I pour myself into my jobs and ministries, I find it takes far more focus and strength to shut down my OCD brain, to back away, take a break, call my friends, take time for coffee, and to intentionally focus on beautiful and praise-worthy things.

So today, in the midst of storms because there is always a storm brewing somewhere, I choose to be thankful. To be balanced. To hunker down and "take cover" when need be  - whether my grandson's toe is throbbing or my job is in jeopardy - and then to continue on my way, with His peace and joy. He is my shelter in the time of storm.


"Be transformed by the renewing of your mind," Romans 12:2b.

Pamela Mytroen

   

Just a Little Leaven - Tracy Krauss

Life has been busy - perhaps overly so, and much of that is my tendency to take on too much. Yes, I did retire from teaching public school full time, BUT I took on a part time teaching position at an online school, I decided to take on some substitute teaching, and then I got the bright idea to produce and direct a Passion Play in our community next Easter. Add to that my own writing and publishing, leading worship at our church, and my new and enhanced duties with InScribe - and 'retirement' is busier than ever!

I'm not really complaining - I have always been one who thrives on activity and who likes to be 'productive', but I am realizing I have to be very intentional about taking time to rest, and spending time communing with God, not just go through the motions. These are lessons I learned the hard way after my heart attack and subsequent bypass surgery last year and which I thought I had well in hand. However, I feel myself slipping back into old habits, which I believe contributed to my health issues in the first place. 

Habits come in many forms. Some are physical things we do: indulge in foods that are not healthy, overeat, let the exercise routine slide, stay up too late watching Netflix and thus sleeping in in the mornings. If this sounds like ‘confession time’ then you’re correct! But I noticed a very subtle shift in other ways as well.

Some of you may have read about a miraculous picture God gave me before my heart surgery which mirrored exactly the clogged arteries that needed to be bypassed. In my vision, they were labelled FEAR, DOUBT, ANXIETY, and PRIDE. I believe that the physical surgery I underwent had spiritual implications, too, and I began to claim that all fear, doubt, anxiety and pride were bypassed in my life.

I can quite honestly say that this has been the case now for almost eighteen months. In fact, I have taken pride in the fact that I’ve felt almost zero stress or anxiety since that event. And therein lies the problem…

Yes, pride had very subtly crept back in, and anxiety soon followed. All the activity I mentioned at the beginning was suddenly weighing on me. Of special note is the ongoing website issues that InScribe has faced as we try to get our new site up and running. I began to see a parallel in what I was doing in the physical (ie: eating poorly, not exercising etc.) mirrored in my emotional state. Stress was back, bringing with it fear and doubt. That darn devil! How dare he?

I’m thankful that I have discerning friends. Karma Pratt, (who happens to be working on the website) texted me out of the blue at just the right time with some scripture she felt the Lord had for me. After talking with her and praying I suddenly made the connection between all that had been going on in my life, and my reversion back to ‘stress mode’. I’d let a little bit of negativity back in and it didn’t take long to multiply.

“A little leaven leavens the whole lump,” comes to mind. Once we let even a small amount of ‘leaven’ in, it soon tries to take over. This is true in the physical realm, the emotional realm, or the spiritual realm.

PS: I am happy to report that I am back on track health wise, and I am humbly releasing all my commitments – including the website – to God.  

Tracy Krauss writes - among other things - from her home in northern BC.   Visit her website for more: http://tracykrauss.com

 - fiction on the edge without crossing the line - 

4 Steps to Managing Crisis - Bobbi Junior

Chronic crisis takes a toll. Be it one unrelenting circumstance, or a few overlapping issues, emotions begin to reign. Turmoil feels normal.  Supports may drop away as friends and family lose sight of our ongoing struggle.

During my first experience with a lengthy crisis I existed in a state of hypervigilance for almost two years. Helpless to control my circumstance, I did little that was thoughtful or planned. I felt like a victim. This mindset only served to increase my struggle. It was not a happy time for me or those around me.

A few years after the first circumstance stabilized, the good Lord allowed me a second opportunity. Could I manage chronic crisis in a different way? This time I sought some purposeful strategies. Gradually, four daily steps emerged.

1. Make a list of what's working. (This reminded me that progress was occurring. During times of crisis, it's easy to miss that fact.)

2. List all the issues hanging over my head. (A long list!)

3. Highlight those which are in my control. (A much shorter list.)

4. Of those highlighted, identify the priorities for that day, based on:

• What has to be addressed?
• What do I have the energy to address?
• Is this a day I can take a break from managing the crisis?

That's it. At the end of four steps I had a plan of action for the day. One day. This day. Nothing more.

Remaining items were noted, so as not to be forgotten. They usually waited for another day, and miraculously, many dropped off the list of their own accord with no effort on my part.

Now it became a battle of the mind. Paul laid out the strategy when he said, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  2 Corinthians 10:5

I began to take every  random thought captive, separate it from clinging emotions, and decide if it was worthy of attention or not. Most of the time, it wasn't.

At first, it wasn't easy. Emotions wanted control. I had to constantly remind myself that panic does not change the situation. Worry doesn't cause others to manage their part. Fretting doesn't solve a situation not yet positioned for resolution.

With practice, I've learned I can be at peace in the midst of chronic crisis. I can rest in between addressing needs. I can enjoy life while I wait for the situation to resolve or stabilize. As the Beatles once wrote, "It's getting better all the time..."

What strategies do you use to manage crisis?

In 2011 Bobbi’s mother's progression into dementia could no longer be ignored. One day Mom demanded, "Someone needs to write about this!" In response, Bobbi began to explore her mother’s journey and her own struggles as a caregiver. Her learnings are documented on her blog at www.bobbijunior.com, and in a memoir, The Reluctant Caregiver. 

Are You Lost in Space? - Janis Cox

"Lost ... in ... space" - do you remember those words?

Sometimes I get lost in computer space.

I knew that connections were important and I have made some great Internet friends. But I do tend to get clicking on my computer and lose track of time.

I needed help!

God showed me that I could get more accomplished in a shorter period of time if I followed these five easy steps:

1. Don't get sidetracked. Turn off email alerts, Facebook alerts or anything that will distract you from the job at hand. Make your program set so you are in control. Then you can check your emails, Facebook or whatever when you want to.
2. Follow your passion. Do your writing (or whatever is top on your list) first not last. You can choose your priorities.
3. Work on your Internet connections but don't forget those you can phone or see. Choose which social media that you will concentrate on. You can't do them all and do them well. Don't fret about the others. Do the social media that works for you and do that well.
4. Take care of yourself. Take regular breaks from your computer screen. If you can't remember set a timer. Give your eyes a break and exercise your body. Here are links to Kimberley Payne's videos on how to do easy stretches at your computer.
   

   Breathe and Stretch 

   Hand and Wrist Stretches 

   Forearm Stretches

5. Don't Stress, Reassess. Check over your priorities often. Ask God to show you the proper order. Then write that plan in bold letters above your computer. And take time to do this. Do a mini version every day.

What keeps you focused on the thing that God is calling you to do?

How can I pray for you?

Janis, a former school teacher and small business owner, found a new passion in writing in her retirement. She has published a couple of devotionals and a number of articles.

As owner of a group blog Under the Cover of Prayer and a blogger at He Cares for Us she writes often.

Her children's book, Tadeo Turtle, won the best children's book at The Word Awards.

Janis blogs a little creative on Creative Saturdays. Email her at Janis or visit her at www. janiscox.com.

The Ride of Your Life -- Janet Sketchley

A few summers ago, my eldest son talked me into going on one of those crazy amusement park rides. As long as I kept my eyes closed, I felt safe in the secure hold of the seat. We spun in crazy circles and flipped upside down. It was exhilarating. And terrifying.

I had to peek. As soon as my eyes got involved, the self-preservation instinct kicked in. I froze.

The Bible says, “Walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV). When life’s trajectory is erratic and feels like it’s out of control, we can’t ask to stop the ride. Sometimes our circumstances carry us willy-nilly. We can’t steer – it’s enough to just hold on.

Will the bystanders pity our pinched, green-tinted faces, or will they be amazed that we are secure enough to find joy in the midst of the confusion?

The Apostle Paul wrote about rejoicing in all things (Philippians 4:4), not because our lives are free from pain, but rather because the hand of God holds us and carries us through.

When we stop looking for our own solutions to life, and pause to sense God’s firm hold, we show a powerful testimony of our Sovereign Lord’s ability to love and care for those in turbulence.

We may not like the ride, but let’s hang on and trust the One who is holding onto us. God hasn’t dropped anyone yet.

© Janet Sketchley, 2008
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For devotionals, reviews and conversation, stop by Janet Sketchley's blog, God with Us: Finding Joy.

Drop by the free books page on my blog and leave a comment before midnight, August 21, for a chance to win a copy of Reverend Mother's Daughter, by Mary Haskett.