Robin Gilbert Luftig's Blog, page 40

Brandon Shares Great Wisdom

If you don’t follow Brandon J. Adams, you should. His point of view brings a sigh of relief whenever I get fearful that the generation following this one might not have the answers to get us through.

Clearly, Brandon’s insight proves that God’s folks are alive and well, lined up for years to come.

Check out his latest post, How to Let Go of Our Christian Heroes. Let him know your thoughts. I’m sure he’d love to hear them. He’s that kind of guy.

Obstacles or Opportunities

[image error]Picture it:

You’re at a dinner party. You look over a sea of faces and you realize you don’t know a soul. As you hear snippets of conversations, you realize some of these people are from different parts of the country—even the world. You see young people dressed casually and others dressed in business garb. Some are sipping drinks while others are absent-mindedly crunching on ice. There’s a young African-American man with the most intriguing dreadlocks you’ve ever seen sitting on one side of you. To the other side is a businessman from Chicago making it known that he has no use for children—in fact, he views them as the enemy. Startling, rich, wacky and diverse, all these conversations are happening. If you’d just jump in, think about the opportunities there to touch base with people you may not necessarily meet on your average day. 

For me, this would be an incredible dinner party, but, alas, it wasn’t. Instead, it was a commercial air flight. And instead of opportunities, my focus turned to how long I’d have service on my phone before I needed to put it on airplane mode.  Instead of doing my best to take advantage of the situation, here are a few of the areas that held my attention:

The seats in First Class get to the destination the same as Economy.
Bathrooms are incredibly small yet space age.
It’s hard to sit on the aisle and not covet a view from the window.
It’s entertaining to watch the time change as you cross time zones.
Are people focusing on their electronics or in-flight movies, or are they trying to look involved so nobody speaks to them?
Personal space is defined differently.
Flight attendants need to be praised for their work.
Cows shoots have nothing over boarding gates.
Chewing gum needs to be offered along with diet soda and pretzels.
The blue mesh curtain that separates first class and coach is as prominent as the separation between The Losties and The Others in The Lord of the Flies.
Am I the only person who thinks this could be the flight that falls out of the sky?
I will take my seatbelt off before the sign signals that I’m allowed … and it will be my moment of independence.

I realize if I treated my time on a plane as I do at a dinner party, I’d probably be escorted off the plane. But my observation … of my observations … was still a good one. Lots of people can be in a tight space but never take the opportunity to get to know one another. We have different expectations these days. We’ve lost sight of what’s really important.

People are important. We mustn’t forget that.

So if someone tries to strike up a conversation with you during your next flight, don’t let it annoy you. Realize that you strike them as an individual rich with experiences they want to hear about. Remember, you may never see them again. Share a bit of yourself if they ask. And they may want to share a bit, too. Think how rich the world would be if we all just asked—and then listened.

Feeling Less Than

[image error]These are trying times. Whatever we say tends to make us feel “less than”. It doesn’t matter what side of a topic you hold. It seems folks have stopped discussing and have instead, turned to arguing. It breaks my heart.

And if it breaks my heart, how is this affecting the Holder of the Universe?

Check out Lori Roeleveld’s latest post Washing Feet in an Angry World. Let’s do what we can do … and that means starting with me.

After looking at myself first–and hardest–like Lori says, I feel a[image error] bit lighter. I might not be able to change the world. In all reality, I can’t even change you. But I can change my attitude. I can choose to see good instead of pouring over the not-so-good.

When I focus on Me and what I can do, my feelings of Less-Than leave. When I focus on me, I have more power than I realized before. It’s a good power. A calming power.

Give it a try. You’ll be surprised how good it feels.

After the Eclipse: Now What?

[image error]I enjoyed August 2017’s eclipse as did many others as we all watched the event through our NASA-approved glasses. I saw the sun’s shape slowly change to a crescent, then disappear behind a circle of black.

Pretty cool.

I read several social media posts from eclipse watchers, sharing their thoughts and feelings about how awesome God was to show us such beauty.

It was truly beautiful.

But let’s not forget that God’s beauty is also in a tiny wren’s song. Have you ever wondered how such a big song could come from such a little creature?

Beyond incredible.

As we all settle back into our post-eclipse lives, let’s not forget that the same God that offered the magnificence of the eclipse offers sights just as powerful every day. He offers power in whispers. We just need to take the time to listen for them. And when we hear them, they are truly magnificent. Some, I’d say, are just as spectacular and awe-inspiring as an eclipse. It’s our choice to seek, acknowledge and appreciate them.

Do you hear God’s whispers for you today? What’s happening that causes you to pause and marvel at His extravagant gifts?

Understand Your Life’s Tapestry

In life, nothing happens in a vacuum. Understand your life’s tapestry.

What is the plan for your life? Are you flowing with what surrounds you or are you swimming against the current?

[image error]

Know what you’re all about. #lifeisatapestry #thrivingafteradversity

For the Love and Lives of Others

[image error]My heart aches over the recent activity in Charlottesville, Virginia. How did we get here? Where do we go next? Lori Roeleveld’s August 12th blog post gave a voice to my heart as I weep for us–all of us. And her words gave me hope as well.

Join me in praying for this country–all of us–as we sort out the chaff around us to see what the issue really is. https://loriroeleveld.com/blog/the-act-of-worship-we-must-commit-to-impact-charlottesville-and-beyond/

Sheila Walsh’s, “In the Middle of the Mess”

I’m super excited about Sheila Walsh’s newest book, In the Middle of the Mess coming out this fall.

Hear a well-known Christian speaker talk about Christianity’s tabu subjects. Hear her heart–raw and transparent–as she shares, “brokenness is always the beginning of healing.”

Anticipating this book is just about as exciting as getting ready to review it.

Building a Resume from Wealth or Poverty

[image error]As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:3-4 NIV

Once in a while after an Event Planner has reviewed my resume or one-sheet, they’ll ask what qualifies me to speak with authority on the Grace of God. To some, my level of education doesn’t offer much by the way of the sought-after alphabet soup next to my name. Why would anyone ever want to listen to me? What do I have to offer?

In a word: Hope.

If God can pull a messed-up life like mine from the gates of Hell, then surely he can work in the lives of others.

It’s quite a simple story. Jesus came to heal the sick and offer grace to those who need it. And I was among the neediest.

God wants us to reach out from our poverty. He offers grace, unmerited favor, to those who seek it. Unmerited, meaning undeserved. That’s the point. It’s not what we have to offer to Him. It’s never been about that. We can never ever earn the right to speak on His behalf.

But we can if He leads us to. If we stand in our humility and sing the praises of God.

God wants us to share from His wealth, not our own. When I speak at retreats or conferences, I share with women from my brokenness. I share that without God’s touch of grace I’d be nothing. Yet He loved me … and He loves them in their brokenness, too.

I give out of my poverty. And in their poverty, they will find wealth.

It’s not so much the messenger. It’s the message. Before Christ, my life was bankrupt of security and peace. Now Jesus has given me both.  And if He can use my poverty to offer wealth to others, then I’m good with that.

What is your resume built on?

The Downside to Knowledge

[image error]I met with a friend recently who was suffering from a crushed spirit. The reason? He was alone. There were few people in his life who were willing to help carry his particular heartfelt burden. My soul ached for him. When we got together to discuss his dilemma, my plan was to offer what I had: compassion and hope. To my disappointment however, he wasn’t interested in either. Instead, he commenced in telling me how his knowledge of the facts around his quandary should be enough to get him through.

Relying on knowledge was his ruin.

I, too, strive for knowledge. I continually weigh knowledge of one subject against another. But I learned years ago never to put all my eggs in the Seeker of Facts basket. There is more than knowledge to strive for—there is also the gift of relationships.

Relationships is the genesis of life. Power. Empathy. Compassion.

Everything revolves around relationships, yet we tend to take them for granted. Had my friend allowed people to enrich his life instead of relying on facts, his situation would be different now. His heart would be lighter and his world would be fuller. More balanced.

Apostle Paul’s words hit me hard as I left my friend. In Philippians 3:8-10, Paul wrote, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.“

It’s not knowing about Christ that’s the key, it’s about KNOWING Christ!

Oh, please, listen to others. Reach out to them. Invest in their lives and allow them to be a part of yours.

Spiritual Affirmation

How big is your God? Take a moment to pause and reflect over Stacy’s … pause and reflect. God’s worth the moment of serenity. Thanks, Stacy, for making me stop and really think about how good God has been to me.

Through the Stillness

Every morning look in the mirror and say, “You’re beautiful. You’re smart. You can do anything.” I’ve heard many examples of personal affirmations and the reasons why they actually work. I cannot say I have consistently tried this in my life. I simply giggle anytime I have tried to talk myself in such a way. It is intriguing, nonetheless.

I was thinking, though. What if I did this in a spiritual sense? Like, take what should be a simple fact that I tend to overlook or brush past, engrain it in my thoughts, and (bam) I feel the truth more deeply.

Take the first part of Romans 8:11, “And if the same spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you…”. The same spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in me. Wow, the same spirit. When I think of my life and the way I’d…

View original post 28 more words