Leave It Alone 'Til Next Year

Six huge Bradford Pear trees adorn and surround the pool in the backyard. It is very appealing in the summer, providing shade from the hot sun. It looks so beautiful with the contrast of hunter green leaves against the aqua blue sky and water. But what's ahead for us is the constant undertaking of keeping the barrage of leaves out of the pool. I guess I should buy a pool cover and be done with it. But then I wouldn't be able to see the pretty water all year! Whatever..

Last season's clean up got way ahead of us and it literally took all summer to get the pool in perfect condition. Holistically speaking, it would have been better just to drain the entire pool and start all over again. Every day that we were home was consumed in cleaning, clearing out the filter, buying PH balance products, shock and treat. Over and over again. Finally about Labor Day, we were ready for the plunge. Guess how many times I actually got IN the pool? Three times. That comes out to be about $500 a plunge, I figure. For that amount of money, I could just join the country club pool in town... And they can worry about those laughing leaves.

God's beautiful handiwork of autumn's arrival - the gold, the red, the yellow, the burgundy - couldn't possibly be a menace, but it is. When the colors fall, there's a mess to contend with. As glorious as my backyard is, I know there's work to be done.

And if nothing more, it's just for a season. For when the beauty falls, the opening on the branch where the leaf fell from the tree, seals up - to prepare for the next season of green. The beauty of growth and prosperity is in a holding pattern only for a little while. We might be sad to see the naked bare Bradford Pear trees, but again we'll be happy when we see the new shoots push their way through next spring. I think..

So where are this season's leaves we "oooh-ed and ahhh-ed" over? Some are in a pile in the backyard, while others have been hauled off kicking and screaming by the city maintenance truck. But the more ornery of the bunch stare at me from the bottom of the pool, just laughing, pointing and carrying on, saying, "You can't get me now! I'll be waiting for you when it gets warm! And then we'll be all brown and slimy." Scoundrels.

Back To Fishin'?

I didn't make it to church yesterday. In fact, I barely made it out of bed these last few days. I'm sick with allergy-type symptoms that make me even sicker to type out. But I am relieved I thought ahead: I bought a Honey-Baked Ham, au gratin potatoes, and made a pound cake and sweet potato salad earlier in the week. I was, I guess, preparing that I wouldn't be any better by Easter Sunday, and I was correct. The few hours I had with my family around the table was great, but it wasn't too long that I just hit the couch and never moved until it was bed time (again). I did have a burst of energy to clean up the kitchen in the aftermath of the ham celebration, but that didn't last too long either. It was then I started to think, "What happens AFTER Easter?" (And I know that I shouldn't, but I pop a yellow Peep into my mouth, and shout "HE IS RISEN!", but it sounds more like "HEESH IS RISBSESN!")
How do we go from easter-egg hunting and Reeses Peanut Butter Egg-eatin to the everyday reality of the resurrection of Christ? And how does this affect the rest of our days after - with Him?
Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
John 21:2-3
Nothing strange about this, right? I mean, most people who have just celebrated Easter, get right back to doing the normal things they've always done, right? True. But what really startles me in this passage is THIS is what happened after the VERY FIRST EASTER, literally hours after the Resurrection, after the events of the first day of the week! The men who actually witnessed it all, decide to go back to business as usual. Ugh.
They decide to go fishing right after Mary comes running to them with the news that she just saw the risen Lord. It was also after Jesus came to them in their apartment. It was after Thomas was told to touch the wounds in Jesus’ hands, feet, and side. Sit on that for a minute...
I guess I could understand it if they hadn't known about the resurrection. But at this point, trust me -  they were well acquainted with the risen Lord. Why did they go back to the same old routine? Especially since fishing (and not being really good at it) is what they did before they had even met Jesus.
As I load the dirty dishes into the dishwasher I say to myself, "Where am I today? Am I stuck doing the same old stuff I've always done?" I mean, I'm thinking - these were men who actually witnessed the Divine; saw Him, touched Him, ate with Him, cried with Him, yet they go back to doing what they've always done. Is there ANY hope for me?
Something clicks. The disciples have another encounter with the risen Lord. This time He breaks into their everyday world and turns it upside down. They realize that they can't even go fishing without the help of the Lord. Jesus, now, the Risen Lord, says something that will forever change how we view life on the other side of the cross. He says to Peter, “Feed My sheep.”
Everything changes. Peter knows there's no going back. He'll never be able to "fish" in the same way again.
So, while many will storm Wal-Mart today to get left-over half-priced Easter Candy, I ask you this question: Is it back to normal again, just doing what you've always done? Or are you so greatly affected by your Risen Lord, that you're ready and willing to "Feed His Sheep?" I hope so. And it isn't just feeding the sheep fish. (Do sheep even eat fish? LOL!) It's feeding His sheep the truth of His resurrection. This gives me hope... and that's not just on Easter Sunday.


Also on SueDuffield.com

Hope You Have Un-Star

“You don’t have to be a star, baby, to be in my show...”

 

Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.’s number one crossover hit of the 70s, on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles, when dissected, could be possibly the best lyrical teaching tool for all Christian artists desiring notoriety. I used to listen to this song and wonder, “Does anyone REALLY get what they’re singing about?”

 

The voice of Marilyn McCoo is an inspiration to me. A velvet, soulful smoothie she is. And to know that her witness for Christ is just as real, makes me love her more. A true star, inside and out. So in lies the paradox of this song: McCoo and Davis are REAL stars, singing about how NOT to be a star. Curious.

 

“Baby come as you are with just your heart and I’ll take you in

You’re rejected and hurt, to me you’re worth what you have within...”

 

Whew. I’m emotional just reading this. Some of you 70s leftovers like me can probably sing it without even looking at the lyrics. But seriously, read them again. What do you see?

 

For the performer in us who just can’t wait to be noticed, Jesus strongly urges us to come as we are. He takes us in. We’re rejected, hurt, filled with jealousy, envy, and even succumbing to the comparison factor. But to HIM, we’re worth what we have within. I especially love this line because no where is it stated in this pop hit, “You’re worth what you have because of what is on the outside.” So why do we work so hard on everything exterior, yet leave our insides deplete of maturity and spiritual hunger? BTW, spiritual hunger is a good thing... If you don’t have that hunger, you need it. It’s another paradox: To lack having spiritual lack means you don’t need Jesus.

The answer comes next.

“Now I don’t need no superstar...”

There it is. That’s when most of us will tune out, quit reading this post and move on. We’re enamored and impressed with everything runway, pizzaz-zy, glitzy, glossy and viral.

“What do you mean, Jesus doesn’t need a superstar to represent Him? Isn’t that what this whole aspiration of getting known is all about, to make Jesus be lifted up? The more well-known I become, the more people know about me, the more I can do so much more for Him? Right?”

My pastor’s son gripped my heart this morning. He spoke, as he always does, from his heart. Open, vulnerable, forgiven. He said, “Too many of us leave church services wanting to be empowered or to be lifted up. I’m saying, let’s leave empowering Jesus, and lift HIM up.”

This is a constant battle. WE want to be elevated, empowered, lifted up. I find little of that in scripture. In fact John 3:30 states, “He must become greater; I must become less.” (NIV)

“You won’t be denied ‘cause I’m satisfied, with the love that you can inspire..”

Hmmm... I “won’t be denied”. Awesome. And inspiring love brings satisfaction? “You mean you want me to just love you, and not be a star?” Yes, I’m pretty sure that’s what Christ is asking of us. Just love Him and don't be a star about it.

Because sooner or later, 

“Somebody nobody knows could steal the tune that you want to hear... 

So stop your running around ‘cause now you’ve found what was cloudy is clear...

There’ll be no cheering from the crowd, just two hearts beating out loud.

There’ll be no parades, no TV or stage

Only me till your dying day..”

You see what I mean? Priceless precise lyrics. When I worked for WNRK Oldies Radio, I had a few listeners tell me they found Christ while listening to a secular song. Imagine that! One gal told me it was the Holy Spirit that spoke very clearly to her while listening to Peggy Lee's dismal and disparaging hit, "Is That All There Is?". She said it so gripped her about her own lack that she had to do something about it. 

You don’t have to be a star to be in HIS show. In fact, I'd advise you not.

“Don’t think your star has to shine for me to find out where you’re coming from..

What is a beauty queen if it don’t mean I’m you’re number one..”

Burma shave. There you go. (If I have to explain the whole "Burma Shave" meaning, well press here)

And then the song ends, 

“And I don’t need no superstar ‘cause I’ll accept you as you are

You won’t be denied ‘cause I’m satisfied with the love you can inspire.”

 

Here’s my star-struck prevention check list:

• Inspire others to love THE Superstar 
• Be less so He can be more
• Create an attitude and atmosphere that never questions your motives
• Be more concerned what God thinks about you than what others think about you

 

“Cause you don’t have to be a star, baby*, to be in my show..”

 

*ba·by (definition)

ˈbābē/ (noun) 1. a very young child, especially newly or recent born

           (adjective) 1. comparatively small or immature of its kind.

           (verb) 1. to treat (someone) as a baby; pamper or be overprotective toward.

 

This reminder, baby, is for all of us. God knows that we are full of ourselves. We want attention, affection and we want it our way. The star qualities abound. But none of that behavior or mindset works in HIS show. You don’t have to be...that, baby.

(song written by James Dean and James Glover/Producer Don Davis for ABC Records)

This post was inspired while driving with my daughter in a rental car. I accidentally pressed the "OnStar" button several times, getting an operator, who very harshly said,

"DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!". 

 

Drive By Devotion #31 "I Hope You Are Satisfied"

Satisfaction. Such an over-rated word. :)

A Communicable Dizzy-ease!

   I told a little friend of mine, who will soon turn eleven - "Sweetie, you will draw more people TO you when you smile!"
   She looked at me dumbfounded and said, "I can't draw people too good. I can draw trees and horses better."
   I got it. I laughed.
   My favorite story recently was posted on Facebook by a gal attending church here in the Nashville area. When she "checked in" and wrote a status update, she inadvertently checked in to Hooter's Restaurant, which was right across from the church. That's funny in itself. She wrote, "In His Presence" - at Hooters. (I'm dying over here!) But the best response was her friend's comment under the status update. "Girl, you better cross that street!"
   Now THAT"s funny right there!
   I love the comedy network on Sirius radio. Without it, I'd be in a ditch somewhere off a major highway. It keeps me in stitches, laughing, even when I'm bone tired from late-night driving. Keeping me awake is the goal. That's a good thing. A comedian said yesterday; (Husband in his eighties yells to his wife) "What's it like outside?" She says, "It's windy." He responds, "No it's not, it's Thursday." She says back, "Yeah, so am I - what do you want, water or tea?" (I'm dizzy with laughter! Love it!)
   I have since decided, since most of you who follow me know - I have a communicable funny dizzy-ease. It's infectious, transmissible and comes by being in direct contact with someone who is dizzily in love with laughter, goofy stories, and spontaneous kid-like frolic. People will be drawn to you, like a horse drawn to water. (Literally though, my glass is half empty right now, 'cause it fell off the table! But that doesn't mean that my attitude is half empty. it just means I got to get up again from the table and fill my glass back up with cucumber water... and clean the mess on the floor. I need Mr. Ed..)
   For all my social media friends and experts out there who post on a regular basis, let me help you with something: Don't be God. Don't be judgmental. Don't express hatred through sarcasm. Invite others in the conversation. Applaud, praise and comment on posts that are worthy of your stamp of approval. Be communicable in the best of ways. Share in the "dizziness" and ease of your shortcomings. You never look better to the world than when you are real and vulnerable. I ain't horsin' around with this.
   Jesus reminds us all, "Everything I have is yours." (Luke 15:31) It's a contagious and communicable "ease" (without the dis), knowing that you can have this gift called everything.
Share it. Sing it. Speak it. Write it. Live it. Draw it.
   BTW, my little friend drew a picture of me. When she handed it to me, I looked like a horse. I laughed. She laughed. Then she said, "I 'drew' you, right?"
   Yes, baby girl, you drew me alright. :)

This Speaks Volumes

There are very few songs that really move me. Does that surprise you? Probably so. But as a singer and musician, it's both a blessing and a curse to think, live, eat and dream musically. It's just the way I process. So amidst the clatter and pseudo-music-forms that most of us are content and presented with, I sometimes (and oft times) choose to go outside my chosen venue and clear my internal song-cluttered governor. It's like a cleansing of the palette.

Today I'm reading about "being content in all things". The Philippians 4:11-13 passage speaks volumes when you have nothing. But it really speaks like a cruise-ship horn, when you "think" you have it all. I meet people every day who have volumes of stuff but no volume of space for the thing that means the most. I'm sure if we asked anyone in Moore, OK what matters most, doubtfully they'd say it's their possessions. Just being alive is their volume.

So Frank? I think you nailed it today. "All My Tomorrows Belong to You". And for me? I'm aware of what matters most: My relationship with God, my family and my friends. Anything else really doesn't matter much to me. Paul's secret of contentment really shouts the loudest, not just to those who have nothing, but to those of us (and even Frank in his day) who seemingly have or have had it all. Take a few minutes today and be thankful for what you have, and not what you don't have. Know that you are able to face anything by the One who makes you able to do it. All your tomorrows are His tomorrows too. And that speaks volumes...

(Also posted on Sue's Blog)

Where's The Safe House?

This will be an unspecified and ambiguous post. No real details of location, times or names. I'm protecting my new friend and her family. But "Jane" has given me permission to tell her story. After a women's event, Jane, a beautiful and shy young woman, approaches me in the foyer of her church. This is her first words to me.

  

"Sue, you know when you were talking about women who are stuck in a lifestyle that they just don't know how to get out of? Well, I'm one of those stuck women. I was abused physically early in my life by a friend of my father. I tried telling my parents about it but they didn't believe me. Later, in High School, I became infatuated with a boy who I thought cared about me. Instead, he put me in horrific situations (sexually) with his friends. He told me that if I didn't do this, he would tell my friends, hurt my mother and ruin my father's name. I was 16 then. Now I'm 28. Sue, please tell these women who are trapped in unsafe houses, that there is hope and that there are agencies and safe places they can go. I lost my childhood innocence. And later, when fear gripped me along with doubt and disregard for my own body, I just caved in and prostituted myself to make money. All the while I was doing this, I still went to church. I'm the pastor's daughter."

Jane, your word is out. I never ever once think that all women I speak to have it all together. If anything, I know that many women come with dark secrets. Some I may never know about, but all have a chance to uncover their hidden heart to an embracing forgiving Jesus. I try very hard to make these events a safe place. A safe place to laugh, cry and share our stories.

It doesn't stop here. When they're willing and ready, the process of healing and restoration for these women and girls begin at that moment of confession. Jane has been referred to a women's counselor and is working her way back to health, physically and spiritually. Her father now knows and he too is getting help for his neglect.

You see, even as a pastor's daughter, Jane is not exempt from the cruelty of the dark side. If anything, her face told me, "I've been bruised and battered twice - once by these men and boys. And again by well-meaning parents who refused (for fear of their own reputation) to believe me."

My ears and eyes are wide open. The heart of Christ is her safe house. This is only the beginning of the uncovering. Pray.

(On a side note: I wrote this story a few months ago, but waited until the right time for the reveal. Today is the day, especially after the breaking news story of the three women rescued from a Cleveland house where they were held hostage.)

Two completely different houses - both unsafe. One in Cleveland and one in a reputable neighborhood with a little white church.

This post also featured on Sue Duffield's blog..

Find My God

I fly a lot. It’s not quite the luxury life that some think. Flying isn’t like it used to be. Getting to airports at least an hour and a half before flight departure, usually means (if it’s an early flight), I have to get this body out of bed by about 3:30am. 

This isn’t a complaint. It’s just a reminder that the older I become, the more difficult it is to keep track of my stuff. And it appears my “stuff” gets squandered away or lost when I’m operating in a lack of sleep mode or when I’m exhausted.

Yesterday, I left my prized personal journal and new iPad2 in the plane’s "in front of me" seat pocket. Do not EVER put anything in those pockets. They are like the Bermuda Triangle. I actually talked to a Southwest Lost & Found agent today and she said, “Yes ma’am, I tell passengers all the time - Do NOT put anything of value or personal items in that front seat pocket. You will surely leave it there.”

I appreciate that counsel AFTER I left my stuff there.... As of this moment, I’m recalling all the items I have left over the years in those blasted pockets. They are diverse. They are many.

1. half eaten peanuts, apple core
2. lipsticks, ear rings, a watch
3. tissues, unused and used.. “ick.”
4. Autographed copy of “Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd (that one killed me)
5. iPod headphones, cords, USB cable
6. Newly purchased magazines, bought prior to departure
7. boarding passes, rental car receipts, pens
8. purse (ugh), neck pillow
9. bottles of water
10. Bible

...and the list goes on.

Getting a call from the Southwest agent last night in Minneapolis, was a saving grace for me. They FOUND my journal! It was on a flight from Phoenix to MSP. Crazy. This is a wonderful thing. I did a dance! There are writings in my journal that can NEVER be duplicated or replicated through the modern technology retrieval system. No iCloud, cloud nine, iStink or atmospheric data base could bring back what I wrote with a pen on a piece of paper. 

*Praise BE! (*I’m poking fun at Hollywood when they try to depict a “real life” pentecostal expression in a fabricated church scene.)

But still floating around in outer space, cyberspace or someone’s briefcase (arrggh), is my iPad 2. I want it back in MY space! I’m just praying that it will be found chop-chop, pronto, lickety-split but in good condition.

My verse of recovery today is:

2 Corinthians 4:17

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

PS No, I wasn’t smart enough to activate my “Find My iPad”. Ugh. But I surely have been thankful that at any time, any place, any where - I can access the throne room of God. It’s like a permanent feature, “Find My God”. When I search this feature, I pray that it always leads me to my heart. Because that is where I want my God to be.

For a real laugh, check out “Weirdest Things Found in an Airplane Seat Pocket”...

Drive By Devotion #27 "The Desert Experience"

Joining me on this Drive By is my friend and bible teacher, Chris Boelter. Chris has risen high above the average stresses, caring for her ailing husband Bob, who in his prime, had a cardiac arrest leaving him with several "windows" of his brain closed. This desert experience in Chris's life has afforded her much wisdom and reality, encouraging women to go from being just "committed" to truly "devoted". As she speaks on this video, make a list of the things and the luxuries that you have. In spite of all the wealth, the health and conveniences, are you in a drought? We welcome your responses here. Also, you may correspond with an email to Chris directly, at this link. Chris Boelter Ministries

Drive By Devotion #25 "I Have A Life Grip"

Just a small gift, but a powerful one. I wonder what I could do if I could really grasp this concept? I'm changing my words. No longer will I say, "death grip", in reference to anything. To hold tightly and to hold firmly, means to have a life grip. Ironically, this symbol of death becomes life when I hold on to the cross.

Be sure to check out Kingdom Crosses. 

Thank you, David Fish.

Drive By Devotion "Stick To Your Story"

Tell a story. Live a story. Breathe a story. Be a story. Listen to what it reveals in you...

Drive By Devotion #16 "The Split Decision"

I don't know about you, but I really struggle with balance - in many things. 

This short devotion is not meant to be a heavy-handed guilt trip, but rather just an awakening. Awaken to the concept that God is just as concerned about your stops as He is your starts...

What are the balancing acts you're battling right now?

Give it up.

Drive By Devotion #14 "She's Just SO Loud!"

And if the SWA jet DOES drop me from the sky

 out of the plane onto my house, 

I'm sure my neighbors would say, 

"Lord. She's just SO loud!"

Drive By Devotion #7 Simple Trust

A little faith? A little girl. A big trust. A big girl. Now.

My hope for life as it takes

the 

next 

step.

Simple trust.

1 Corinthians 12: 7-9