Paula Wiseman, Author at PAULA WISEMAN

Getting Slimed

Yesterday was a science day for the second graders, and we made slime. It’s always a huge hit and it’s the closest I’ll ever get to being a rock star. After I got home though, I thought about the experiment and soon began to identify with the slime, or actually the glue that is the primary ingredient. Stick with me on this one… (yeah- a pun, I know.) The first step in the process is to add water to the glue to destabilize it, and break it down. Then you add some borax that has been activated and wham-o! Slime! (After you shake it until your arms fall off, of course.)

I can’t tell you how many times I have felt like that glue, confined in a jar, destabilized, disordered and useless. My worship suffers. My joy wanes. I have a tendency to get very busy with church and lose sight of the Christ who heads it. There is so much work to do, after all. I so need that “activated” ingredient to infuse my life, my worship, and my fellow believers.

So how do I get “it” back?

I get a tremendous boost from God’s word, so good study time is critical. I can lay those issues out in prayer- often I write them down- and listen for God to speak to my heart. I love to study. God’s word is an inexhaustible source of strength, comfort and encouragement. There’s so much there… how can you not… and then the Greek and the Hebrew… (I am a “Word-nerd”.)

I also like great music, in my car, played loud! I can sing really loud, and have some serious worship. That seems to give me that ‘reset’ I need.

Occasionally, I have to evaluate my activities. Are they helping me honor Christ or are they interfering with it? This is tricky because sometimes ‘good’ activities can be an issue and squeeze out the best. I dropped some things a while back, and even though I was good at them, had been involved with them for years, I didn’t miss them. That was a tip-off that I did the right thing getting them off my plate. I replaced them with some things I’m passionate about and have been blessed to have God work through me in some new ways.

Maybe you can identify…

Called

By Paula Wiseman

I’m reading an article by Mary DeMuth about getting and keeping the heart right before God before attempting to write. One of her first points is to explore that calling. I have never felt so suited to anything (except teaching) in my life. I enjoy writing- the craft, the feedback, the process- immensely. I know God has been in it because of the things I’ve learned, because of the passages I know I didn’t write, and because the words have touched others. That’s not me, and that gives me chills. To think God has chosen to work in anything I do is pretty incredible. I’m still searching out God’s ultimate purpose in this, but I’m pursuing publication as the next step.

So what’s the difference between a gift and a calling? Jon is studying this with his Sunday school class right now and here’s his definition. Your gift is what the Holy Spirit has equipped you to do to help the church carry out its commission. Your calling is the how and where that gift is put to practical use. I have a gift of teaching, but I’m called to use that in several capacities- with my children, in various ways at church, and through writing. Others may have a different take, and it’s not worth nit-picking. It’s all a God thing anyway. He gives the gifts and the callings for His purposes and glory. I’m awestruck that He lets me participate.

The Gift of Time

By Paula Wiseman

I ran out of time yesterday before I got a post up. That got me thinking…

God gives us a gift of time every day. When take that time and, rather spending it on ourselves on some selfish, temporal pursuit, turn and instead pour it out to God, it becomes an act of worship. Going to church doesn’t count. It’s not the routine that counts, but communing with God. It isn’t given because of habit, duty, guilt or routine. Instead it is freely given from a heart that just wants to be in His presence. Like being with those closest to you- you don’t have to “do” anything. The joy comes from just being together.

The Empty Tomb without the Risen Lord

By Paula Wiseman

Often our familiarity with Biblical events and truths causes our wonder to fade or be lost entirely. Unfortunately, the two greatest events in human history are the ones that suffer the most from this casual indifference. The birth of Christ is so well known; even ten year olds glaze over at its retelling. The resurrection elicits the same response. We need to remind ourselves that the story is not about the empty tomb, but really about the Risen Lord.

Consider John 20, which begins with the account of Peter and John running to the tomb to check out Mary Magdalene’s claim that Christ was gone. They investigate things carefully. The Greek words translated “saw” or “looked” give the idea that it was a thorough examination of the scene. John even says that he saw and believed. Jesus was gone. They could not deny that. However, verse 10 is the kicker. After seeing, verifying, the truth of the empty tomb, they went home! They were convinced Jesus had risen from the dead, and it was no big deal. Nothing changed. Their lives were not affected by that knowledge or belief.

Mary Magdalene hung around the tomb after Peter and John left. She was privileged not only to see angels, but also to be the first person to see the glorious, resurrected High Priest on His way to atone for all our sins. He spoke her name, assuring her that He was the same Jesus she had known, the Jesus that loved her in spite of her sins, her past, her very self.

Christ was on His way to establish our full access to the Father. We can now approach God, as one of His children, just as Christ does. Atonement means reconciliation, theologically speaking. The covering of our sins by Christ’s blood means a restoration of the broken fellowship of man with God, which came after Adam sinned. Christ’s resurrection means that the offering was accepted, the price paid, the wrath of God appeased.

After seeing the risen Lord, Mary became the first to proclaim the Good News of Christ and her listeners were the disciples themselves. Later that evening Jesus appeared to them. Once they saw Jesus, their lives changed as well. Eleven simple, small-town boys became world changers. Not because of a hole in a rock, mind you, but because of the Lord who rose again.

When the fact of someone rising from the dead becomes a little mundane, I have to stop and think, not about the tomb left behind, but about the Christ who went to His Father and your Father, to His God and mine. Rising from the dead was the easy part. Reconciling me to God… now that was something!

Passive or Active

By Paula Wiseman

I’m continuing to work on a major edit of Contingency. One of the things on my checklist is changing or getting rid of passive verbs. Passive verbs indicate the subject is acted upon, rather than taking action. I am disappointed to discover how often I write in passive voice. Maybe it’s because I live that way. It’s not that I never do anything – I stay busy, believe me – but I’d much rather react, than take action. Paul encourages Timothy to take action in his letters. There are a lot of verbs in those two short epistles, and they’re all active. Be an example… reject false teaching… flee ungodliness… be diligent… be strong… hold fast… preach the word… convince, rebuke, exhort. So convicting.

Redeemed… again

By Paula Wiseman

It SNOWED this morning. No accumulation, but still…

We had an ‘incident’ at church yesterday morning, that sent Jon and me home fully torqued off. I was ready to rant this morning. Last night at the evening service, Jon had opportunity to speak to party involved. (It wasn’t planned at all. The other person opened the door, and my husband who has the gift of discernment, walked through it.) This person was crushed by the results and perception of his actions. They were the opposite of his intentions.

It reinforced what God said about David- “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Then there’s 1 Corinthians 13:5 – “Love thinks no evil.” Love gives the benefit of the doubt, doesn’t jump to conclusions. And when you put that with John 13:35 “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Anyone can get ticked off, and it seems it especially easy with our brothers and sisters, but the fact is, Christ calls us to a higher standard, a much higher standard. Had I ranted yesterday, not only would I have torn down a fellow believer – even if the person never knew about it- but I would have missed the lesson that came instead. Once again, Christ redeemed my sin.