Sauron, the character who represents Satan or the enemy, is shown to be the great deceiver. In one such story in the series, Sauron describes a situation to an elf, who represents a person of faith. The elf, who had been deceived by Sauron’s lies only a short time before, sees through the pretense this time. He looks at Sauron and declares, “You are so good at deception that you are capable of even deceiving yourself.”

The enemy, Satan, has had a very long time to learn the craft of dishonesty. He seeks to trick even the faithful follower. He manipulates the believer into thinking that a sin or a struggle faced is so big that even God Himself cannot help or does not care. If he can isolate the believer into buying into this untruth, the believer feels alone and unworthy of the care and compassion of God and fellow Christians. The believer then gets stuck in their own heads and repeats the lies so often that they feel that they are now “the truth”. The fabricated story that the enemy has sought to create is one that keeps the believer away from God, just as the enemy himself is. The enemy had to have deceived himself so much that he now believes this is the best place to be, apart from the love of the One who created him. His lies seek to make us believe that too. Romans 8: 38-39 tells a different story:

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJV)

The enemy may also seek to destroy us through the “little” lies. Does it really matter if you don’t pray today? Cheating on your taxes just this once can help you get past this tight financial spot. Viewing that site isn’t that bad, is it?

Sauron is shown in the series gaining the trust of those unsuspecting people around him by giving them what they most want. “Here’s a way to help your people.” “This will create unity.” On the surface, it may seem to be the best path, but when examined closer, those lies are more apparent. The help Sauron provides creates false unity and assists him in the long run rather than those he claims to want to aid.

John 8: 44 (ESV) says this:

You are of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

2 Corinthians 11:14 (ESV) points out Satan’s disguise:

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

So how do we defeat the lies, both big and small, that the enemy seeks to have us believe?

Ephesians 6:11 holds the answer!

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

So, believer, get dressed so that you can stand against the lies!

And then one day, the schedule doesn’t work. The leader cannot be in two places at once, or the outdoor fall event is scheduled on the weekend where all it does is rain! What now?

Flex. Don’t break.

If as leaders we become so rigid and so tied to our plans that we cannot be flexible, then we run the risk of spending life miserable and angry. If not that, then maybe we are stressed and anxious! I don’t know about you, but those are not appealing options!

Flexibility is key. When leaders must be flexible, they may have to rely on others for assistance that they may never have thought to call on in a crisis. They may need to rally the rest of the team of ministry leaders to get some ideas or to have someone else take over so that the child’s first gymnastics meet is not missed.

I know that when we have everything planned out and we have our minds set that this is how this ministry event is going to happen it is because we were so careful in the preparations that we think this is the very best plan! It has to be! We spent a long time getting it just right! Doing something different makes us uncomfortable! I don’t want to be flexible! I want it to happen the way I planned it!

But that kind of thinking and attitude makes us rigid. And if we are rigid, we are not flexible. We can be broken.

I know lessons can be learned in brokenness. But lessons can also be learned when we practice flexibility…when we take some deep breaths and come up with a new idea since we cannot take the 4th grade class outside in the torrential downpour.

Our plans may have truly been epic! We may have had an amazing event planned. But when it doesn’t work out, we can pivot and be flexible, or we can breakdown and pout. God is never caught off guard when our plans don’t come to fruition. He knows what will occur and what will not.

So, this year when things don’t work out exactly as you thought, what will be your response? Flex? Or break?

What is rest to you? For my other half, he needs to stimulate his mind but also needs time for a good nap. I enjoy unstructured moments where I can choose what to do based on how I am feeling at the present. I may appreciate getting a neglected house task done or I may want to simply sit and enjoy a good episode of I Love Lucy or a chapter in a book. The afternoon is always capped off by a good nap!

How do you lead rest? Lead rest? You may be wondering what I mean by that. How often do you encourage those around you to rest? Do you speak about it in a Bible study, sermon, or in conversation with a friend? Do you ask others how often they are taking care of themselves?

I would venture to say you probably have spoken to someone about rest recently. But do you lead it yourself? Are you one who says to others that they should take a break, but then push yourself to your limits every day? Do you speak about the blessed rest in Jesus, but then feel guilty because you did not attend every possible event?

As a leader, if you speak about rest but do not do it, then others in your circle of influence will simply look at you and see you burning the candle at both ends and wonder if that is how a “true Christian should act”. Leading rest creates the example of Sabbath. God created the Sabbath so that we would have the ability to slow down, rest, and reflect on Who He is. As leaders, we don’t “outgrow” the need for Sabbath. We don’t get so Christian that we no longer need the time for rest. Christ tells us in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He doesn’t say, “Come to me, all you who have not become Christian enough that you still require rest.”

Needing to rest does not mean we are not following Jesus wholeheartedly. It just means we are human. Elijah did amazing things for God as recorded in 1 Kings, but he became afraid and wanted to give up, praying that he might die. He fell asleep, and later ate food prepared for him. Elijah slept again until the angel of the Lord woke him up and encouraged him to eat once more, saying, “…for the journey is too much for you.” (1 Kings 19:7b, NIV). When the journey has become long and we are following God’s plan, rest is not a distraction from the task, but a needed element for continued pursuit.

So come on my soul, oh, don’t you get shy on me

Lift up your song, ‘cause you’ve got a lion

Inside of those lungs

Anyone who really knows me knows that I am really shy. I am a true introvert who does not like to be on display. It makes me nervous and anxious. But since I was a young teenager, I have known God called me into ministry. All I have ever wanted to do was serve Him in the way He created me. When you follow God with reckless abandon, it can sound like a lion’s roar. It can make some people afraid. It can even make the one who needs to roar afraid. But there is a call to obedience. And I need to follow Him, no matter what. So, I will finish the song:

Get up and praise the Lord, hey

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord

Praise the Lord

So I throw up my hands

Praise You again and again

‘Cause all that I have is a

Hallelujah, hallelujah

And I know it’s not much

But I’ve nothing else fit for a king

Except for a heart singing

Hallelujah, hallelujah

So come on my soul, oh, don’t you get shy on me

Lift up your song, ‘cause you’ve got a lion

Inside of those lungs

It’s okay to roar. For me. And for you. You’ve got a lion inside of those lungs.

I thought about this guy and his response when he realized that his knee-jerk reaction to the spider could put the problem on someone else. He could have literally gotten rid of the spider for himself and his friend, but it would have become someone else’s issue because of his desire for a quick resolution.

How many times have I done something like that? What about you? Have you ever tried to get rid of a problem quickly and, instead of resolving it, just shoved it in someone else’s direction? We can try and toss these “spiders” quickly because they bother us. We want them out of our immediate vicinity, but instead of considering how our “solution” will impact someone else, we just toss them off the nearest balcony, and they land on another person.

Now I realize in some instances, we may not have the skills, or it may not be our role to handle that “spider.” But ignoring it does not make it go away, so maybe we need to bring it to the proper person’s attention.

Other times, we may need to simply squash that “spider” as it may not need to be spread to anyone else.

This guy realized this spider was literally on his friend. He did not ignore the creepy crawly but instead intervened to help his buddy. In that helping, he did not shove the problem in someone else’s direction simply because it was easy to do so. He did not throw that spider off the balcony onto someone he did not know just because he didn’t know them. He chose to handle that spider for a few more seconds while he found a solution that was helpful to all involved (except maybe the spider…)

We may not like the spiders in our lives that cause us problems. It does not give us the excuse to be reckless in our treatment of them because if we just toss them with a “hey, look out below!” mentality, then we risk hurting someone else, and then we have created a spider that can harm another.

As I mentioned in my last blog, things have been a bit chaotic in the Williams household the last few months. We are routine people, and we have not been in routine since…I don’t even remember when. We don’t have our regular “stuff” with us in the apartment. Mike cannot workout like normal. I wear the same 10 outfits repeatedly because most of my things are packed away. All of our apartment storage items are plastic. I am having to cook creatively because we have only a few pots and pans. Our apartment has had a continual air conditioner leak since we moved in, and the maintenance people are stretched thin. We are now counting the days to move into our new house on a chalkboard in the living room where we have the “Embrace the Crazy” sign hanging near the door.

There’s a dinosaur in Hawaii…

Why do I say that? I think sometimes we want to deny the troubles we are currently experiencing because, for the most part, our lives are pretty good. I know mine is. I think about the Ukrainian people and even those in Russia who are against this violence. I consider those in other countries where clean drinking water is lacking. I know that even in our own country that there are neighborhoods where gang violence is the norm, and it is not safe to be outside, especially at night. When I look at my current difficulties, they pale in comparison. It feels like a dinosaur in Hawaii.

But if I ignore my dinosaur and pretend he is not real, he can still do a great deal of damage to my corner of the world. Celebrating the areas where he is not wreaking havoc can help me put him in perspective. For instance, this week, I will get to spend several days with my best friend as Highlands College invites spouses to their all-team meetings, which will occur on Thursday. My birthday is coming up so we will spend time together on that day too. We should close on our house very soon, and we have some tasks to accomplish for that. So, the dinosaur is not invited!

He does, however, impact me at this moment. I have another call into maintenance, and Mike is driving my vehicle while his is being worked on. When my clothes finish in the dryer, I must find out which plastic tub they go in…

The dinosaur is part of my today. Sometimes it feels like he is roaring right in my ear, and his teeth are chomping down, but if I can focus on the good things I have going on while I work to minimize or clean up his damage, then maybe I can cope with my dinosaur in Hawaii. It is important that I acknowledge he has been stomping around because if I don’t, his damage could become worse because I was in denial about how it affected me, my attitude, my relationships, my tasks, and my spirit.

I have been on edge. Anxious. Frustrated. I do know I have a lot to be thankful for, but it doesn’t take away the reality of what I feel. I just choose to not let the dinosaur take over Hawaii. I will choose to be grateful even when life is not going according to plan.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever!” Psalm 107:1 New Living Translation

I am nowhere near being in a routine, even now, in the middle of May. It is kind of funny that I am writing about self-care as I feel like I am really not doing such a great job at that point right now! I have been slacking on exercise, and our meal plan has had more corn dogs than any couple nearing 50 should be consuming…

But here I am, writing about self-care!

Since I am focusing more on the not-so-good aspects of how I have been approaching that idea lately, let me offer this confession too.

There is one element of self-care that I have never been good at even as a kid.

I hate wearing sunscreen. I don’t like lotion of any type really and slathering that stuff all over my face…can I say yuck?!

And yet, I know that this helps prevent skin cancer and it helps me take care of myself. But even that knowledge does not help me when it comes time to coat that nasty stuff on my face so I won’t get burned!

Do you have any aspect of self-care that is especially hard for you? Is there anything you tell yourself about it that helps you do it anyway?

I bought some sunscreen while we were in Virginia for Mike’s graduation. It was to be a sunny day and we were in the stadium for the ceremony. I ended up not wearing it. There was accessible shade, so I made use of that instead.

Doing the best I can on some days is a victory. It may not be ideal, but I am making the effort. I am aware that excessive sun can cause damage. I know that sunscreen is not my favorite, so I seek out shade, and I make use of a dermatologist-recommended internal sun blocker.

Self-care can seem daunting. There may be aspects of it that are harder for you for whatever reason. But God loved you so much He sent His Son to die for you. Loving yourself through self-care is not selfish but is accepting that He loves you and wants you to take care of you! What do you need to do today to take care of you?

I don’t think any of us would say the last two years have been normal. Things keep changing. A global pandemic has brought us unprecedented events. Life’s just been weird. What we thought back in March 2020 was going to be over in a few months has lasted far longer than any of us anticipated.

And now, we have spent a year without Trebek.

Producers have tried out a few different people to host the long-term game show including Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers, and a past Jeopardy champion, Ken Jennings. Other hosts have included Mayim Bialik and Levar Burton. If you are a fan of the show, I am sure you have a strong opinion about which of these people should be in the running for permanent host and which should be scratched off the list immediately.

Some of the choices for host have stirred up controversies for one reason or two…

Life’s weird right now.

We can’t even find a game show host that we can agree on. Opinions are strong. We must let our voices be heard! We must have THE right host.

Weary. Of it all. So many things are not normal. And maybe it never will be again…

Well, that’s a yucky thought. I guess I need to start embracing that idea though. The normal that once was may never be again. As much as you or I may wish it, Alex Trebek won’t be hosting any new episodes of Jeopardy. If the show must go on, then another person will step behind that podium. Maybe you are a long-time viewer of Jeopardy, or maybe you aren’t. But we can all agree that grieving what once was but can’t be again is a human experience that all of us face. Grieving Alex Trebek’s loss or the loss of what once was is not anything we want to do. We may instead choose to focus on our opinions of who should host instead of facing the pain of loss. We may choose to focus on other things instead of grieving the losses of these last two years. But trying to ignore it won’t make it go away. Another host will take over. Another day will come.

Life’s weird right now. I wanna go back to normal. But Jesus never promised me normal. He never said things would be easy. He never said game show hosts would live forever on earth. He never said we wouldn’t face sickness, masks, mandates, or strong opinions.

Life’s weird right now. But Jesus is still on the throne. And for that, I will choose to be thankful.