Author Archive

06
Sep
How Not to Avoid Trouble!
Susan Gaddis

In the 1930’s an Australian man took stock of his world and foresaw war on the horizon. He believed that Europe would soon be consumed in a great battle with many nations participating. As he studied world events, nation after nation was eliminated as a safe refuge, including Australia.

No place seemed to offer the supplies of water, food, and remoteness needed to be secure in the fast approaching tide of war. Finally, after much research and investigation, the man found an island remote enough to guarantee his safety. In the summer of 1939 he finally moved to the little known island of Guadalcanal.

This is one of the many true stories told in James A. Michener’s book, Rascals in Paradise, of people who sought to escape to an island paradise . I don’t think we’re much different. We want our lives to be safe, secure and without trouble. Yet, sometimes trouble lands on our front door no matter where we live—as the Australian found out during WWII.

I don’t think the issue is how to avoid trouble, but how do we respond when trouble arrives. Nor is the question, Where is God when I’m in trouble? The question is really, What is God like when I’m in trouble? I hope we can say with Paul that God is living full scale in us for all the world to see.

“If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at.

We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives!” (2 Corinthians 4:7-11 The Message Bible).

How do you respond to trouble? How are you learning that God is your safe refuge in the midst of any storm? What does it feel like to have God living in you when your world seems to be falling apart? I’d love to hear your input on some of these questions in the comment section below.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Personal growth  Tags: , , , , , , ,
03
Sep
Poop, People, and Looking Like Jesus
Susan Gaddis

People are not the cleanest of beings. They tend to make messes throughout their lives and living with them isn’t always fun or necessarily easy.

The other day I came across several Scripture passages that immediately triggered two memories—Psalm 51:7, “Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry” (Message Bible), and John 13—the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet and then instructing them to wash one another’s feet.

Memories flooded up as often happens during my morning devotionals. The first visual that popped into my mind was of walking into the bedroom of one of my small children and finding her crib smeared with the remains of a very dirty diaper. Like a princess, this smiling toddler sat in her crib equally covered with the remains of the same diaper.

The second visual was of my dad sleeping in the facility where he eventually died. He looked peaceful and comfortable in his clean pajamas and fresh bed linens. Dad had people who cared for his messes, and I was very thankful.

From birth to death I will continue to make messes for God to clean up. Some of those messes are a result of my learning about life just as my toddler was exploring her world and my dad was learning to let go of his. Other messes are more grown up, which makes them without excuse. Either way, it is God who cleans me up and his family who helps to scrub my dirty laundry and my dirty feet.

How good are you with cleaning up people’s poop and washing their feet? Not a real tidy question, but a necessary one to ask. If you want to look like Jesus, ya gotta get into the messes of people’s lives. Care to comment?

Oh, if you are wondering which of my six children was the toddler in this story, you can check her out at: www.mchristineweber.com.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Personal growth, Relationships  Tags: , , , , , ,
01
Sep
Things Your Mother Never Told You About Teamwork
Susan Gaddis

Working as a team doesn’t always come easy, whether in marriage, church, or on the job. Yet teamwork is part of our calling—God describes us as living stones in the process of being built together to be a spiritual house and a royal priesthood (see 1 Peter 2:5). He refers to us as a living body made up of many different parts. No part can function independently (see 1 Corinthians 12:13-27). I hope you enjoy this short clip on teamwork from one of my favorite teams at Igniter Media.

If you received this post via a RSS reader or email and cannot view the video, please stop by the Holy in the Daily blog to view it. You’ll be smiling the rest of the day! (After that, just click one of the icons–email, facebook, twitter, or other icon–at the very bottom of the post to share your smile with a few friends.)
In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: At work, Relationships, Video  Tags: , , , , , , , ,
30
Aug
How to Deal With the Accuser Living in Your Head
Susan Gaddis

Do you ever have one of those days when you feel like there is a little voice in your head telling you what a poor example you are of the human race? Be assured that the little voice is not you. It may sound like you, but it is not. That voice is actually thoughts being thrown into your mind by someone known as the Accuser—and he is out to destroy your life. Here are some facts about the Accuser and some tips on how to deal with him.

How to know you are being condemned by the Accuser

You will feel one or more of the following emotions: depressed, discouraged, guilty, shamed, inadequate, a failure, hopeless, stupid, unloved, disliked, rejected, blamed, useless, lonely, discarded or condemned.

You will think thoughts along the lines of the following: “I’m a failure.” “This will never change.” “I’m a jerk.” “There is no hope for me.” “No one likes me.” “It’s not worth it.” “Why me?”

He is not flesh and blood! 

The Accuser is not human. He is a type of spirit, and he has been around for a very long time. He goes by the names of Satan, Devil, Accuser, Adversary, Angel of Light, Father of Lies, Lucifer, Serpent and many more that describe his character and activities (see Ephesians 6:12).

The Accuser does what his name implies—he accuses. “For the accuser of our brothers is cast down, who accused them before our God day and night . . . .” (Revelation 12:10 NIV).

What to do when the Accuser assaults you

1. Don’t agree with him! Recognize who is speaking. Even if the voice sounds like your own voice, don’t believe it!

2. Put on your spiritual armor and use your spiritual weapon (see Ephesians 6:13–18).

3. Apply the finished work of Christ through repentance if you have sinned (see 1 John 1:9).

4. Remind the enemy that the Lamb’s blood identifies you as sinless. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (Revelation 12:11 NIV).

5. Then speak your testimony to the enemy. “Yep, everything you say was once true, but in Christ that is no longer who I am” (see Revelation 12:11 above).

6. Reaffirm your total commitment to Christ and expect a little more practice in laying down your life (see Revelation 12:11 above).

7. Rebuke the enemy! You’ve been given authority—now use it! Just say something along the lines of, “Accuser, I rebuke you. You have no power over me. I have been bought with the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and he now owns me and has authority over my life. You have no authority to accuse me of anything. Take your accusations about me, and tell them to Jesus. Stop criticizing God’s property”  (see James 4:7).  

Dealing with the Accuser can be an ongoing battle when we first realize who is attacking us. But the more we practice the above steps, the more we find freedom from mental torment and the tendency to believe the lies of the enemy.

What suggestions can you add that would help in dealing with the Accuser? Please leave your input in the comment link below. We would love to hear from you.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Brain overhaul, Prayer, Spiritual Warfare  Tags: , , , , , , ,
27
Aug
Honoring the Life God Has Given You
Susan Gaddis

Recently I visited my cousin Polly and stepped into the spacious bathroom that once belonged to Grandma Chris. Close by was Grandpa Ivan’s bathroom—connected by a little room where the toilet reigned. The scent of lavender was gone, but since Polly lives in this old adobe ranch house, she has maintained the rustic, yet rich, feel of the 50 year old place.

Grandma’s bathroom caught my attention because it instantly brought back memories of how Grandma honored herself and the life she had been given. This bathroom was totally hers. One of my favorite memories is taking a bubble bath with lavender soap and scrubbing my nails with her little nail brush. I haven’t seen one of those nail brushes in years, but there was always one at Grandma’s, and you always scrubbed your nails while taking a lavender bubble bath. 

I’ve thought a lot about honor after having celebrated 35 years of ministry in the same church and honoring the lives of my parents as each transitioned from earth to Home. We tend to honor other people with appropriate cards and gifts at certain times of the year and especially at their death. But how often do we take the time to honor ourselves and the life God has given us?

I’m not talking about excuses for self indulgence or vanities, but simple, honest ways of honoring the special gifts that God has placed within the life we each live and the person we have become. When we honor something about ourselves, we are saying, “This is good about me and my life. I’m going to take care of it, treasure it, and enjoy it. Thank you, Lord, for creating me.”

I honor who I am by getting my hair cut and colored. I’ve always been a red head and have decided that I will follow my mother’s lead and get my hair done on a regular basis. My mother never missed her weekly appointment with the hair dresser until the week she died. She was the softest, sweetest, little old silver haired woman I’ve ever known.

So, being thankful for the head of hair I have, I keep a regular monthly appointment with my awesome hair stylist, Kris. In this way, I honor the God who gave me something special—my hair. (And yes, I do know that someday I will have to switch to gray, but that time has not yet come.)

My husband, Tom, heads to the gym three times a week. Sometimes he swims. Often he endures the treadmill and weights. This ritual is one of his ways to honor the life God has given him.

How do you honor who you are and the life God has given you? What is there about your life that says, “This is good about me. I’m going to take care of it, treasure it, and enjoy it”? What will your grandchildren remember about the way you honored the person God created you to be and the life you lived as a result?

Your thoughts, answers, comments and lavender soap are encouraged. Leave the former in the comment section below and save the lavender soap for my next birthday. 

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Daily, Personal growth, Spirit Rituals  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
25
Aug
Warning: Stress Can Steal Your Sanity
Susan Gaddis

I used to blame my painful stress levels on external events and obligations piling up on my desk. I now know that the stress causing my blood pressure to rise is my internal reaction to such events.

My internal stress is caused by:

1. My self-imposed sense of obligation to complete assigned, assumed, or volunteered for tasks.

2. My inability to say, “I’m not able to do that,” because my dad always told me I could do anything I set my mind to.

3. My failure to set boundaries on my work—I enjoy what I do and I’m pretty good at it.

4. My need for the feeling of accomplishment that comes with projects completed.

Even the discouraging events in my life that cause stress, such as the decline and death of my parents or the struggles my kids and friends go through, pull out more than compassion in me:

I carry a sense of obligation to fix a situation so another will be free of pain.

I’m internally a teacher, so I tend to teach others how to handle life rather than let them experience life.

I want to control my external world—my world gets uncomfortable when the messes of others collide with my world.

I don’t think this is a pride issue as much as it is one of obligation—self obligation. Most of my stress comes from self-imposed obligations and it is mostly internal.

Here’s what I have been learning over the past few years:

1. I need to be honest and practical about what I can and can’t do within the boundaries of my work hours and then live within those boundaries. Working overtime steals time from other important things in my life.

2. I don’t have to be available to others, even family, 24/7.

3. I need to be content with things left undone.

4. I need to let others live in their pain without feeling obligated to relieve the pain.

5. I need to remember that just because someone wants to put an obligation on me, I don’t have to pick it up.

6. I need to remember that I can’t control my external world, only my internal world.

7. I need to spend more quiet time with the Lord at the beginning and ending of each day.

In reading over the above list, I realized that Jesus practiced all of these things. No one ever experienced such external stress as Jesus. Yet Jesus never experienced worry, anxiety, burnout or other symptoms of internal stress. Spending time with him and reading the Scriptures can teach me more than anything else about dealing with stress.

What have you learned about external and internal stress and how do you handle your internal stress load?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

(If you found this post helpful, please pass it along via email, Twitter, or Facebook—just click on one of the icons at the very bottom of the blog post.)

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Category: At work, Personal growth  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
23
Aug
Blood, Guts, and Authenticity
Susan Gaddis

Around 1,000 years ago, Viking Leif Ericson landed on the east coast of North America and began a colony called Vineland. Although the Vikings were fierce warriors, they had a difficult time with the Native Americans.

The Vikings were confused by the Indians and believed that they were often demons in disguise. The problem of distinguishing a real Indian from a demon was simple: Authenticity was established by blood. A real Indian would bleed when stabbed while a demon would disappear.

We can verify a Christian with a similar test of authenticity. When a Christian is “stabbed,” he bleeds love. This is especially true when wounded by other believers. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35 niv).

Love is the core of Christianity. Everything we do must represent the love demonstrated by God towards us. This means that we should be genuine in our relationships. No masks, facades, or pretenses. We are to be authentic with each other.

Authenticity contains the idea of humility and honesty in how we present ourselves and how we respond to others. We are to be people experiencing the ongoing transformation of God’s Spirit, Word, and truth conforming us into His image.

Blood and guts questions:
  1. How does the aspect of bleeding love differ from the way we have been trained by our culture to respond to “stabbings”?
  2. What emotions and attitudes bleed out of you when stabbed emotionally by another? How would the people you live and work with answer this question about you?
  3. How can you authentically bleed love when your attacker needs to be confronted?

I invite you to leave your knives, swords, guns, answers, comments, and insights in the blue comment link below.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

This post is reprinted from my book, “Help, I’m Stuck With These People For the Rest of Eternity!”

3 Comments
Category: Personal growth, Relationships, The Backward Kingdom  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
20
Aug
4 Tips on How to Get to Know the God of the Possible
Susan Gaddis

Someone once said that a rut is simply a grave with both ends knocked out. Many of us end up in such ruts when we get trapped in old habit patterns and ways of thinking. Then we wonder why our lives seem boring or hopeless.

In their book, The Art of Possibility, Rosamund and Benjamine Zander state, “Every problem, everything hindering us from pursuing our dream only appears unsolvable inside a particular frame or point of view. Enlarge the box, or create another frame around the data, and problems vanish, while new opportunities appear.”

Most of us have lived with our view of God for so long that we find it hard to enlarge our “God box.” Yet God is the creator of the universe, and He continues to create. He is the God of possibilities and promise. His perspective of our life and the possibilities before us is so much bigger than what we currently perceive. So how do we climb out of our box-like grave rut and see the vastness of the possibilities set before us by our living God?

Here are 4 tips:

1.  Read again the stories of the Bible and the God of the Bible. Note the “ruts” people found themselves in and how new possibilities opened up before them when they focused their eyes on God instead of the sides of their ruts.

2.  Change your expectations and look for possibilities in places you previously ignored. The Zanders tell the story of four young men who sat by the bedside of their dying father.

“The old man, with his last breath, tells them there is a huge treasure buried in the family fields. The sons crowd around him crying, ‘Where, where?’ but it is too late. The day after the funeral and for many days to come, the young men go out with their picks and shovels and turn the soil, digging deeply into the ground from one end of each field to the other. They find nothing and, bitterly disappointed, abandon the search. The next season the farm has its best harvest ever.”

3. Replace your negative thinking and self talk with the promises of God found throughout the Bible. Pray those promises back to the God who gave them.

4. Commit your dreams and problems to the Lord. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:19-21).

What have you discovered about the God of the possible? I’d love to hear your comments. (Click on the blue comment link at the bottom of this post.)

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Brain overhaul, Personal growth  Tags: , , , , , , ,
18
Aug
5 Secrets to Understanding the Opposite Sex
Susan Gaddis

I think Elayne Boosler had it right when she said, “When women are depressed they either eat or go shopping. Men invade another country. It’s a whole different way of thinking.”

Half of the people that live on this planet are wired differently than the other half. For example, a wife wants her husband to compassionately listen to her latest frustration. The husband wants her to get to the point so he can give his wife the solution to her problem. Unfortunately, her sharing is the point, the solution isn’t, and her husband is sleeping on the couch—again!

A mother attempts a meaningful conversation with a son who interprets her effort as invading his space. A daughter feels her father doesn’t have time to listen to her innermost thoughts while the dad thinks he is doing pretty well to listen to her during halftime of the football game.

These differences also show up in other relationships where the sexes have to converse. A man can interpret a woman employer as bossy and domineering when she sees herself as confidently overseeing the details of the business. A male soccer coach wants to take his young team to view a professional soccer game, yet he has to convince a soccer mom that the trip will be safe and they will be home on time. She apparently has a funny feeling about the security of the trip. He thinks she’s nuts.

God made us different for a purpose, because it is only together that we reflect Him and His image. Remember, God made Adam and Eve in His image—male and female together. In order to fully represent the image of God through communication we need to seek to understand how the other sex communicates.

Ellen Tien conducted an interview with 25 couples and found some genuine differences in the way men and women behave and perceive events. See if you can relate to these differences:

1. Men consolidate while women diversify

2. Men want to get going while women want to get ready

3. Men care about what things do while women care about how things look

4. Men go for the big picture while women cherish the details

5. Men rely on information while women depend on intuition 

What communication differences between men and women can you add to this list? Have you found that honoring these differences allow a place for the Spirit Holy to manifest himself in your communications?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Brain overhaul, Relationships  Tags: , , , , ,
16
Aug
Holy As the Day is Spent
Susan Gaddis

Carrie Newcomer’s Holy As the Day is Spent stands as one of my all time favorite songs. It speaks to the everyday holy moments of “folding sheets like folding hands, to pray as only laundry can.” May your week be full of the Holy enmeshed in the daily.

If you received this post via a RSS reader or by email and cannot view the video, please stop by the Holy in the Daily blog to enjoy it.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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