Author: Shari Baar (Page 1 of 21)

Ultra Marathon

March 31, 2025 / Shari Baar / 2 Comments

Have you ever heard of the Ultra Marathon? It’s a 544-mile race in Australia – typically 18 hours of running, 6 hours of sleeping – on repeat for 7 days. Typically dominated by fit 20-somethings sponsored by Nike or Adidas, in 1983 a new competitor emerged. Cliff Young, a 61-year-old in his Osh-Gosh overalls and rubber work boots with galoshes – in case it rained – showed up.

Cliff was a potato farmer with 2,000 head of sheep on the side. He would run up and down the hills in his pasture for days and nights at a time, so he figured this race would just be a few more days beyond that.

All the younger folks in the race blazed away from the finish line while Cliff started shuffling. He was left in the dust as he shuffled along. But at night when all the others were laying down to sleep for 6 hours, Cliff kept on shuffling,

All through the black nights, Cliff never stopped. He had not heard about the conventional wisdom of running hard for 18 hours and sleeping 6. The dark never slowed him down because he didn’t know he was supposed to stop, so he just kept on shuffling and gradually overcame the below 30 crowd in their $400 Nikes.

At the end of the race, Cliff Young came in first – a full 9 hours before the second-place runner crossed the finish line. He was handed the prize, $10,000 but said he didn’t know there was a prize. So as each runner after him crossed the line, he handed them some money because “they worked hard too.” Cliff walked away with no money at all because he ran for the pure joy of running.

It’s less about speed and more about endurance.

I wonder if we could live like Cliff Young Shuffled – and I don’t mean shuffling for 6 days without sleep. But perhaps adapting some everyday shuffling, slow but steady – for the pure joy of it.

The same sure and steady rhythms, day in and day out – the making of the bed, followed by the opening of the Word, followed by the journaling of the heart, followed by the moving of the body – just this enduring shuffle of doing the next hard and holy small thing – will win everything in the end. Ann Voskamp

We can always rely on our Friend, the Holy Spirit, for the strength we need to keep on living through the light and the dark, through the gray days and the sunny – to persevere instead of giving up.

On my own, I would have given up years ago. Life is hard and it’s not going to get any easier, but with promises of God,

I will never leave you or forsake you

Lo, I am with you always

I have loved you with an everlasting love

We need not ever give up. If we have a pulse, we have a purpose.

It’s not our strength God’s looking for, but our weakness, as we surrender and trust Him to provide the strength for our struggles which will never end until we take our last breath.

Hold on, press on, surrender your will to His, and shuffle your race well so you will hear those precious words,

Well done, good and faithful servant

Are You a Disciple of the Internet?

February 27, 2025 / Shari Baar / 0 Comments

Disciple of the Internet – have you ever thought of yourself by this title? I recently listened to a John Eldredge podcast by that name and was a bit offended by the phrase. I thought to myself,

I’m not a disciple of the Internet, I’m a disciple of Jesus.

But after listening to John’s podcast, I agree with his observation of our culture. We live in a time when we have access to all the information known to mankind with a single click. Whenever we speak or type a question into Google, we typically get over 2 million answers in less than a second. No waiting, no wondering, only immediate responses intended to satisfy our every whim.

Because we live with such overwhelming immediate answers to our questions, we tend to expect God to become speedy as well.

Most of us use the internet every day, perhaps hours every day, and because of this, our mindset has become different than it was decades ago. Back in the 1900’s, we didn’t expect anything to move too quickly. Sure, we could drive a car, fly around the world in a jet, watch a spaceship go to the moon, but beyond that our lives were lived relatively slow. We would linger with people, work and play outside, stroll down the street looking around and observing the beauty.

Today, it is quite rare to see anyone walk with no device, simply enjoying their surroundings. We have sadly become quite oblivious to anything happening around us, immersed in our own virtual worlds.

As John Eldredge says,

You are a disciple of the system that tutors you.

The internet is amazing if you want to fix your washing machine, build a retaining wall, or learn how to prune a tree. I am a big fan of YouTube; I love to watch music videos and podcasts. But if I am looking for direction and wisdom from God I need to slow down, listen and wait. Wait, you say? Now that is tough for us in the 21^st century.

Our faith is powerful, yet fragile – kind of like coral reefs. It needs protection from distractions if we want to hear from our Heavenly Father. Even though our technology has been continually speeding up, now travelling two thirds the speed of light, Jesus does not see that as a threat – something He needs to keep up with when communicating with us.

As He said himself,

I am the same yesterday, today and forever.

If He is the same yesterday, today and forever, then I believe he requires us to slow down, wait and listen – without distraction.

I just Googled “how many times is the word ‘wait’ found in the Bible?” And the answer is, depending on the translation you use, over 120 times. Here’s one:

Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14

Sitting still and waiting is not part of our culture’s mantra, but if we ask the Holy Spirit to teach us that valuable discipline, I believe we’ll hear from God. He is patiently waiting for us to talk to Him, so tell Him your troubles and frustrations, share your joys and pleasures. Ask Him a question and He will answer you, probably not as quickly as you would like but He will answer. He is a good, good Father and His love for you endures forever.

We live in a culture addicted to quick, but Jesus is waiting for you to come away from distractions, slow down and listen to Him and His Word.

My Day With Mary

January 2, 2025 / Shari Baar / 2 Comments

A few weeks ago my friend, Jan, called and asked if I would help her with a Christmas luncheon for the twelve widows in the church. I thought it was a beautiful idea so I said Yes. Jan had already taken care of most of the food details, so I volunteered to bring some dessert.

The night before the big day I got a call from Jan asking if I would be willing to pick up Mary – one of the widows who lives in Lamont, a 25-minute drive. I said sure, so the next morning I drove to the assisted care facility where Mary was ready and eagerly waiting my arrival. I introduced myself to her and off we went. We had a lovely conversation as we drove to the church, where the luncheon had been prepared. Mary has macular degeneration so is unable to see well, one eye is totally blind, the other is quite foggy. She mentioned that if her eyesight was good, she would still be living in her own home because her mind is still sharp.

We had a pleasant conversation as we drove, Mary telling me about her four daughters and some history about each one. In a short time, we made it to church and enjoyed a lovely lunch and conversation. After several hours the luncheon was over and it was time to take Mary back to her home, so again we chatted as we traveled, covering the same topics as the previous drive.

A day later, Brent – a friend of Mary’s – called Mary and asked how the luncheon was. “I didn’t go to a luncheon,” said Mary, “I’ve been at the home all week.” So Brent called Jan and asked why Mary hadn’t attended the luncheon. Jan replied, “Mary was here, Shari went to pick her up and took her home again.”

As I heard this interesting story, I became a bit peeved. I had driven almost two hours with Mary in the car and she hadn’t remembered anything about it?!? (This conversation was going on in my mind). Immediately I felt as if I had wasted my time, doing things for someone who didn’t even remember…

And then I had the sudden thought,

And how many times has God done things for me of which I have

completely forgotten or rarely noticed?

The sun comes up every morning

I have breath in my lungs

He provides oxygen for me to take a breath

He gave me a family to love

He was with me through all 15 times I have moved in my married life

He comforts me when I mourn

He’s given me a heart to celebrate joy

He’s given me friends in whom I can confide

He’s given me Himself to live everyday in joy and gratitude

Is there anything God has done for you lately? Maybe make a list?

Silent Night, Painful Night

December 12, 2024 / Shari Baar / 4 Comments

When our family was younger – about three decades ago – we and our four daughters would light the advent candles every night and sing Christmas Carols together. Even though there may have been misunderstandings, faulty communication and hurts during the day, the singing would somehow make things better, peaceful and good. Those memories are precious, when life was simpler….

Fast forward to years later when our family was growing – boyfriends, husbands and babies. One memorable Christmas Eve as we were all together, hurtful words were spoken, tears streamed down, brokenness and pain shattered the evening. This night before Christmas was not what any of us had hoped for or could have predicted. The next morning, Christmas Day, our four daughters were scheduled to sing during the worship service. As the evening wore on and we were working toward understanding and forgiveness, one of the sons-in-law asked what song we were planning to sing. All Is Well was my reply. He said “I think The Old Rugged Cross would be more appropriate at this point.” Personally, I was ready to cancel Christmas altogether.

After all the careful planning, meal preparation and hopes of a Silent Night, Holy Night, it had turned into a Painful Night, Tearful Night. I was in no mood to sing, and especially not All Is Well because all was certainly not well in our home that dark night. But in the midst of the sadness and heartache that came with our brokenness, God was with us, Immanuel.

It was almost midnight when the four girls and I walked over to the empty church building and practiced All Is Well. Our daughters sang, I accompanied on the piano and as we practiced, somewhat mechanically, I felt the Spirit of God hovering among us, silently, gently, almost imperceptibly. Hope grew in my heart – that relationships would be restored and love would continue. Exhausted, yet at peace, we went home to sleep. The next morning dawned and we quietly gathered ourselves together. We worshiped in faith, still bruised and weary, but we sang All Is Well.

Since that time I have pondered many times the fact that All is Well, always, whether life is peaceful or whether there is strain. The fact is, Immanuel, God is with us – here in our hard times and our joyful times. He never leaves or forsakes us. He’s working to continually restore relationships and bring reconciliation to those who are willing to forgive.

A Hallmark Christmas was not ours that year, but we learned once again that Jesus came for families like ours who battle, disagree and hurt each other. He came so we could be made new, so we could learn to love faithfulness, to humble ourselves and forgive.

Many Christmas Eves later Larry and I were in Idaho, living with and caring for my parents, and still we sang. On those dark and cold advent nights we practiced the same tradition with my parents as we did so long ago with our children. We lit the candles and sang carols, a new tradition for them. Their voices quavered and were not quite as in tune as they used to be. When we went down the scale on Away in A Manger my dad went up and we met somewhere in the middle, but it was still peaceful and good.

All Is Well.

And all shall be well.

The Gift of Simple

November 5, 2024 / Shari Baar / 2 Comments

I have been reading the fascinating biography of Moses lately and it is quite amazing. At the end of his life, as he is handing the mantle to Joshua, Moses gives some simple, concise commands. Joshua has been Moses’ right-hand man for decades, so Joshua wasn’t completely unaware of the challenges before him, but let’s face it – it’s a huge job to take over the leadership of more than a million people in the middle of a desert.

What I found amazing was the simplicity of the instructions Moses gave to Joshua as he was getting ready to become the leader of the Israeli people.

Be strong and courageous

God goes with you

God will never leave or forsake you

There were many unknowns for Joshua, just like there are many unknowns in our futures, yet these are the only instructions Moses gave him. Later, after Moses died, God Himself gave Joshua some commands

Be strong and very courageous

I will never leave you nor forsake you

Be careful to obey me

Do not be afraid or discouraged

They look quite similar to the instructions from Moses to Joshua, don’t they? After reading and comparing the lists I got wondering if these would be good instructions for us as we live thousands of years later in a world full of uncertainty.

They are simple and concise, easy to remember when the day is light and all is well, but it may be a bit more difficult when darkness and distractions come into focus. One of my friends has the simplest of all instructions when crushing anxiety shows up:

Trust God and breathe.

There is much in our world to become stressed about, but one thing is sure – worrying about it won’t change a thing. We certainly can complain, grumble and be troubled about many details of life, but what will change? Absolutely nothing.

Have you ever heard the acronym ROI? Yeah, me neither, but I recently learned it means: Return on your investments. If you invest minutes, hours and days worrying about everything in your life, you will certainly receive a return on that – mainly anxiety, panic attacks and perhaps ulcers.

But if you invest minutes, hours and days meditating on the goodness of God and His direction to….

Be strong and courageous

Not be afraid

Meditate on His love for you

Remember that God is for you and will take care of you,

Give thanks in all things, for this is God’s will for you

…then the (ROI) return on your investment will be peace, love and joy, all which come from Holy Spirit.

I’d much rather have peace than anxiety, how about you?

You may want to start with this simple statement:

Jesus, I give everyone and everything to You

No matter what news I hear, no matter how disturbing the election results are,

I will not be afraid

Hummingbirds and Vultures

October 15, 2024 / Shari Baar / 0 Comments

A few years ago my husband and I watched a mama cow in our front pasture who had recently given birth. The little calf was laying in the green grass nearby the placenta which had recently released its occupant. A few minutes after the birth, Larry saw these six vultures hovering around the pasture just waiting to gobble up their next meal, the mouth-watering placenta.

A little later we also saw a hummingbird fliting around some wildflowers, joyfully drinking some of the sweet juice it had found.

These two memories recently resurfaced as I finished reading a chapter from the book Winning the War for your Mind by Craig Groeschel. He made an interesting comparison between vultures and hummingbirds. When a vulture flies around what is it typically looking for? It almost always looks for dead things. Apparently, vultures can smell roadkill from over a mile away. Vultures primarily focus on dead things, smashed, squished or rotting things – that is their specialty.

Hummingbirds, on the other hand, are attracted to sweet, life-giving nectar. As they fly, their wings flapping 20 times per second, they are continually on the search for beautiful flowers and fragrant blossoms. Hummingbirds focus on life and beauty.

What a difference in the goal of their hunts – one seeking death and the other looking for life. Every day each bird finds what it’s looking for.

Craig uses these two feathered friends to illustrate the way each of us tend to preframe our perspectives during the day. At the beginning of each day we typically have a mindset of what we expect during the day. We can choose how to view something before it happens.

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of pre-framing our day with the thoughts:

Today will be the same old same old stuff I face every day. Same stuff, different day. I’ll never be able to get done all I need to. I’m overwhelmed.

We expect and look for those things that bring us down, despairing and hopeless… the way of the vulture.

Thankfully there’s another way to pre-frame our day even before we start. With God’s help we can choose our frame for the day – looking for life-giving beauty, and offering thanks for His care. If you know you’re in for a challenging day you could say to yourself:

Today I will experience God’s strength through my weakness. He gives me everything I need for what I’m called to do. Instead of a bad, busy day, I’m going to enjoy a good productive day.

There is not a moment in your life when God has forgotten or forsaken you. He assures us, In the world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. We cannot control what happens to us, but we can choose how we will frame it. We can see our circumstances through the lens of His mercy and grace, knowing our strength comes from Him. This is the way of the hummingbird.

It’s a beautiful thing to know we are loved and cared for by our Heavenly Father who has promised to carry our burdens.

It’s also empowering to know we have a choice:

To follow the way of the vulture or the way of the hummingbird.

Gender Madness

September 24, 2024 / Shari Baar / 4 Comments

If you were given one chance in life to be reborn, to reinvent and make yourself into the image of your own choosing – would you do it? What if you were given promises that by changing your identity and the essence of who you are – you would achieve lasting happiness, and everyone would love you? It sounds tempting, easy and so alluring, doesn’t it?

Oli London was given all those promises – the promises that his fantasy life could become real and he could be cloned into a K-pop artist. His dream was to become a Korean female pop star, and because of this his visions of happiness would finally come true. So, going through nine different surgeries, including 32 procedures, he finally arrived at his destination façade totally intending to have reached perfection.

Oli had been battling with self-identity for a decade, yet, even as he did become semi- famous in K-pop music, he still didn’t like who he was. All the insecurities he had suffered as a child never went away. The voices of “not good enough, you’re such a loser, you’ll never get anything right…” were still there. The outside of his body had changed, but it hadn’t become the magic formula for ridding himself of those nagging thoughts which were constantly on loop in his brain.

During one of his surgeries in Korea (the plastic surgery capitol of the world) he wrote the following:

It was a factory, and I was just a product that needed to be pumped out of the production line quickly, so that he could move on to the next patient, then the next one. There was simply no duty of care or code of ethics governing this clinic; it was simply about quick profit and then throwing the patient out the door.

Long story short, Oli did detransition – becoming the man he always was. He learned that God had loved him throughout his journey, he just didn’t realize this fact. Oli’s fear now was what would happen on social media when he did come out with his detransition story. Because he had hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok, IG and FB, he was concerned about how he would be treated. His worries were valid:

The irony was that these were the same people who preach about acceptance and about respecting people’s identities however unusual they may be, yet I was suddenly cast out and they were turning on me.

As one woman who detransitioned said after it was all over,

It (the transition process) was the closest thing I could come to killing myself without actually doing it.

Millions of adolescents are uncomfortable in their own bodies – I don’t know of a teenager who isn’t. It certainly wasn’t my favorite time of life. Being a teen is difficult but trying to totally remake yourself is not the answer.

God made a DNA code for every person in the world, and it is there at the conception of each human being. No number of hormones, puberty blockers or gender reassignment surgeries will ever change that fact. Promises are given from many doctors and therapists, but all them are piecrust promises – easily broken, because it is impossible to change from the sex which God so graciously granted you.

Daisy, a teenage girl who wanted to become a boy, looks back now on the journey she walked -taking testosterone and having top surgery (a double mastectomy) and says that basically everyone is lying – the media is lying, the doctors are lying, the therapists are lying, and “I was lying to myself.” It’s all a game of pretending, except for the fact that it is ruining the lives of so many.

Oli London is now a dedicated activist, splitting his time between Washington D.C. and London, fighting to put an end to the “Gender-affirming” care system that is impacting so many young lives across the world. His understanding of the confusion and lies that consume the minds of so many young people is invaluable.

Oli has experienced the compassionate love of God, and is eager to share that beautiful message, which is something we all need to hear and believe.

The Bait of Satan

August 29, 2024 / Shari Baar / 2 Comments

I’ve never trapped animals, but I do know there are two important aspects of a good trap: first of all it must be hidden, and second, it must be baited to lure an animal into the trap’s deadly jaws.

Satan – the enemy of our souls – uses both strategies as he lays out his deceptive and deadly traps. They are both hidden and baited. One of his most deceptive and insidious kinds of bait is something we face every day of our lives – the bait of offense.

Offense is not deadly on its own. Every day we have opportunities to be offended – it may be an annoying comment from our spouse, the driver who cut us off in traffic, being falsely accused of something we didn’t do – and the list goes on. If we recognize the bait of offense and leave it in the trap, there is no problem. But if we pick it up out of the trap, chew on it, dwell on it in our heart, turn it over and over in our minds, we become offended.

Someone may have abused you when you were young, maybe a friend betrayed you decades ago, spoke lies about you. Holding an offense for years takes a toll on the body and soul – I know this by experience.

You may feel totally righteous in holding on to grudges and offenses – someone hurt you and want them to pay. How can they pay? I’m not sure, but the energy it takes to hold on to an offense always has a negative impact on you. It rents valuable space in your mind, and dwelling on offenses leaves less energy to do more productive things.

Offense is truly a trap of the devil. If he can get us to become offended by someone – anyone – we are trapped and the offense becomes like a poison in our system. We will become bitter, spewing out words of anger, division and strife.

There is an old saying – you’ve probably seen it on social media:

Unforgiveness is only toxic to you,

it’s like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. – T.D. Jakes

Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 2:24-26

…God’s servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil’s trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.

If you want to stay out of the devil’s trap, keep free from offense. I know it’s much easier said than done, but forgiving others is what will keep you healthy and free to love others instead of casting a critical eye toward everyone around you.

Ephesians 4:26 reminds us,

But don’t let the passion of your emotions lead you to sin! Don’t let anger control you or be fuel for revenge, not for even a day. Don’t give the slanderous accuser, the devil, an opportunity to manipulate you!

If we hold anger and bitterness in our hearts – even anger against politicians we don’t know personally – we will be manipulated by the devil. Offense becomes a toxin in our bodies and a tool by which the devil can and will cause us to do his will. It will put us in prison – a prison of depression, freeze-dried anger and joylessness.

I have a candy jar and I am often tempted to lift the lid and take a piece. Sometimes taking offense tastes as good as a piece of candy. When we cast a slur on someone or take offense by someone’s remark, it seems delicious to spread gossip about them, because they were wrong, and we are right.

But what were those words Jesus used to teach us how to deal with our enemies?

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

There will always be an opportunity to be offended – maybe up to 50 times in a day. But a person who will not forgive is a person who has forgotten how much Christ has forgiven them.

Holes in Buckets

June 29, 2024 / Shari Baar / 0 Comments

Has anyone ever disappointed you?

Ever had anyone betray you, talk behind your back?

Has anybody ever broken a promise they made to you?

Most likely you have, because to be human means having issues with people. I have done it to others; others have done it to me…and it hurts.

We humans are kind of like buckets with holes in them. We fail, we say things we shouldn’t, we withhold words which should be said, we envy, get jealous – you know all the stuff. No matter how many compliments we may get, there will never be enough to fill our bucket, because they slip out the holes. We know our weakness, our guilt, our shame, and no other person can give us enough love and attention to keep our bucket full.

It’s normal for us to try and find another human who can keep our bucket full, but no one on this planet is capable of doing so. Many of us work hard to make ourselves look like we are full buckets, but inside we know how we constantly need the affirmation of others to keep believing that we are worthwhile.

Sometimes we marry someone who seems to be a bucket without holes and hope they can fill our always emptying bucket. But inevitably their holes show up and they will not be able to fill our bucket which keeps being emptied.

There are some people I have known in the past who were so beautiful, put together – it seemed as if they had no holes in their bucket. But then I got to know them – and they are fallible, full of holes just like everyone else. They never tried to cover their holes, I just didn’t know them well enough to see them.

Some people’s holes are obvious to the world, others are hidden to most but are certainly revealed some time or other.

For years I have tried to find someone without holes in their bucket, someone whom I could emulate, but there is no human on earth fitting that description. There are no exceptions.

I have always loved to hear positive comments about myself, and if I heard a criticism I would be hurt, wondering how they could have misinterpreted my actions or words. But just like everyone else, my bucket is full of holes.

I have found there is only one person whose bucket is always full and overflowing – and that is my friend, Jesus. He is trustworthy and true, loving me when I have failed, loving me when I have done well. Yes, Jesus does convict me when I have acted in pride, when I have been selfish with my time, but I know there is no condemnation. I simply need to confess what I have done, accept His always available forgiveness, and move on.

There is no greater comfort on earth than that of being always in conversation with my Savior. As CS Lewis said decades ago,

God made us, invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself.

Because He has no holes in His bucket, He is the only Person we can turn to for strength, wisdom, forgiveness and never-ending love. He will never force Himself on us, He is far too great of a gentleman for that. But He is always waiting, watching and ready to come into our lives – simply for the asking.

So we have a choice: we can either try to continue living in our own strength, or surrender to Jesus and let Him become our strength, wisdom and continual source of a never-ending bucket of love who will never leave nor forsake you.

Disciples of the Internet

April 23, 2024 / Shari Baar / 0 Comments

Have you ever heard of such a peculiar phrase – Disciples of the Internet? I recently listened to a John Eldredge podcast by that name and was a bit offended by the phrase. I thought to myself,

I’m not a disciple of the Internet, I’m a disciple of Jesus.

But after listening to John’s podcast, I agree with his observation of our culture. Because most of us use the internet every day, perhaps hours every day, our mindset has become different than it was decades ago. Back in the 1900’s, we didn’t expect anything to move too quickly. Sure, we could drive a car, fly around the world in a jet, watch a spaceship go to the moon, but beyond that our lives were lived relatively slowly.

We would linger with people, work and play outside, stroll down the street as we look around, observing the beauty. Today, it is quite rare to see someone walk with nothing in their hands, simply enjoying their surroundings. A far higher percentage of walkers hold their phones in their hand, quite oblivious to anything happening around them, immersed in their virtual world.

As John says,

You are a disciple of the system that tutors you.

When we type or speak a question into Google, we can get over 2 million answers in .03 seconds. No waiting, no wondering, just immediate information. And because our souls have become programmed for immediate answers, we tend to expect the same from God.

We have the world’s combined knowledge from over the millennia at our fingertips. What more can we need? The internet is amazing if you want to fix your washing machine, build a retaining wall, or learn how to prune a tree. I am a big fan of YouTube; I love to watch music videos and podcasts. But if I am looking for direction and wisdom from God I need to slow down, listen and wait. Wait, you say? Now that is tough for us in the 21^st century.