Tag: New

One Thing New

November 12, 2018 / Shari Baar / 4 Comments

Dear Daughters,

Several decades ago, Aunt Val gave me a cutting board she made in high school woodshop. She had carefully cut out thin strips of various types of wood, glued them together, varnished them and proudly given it to me on my birthday. I have chopped countless vegetables, fruits, nuts, and meats on that faithful board, but there came a time when I started using thin plastic cutting boards for ease of cleaning and storing.

One day Dad found that well-worn cutting board in the pile going to Goodwill and took it out because he had an idea of making it into something new. As you know, I have been annoyed in past years when Dad wants to save things I would rather throw out or give away. I’m sure I made some snide remark when he told me he was going to save it for a project because, of course, we all know about his black hole of unfinished projects in the basement. What goes in never comes out. I quickly dismissed the incident from my mind.

Oh me of little faith.

Several months later he showed me his completed project. From that worn out, cut up, beat up board he had made a beautiful table for my plants. I was quite impressed. Over the years that board had become so ugly, splinters coming off the edges, dull and useless (so I thought) but now it was transformed into a striking piece of art.

For over 15 years now it has faithfully held my favorite green ivy plant, curling and twisting around. About the same time I put the ivy on this plant stand someone gave me a little decorative tile to stick in the dirt. I really didn’t look at the words imprinted on the stick, I just put it in the dirt because I liked the colors. Recently though, I looked at that transformed cutting board and the words on the stick.

I make all things new.

Revelation 21:5

I will admit, sometimes I am a very slow learner. It takes years after I assent to something intellectually to make it a habit in my life. Looking at the previously battered cutting board now transformed into a new thing along with the scripture in the ivy, I finally realized that this is precisely what’s happening in me and my family. I used to be ungrateful, critical, quick to find fault with people. But through many years of God’s faithful chiseling on my personality, I am learning to become thankful for the good gifts He gives every day. I have learned to encourage and build up instead of criticize and tear down. I seek to search out the good in people instead of focusing on the annoying traits. Of course I still stumble and fall, but I feel like I am continually becoming a new person.

All through the Bible, from beginning to end, in story after story, God is making all things and people new. Look at Joseph, the self-centered, arrogant teenager bragging to his brothers about the dreams he’s dreamed. God didn’t just say, Now you shape up, get humble and quit bragging about those dreams. Instead, God allowed circumstances in his life to humble him. Tough circumstances like sitting in prison for many years, serving for a crime he didn’t commit. Suffering worked humility into him, so well that he was later able to forgive his brothers for all the evil they had shown toward him.

And then there’s Moses. As the young Prince of Egypt, he was ready to swoop in to help his fellow Israelites escape their cruel slave masters by murdering one of them. Again, God didn’t just give him a stern lecture, telling him to change. He provided 40 years as a shepherd on the back side of a desert in order to humble and fashion him into someone who would eventually become a fearless, humble leader.

This is God’s way. He is never in a hurry, but patiently, consistently and gently provides circumstances, bringing us to the end of ourselves and opening our eyes to our need for Him. Every day is a new day, as he is molding us to be more like Him. Just like an artist, he chisels and creates us to be like His gracious personality. And the really cool thing is when just one person starts becoming new, it becomes infectious to others in the vicinity.

Of course, marriage is a major chiseling tool for God to bring changes into our personality.

For a time I felt like Dad’s and my relationship had become battered, worn and dull. But when I invited God to help me love, teach me to respect, and speak the language of peace and forgiveness, He began to make our marriage new. So………even if you feel like your marriage is beat up, full of slivers, and just plain worn out – never fear. God makes all things new, as long as you let Him have His way with you.

As Tim Keller wisely says:

In some mysterious way, troubles and suffering refine us like gold and turn us,

inwardly and spiritually, into something beautiful and great.

Accept with an open hand whatever comes your way, trusting your Heavenly Father who has the love and wisdom to mold you into his likeness.

Love, Mom

Old Songs, New Songs

October 27, 2017 / Shari Baar / 2 Comments

Dear Daughters,

A few weeks ago, our worship leader started out the service by saying

Today we’re going to sing a lot of old favorites.

In my head I’m thinking

Old equals 200 years.

Obviously, she is a millennial because the songs we sang were all around 10 to 20 years old. I chuckled to myself because the definition of old can mean different things to different people.

The songs were wonderful, well-done and worshipful, but I found it interesting that to some, old simply means a few decades. To others, like myself, it means a few centuries.

That afternoon I got thinking about old songs and new songs. I remembered last winter when Grandma was dying and in Hospice care. Hospice provides spiritual support, and we were blessed with a guitar-playing, boisterous singing chaplain.

Chaplain John came to the door on a snowy December day with his guitar in hand. Being a musician myself I was elated that he obviously loved music as well. When he came into the bedroom where Mom lay unconscious, he sat down, opened his guitar case and passed around song sheets, Christmas carols along with old yet well-loved hymns.

For the last several days before Grandma’s death, people had come in to say their good-byes, some singing, talking or praying quietly. A few weeks prior, Grandma herself one day started singing

Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so

Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me.

Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.

I joined in, singing along with her. I think she knew her time was short and was comforted by this simple but profound song.

Awhile back I was teaching piano in Michigan, and I had a twenty-something student starting out as a beginner. She had recently become a Christian and wanted to start learning to play on the piano some songs she had heard in church. She attended a contemporary-song-singing church and loved the songs that were used in worship. One week she came to her lesson so excited about a beautiful new song she just learned last Sunday, Amazing Grace, and wondered if I could find the music for her. (This was before the time of musicnotes.com). She was surprised to hear that Amazing Grace was 250 years old, but it brought her great joy as she learned to play and sing it.

I started thinking about old songs and new songs the other day, and how the old songs seem to be fading away in many churches. Then I wondered: when millennials become senior citizens and begin to die, what songs will their friends and family sing at their bedsides?

Thinking of some of the recent popular Christian songs I wondered how we could sing Oceans, My Lighthouse, Breathe, 10,000 Reasons, Break Every Chain at someone’s bedside, not having a worship band backing us up.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love these songs, I sing, play and listen to them often, but they are rather difficult to sing acapella or as a small group with only a guitar. I am a worship leader and love learning all the new songs, but the older I get the more I wonder if we are robbing our younger friends of those old, timeless hymns of the distant past.

There is something secure, bridging the generations, with the ageless hymns of our history.

I attended worship a few years ago in Chicago. It was a mega-church, wonderful worship band on stage, and an outstanding message on faithfulness and commitment in marriage. The song immediately following the message was Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, a hymn over 200 years old. I was rather surprised at this choice because the rest of the service had been newer songs. When we got to the fourth verse the words

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love

surprised me, not only because it fit so well with the message, but simply because it was a beautiful song. The song begins with the words:

Come thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy praise.

Tune my heart – what a beautiful word picture. We tune guitars, pianos and other instruments all the time with hi-tech tuners, but tuning our hearts? That’s a lot tougher to do because it takes time – thanksgiving, confession, and alone time with God – all those good quiet disciplines that we often neglect.

It’s much easier to tune our hearts to what’s wrong with our husband, what’s wrong with our kids, all the unfairness in the world, or how you have been wronged. I’m continually trying to tune my heart to count my blessings, to give thanks in all things, but it is hard work. The battle of the mind is relentless. Sometimes words come out of my mouth that I didn’t even realize were in my mind. But they were probably in my heart.

I’ll continue to enjoy the new songs, but I hope we don’t abandon the old faithful sung-through-the-centuries songs that are remarkably up to date. Maybe that’s because people struggle with the same emotions, the same sin, the same hearts that need a tune-up every day of our life.

Love, Mom

Your Past ≠ Your Future

December 31, 2014 / Shari Baar / 0 Comments

August 2012

Dear Daughters,

Since I had to quit teaching school six months ago I haven’t written you girls because I have been listless and unable to do much. Thankfully I’m still able to teach piano and take care of the house, but even that’s been a stretch.

In the past year or so I’ve been listening to a lot of Joyce Meyer on CD. A friend gave me her library of Joyce’s CD’s and she has been an excellent teacher and encourager for me in these months that have been so difficult and lonely. She teaches on many different subjects but the one that has influenced me the most has been The Battlefield of the Mind. I recently finished Joyce’s book by that name, so I have decided to use some of it as my focus for the next while.

As you remember from the Old Testament, when the Israelites left Egypt after 400 years of slavery they wandered in the desert for 40 years before entering the promised land of Canaan. What I had never known before is this: If they had just gone straight across the desert it would have taken only eleven days. So…why all the 40 years of wandering? It’s something Joyce calls “Wilderness Mentalities.” I knew that a big reason for their wanderings was their constant grumbling and complaining, but Joyce has studied the travels and attitudes of the Israelites and has come up with “Seven Wilderness Mentalities.” Seven reasons why they continued to wander for 40 years. Surprisingly enough, we still struggle with these very same mentalities thousands of years later. I used to think that I was a bit more advanced in my thinking than those silly Israelites who never seemed to learn, but the more I studied these mentalities the more I realized that I’m really not much different than they were, even though I have their story to learn from.

Wilderness Mentality #1 is “My future is determined by my past and my present.” All the Israelites had ever known was bondage in Egypt. They had no positive vision for their lives. As Proverbs 29:18 says “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” They knew their history as slaves, living under harsh taskmasters, and could not fathom their lives being any different. The same is true for us. We know where we have been in our marriage, the annoyances, the playback of past hurts, dashed dreams of the ideals we had for our marriage. Our adversary often feeds us the lie “Your marriage will always be like this, nothing will ever change, don’t even try.”

Anyway, back to the Israelites who grumbled and deplored their situation, accusing Moses and Aaron for their circumstances. The Israelites got free food falling from the sky every morning, their clothes and shoes never wore out, continuously they saw the cloud above leading them throughout the desert, yet still they complained. They were never thankful for how God miraculously provided, but always critical – nothing was ever good enough, negative words all the time. They simply did not trust that God loved them enough to take care of them. My, how familiar it all sounds.

We need to get a new mindset and believe that with God all things are possible (Luke 18:27). Asking for your marriage to flourish without God is like asking a rose to bloom without sunshine and water. Yes, we all lose heart in our marriage now and then; it’s a battle to keep on loving, keep on forgiving. I remember several times just wanting to walk away, give up, call it quits. But I didn’t. I made another meal, washed another load of clothes, prayed, listened and talked with Dad, asked God for help to love when I could not.

Memories are hard to forget, especially memories of how your husband has offended you, embarrassed you, hurt you. As you all know Dad has offended, embarrassed and hurt me, and of course I have done all those things to him as well (I will spare you the details). But what has happened in your marriage previously is not a prediction of what will happen in the future. It’s not too late and it isn’t too hard because with God all things are possible. He makes all things new if we simply allow Him to help us. You may think that you are both too set in your ways to change and have a good marriage but remember the only one you are responsible to change is yourself. Marriage is not about your happiness, but about you becoming more like Jesus. Then He will do the unexpected, as you trust Him for those quiet miracles.

There’s a song I sing every morning before I get out of bed – out of necessity – because I know I can’t do life on my own.

Lord, I offer my life to you

Everything I’ve been through, use it for your glory,

Lord, I offer my days to you, all of my praise to you

As a pleasing sacrifice, Lord I offer you my life.

What do I have that you have not given?

And what do I have that is not already yours?

You are the one who makes life worth living

And that’s why I come to you Lord.

~ Claire Cloninger

Love,

Mom

Making One Thing New

October 16, 2014 / Shari Baar / 0 Comments

Dear Daughters,

Several decades ago, Aunt Val gave me a cutting board she had made in high school woodshop. She had carefully cut out thin strips of various kinds of wood, glued them together, varnished them and proudly given it to me on my birthday. I have chopped countless vegetables, fruits, nuts, and meats on that faithful board, but there came a time when I started using thin plastic cutting boards for ease of cleaning and storing.

For over ten years now it has faithfully held my favorite green ivy plant, curling and twisting around. About the same time I put the ivy on this plant stand someone gave me a little decorative tile to stick in the dirt. I really didn’t look at the words imprinted on the decorative stick, I just put it in the dirt because I liked the colors. Recently though, I looked at that transformed cutting board and the words on the stick.

“I make all things new.”

Revelation 21:5

I will admit, sometimes I am a very slow learner. It takes years after I learn something intellectually to make it a habit in my life. Looking at the previously battered cutting board now transformed into a new thing along with the scripture in the ivy, I finally realized that this is precisely what’s happening in me and my family. I used to be ungrateful, critical, quick to find fault with people. But through many years and God’s faithful chiseling on my personality I am learning to become grateful for the good gifts He gives me every day. I have learned to encourage and build up instead of criticize and tear down. I search out the good in people instead of focusing on the annoying traits. Of course I still stumble and fall, but I feel like I am continually becoming a new person.

All throughout the Bible, from beginning to end, in story after story, God is making all things new. Look at Joseph, the self-centered, arrogant teenager bragging to his brothers about the dreams he’s dreamed. God didn’t just say, Now you shape up, get humble and quit bragging about those dreams. Instead, God allowed circumstances in his life to humble him. Tough circumstances like sitting in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Suffering worked humility into him, so well that he was able to forgive his brothers for the evil they showed toward him.

And then there’s Moses. As the young Prince of Egypt, he was ready to help his fellow Israelites escape their cruel slave masters by murdering one of them. Again, God didn’t just give him a stern talking to, telling him to change. He provided 40 years as a shepherd on the back side of a desert in order to humble and chisel him into someone who would become a fearless leader.

This is God’s way. He is never in a hurry, but patiently, consistently and gently provides life for us, bringing us to the end of ourselves and opening our eyes to our need for Him. Every day is a new day, as he is molding us to be more like Him. He molds us into His gracious personality. And the really cool thing is when just one person starts submitting, it becomes infectious to others in the vicinity.

Of course, marriage is a major chiseling tool for God to bring changes into our personality. For a time I felt like Dad’s and my relationship had become battered, worn and dull. But when I invited God to help me love, teach me to respect, and speak the language of peace and forgiveness, He began to make our marriage new. So………even if you feel like your marriage is beat up, full of slivers, and just plain worn out – never fear. God makes all things new, as long as you let Him have His way with you.

Accept with an open hand whatever comes your way, trusting your Heavenly Father to have the love and wisdom to mold you into his likeness.

Love, Mom

Tag: New

One Thing New

Old Songs, New Songs

Your Past ≠ Your Future

Making One Thing New

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