Shut down, Reboot, and Upgrade

I attended Total Deliverance Worship Center Sunday and the Pastor Dr. William Benson shared a conversation he has with the Lord when his ipad went down. He shared with us how when something electronic shuts down, in order to restart it you must reboot it. He further shared that there are also times when reboot will only work if you upload the upgrades. He stated at that moment he said to God, “Lord sometimes we shut down because of life issues and need to reboot to be recharged and then instead coming back the way we were when we shut down we need an upgrade so we can be better and more equipped than last time.”

The moment he spoke the word I knew that he had spoken a sound word. Let me expound on that if I may. Sometimes we are so caught up in self. Sometimes we are so lost in our own lives and distraught over our own issues or worse we are so full of ourselves and have forgotten about God that sometimes He has to shut us down to get our attention and because we are so far from Him we are clueless as to what just happened.

In our cluelessness we try to fix whatever has just happened in our own strength and it doesn’t work and the situation gets worse. Then finally when we can’t fix our situation ourselves we run to the church (the building where Christians gather) – notice I didn’t say to God. Because if we had run to God we would realize that we could get to Him right where we are at that very moment. You see there is a part of us that is trying to reconnect to the source, we just simply forgot how to so for good measure we ensure we get to Sunday or mid-week service, all tore up busted and disgusted. Then the gracious God that we serve uses that moment to deposit a word into your spirit reminding you that He is the answer to all your issues and furthermore He reminds you that you are to remain connected to Him regardless of the occasion, meaning whether good or bad He is to be your first place of acknowledgment. You can think you’ve arrived and leave God out and God will definitely shut you down in order to get your attention.

Now that He has your attention and you have asked His forgiveness for neglecting Him He is ready to reboot you – recharge you. He is ready to provide you with resources, opportunities, peace and provisions. This rebooting stage is an awesome time to reassess yourself in the Lord.

• A time to reflect on God’s role in your life.

• A time to reflect on how much time you spend with Him.

• A time to reflect on your prayer life – that phenomenal time where you and He converse.

• A time to reflect on your praise and worship time with Him.

• A time to reflect on the light that you are emitting to the world. A time to reflect on the flavor – the salt – that you are depositing in the lives of those you encounter. Meaning are you speaking life into those you encounter of death? Are you truly an individual who is accurately representing the image of Christ?

Then comes the upgrade stage. Once you’ve reassessed your connection to God you honestly assess areas that you can and need to improve upon and you seek God for the upgrades.

Upgrades include:

• a better prayer life

• a better praise and worship life

• a better committed time in His word

• a better internal commitment to living your life according to His word.

• A commitment that you will no longer be a hearer of the word only but also a doer.

So having decided to use today’s verbiage I am in awe as to what a phenomenal picture of just how we can use this terminology and apply it to our lives and embrace God in the process.

As I began I close – it’s time for all of us to shut down, upgrade and reboot and let God do what He do!!

When the holiday's hurt

Life changes forever when a loved one dies. But holidays continue to come. While it is supposed to be a time of giving thanks there are many people who are in a place where they may find it difficult to find a reason to give thanks. If you’re asking, "How can we celebrate in the midst of this pain?" know that it’s not only possible, it’s necessary. 

Learn from a woman who shared this story with me: My teenage daughter died in 1993, and my husband lost his battle with cancer in November 2000. But I have four sons who still need to experience the joy celebration brings. Together we have learned to grieve, while at the same time grasping onto the hope God gives.

The following can help if you’re experiencing hurt during the holidays:

1. Give yourself permission to grieve. The holiday season, Thanksgiving until the New Year, with its emphasis on celebration and family, intensifies emotions of every kind. A significant factor in moving on is allowing yourself freedom to express emotions. Children especially should be encouraged to acknowledge hurt.

Examples: A woman named Tammy Pitre’s lost both her preschool son and husband within the past five years. She found strength in giving herself permission to grieve [and] not trying to do what everyone expected her to do. She did only what she felt she was capable of doing."

Meg Woodson understood. She lost two children to cystic fibrosis. In her book, Making It Through the Toughest Days of Grief (Zondervan), she writes, "You’ll begin to reconcile yourself to your loss … when you begin to feel your sadness."

2. Embrace your memories. You can give voice to loss and pain in many ways. A woman named Stephanie Harris lost her sister, Amber, who was in her early 20s. Stephanie expressed her grief by journaling. "I have written in my journal a lot, not just general journaling, but letters to Amber.” On her birthday and Christmas especially, she has written her letters telling her what everyone is doing."

A man named Chip Bryant remembers his father by going to the grave site, looking at old photos, and speaking of him during holidays. "I don’t exclude his memory; I embrace it," he explains.

3. Reach out. Grieving alone is not God’s plan for the body of Christ. We are to "weep with those who weep" and allow others to extend support to us (Romans 12:15). We should be sensitive to the fact that holidays are hard for those who have lost someone dear to them, especially to those spending their first Thanksgiving [or] Christmas … without their loved one.

4. Continue established traditions. One of the greatest struggles of celebrating in the midst of grief is facing change. The empty chair and Christmas stocking or attending a party alone may bring reminders of loss. You can often find comfort in continuing family traditions.

5. Create new traditions. Many families find comfort and purpose in establishing new traditions in honor of their loved one. One woman found this option very valuable after the loss of her husband her and her sons began asking God to show us opportunities to extend secret kindnesses in memory of their loved one. They share these at Christmas as their gift to him. Another family has found it comforting to contribute to international

mission trips as a way to make new memories.  Serving can also be a way to move forward and find new joy. Reaching out to others who are in pain can help give worth to your pain.

6. Pray for yourself and others. Cry to God for strength, comfort, and direction during the holidays. And take time to worship and thank Him that His Son "became flesh and took up residence among us" (John 1:14). Then pray for others. From the perspective of our pain, we can identify with the pain of others. Intercessory prayer can be the catalyst for our own healing.

7. Hold onto God’s promises. Our Heavenly Father is the God of all comfort. His Word is our anchor in the darkness of loss, loneliness, and pain. As believers, we can model our hope even while acknowledging our grief (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Read Scripture and hold fast to God’s promises.  The God who gave The Gift on that first Christmas promises “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4, NIV) and the celebration will never stop (my paraphrase).

That’s the promise to cling to when the holidays hurt.