Heart Journey

You Are Adequate!!!

2012-02-17T15:22:00.000-06:00

I cannot begin to count or chronicle the times in my life when I have felt inadequate. Overall, I am a confident person - I think. However, when I look back at various stages and experiences in my life, I remember that nagging feeling of inadequacy. Not being good enough. Not being smart enough. Not being pretty enough. Then, as I got older, thoughts turned to: I can't be a good mother; I am not smart enough to be a teacher; I'm not...I can't...

You get the idea - because you've probably been right there with me in some of those vulnerable times.

Spiritually speaking, our enemy is smart - he knows right where to pounce to make me feel like I can't do something, or that I am a failure, or that I am not good enough. So think with me for a minute about this issue of adequacy and let's see what God's Word says.

Okay, do NOT quit reading after my first statement or you will leave feeling beat up.

1) You may be inadequate in some areas! I am inadequate in some - we all are. If we weren't, why would we need a Savior? But I can promise you this, based on scripture, that whatever He calls you to do or wherever He calls you to go, you will be adequate because He is more than enough!

Remember Moses? His feelings of inadequacy and inferiority are described in Exodus 3 and 4. God called Moses to return to Egypt to bring God's people out of slavery and into the Promised Land - a pretty scary and daunting task.

But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" Ex. 3:11
Then Moses said, "What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say?" Ex. 4:1
Then Moses said to the Lord, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in times past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." Ex. 4:10

God continually reassured Moses that He would go with him, and He showed him evidence of His mighty power. But Moses continued to wiggle and doubt until Ex. 4:14 says, "Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses..."

It's not like Moses didn't know the power and awesomeness of God. He had just met Him at the burning bush for pete's sake! As the story continued, Moses did go to Pharaoh, but he took along his brother Aaron to do the talking. God did use Moses, but I wonder what blessings he missed because he was not totally submissive to God.

But, friend, we are so like Moses, listening to the enemy whisper those lines of inadequacy and insecurity in our ears.

2) You are adequate - if Jesus is your Lord and Savior - for whatever He calls you to do and wherever He calls you to go. I am adequate! WOW! If He has called you to further your education, you are adequate; if He has called you to be a parent, you are adequate; if He has called you to a particular job or profession, you are adequate; if He has called you to minister to your neighbor, you are adequate.

Here's what I've learned (not that I am perfect at living it out!): I am adequate because He is more than adequate, more than enough! My adequacy is in Him.

Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God who also made us adequate... 2 Cor. 3:4-6
But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption... 1 Cor. 1:30

We are told in 2 Tim. 1:9 that He has saved us and called us with a holy calling - not because of anything we have done or can do, but because He has a purpose for us and gives us the grace to fulfill that purpose through Jesus Christ.

You see, He's not going to give us a job to do and not equip us to do it; He's not going to put us somewhere and not give us what we need to live there. That's not His character - not who He is.

So, friend, we all have times when we don't feel adequate for the task before us. But that's just what it is - a feeling. The facts rest in Jesus, and because He is my Savior, He is all the adequacy I need.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

The Anatomy of the Heart

2012-01-26T15:31:00.000-06:00

A few years ago, I experienced some weird dizziness and vision episodes. I quickly got in to see my Ophthalmologist because a good friend of mine had experienced a detached retina, which made me hyper-sensitive when a vision problem arose. Upon examination, the doctor proclaimed my eyes to be fine but did order an echocardiogram of my heart just to make sure there were no clots or blockage that might have caused the episode.

Later, as I watched the technician perform an ultrasound of my heart and the surrounding valves and arteries, I was fascinated by the anatomy and workings of the heart! I could see in the images on the screen, the blood pumping through the valves by the contracting of the heart muscle. It was one of those moments when I was totally awe-struck by the power, intelligence, and creativity of our Creator! (By-the-way, my test was fine, and my symptoms ended up being associated with migraine headaches.)

Just as wondrous as the physical heart, is the other "heart" we all have, the spiritual heart. Everyone has a spiritual heart even if they are not "religious," for we are all made in His image - and He is a spiritual being. This is the metaphorical heart that we think of as the seat of our emotions, thoughts, and our soul. This one will not show up on some fancy medical test, but it's health is paramount to our well-being and, more importantly, to our eternity.

Who or what has captured your heart? That question has only two possible answers - the world or the Lord. It's that simple! Obviously, when faced with those two choices, most of us would want to answer, "The Lord!" Indeed, that is His desire.

For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. 2 Chron. 16:9 (NAS)

That verse contains a great truth that should bolster us and give us hope. If our hearts are completely His, He will strongly support us! He will undergird us; He will be our stronghold in times of trials and stress; He will be our rock. Who doesn't need that kind of support?

And just like the physical heart that is continually pumping life-giving blood throughout the body, the spiritual heart is continually circulating the very essence of who we are as individuals to ourselves and to those around us.

So, whoever or whatever has captured your heart is what is being circulated. Ouch! I just stepped on my toes! Oh, we can disguise what our heart looks like, talks like - even smells like - for a time. But eventually, our true self seeps out. And eventhough we can camoflague what's really going on in our heart for a while, God knows.

As for you...know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. 1 Chron. 28:9 (NAS)

Scripture tells us in several places what the heart looks like if it is living for the world or if it is living for God. It's good to do a self-examination of your heart - first, to see who it belongs to, and then a re-examination ever so often because the world will slowly creep into your heart like plaque, and before you know it, you are not living like your hearts belong to Him.

Use these passages to perform a spiritual sonogram of your heart:

But the words you speak come from the heart - that's what defiles you. From the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander... Matt. 15:18-19 (NLT)
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing.... Gal. 5:19-21 (NAS)
Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowances for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts...always be thankful... Col. 3:12-15 (NLT)

So when the technician reads your test to see what and how things are circulating, what will the results be? Will she see your heart filled with the corosion of the world? Or will she see clear arteries stamped with God's approval?

That is a question that each one needs to ask ourself as we reflect on the anatomy of our own heart. Hopefully, we will see the attributes of God flowing steadily through us and out into the world around us. If not, we need futher treatment.

When Life Looks Bleak

2012-01-25T13:19:00.000-06:00

I'm embarking on a study of Paul and his heart for God. As I was studying, I read through his and Silas' experience of being jailed for speaking about Jesus in Philippi. This is a post from last February about that experience.

How does life look to you right now? Is everything going your way and all is right with the world? Or are you at one of those junctions in life where things are not progressing the way you had hoped and dreamed? It is so much easier to smile and praise the Lord during our happy times than in our down times. Sometimes, we may even begin to wonder where God is and if He has abandoned us. No doubt, the most difficult step in our walk of faith is to trust Him when life is a bummer. It brings out the age-old question, "Why does a 'good' God let such bad things happen to good and or innocent people?"

That was the question discussed on the air-waves for weeks after the attacks of 9/11, and again, after the Tsunami hit Indonesia, and again, after the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Why would God allow such destruction? Obviously, I am not a scholar or a theologian (not a surprise if you've been reading my blog), but I can share what I've learned through personal experience and time with the Lord.

To begin with, I had to accept the fact that God is God - omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and I am NOT. Therefore, I will never fully understand the mind of God and His ways until I am fully in His presence on the other side of this life. That usually doesn't set too well with the human mind that is inquisitive and strives for reason. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 - Our walk with Christ is a walk of faith. That has to be nailed down in order to move forward in that relationship.

With that said, God DOES allow bad things to happen to good people. However, His Word assures us that "Everything will work together for good, to them who love the Lord and who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 - We saw that with the stoning death of Stephen in the book of Acts. That horrible death was the pivotal event that caused the newly-birthed Church to be ravaged by the likes of legalistic Jews like Saul. That persecution caused the Christians to scatter in all directions away from Jerusalem. It was the beginning of the fulfillment of the Great Commission - taking the gospel to "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth." God used the murder of Stephen to spread the Good News to the rest of the earth - that was the "good" that came from his death.

God will use everything to work His purpose in this world. When life throws us a curve, we need to seek His will and purpose and not give in to the human nature of anger, bitterness, hatred, or even the desire for revenge. I know upfront that I won't be able to accomplish that on my own. My nature is so "human!" I must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit - God's power in me - to look for His purpose and His desired reaction. Sometimes, He wants us to do something immediately. He told the Jerusalem Christians to go - to leave Jerusalem for safety reasons, but, ultimately, to spread the Gospel.

Later in Acts, He told Paul and Silas to stay - in their prison cell - to spread the Gospel. Paul and Silas found themselves in the city of Philippi on their second missionary journey (Acts 16:12-40). Philippi was in a Roman colony on the continent of Europe, and they continued to spread the Gospel westward. While there, they stirred up a commotion among the citizens when Paul cast out an evil spirit from a girl who had been following them and yelling at them for several days. The problem was with this slave girl's master. Once the evil spirit was gone, she could no longer make him money with her fortune-telling. Paul and Silas were eventually brought before the magistrate, who had them beaten, shackled, and thrown into prison. Their relationship with the Lord allowed them to be joyful - even in the midst of a deadly situation. By midnight, they were praying and singing hymns of praise - and the other prisoners were listening to them while the jailer had fallen asleep.

How could they be so full of joy after and during such an event? They were beaten with clubs and then their feet fastened into stocks. I can't really imagine how difficult it would be to endure such an attack. All through the book of Acts, we've seen how important prayer had become to those early believers. And in this dire situation, Paul and Silas once again turned to prayer. That is how their human nature of bitterness and desire for revenge did not overtake them. Their spiritual nature of peace and joy in whatever circumstances they found themselves in did take over. So much so, that they started singing - right there in the prison cell! The heavens reacted to their praise with a huge earthquake that shook the very foundation of the prison house - even causing the cell doors to open and their shackles to unfasten!

Here is where they had to really listen to the Holy Spirit and not their own. My spirit would have looked at those open doors and loose shackles, and said, "Run for your life!" But when the jailer did go in, ready to kill himself for letting the prisoners escape, there they were - all of the prisoners - not just Paul and Silas! Don't you know the jailer looked at those guys with astonishment? In fact, verse 29 says with trembling and fear he fell down before Paul and Silas and asked what he had to do to be saved! They told him, he responded, and he met Jesus! As far as we know, he was the first Roman soldier on European soil to become a believer and follower of Christ!

God used the difficult situation with Stephen. The Spirit told those Jerusalem Christians to go, which they did, and the gospel was spread throughout the region. God used the difficult situation with Paul and Silas. The Spirit told them to stay, which they did, and the gospel was spread to Europe. No situation we may find ourselves in is for naught in God's purposes. He will take whatever comes our way - good or not - and use it for His good - IF we allow Him access to our hearts.

If it hasn't happened to you yet, it will. Life will throw you a curve - probably several. You, all of us, will endure some type of suffering in this life. How will we react? Whenever I suffer, whether it's a little or a lot, I don't want it to be wasted suffering! I want to be spiritually able to release it to Him and let it be used for His purposes. I want to hear Him say, "Stay," or "Go". I want those times to be markers on my walk of faith that represent something good that He has done. What about you?

A Christmas to Remember...

2011-12-21T21:35:00.000-06:00

Shared by guest blogger, Garry Eoff -

December 10, 2011

Jeremiah 1:5 reminds us just when we think we know everything, God knew well in advance what was and is to come. Patricia Palacco reminds her readers in the great children's book, The Christmas Tapestry, that some believe that events occur just by happenstance. She goes on to tell the story of a husband and wife who were separated in Germany and come face-to-face through a series of events many years later in Detroit, proving that God does have a plan. Tonight, I was reminded that God can take my stupidity...choices I made long ago and turn it into a moment I will treasure the rest of my life.

Years ago after having already spent several years designing the windows for a local gift store, I decided to personally take my skills from the workplace into my home. Why shouldn't I? For many years, our family had hung Christmas ornaments collected since the girls were babies on various trees that made their way into our home. The ornaments were the typical pieces....a pink satin ornament someone gave us the year Lacie was born in 1982, a cube construction paper ornament with Carlie's third grade picture glued to the side, and many more ornaments including Hallmark's Woody and Buzz Lightyear's introduction to the big screen. While memorable, the pieces did not reflect the work I did. If I created trees for hundreds of people to see, my work should also be on display at home. With that belief system, all the ornaments were packed away and quickly replaced with a red and gold tree. I rationalized my decision by buying duplicates of each ornament I placed on the tree. With two daughters, why not make it easy for them 30+ years from now by letting them split the collection of ornaments since most of the pieces have a twin. At the same time, I would have a tree that matched what I thought our home needed.

I don't know what drove me to rethink my actions. It is probably because God knew that I needed a reminder to stop what I was doing to reevaluate the direction my life was going. With that in mind, I came to the decision that in my hasty decision to lead by example, I had taken away something from my daughters and wife. That realization confirmed my new belief system....that I had been very selfish. Maybe I might be a little wiser than I was the year I decided to make the big design change. Regardless, December 2011 was the year to drag out the family ornaments so that we could have our family tree back where it rightfully should have been standing for all of these years instead of being hidden away in the blue, storage tubs.

With a new mission before me, I was inspired to take the old ornaments, add a few glass ornaments in a rainbow of color and begin breathing life back into the family tree. Now I was ready.

Tonight, I returned home from work knowing that I needed to decorate the tree with pieces from the past. Upon entering the house, it wasn't long before Benson, my five year old grandson, daughter and son-in-law walked over from their house across the street to have dinner. After eating, I received help with the tree from Lacie and Benson. While each ornament was pulled out of the box, a story unfolded for Benson.....numerous ornaments were given to us by a dear, elderly friend who was like a grandparent to the girls, a Hallmark ornaments featuring baseball players because Lacie played softball, the bunny rabbit ornament for Carlie since she showed rabbits in Youth Fair. And then Hallmark's Cruella de Ville surfaced. Immediately, Benson explained that she COULD NOT go on the tree. When I questioned why, he said, “Because she is a bad person.” While he wasn't watching, Lacie quietly hid her in the back of the tree.

And then there was the ornament that I had made in the 70's while in my pottery class at Howard Payne. On the ornament, I had carved out NOEL. After the ornament was hung, Benson reported that whoever made the ornament did not write the letters correctly because the O and E were not to be capitalized. He then went on to explain which letters of the alphabet were vowels and that two of the letters in that word were also vowels.

Due to his height impairment as a five year old, he asked for me to lift him up so that ornaments could be placed up higher on the tree. As I sat him on my shoulders, he was tentative as he leaned over and hooked the ornament on the top branches. While he sat on my shoulders, I reveled in the awesomeness of the moment....my grandson on my shoulders....a moment in time to remember for a lifetime.

The tree was finished, and Benson left to go home. What he left behind though was a treasure that can never be replaced. If it took years of the family ornaments being stashed in a box for this evening to be created, it was worth it all. The beauty of looking into the innocent brown eyes as he expressed wonder about each ornament, his defiant attitude about Cruella being banished from the tree, and then the lone tree filled with 30+ years of memories....what a glorious evening it was, and what a beautiful tree I have standing in the front window. God knew that I needed this night to remember the importance of the little things in life.

As for Cruella? Two days later, Benson found that Cruella was enjoying the festive features of the tree and decided to remove her from her designated place in the tree. Each day she lays on the windowsill exactly where Benson left her. Ok, maybe this tree wasn't made for everyone.

The Death Grip of Fear

2011-10-02T13:44:00.003-05:00

California hker holding on to the face of a cliff.

You may have seen in the news over the last couple of weeks the remarkable rescue of a young lady who was holding on to the side of a cliff for dear life - not figuratively, but literally. She and her companion had gone hiking in a mountainous state park in California and decided to hike down a cliff. However, when they had gotten several yards down, they realized the cliff was not made for hiking! They were looking at a 500 foot drop straight down and decided the only way out of this very dangerous situation was to go back up the way they came.

Her companion went first and got back to the top of the cliff, but the 24 year old woman was frozen solid to the wall of the cliff - in fear! She had only a make-shift tether tied to her friend, so she was literally holding on to the cliff for her life. Two hours later when a helicopter let a rescue paramedic down to her and he had wrapped a safety harness around her waste, she would not or could not let go of the cliff. The paramedic said he had to pry her hands away from the crag she was holding on to with what he called a "death grip." Oh WOW! It all ended good as she and her friend were rescued and suffered only minor injuries.

That young lady was so full of fear that she was actually crippled to the point of not being able to help herself when the rescuer came. She was so afraid that she was not able to let go, even knowing the rescuer had hold of her.

As I was watching the video of that rescue on TV and then thinking about it later, I realized that it is a perfect illustration of how believers and receivers of Jesus Christ sometimes let fear cripple their faith!

Fear can cripple faith in so many ways - from being afraid to share Jesus with someone, to being afraid that He might not answer prayers or heal a seriously ill loved one or heal a marriage that looks like it cannot be saved or heal the hurt from abuse, and the list can go on and on. Fear is dangerous!

Fear is crippling because it changes one's focus. Coaches and motivational speakers are notorious for statements like, "Keep your eye on the prize..." And that's not a bad motivational tool. If we don't see the goal we are reaching for and keep it in our crosshairs, then we are more likely than not going to miss the goal or at least take longer to achieve it. The same is true in our spiritual walk. To allow the Lord to fulfill his purposes for us, we must stay focused on Him. It's when we take our eyes off of Jesus, that fear can cripple us. I'm so thankful for Peter because he gave us so many examples of what our humanness apart from God can do. Remember when he wanted to walk on water like Jesus?

Matt. 14:22-33 is an account of that story. After feeding the 5,000, Jesus had the disciples go on ahead of Him to the other side of the sea. While He went up on the mountain to have some alone time with the Father, the guys were in the middle of the sea when a great wind stirred the waves. The account in Mark 6 says Jesus saw them straining at the oars. They were in physical danger of being swamped by the waves. Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. They thought Him a ghost and cried out in fear. But when He spoke to them, they realized Who it was.

Peter said to Him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately, Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him... (vv.28-31)

As long as Peter's eyes were fixed on Jesus, he was fine - in fact, more than fine - he was walking on the water toward Jesus! But when he let himself get distracted by the wind - his gaze drifted away from Jesus - he began to sink. Fear took over and crippled his faith! And Jesus was within arms' reach! Just like the paramedic trying to resuce the hiker. He was right there with a harness around her waist, but she couldn't let go of the cliff. She - and Peter - were paralyzed by their fear.

Fear is also crippling because it feeds our doubt. Since our faith rests in a God whom we cannot physically see or touch, doubt is a powerful weapon Satan uses to diminish our faith. A believer who doubts God's truths and faithfulness is not likely to speak out for Him or to stand strong when troubles come. Many times when fear is feeding a believer's doubt, she will take matters into her own hands. The outcome is usually not a good one!

Genesis 15-21 gives the account of Abraham and Sarah and the birth of their son, Isaac. God had chosen Abraham to be the "father of many nations." He had promised him a son through whom He would fulfill that promise. After many years, Sarah had born no children - she was barren. They began to doubt God's promise, and just as many believers do, they took matters into their own hands. Sarah suggested that Abraham bare a child by her maid servant, Hagar. Since God had not given Sarah a child, this must be the way He intended it to happen. Back in that day, children born to the maid servants were considered children of the master. So the son born to Hagar by Abraham could be the son God had promised. That son was named Ishmael. He was not the son God purposed to fulfill His promise through. Much dysfunction and discord was instigated because of Abraham and Sarah's doubt.
God reminded Abraham about His promise and specifically told him that the mother would be Sarah and they would name the child Isaac. He even sent an angel to reveal the same to Sarah. - And she laughed. Her doubt continued because of her age. She forgot that the One dealing with them was the One who spoke the earth into existence! Even Abraham doubted and reminded God that he was a hundred years old and Sarah was ninety. However, a year from that day, Sarah gave birth to a son whom they named Isaac.
When God didn't work on their time-table, Abraham and Sarah began to doubt what they knew about God and what they had heard from God. That fear led them to take matters into their own hands and "help" God out. They were afraid God had left them, or they were afraid that they heard the wrong thing, or they were afraid that time was running out on them and God.
Their doubt led to the birth of two sons who were in conflict with each other from the beginning and the creation of two nations of people who continue to be in conflict with each other to this day. However, even in the midst of their doubt and disobedience, God was faithful, He never left them, and He fufilled His promise to Abraham. But the whole world lives with the consequences of their doubt.

Fear is one of the most powerful emotions that a person will ever encounter. And just like what happened with that hiker, fear can overtake every other emotion and rational thought. When we allow fear to change our focus and give rise to doubt, it becomes crippling. Spiritually, fear will cripple our faith. So, for that NOT to happen, we must keep our eyes focused on Jesus and let Him work in our lives in His time, trusting that He will do what He says He will do.

And we must remember that whenever we find ourselves hanging on to a cliff with a death grip, He is right there with us, urging us to reach out to Him for our rescue. He is our safety harness, and He will never let go.

Do not fear for I am with you; Do not look anxiously about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Is. 41:10

Called to Be Different.....Part 3 - Final

2011-09-23T15:15:00.001-05:00

For the past couple of posts, we have been exploring the principle that believers in the Lord Jesus are to be different than the world. (See Part 1 and Part 2) The Bible's definition of different is holy. Every follower of Christ is called to be holy.

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time - to show us His grace through Jesus Christ. 2 Tim. 1:9 NLT

We also established that holy does not mean perfect - only Christ was capable of perfection when He walked this earth as a man. But we are to be imitators of Him. (Eph. 5:1)

Being holy begins in the mind by allowing the Holy Spirit to filter our thoughts and attitudes. Our goal should be to first think like Jesus....

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 NAS

Jesus's thought patterns were framed by the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23) The ATTITUDES OF CHRIST!

Once those ATTITUDES take root in our hearts, the ACTIONS OF CHRIST will follow.

What do those ACTIONS look like? Well, we saw the ATTITUDES lived out through Jesus in ACTS of kindness, mercy, and compassion. However, sometimes it is easier to understand a concept by acknowlegding what it is NOT.

It is obvious what kind of life develops [when not allowing the Spirit to conform you]:
repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal and divided temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; and vicious habits of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. Gal. 5: 19-21 The Message
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these... Gal. 5:19-23 NAS

Both of those translations tell us plainly what followers of Christ should NOT act like. Reading over that list is like reading today's newspaper - it IS the world!

Now, let's be clear - to live without any of those actions - ever - is to live a perfect life. We can't achieve that, so there will be times when some of those actions will creep up on us. When they do, we need to recognize from whence they come and repent. But overall, none of those actions should be prevelant, or, in other words, a habit, in the life of a Christ follower.

Because....if we ARE walking with Jesus, our minds are being transformed - an on-going process

until we are finally perfected in heaven.

The more our lives are transformed into the image of Christ, the more different our normal becomes. And that's okay! Our normal should be different from the world's normal in both ATTITUDES and ACTIONS.

If you lived on the world's terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God's terms and no longer on the world's terms, the world is going
to hate you.
John 15:19 The Message

If you are a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, there is a call on your life - a call to holiness.

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior...1 Peter 1:14-15 NAS

As I think about being different from the world, I have to be honest and say that I don't always want

to be different, and it's not always easy to be different. But I do have this promise from God's Word:

...I couldn't be more sure of my ground - the One I've trusted in, can take care of what He's trusted me to do right to the end. 2 Tim. 1:12 The Message

Are you hesitant to be different from the world around you, or are you willing to allow God's Spirit to live out His holiness through you?

Called to Be Different...Part 2

2011-09-16T11:42:00.002-05:00

In part one of this series, we explored what it may feel like to be different from those around us. We also discussed the idea that normal is relative - everyone's normal is a bit different - thank goodness! As believers in Christ, our normal should not look like, sound like, act like, or think like the secular world in which we live.

2 Cor. 5:17 - This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! NLT That's where the idea of "born again" comes from.

So what is this new life supposed to look like? We find the answer to that question - probably hundreds of times - in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Be holy for I am holy. Lev. 11:44, 19:2
You are holy to the Lord. Ezra 8:28
...but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:15-16

Now, let's get one thing on the table and understand it. Holy does not mean perfect! We usually think of those two words as one in the same, but that's not biblical. Jesus Christ, who is God in the flesh, is the only person who was and can ever be perfect - because He is God! We are called to imitate Christ, not BE Christ!

Therefore, be imitators of Christ... Eph. 5:1

To imitate Him means to take on the attitudes, actions, and thoughts of holiness. The word holy is defined as being different or set apart. Thinking about the earthly life of Jesus, there is no question that He fits that definition. He was definitely different; His was a different kind of normal.

To understand how we are to adapt to that kind of normal, we must make some observations about His life and how it was different from those He walked among. To understand God's character and Jesus' attitudes and actions, we only have to look to the fruit of the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control... Gal. 5:22-23

Fruit is the by-product of life, which re-generates life, and the cycle continues. Spiritual fruit, then, is the by-product of life with the Spirit - God's Spirit. This is fruit that we normally would not produce of ourselves.

For example, there are some people that are hard for me to love - if not impossible. If left to myself, I would not love them, but choose to ignore or even forget about them. But the Spirit's love doesn't work that way. When Jesus passed by a blind begger, He felt love and compassion for him. This was a person who, in that society, was shunned and left to fen for himself, so he would sit, probably in the same place everyday, and beg. Most people would walk out-of-their way to NOT come close to this man. But Jesus walked right up to this blind man, spread some mud on his eyes, and healed him! (John 9:1-11)

We saw Jesus approach the unapproachable again when he visited with the adulterous woman at the well in John 8. Another person who society shunned because of her lifestyle, but Jesus treated her with kindness and gentleness as He shared His forgiving news with her.

And who can doubt the presence of the Holy Spirit's peace during His trial and crucifixtion? He was totally at peace as false accusations were shouted at Him and as He was beaten and flogged with the cat-of-nine tails. He was totally at peace as He gave up His life on the cross. (John 19)

Therefore, part of being different in this world means we are to live in the fruit of the Spirit as Jesus did. If we can experience the kind of peace that the human mind cannot comprehend (Phil 4:7) in the midst of stress and tragedy, we are learning to live like Jesus. When we can allow joy to trump our sorrow, we are learning to live like Jesus. As we love the unlovable and approach unapproachable with kindness and gentleness, we are learning to live like Jesus.

As we learn to live like Jesus, we are becoming holy - set apart, different from the secular world. What is normal for someone learning to live like Jesus will look, think, and act differently from the world.

...God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given us through Christ Jesus. 2 Tim. 1:9

Answering that holy call will mean a new and different normal for us. Are you willing to be different?

Called to Be Different...Part 1

2011-09-10T21:25:00.000-05:00

Some personalities are very comfortable standing out in a crowd. I think about being in a large mall several years ago and walking past a gal with short, spiky hair who had fluorescent pink highlights. I could barely keep my eyes from trailing her all the while I was thinking, "Doesn't she realize how ridiculous she looks?"

Obviously, that girl did not mind being different from the hundreds of people shopping that day. She may have even loved being the center of attention.

That is not my personality. I don't always enjoy being different than most people around me, and I know a thing or two about that. Growing up as a polio survivor who needed braces and crutches to get around, set me apart from everyone around me. So I have felt the sting of being different, of being whispered about, and even being shunned. However, I decided early on that I would embrace being different and not let it be a huge hang-up for me. So, I framed answers for those inevitable questions that were asked - mostly by children who had the courage to let their curiosity speak up. And I grew tougher skin for the times when people - mostly adults - didn't quite know how to act around me.

For fifty-odd years, I have been different and, yet, have lived a normal life in this crazy world of ours. I learned what my boundaries were - what I could do and not do, and adjusted to them. All of us have experienced that isolating feeling of being different in some way at one time or another. For you, it may not have been as dramatic as my personal example, but you know that feeling. Perhaps your skin color was different than most people around you, or you were one of the only ones in your class whose Mom and Dad didn't live together, or you were overweight and made fun of, or you enjoyed playing with trucks and guns while the other girls played with Barbi and Ken (that's me again!), or you were not athletic like the other boys.This list could on and on, but the point is that everyone has faced times when they did not feel normal. In fact, when we stop and think about it, normal is relative, and most of us have adjusted to our normal.

Why, then, is it so difficult for us to embrace a new normal when it comes to our spiritual life? Some will argue that being a believer in Christ doesn't mean that we should be different than the world around us. They will say that Christians should not be seen as separate or activists for their beliefs because that would be offensive - and if we offend the world, how will we ever win the world for Jesus?

To those believers who shy away from standing out because of their faith, I want you to be encouraged and to gain strength from His Word.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we are different - This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Cor. 5:17 NLT This new life is on the inside, regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We are not reformed, rehabilitated, or re-educated - we are re-created and living in unison with the Spirit.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we called to be different - So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord...God saved us and called us to live a holy life... 2 Tim. 1:8-9 NLT The new life He has saved us to is a holy one - one that is set apart to be different from the world.

As people, we are unable to live a holy life, but as believers in Jesus Christ, we are empowered - I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength. Phil. 4:13 NAS Through His power we can grow into the spiritual men and women that He has purposed us to be.

Over the next two or three posts, we will be delving deeper into what holiness means and how holiness should set a believer in Christ apart from the rest of the world. My prayer is for us to grow in knowledge of and in desire to become more Chirst-like in our attitudes and behaviors.

That should set us on a path to a new normal - one that will cause children and adults alike to stop us and ask, "What happened to you?"

Oh, to be different - for Jesus....

Just Call Me Martha....

2011-08-23T20:38:00.000-05:00

I don't always like it when God sends me a wake-up call. It usually becomes a time of introspection that ends with me saying, "Oh Father, I've messed up again! Please forgive me and help me get back to the center of Your will."

Well, that call came in last week. Actually, it had been ringing for several weeks, but I kept sending back a busy single. You see, I finished a ladies' Bible study in mid-July on various remarkable women of the Bible. That last week, we studied Mary and Martha, sisters of Jesus' close friend Lazarus. I prepared and facilitated that lesson a month ago, but it has been on my mind ever since. I kept thinking I would write a post about it, but I never "got around" to it. Then that call came last week.

I was very busy last week - busy doing several "good" things. As part of our Women's Ministry Team, I was the lead planner for a leadership training event scheduled for the end of that week. Our fall kick-off is also coming up, and I'm trying to finish lining up all of our fall Bible studies and get materials ordered and rooms booked.We are also in the early stages of preparing to host a giant women's conference in the winter. I've also been keeping one of my grandsons a couple of days a week.

All of those are good things to be doing. All of those are things that needed to be done. But when I answered that call, I had to admit my likeness to Martha.

In fact, I actually wrote the first part of this post several days ago! And then got "busy" again...with those "good" things. He continued to ring my number!

Here's what I know. Martha and her sister Mary were close friends with Jesus. We know that He stopped by their home in Bethany several times during His ministry. We also know that Jesus was very close to their brother Lazarus. So Jesus knew this family intimately. We also know that the sisters were complete opposites - Mary being quiet and contemplative, and Martha a stero-typical Type A personality always tending to the details of a situation.

Let's review an account in the Scripture that gives us insight into their personalities and their relationships with Jesus.

In Luke 10:38-42, we see the account of Jesus stopping by their home on one of His travels through the countryside. Martha welcomed Him into their home and began preparations for a nice meal. She was busy in the kitchen, wanting everything to be just perfect, while Mary sat down in the living room right at Jesus' feet, listening to all He had to say.

Now, put yourself in Martha's shoes. That'll be easy for all of you Type A folks. If you are not a Type A, try to think like one for a few moments! Jesus, whom she loved and respected and in whom she was looking for the long awaited Messiah, was visiting in HER home! She wanted Him to feel comfortable and be well-taken care of according to their societal customs. That meant, among other things, preparing a wonderful meal for Him and those who traveled with Him. And she found herself in the kitchen without any help - especially from her sister, Mary!

Verse 40 says, "But Martha was distracted with all her preparations, and she came up to Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.' "

Oh my goodness!!! At first reading, I want to say, "Oh, Martha, just hush up!" Then I read on...

But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." vv. 21-42

As I read it over and over, I realized that there is a great lesson there, and Jesus took that teachable moment to instruct all of us.

Let's look at what distracted Martha...It was serving the Lord! Serving the Lord is a GOOD thing! Desiring to honor Him with our very best is what is asked of us. Because of Martha's personality and her love for Jesus, we know she wanted that supper to be the very best - from the food served to the tiniest of details.

I, like many others, are so like Martha! I remember when Garry's parents were coming to our home for dinner for the first time after we married. I wanted everything to be just right! I cleaned, vaccumed, and dusted the entire house. The bathroom was spotless. And I toiled over preparing the food because I wanted it to be perfect! These were my new inlaws...I didn't want them thinking their son had made a huge mistake!

So I can emphathize with Martha. I feel her stress at wanting things to be a certain way. I can also understand her thinking Mary ought to be in the kitchen helping her out! She was a bit ticked with her sister.

But I don't know that I would have walked up to Jesus and tattled on her! I've always looked at Martha's action as being a bit arrogant, but perhaps it wasn't arrogance but a level of comfort.

Usually, I will only be very frank with someone I feel extremely comfortable with, and I am usually the most comfortable around people with whom I have a good relationship. Thus, I believe Martha was so comfortable with Jesus and knew Him so well, that she felt she could pour out her feelings to Him - even if those feelings were those of frustration. Wow!

Am I that comfortable with Jesus?

From this brief glimpse into the living room of this family, we learn two important truths.

We can get so busy doing good things, including serving the Lord through ministry, that we get distracted from listening to Him. That's what Jesus meant when He said Mary had chosen the "good part." Mary had stopped her "doing" in order to listen to Him. "Marthas" can do and do and do all night long, but they will eventually run out of spiritual energy. There are people all around us who do so much without refilling themselves that they "burn out" or end up frustrated or angry. Fertile ground for Satan to plant seeds of discontent. We need to take time to sit at the feet of Jesus and be fed.
We need to be so comfortable with Jesus, that we can share our heart feelings with Him. That's how I see Martha's relationship with Jesus. That relationship was played out again in John 11:21 when she ran out to meet Jesus and told Him that if He had come when she called, Lazarus would not have died! She knew Him so well that she could share her heart. But she also loved Him so much that she always listened to His answer. They had that kind of interpersonal communication.

I guess you have surmised by now that I am "preaching to the choir!" It has taken me almost a month and a half to write this one post because I've been so busy "doing" and not spending enough time "sitting." All those things have been good things, but they would have better honored Him if I had spent more time sitting at His feet before I got so busy.

I want to be a Martha in the sense that I have a close, intimate relationship with the Lord, and I want to be a Mary in the sense that I take time to sit at His feet and listen to what He wants to say to me. All of that to conclude that I need to have a "Mary" heart in a "Martha" world. I need to "sit" before I "do."

Lord, I Need To Know What To Do...Esther, Part 3

2011-07-28T22:08:00.002-05:00

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5 NLT

Wisdom...who doesn't need wisdom...and lots of it! Obviously, we all do. But when we talk about "wisdom," what do we really mean? Knowledge, intelligence? A person can have tons of knowledge about something, but not be wise, and a person can have a very high intelligence level, and not have wisdom.

Wisdom - knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgement as to action (dictionary.com)

Wisdom is so much more than knowledge; it is discernment, good judgement, or, as my granny would say, "horse sense."

I can't even begin to count the number of times I've asked the Lord for wisdom when it comes to my children - from needing to know when to let them cry themselves to sleep as babies to guiding them through those difficult teen years and beyond.

I also can't count the number of times I've been faced with a situation and a sense of panic began creeping upward from my stomach - because I didn't ask for wisdom. I just acted on my own, out of my flesh. Sometimes, that doesn't work out too well!

The point is - God is the source of wisdom, and we are instructed in His word to ask Him for it, and we are promised in His word that He will give it. WOW! That seems so simple....

Queen Esther was faced with a dire situation in which she desperately needed God's wisdom. (To catch up on Esther's story, read Part 1 and Part 2) The king's Prime Minister, Haman, had connived a way to destroy the entire Jewish population and the king had unknowingly given his approval. Mordecai had alerted Queen Esther and implored her to go before the king and plead for her people. But remember:

Anyone, including the queen, who approached the king without being summoned could be put to death and
The king was unaware that Esther was a Jew.

We've already discussed how God displayed His Power and Presence through Esther's courage. However, another quality that showed up in Esther's actions was wisdom. Courage is best coupled with wisdom. In fact, wisdom keeps courage from becoming fool hearted.

As Queen Esther dealt with the knowledge given her about the plot against the Jews, we can see seven steps of wisdom that she took.

She STOPPED - Esther did not rush headlong into or away from the problem! Before doing anything, she paused and caught her breath - so to speak. It's always wise to take a few minutes or even a few days, if possible, before acting on a rash emotion. There is a difference between "action" and "reaction," and "reaction" usually leads to more problems.
She WAITED - Instead of acting on impulse, Esther sent a servant to talk to Mordecai to find out what was really going on (4:5). She wanted the facts before she acted. Patience is a virtue.
She CONSULTED - Esther sought advice and counsel from her cousin Mordecai (4:12-14), who had proven his wisdom to her throughout her life. Proverbs 11:14 says, "Where there is not guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory." Seeking godly advice is also a virtue.
She PRAYED - After hearing from Mordecai and his plea for her to go before the king, she called for prayer and fasting. She knew her ultimate counselor was God, Himself. This wasn't just a wing and a prayer, either. Esther called for a three day fast for herself, her maids, Mordecai, and all the Jews in the city. She wanted to hear from the Lord. Phil. 4:6-7 - "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace that surpasses all human understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
She DECIDED - Time, counsel, and prayer led Esther to a decision that gave her the kind of peace described in Philippians. She was so at peace with her decision that she said, "...I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law, and if I perish, I perish." (4:17) That was God's kind of peace!
She ACTED - Esther put feet to her faith in 5:1-2 and went in to the inner court to the king's throne room praying that he would extend his scepter to her, which he did. What if she had known what God wanted her to do, but never acted on it? Knowing God's will doesn't mean much if we don't DO God's will. He gave her the plan, and she carried it out with boldness.
She ADJUSTED - Part of wisdom is discernment, and Esther discerned that it would be better to explain her plea at a second meeting with the king and Haman. So she invited them to a another banquet on the following evening. Because she listened with her heart, God's timing played out perfectly. The king learned that Mordecai had thwarted an earlier plot to kill the king but had never been rewarded. And Haman's pride led him to build a gallows on which he planned to hang Mordecai. However, Haman, himself, was hanged on that very spot after the king learned of his deceit. (Esther 6-7)

God's Power and Presence in Esther's life allowed her to call on His wisdom in that difficult circumstance. And because she did something with that wisdom, the Jews were not annihilated. His wisdom and His will is perfect. She put herself completely in His hands and felt that peace that cannot be explained.

Where does that leave us? Hopefully, we are left remembering that when we are faced with a stressful situation, we should call upon the Power and Presence of our Lord to give us His wisdom. We should never panic and react but pray and act, putting our faith into action, and let God take care of the rest.

God may not need you to save an entire people group, but He does want you to be His hands and feet in the world around you. That includes your family, friends, work place, social circles - wherever life takes you. He has a plan and purpose for your life, and when you are smack dab in the middle of it, you, too, will have that peace that we cannot understand.

For Such A Time As This...Esther, Part 2

2011-07-23T22:47:00.000-05:00

All of us, at some time or other, have probably looked around at our circumstances and wondered, "How?" "Why?" "For how long?"

It's only human nature to question, especially when our circumstances are not what we want or are the result of something out of our control. Delving into those questions can be a good thing - as long as we seek the answers from the One who knows all.

Queen Esther is one of those who probably spent much time pondering those questions. If I had been in her sandals, history may have turned out quite differently. Let's look again at Queen Esther's life and glean God's truths for us. (Reading my last post, When Things Are Not What They Seem...Esther, Part 1, will catch you up on Esther's life.)

Esther's life story resonates with two P's - Power and Presence - God's Power and God's Presence. And those two P's are as available to each one of us today as it was to Esther hundreds of years ago.

When I have a decision to make, I often wish I could see what the end result would be if I do this or if I do that. Several years ago, I agonized over leaving my long-time teaching career in order to have less physical stress on my Post-Polio body and, thus, have better quality of life long term. That doesn't seem like a difficult choice; however, it was tremendously difficult for me to make. I loved teaching, I loved interacting with the students, I loved the other teachers I worked with, and I had just finished a graduate degree in instruction. I wondered why He had allowed me to attain that degree and then not be able to use it, but the toughest part was losing a big part of our income. Even though I knew it was God's will for me to leave teaching, I wanted to see the "end" of the story, so to speak. I wanted to "see" how God was going to provide for us and what He had in store for me. But God usually doesn't preview the outcome of our circumstances. We learn to walk that path in faith.

Esther, a beautiful young virgin who had been conscripted into the harem from which the king would choose a new queen, would probably liked to have known the final outcome of her situation. But again, God rarely shows His people the end of the story before we live it out.

No doubt, God's Power and Presence were with Esther throughout her life, but especially during her years at the palace. Those two P's helped hone her into one of the most important figures in Jewish history. God's Power and Presence enabled her to live out His purpose for her life by giving her three distinct qualities.

God's Power and Presence emboldened Esther with Courage. Mordecai, Esther's cousin who had raised her as a daughter, would not bow to Haman who had been promoted to the equivalent of Prime Minister. Mordecai and Esther had both kept their race and religion to themselves, but this was where Mordecai drew the line in the sand. He was a closet Jew who did not adhere to all of the laws of his faith. But when it came to bowing down to someone as to elevate that person as a virtual god in that pagan culture, Mordecai would not cross that line.

Mordecai's defiance so angered Haman that he talked the king into signing a proclamation that would destroy every Jew in the Persian empire. Esther 1:1 says that King ruled over all from India to Ethiopia - meaning that would take out all of the Israelites - even those who had gone back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.

God's plan for Mordecai and Esther was becoming clear. He wanted to use them to save His people and His plan for the coming Messiah. Mordecai got word to Esther and even showed her a copy of the proclamation. Then he told her what she must do.

...he (Mordecai) sent word to Esther that she should go in to king to implore his favor and plead with him for her people...4:8

That was easier said than done. Anyone who went in to the king without being summoned could be put to death - even the queen. One just didn't go knocking on Xeres' door! And she reminded Mordecai of that. She also related that she had not seen the king for thirty days (4:11), and she might have even fallen out of his favor; she didn't know.

Mordecai's reply - Do not imagine that you in the king's palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. AND WHO KNOW WHETHER YOU HAVE NOT ATTAINED ROYALTY FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS?" 4:13-14

Mordecai had sensed God's purpose and plan and Esther was beginning to see it as well. But to go in to the king unsummoned would take the kind of courage that can only come from God. After three days and nights of prayer and fasting from Esther and the Jewish population of the city, God's Power and Presence empowered her with courage and with the peace that surpasses human understanding (Phil. 4:7). She sent word to Mordecai:

...I will go in to the king, and if I perish, I perish...4:16

Those words and that attitude is similar to what we see expressed by Paul in Philippians 1:21: For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Well, Esther did go in to the king, and he reached out his royal scepter to her and allowed her come in and speak. After preparing two banquet feasts for him and Haman, she pleaded for her people, exposing Haman's scheme to annihilate the Jews. The king recalled his proclamation, had Haman hanged, and elevated Mordecai to Haman's old position.

Esther's courageous step of Faith saved the children of Israel and allowed God's plan for His people to continue and, paved the way for the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Only God's Power and Presence could supply the courage to approach the king unsummoned.
Only God's Power and Presence could supply the courage to reveal her race and faith to the king.
Only God's Power and Presence could have put her in the palace for such a time as this...

My friend, where are you today? You may be in a place that is not of your choosing, that is not comfortable or easy. You may be faced with a valley so dry you don't think you can make it through to the other side. You may be faced with a mountain so steep, you don't think you can climb over it.

The truth is you can't make it through the dry valley or over the steep mountain without the Power and Presence of the Lord in your life and the courage that He provides.

And my God will supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:19

As for me, these past 12 years since I left the classroom have been some of the richest of my life! God has provided part-time work in curriculum and instruction, where I did get to use my degree - see how God knew the plan before I did? I've also had the opportunity to occasionally teach English at our local Christian university, which I wouldn't have been able to do without that extra degree. Those things have helped replace my lost income. But what's even sweeter is the time I had to spend with my two girls before they graduated and married, the time I've had to teach Bible study, the time I've been able to give to ministries the Lord has guided me to.

God has taught me through Esther's life experiences and my own, that whatever the circumstances, I should be aware of God's purposes (even though I won't always understand or even see them), and be eager to be filled with His Power and Presence. Then I, too, can say along with Mordecai, who knows but that I am where I am for such a time as this!

Be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

We will look at Esther's other two qualities next time.

When Things Are Not What They Seem...Esther, Part 1

2011-07-17T18:17:00.002-05:00

Most of us have become real pro's at pretending.

We pretend that everything in our lives is going well - even when we may be on the brink of disaster - physically, emotionally, or financially.
We pretend that our marriages are "wonderful" when, in reality, we ache on the inside - not remembering the last time a kind word was said.
We pretend that our children are great and growing in the Lord, when, in reality, they are dealing with the ills of our society - drugs, alcohol, running with the wrong crowd, divorce.

Remember the old saying, "No one knows what goes on behind closed doors."?

Yes, most of us have become pro's at living behind the facade of "Everything is great!" And for most of us, that is exactly what it is, a facade.

Hadassah, better known as Queen Esther, knew what it was to live a life that looked good on the outside, but was very trying on the inside.

If you haven't read through the book of Esther in a while, I urge you to do so before or while you are reading these ponderings on her life. That book is rich in lessons that can open up recesses of our own lives that we may not realize even exist.

Esther was good at pretending; she had to be; at times, her life depended on it.

A casual look at the life of Hadassah, who became Esther, Queen of Persia, looks like a fairy tale.

a beautiful young, orphaned Jewess, adopted and raised by her cousin Mordecai
chosen to be included in the harem from which the king would choose a new queen
and ultimately chosen by the king to be his queen.

Wow! What a story...what a life! Don't you think?

A closer look behind the closed doors of her life suggest a different story.

Just having both parents die when one was very young would immediately start closing protective doors around most children. Being "adopted" in that cultural was not the same as being "born" into a nuclear family. It is obvious from reading the scriptures that Mordecai loved Hadassah - but he was still a cousin - not her father. No doubt she longed for her mother's touch and her father's sweet embrace. But she put that behind her door.

Chapter 2:7 tells us that Hadassah was very beautiful in form and face. In other words, she was a "looker" with a figure to die for! How many of us have wished for those very gifts? She probably had all the young men swooning over her! That in itself can present a problem...but most of us would love to have to work through that kind of problem! However, for her, beauty brought circumstances beyond her control. She was conscripted into the king's harem from which he would choose a new queen. (2:8) Keep in mind that conscripted means she did not have a choice in the matter; she was virtually a captive.

An outsider looking in might think, "What a deal!" Esther (her Greek name) is going to live at the palace, have spa treatments for six months, and learn queenly etiquette for another six months. She will have ten attendants, the best foods, and the opportunity to rub shoulders with the country's power-brokers! (2:9)

What the outsider doesn't see behind those closed doors are the trials and stresses of being in the king's harem. First, she was there against her will; she did not choose to join this elite club of queen-wanna-be's. Esther was cut off from her friends, family, and her dear cousin Mordecai. He faithfully walked back and forth in front of the court gate everyday just to get a word about how she was fairing. Eventually, she was able to communicate with him, but only through other people. (2:11)

I remember going to a two-week camp in the Hill Country of Texas when I was 12 or 13 years old. At the time, I felt conscripted to attend this camp 300 miles from my home in North Texas. My parents thought "it would be good for me" to participate in such a great opportunity. Even though I was surrounded by other campers and tons of adventuresome activities, I have never felt so alone in all my life! In fact, I have spent weeks and even months in a hospital six hours from home and family more than once and have never felt as lonesome and empty as I did for those two weeks of camp.

I think that was how Esther felt. She was surrounded by all the best life could offer, but she was not feeling the love! Not only did she have to deal with her homesickness, just think about being the MOST beautiful living among other young women who were vying for the opportunity to be queen! Talk about cat-fights and hair-pulling! I'd rather go back to that camp!

Eventually, Esther was chosen by the king to be his queen (2:17) - the fairy tale ending, right? Look again. Esther went for weeks at a time without even seeing the king! (4:11) And when they had banquets and welcomed the heads of all the other provinces, it was a "men only" club. Esther was left to entertain the wives in a different banquet hall. Their paths only crossed when King Xeres wanted Esther for his sexual pleasure. The rest of the time, she was left alone in her chamber with her maids. Talk about feeling used and alone! Not the fairty tale ending most of us think about.

Even though I've painted a pretty dire picture of Esther's circumstances, I want to put her life in perspective. The outsider looking in would probably not see what I've described and, thus, would think she had it made. But Esther, the insider, did see all that and lived the truth of her circumstances. She understood that her life was not what it seemed to others. But she also knew the rest of the truth.

Esther knew she had a family, especially a father-figure who loved her dearly. So much so that he spent everyday walking in front of the court gate to hear a word about her. I feel confident that they were bonded together through their faith and their prayers.
And then, there's her faith. Even though God is not directly mentioned in the book of Esther, His presence and guidance oozes off its pages. Yes, Esther was alone if referring to her family and friends. However, Esther was never ALONE. God was with her every step of that journey. As we deleve deeper into her story, I think you will agree with me that she felt His presence and depended on Him to keep her company and to guide her steps.

"No one knows what goes on behind closed doors" is really NOT a true statement. God knows. He knew Esther's loneliness, her desire to be living a "normal" life, and most importantly, He knew her heart.

That's one of many lessons from Esther's life. Fron the outside looking in, she had it all - she was Queen Esther of Persia. The outsiders didn't see her loneliness and her longing to be free. But Esther knew that she was never alone - not in the harem and not in the queen's chamber. God was beside her, taking every step with her, carrying her when she could walk no longer.

All of us live behind closed doors, trying to pretend that life is great, trying make life look wonderful. Sometimes pretending to the point that we collapse behind those closed doors. If you are there, my friend, please remember that God knows. He sees behind your doors everyday - the good, the bad, and the ugly. And He loves you and desires a loving, fatherly relationship with you. He will carry you when you can no longer walk. You just have to open the door...

We'll talk more about Esther next time.

The Cost of Freedom...

2011-07-03T23:06:00.002-05:00

As we celebrate the independence of this great nation, we are always encouraged to reflect on the cost of the freedoms that we enjoy today.So, let's reflect for a bit.

I'm sure I've read in history books (or perhaps those are the chapters I

"skimmed"?), but until I did some research today, I didn't realize that over 13,000,000 Americans served in our armed forces during WW II. Of that number, approximately 350,000 died in their service, and over 670,000 more were wounded.

That's just a four and a half year period of our history! Eighty years before that war, we were a country divided who fought each other. Over 620,000 Americans died across five Aprils from 1861-1865. One hundred and ten years before the Civil War, Americans took up arms to fight for indendpence from the British Monarchy. Countless thousands died and were wounded in that effort, which birthed our freedom and framed our constitutional rights and the democratic type of govenrment that has served our land for nearly 250 years.

Fast forward to my lifetime, and approximately 100,000 more Americans have given their lives for our freedom from the jungles of Viet Nam to desserts of Iraq and Afganistan and places in between.

The cost of our freedom has been extreme; the currents of blood that have been shed has been extreme. I'm an English teacher, so I'll leave the math to those who can deal with numbers. However, I can tell that the number of lives sacrificed or forever changed so that I can speak my mind, write what I want, worship as I please, is very high. I can't even imagine being the family of one of those lost in war.

Charles Milburn
One of the Greatest Generation

I can imagine being the family of one who served honorably and was discharged without any obvious injury.

I have previously written about my dad and his service to our country during WW II (see March 17, 2011). I'll try not to repeat all of the same information about my dad, but I do want to tell you about him again.

He was 22 and married for six weeks when he left for boot camp in February of 1942. He returned in August of 1945, a different person, but having been part of the Greatest Generation that had saved our democracy from the two major forces of evil in the world at that time.

Daddy did not return to my mom with a Purple Heart, but for the last 65 years of his life, he did live with the emotional and physical toll of those three years. He suffered recurring bouts of malaria for many years and dealt with the sometimes debilitating issues associated with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome until the day he met Jesus face to face.

Despite his unseen wounds, he perservered and made a wonderful life for himself, my mom, and my siblings and me. But in talking with him and my mom over the years, I could sense the stress that the war brought to them - individually and as a couple. The personal cost to them was very high, but they managed to adjust.

My folks, like so many others, sacrificed their youth, the "honeymoon" years of their life together, and, in my dad's case, his health, so that I and my generation could grow up in freedom.

However, even the United States of America cannot offer me or anyone else real freedom. The millions of dead and wounded of our wars have not bought me or anyone else true freedom. Okay, I know that sounds radical! But hear me out...

Every human being is created in the image of the Lord God, which makes each one a spiritual being.

The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Genesis 1:2
And then God said, "Let Us make man in our own image, according to our likeness..." Genesis 1:26

But because we are created in His likeness, we are created with the freedom to make our own personal choices. And our fleshly, human nature naturally enslaves us to sin. In other words, we create our own spiritual bondage.

"For I [Peter] see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin." Acts 8:23 NLT
But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Romans 7:23 NLT

Unfortunately, our choice to live in our fleshly nature has eternal consequences.

For the wages of sin is death, eternal separation from God in heaven, to live out eternity in hell. Romans 6:23 paraphrase

But the Lord God paid the ultimate price so that we can live in spiritual freedom!

But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 NLT

And we can choose to accept and live in that spiritual freedom.

For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 NLT

We are so blessed here in the good 'ole USA - so blessed that we take our freedom for granted. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have sacrificed so that we might live in a free society during our short time on this earth. And I thank them, their families, and our Lord for that. And when we look upon our national flag, we reflect on the blood that was shed for that freedom.

But being a citizen of the most free nation on earth does not give any person eternal freedom. Only when we believe in and accept Jesus Christ and enter into a personal relationship with Him can we experience the spiritual freedom that His death and resurrection bought. He paid the ultimate price for our eternal freedom! And I thank Him and praise Him for that. And when we think about the cross, we should reflect on His blood that was shed on our behalf for the cost of that spiritual freedom.

A Fork in the Road...

2011-06-28T20:30:00.000-05:00

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

I grew up six miles from the sandy banks of the Red River in North Texas. Nocona was a wonderful place - a small town where everyone knew everyone, where it was safe to walk or bike the streets even after dark, a safe place that definitely felt like home. However, small towns do have some drawbacks - everyone knew everyone or at least, everyone's parents! And like most small towns, there was not a lot of things for teenagers to do - no movie theatre or bowling alley and 50 miles from the nearest shopping mall. So our main pasttime outside of school activities was driving the drag. For us, the drag went down Hwy. 82 from the Nocona Boot Factory to the city park on the west side of town with the Dairy Queen right dab in the middle.

On some occasions, my friends and I would load up and go outside the city limits to explore the river valley. We would drive those back roads hoping not to get stuck in the thick, red sand (been there, done that, wasn't fun!). The thing about those roads was that they twisted and turned, and it was easy to get turned around or even "lost." Another thing about those roads was that they were notorious for the "fork in the road." We would get to one of those forks and try to decide which tine of the fork would most likely take us to our intended target. Invariably, we would choose wrong - and because of all those darn twists and turns we might end up back in town rather than the sandy beach by the burned out bridge. If only we had had Google maps back then! But back then, we couldn't see past the fork, so we had to make a choice as to which way we would go.

Isn't that just like life? Ever so often in life, we come to a fork in the road - a time and place where we must make a choice. Some forks are more important than other ones, but all of them have a cause-and-effect relationship on the path our lives take. Make the wrong choice, there are consequences to live with; make the right choice, life is blessed.

Joshua 2 and 6:22-27 tells the story of Rahab, a prostitute in the city of Jericho. In chapter 2, Rahab came to a fork in the road of her life when Joshua sent two men to spy out the city as they were making their plans for conquest. The men encountered Rahab, whose house was literally built into the wall surrounding the city. She took them into her family's home and hid them from the king's soldiers who came looking for them. She lied and told the soldiers they were no longer there but had gone out into the hills, which led the soldiers on a two or three day wild goose chase. In the meantime, Rahab solicited a promise from them that they would return the favor of protection when the Israelites conquered the city and protect Rahab and her family.They agreed, and gave her a scarlet cord to hang in her window. That would be the sign their army would look for and when found, they would not distroy her family.

And that's exactly what happened. After Joshua's army had marched around the walls of Jericho seven times on that seventh day, Joshua gave the shout, the trumpets blew, and the walls of the city fell down flat (Joshua 6:15-21). In the midst of the chaos of the the Israelite army destroying everything but the silver and gold within the city, he sent the two men to the window with the red cord to rescue Rahab and her family.

Because of her choice to help the spies, Joshua decreed that Rahab and her family would live among the Chilldren of Israel for ever. And they did. In fact, Rahab is listed in Matthew 1 as the father of Boaz - the Jewish husband of Ruth; she was the great great-grandmother of King David! She is in the lineage of Jesus Christ - because of the choice she made at that fork in her road of life.

When Rahab came to that fork - a time when she had a most important, but difficult choice to make - what caused her to decide to side with the spies? I mean, she was a prostitute living and profitting from a pagan society worshiping false idols. She tells us plainly:

...she said to the men, "I know that God has given you the land. We're all afraid. Eveyone in the country feels hopeless. We heard how God dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt, and what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan...We heard it and our hearts sank. We all had the wind knocked out of us. And all because of you, you and God, your God, God of the heavens above and God of the earth below...Josh 2:9-11 The Message

Rahab the harlot, a worshiper of many gods, had heard about the one, true God, the Lord God, and she believed in that God and His power. She knew that none of her gods could stop the Lord God from fulfilling His plan, thus, acknowledging the supremacy of God.

She chose to believe.

Rahab, the harlot, a worshiper of many gods, also put her faith in her new-found Lord God. She trusted Him that through her protection of the two spies, He would protect her and her family from the complete devastation that was about to befall Jericho. Her symbol of that faith was the scarlet cord she hung in her window.

She chose to have faith.

When Rahab came to that fork in the road, her choices to believe and to have faith in the Lord God and His provision transformed her life. What happened to her, inside of her, is best explained in these words from Paul:

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Cor. 5:17 NLT

Rahab's profession of belief and faith in the Lord God, changed her. She was transformed from a harlot in the streets of Jericho to a blessed mother in the family tree of Jesus Christ!

My friend, don't ever think that what you have done or how you are defined is so bad that you have no hope. When you think God is so disgusted with you that He won't have anything to do with you, remember Rahab. He looked past how Rahab had lived and into her heart - and what He saw was faith - in His existence, His sovereignty, His power, and His provision. And His transformational power changed her and saved her.

Rahab went against all odds and was the only person in Jericho to choose belief and faith.

When you come to those forks in your road of life, think on the words of Joshua:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Josh 1:9

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

But I want it NOW!!!!

2011-06-11T00:03:00.003-05:00

The other day my four year old grandson was at our house for a few hours. Now, I love the "Nana" role - it's much less restrictive than the "Mom" role. Without being overly indulgent, Nana can allow things that Mom cannot - an extra snack here and there, reading a favorite book anytime of the day, etc. And believe me, even at four, Benson has learned how to snag his Nana with his big, beautiful eyes...

Well, that particular afternoon, he had had a snack or two already when he asked for an ice cream cone he "conveniently" found in the freezer. I knew his mom would be picking him up shortly and it was close to supper time. So I said, "Not now, Benson. It's too close to supper time."

"But I want it now!" he said, looking at me with those beautiful eyes. Only this time, I saw a tiny speck of defiance. Immediately, I knew he was testing me!

Now, the Nana-part of me wanted to squeeze him tight and fill him up with ice cream cones! However, the Mother-part of me knew better. Even though I wanted to give him what he wanted and make him happy, I knew that was not what was best for him in the long run.

So, I answered, "Not now, Benson. You'll have to wait." And his countenance fell, and for just a moment, my heart ached.

Does that sound like a conversation you've had with the Father?

God, we need rain before it's too late...
Father, please heal my loved one - quickly...
Lord, I don't understand why this is happening to me...
But Father, Your word says, "Ask," and I've been asking...
How long is my "wilderness" going to last?...
I've been praying for my husband's salvation for years, Lord...

We've all been in situations in which we desperately wanted God to work, work in our desired way, and work quickly. If we are honest with ourselves, frustration has probably set in because we weren't getting our way! We may have even been tempted to quit praying or even get angry with God.

Satan delights in our spiritual frustration!

Sometimes and for reasons we don't always understand, the Father will say, "Not now. You have to wait."

Psalm 37 gives us insight in how to handle adverse circumstances, especially when things aren't moving as quickly as we want. It gives us one "don't" and five "do's."

DO NOT fret (NAS) be upset (NCV) be bothered (The Message) worried (GNT) - Anger and worry are two very destructive emotions, which erode faith. The Psalmist says, "Don't go down that path!" In fact, he says it three times - verses 1, 7, and 8, so it is an important exhortation.

Can all those worries add a single moment to your life? - Luke 12:25 (NLT)
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Phil. 4:6 (NLT)

DO Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness 37:3 (NAS) - To trust means to rely upon or place confidence in someone. We can have absolute confidence that the God of this universe has our backs!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." Jer. 29:11 (NAS)
For the Lord will be your confidence... Prov. 3:26 (NAS)
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You... Psalm 56:3 (NAS)

DO Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. 37:4 (NAS) - To delight in someone means to experience great pleasure and joy in his or her presence. This only happens when we know that person well. Thus, to delight in the Lord, we must know Him and know Him well.

...I know Jesus, the One in whom I have believed. And I am sure He is able to protect what He has trusted me with until that day. 2 Tim. 1:12 (NCV)
Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with You. Psalm 40:5 (NAS)

DO Commit your way to the Lord... 37:5 (NAS) - To commit ourselves to the Lord means to entrust everything - our lives, families, jobs, possessions, future - to His control and guidance.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith...Gal. 2:20 (NAS)
Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. Psalm 55:22 (NAS)

DO Rest in the Lord...37:7 - Rest means to relieve weariness by cessation of exertion. Therefore, to rest in the Lord, we must trust Him, know Him well (delight), turn the situation over to Him (commit), and then cease from trying to fix it ourselves! Don't do anything about it unless He directs you to.

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Matt. 11:28
For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing. Jer. 31:25 (NLT)

DO Wait patiently for Him...and you will inherit the land...37:7, 9, 34 - Of all these actions, waiting is the most difficult, at least for me! We must learn to trust God's timing.

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven...Eccl. 3:1
For your thoughts are not My thoughts, nor are your ways My ways. Is. 55:8-9

Turning these commands into personal actions will not be easy, but we must not forget what is promised at the end of the commands - You will inherit the land. That land is the Promised Land, which in the future is Glory - spending eternity with the Father. But for the here and now, the Promised Land is the abundant life that Jesus came to give on this earth. And part of that abundant life is peace.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7

My sweet Benson did not understand why he had to wait until after supper to have his ice cream cone. "But Nana, I want it now!"

But let's remember that our Father knows all and certainly knows what is best in all our circumstances. We just have to learn to:

Not worry or be upset
Trust Him and place our confidence in Him
Delight in the pleasure of His presence
Commit everything to His care
Rest in Him and not try to manipulate
Wait patiently for His will to work in His timing

Yet those who wait patiently upon the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired; they will walk and not become weary. Is 40:31

A Light Bulb Moment!

2011-05-31T22:17:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had one of those “light bulb” moments – an “A ha!” moment? As a classroom teacher, I lived for those moments – when, all of a sudden, some idea or concept that I was trying to get across to my students was suddenly understood by at least one of them. I remember one of those days when teaching grammar, and I could tell by the blank stares on their faces that they were not “getting” direct objects. The ship was sinking fast! It seemed so simple to me – why couldn’t they understand? A direct object is a noun or pronoun following the action verb that receives the action – how many times was I going to have to say that?

Then it suddenly occurred to me to approach it a different way. So I used the simple sentence of “John hit the ball,” and asked “What did John hit?” Almost in unison, the students (at least those who had not completely abandoned our sinking ship) replied, “the ball.” I shouted, “That’s the direct object!!!” Smiles swept over their faces as they finally “got” it. From then on, they could usually find the direct object with little trouble. Those smiles were like light bulbs lighting up that classroom. They felt the excitement of figuring something out, and I felt the excitement of a teachable moment – for them and for me.

Well, I had one of those experiences as I was reading the story of Rebekah found in Genesis 24-28, it happened, the light bulb came on. Rebekah was a “fixer” – just like me! But here’s the real “A ha,” – being a fixer is being a worrier! I had already realized that being a fixer is not necessarily a good thing; it is basically seizing control from God. But what hit me so hard is the fact that the attitude and act of trying to fix something is a cover-up for worrying. If I am not worrying about that situation, I am not trying to fix it. Get it?

So, am I to sit back and let the world go on around me without doing anything? No, not for a minute. God calls us to be initiators but not fixers. What’s the difference? An initiator is one who gets the ball rolling; she sees a need or problem and takes action. Okay, I hear your minds working. If she takes action, isn’t she trying to “fix” the situation? If you are a “fixer,” you are taking matters into your own hands – helping God out, so to speak.

That’s what Rebekah did. God had already told her that His plan would be fulfilled through Jacob, but when that didn’t seem to be working out (at least, in her time table), she took it upon herself to see that it was done. That insatiable desire to be in control and fix things led her to deception and eventually robbed her of the very joy she was working to protect – Jacob. She died not seeing Jacob for many years. Her intentions were good, but she acted on her own. The consequences of her actions have rippled through history into the very present by way of the conflicts between the peoples of the Middle East.

We need to strive to be an initiator – one who sees a need and takes action. However, the action of an initiator is tempered by the Lord Himself. He calls us to be initiators, to take action, but the action He calls us to take is to cast our worries and anxieties on Him, and let Him be the fixer!

...casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you...1 Peter 5:7

Wow! Is that freeing or what? I don’t have to fix things! He will – if I give it to Him and let Him be free to work. I just have to approach the situation in a spirit of prayer and thanksgiving and stand back and watch God handle it!

So, what have I learned? I want to be an initiator and not a “fixer.” When confronted with a difficult situation, I want to approach the Father with it and then take whatever action He calls me to take. He may call me to watch and wait as I pray, or He may call me to put feet to my prayers. I just need to be sure He’s in control of what I do.

God Still Performs Miracles!

2011-05-25T16:02:00.002-05:00

Today I am writing from a very personal vantage point, so this post may be a bit different from my previous ones.

Currently, I am sitting in an ICU waiting room in San Antonio with my sister and other family and friends. My niece's husband collapsed yesterday morning while working out at his local gym. Mike and Sheri and are wonderful, godly young people who have four children and a full life. Mike is a dermatologist; Sheri, trained as a Nurse Practitioner, has been a stay-at-home mom raising their precious kids. They are parents to three young boys and a daughter whom they adopted from China three years ago. Mike is active with his boys' sports activities, checks on his parents, and tends to his medical practice. The entire family is active in their local church and have an alive, growing relationship with Jesus.

According to video from the fitness center, Mike was unconscious for up to five minutes before CPR was started. It took five shocks from the paddles before a faint heartbeat was picked up. After being flown to San Antonio, he began having seizures which lasted until late last night. All tests came back negative, and answers were few. He was non-responsive to stimulation or voice commands. Needless to say, his condition was extremely critical and very bleak when I left the hospital late last night.

As I drove my sister to San Antonio yesterday and then sat in the waiting room with friends and family, I found myself praying, but I knew only the Lord knew what I was saying - I didn't even know. Remember the scripture that says that the Holy Spirit prays for us when our words are only groans? Well, that is what He was doing, and I knew that my gibberish was somehow getting through. And when my precious niece was draped over her husband's motionless body hooked up to all kinds of modern technology, I groaned, and He prayed!

This morning as I was alone in the hotel room, I took my Bible and it opened to Psalm 24:8 - "Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, invincible in battle" As I read those words, my groanings turned into words and a weird peace came over me. The kind of peace that surpasses human understanding. The kind of peace that only God can give.

Not long ago, I wrote a post about what to do when life looks bleak. Everyone, regardless of spiritual condition, will encounter bleakness. For some it seems to endure forever, for some it comes in seasons, and for some it is fleeting. The question for all of us to ask ourselves is what do we do when the bleakness comes? Do we turn inward and withdraw like a turtle? Or do we turn outward and lash out in despair? Or do we turn upward to the Savior and let Him wrap His arms around us? Let me say here that if you have never nailed down your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, now is the time to do so. We are not promised tomorrow. In fact, we are not promised the rest of today! Seek someone whom you know to have that relationship and visit about your own. Or read the box on the left that tells you how to have a personal relationship with Jesus. Don't wait!

I arrived at the hospital around 10 this morning to some much needed good news. Mike had begun moving his arms and legs! Later, he smiled when Sheri spoke to him! And later, he began to to speak a few words - even calling out his sons' names! Within a couple of hours, he said he wanted to play baseball!

My friends, God still performs miracles, and I am privileged to witness one firsthand! By mid-afternoon, the doctors were talking about how bright the future looks. Can you believe that? That is the question I've been wrestling with these past couple of days. So I'll put it to you: can you believe? do you believe, will you believe in the Lord who is strong and mighty? When circumstances tell you "no," will you still believe?

When our world is shaken, we need to know what our action plan is. Will you turn upward and let your groanings be heard by the Lord, strong and mighty?

Please understand that I know that my weak groanings alone are not the reason for the miracle we are experiencing. I cannot begin to count the hundreds of people, many of whom do not even know Mike and Sheri, who have been pleading their case before the Father. When the body of believers comes together in like mind to Him, what power and blessing it brings!

Lastly, I know that Mike is not of-the-woods yet. The winds of life can change in an instant. But whatever the outcome, believers need to know that the Lord's will and purpose is omniscient - beyond human understanding. And if His answers are not what we asked for, it is still going to be okay. As our relationship with Him grows deeper, our understanding and embrace of His will grows deeper as well.

And lastly, lastly, to God be the glory in all things for great and mighty is He, our Lord.

Let's Get Smart!

2011-05-19T12:48:00.003-05:00

Growing up in the late 60's and early 70's, one of my favorite TV shows was Get Smart, a comedy featuring a bumbling spy known as Maxwell Smart and his spy side-kick, Agent 99. Max is best known for the telephone hidden in the sole of his shoe. I guess one of the purposes of the show was to relieve some of the anxiety of that Cold War era.

Spies have always played an important role in history. Basically, they have fulfilled one of two roles - secretly getting the lay of the land, so to speak, or infiltrating the enemy to gather intelligence.

Moses sent in a group of spies to get a look at the Promised Land before they were allowed to go in and claim it. They needed to know what they were going up against. Moses chose a man from each of the twelve tribes, excluding the priestly tribe of Levi. The account of their mission is found in Numbers 13-14.

The spies spent 40 days surveying the entire land and even brought back some of the bountiful fruit they found. They reported that the fruit was only a sample, that the land "certainly does flow with milk and honey..." In other words, it was all that had been promised and more! But here's the kicker. Nine of the eleven said, "Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there." (The descendants of Anak were a race of abnormally large people - giants like Goliath.) They went on to say, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us...we will be devoured..."

Now, this is the land that God promised Abraham generations before. And He said He would give them the land flowing with milk and honey. So, something is not adding up!

Well, there were two of the spies who did not agree with the other nine. Caleb and Joshua. In Numbers 14, all of the people of Israel began grumbling and complaining to and against Moses and Aaron, and even saying they were better off in Egyptian captivity. In the midst of that chaos and their fear, those two men stood up and pleaded with the people to remember the promises of God and the many provisions He had accomplished for them. They said, "If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us...only do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey."

On one side, we hear the nine voices of fear, and on the other side, we hear the two voices of faith.

Isn't it the same for us today? We sense where God is leading us, what He wants us to do, who He wants us to share Jesus with, but we are conflicted by the voices of fear and the voices of faith. And many times, just like in the account of the Israelites, the voices of fear seem to out number those of faith, and fear is a human reaction that is fanned by peer pressure.

Read more »

The Intercession Factor...

2011-05-08T21:19:00.001-05:00

One of the privileges and responsibilities believers have is to intercede on behalf of others with the Father.

An intercessor is one who goes between two or more parties to plead the case of one of those parties. One example of that in our culture is a lawyer. A lawyer goes before the judge and pleads the case of his client. He is the client's representative, his spokesman. Another example is when a person, usually a relative, has the power of attorney or medical power of attorney for another. The holder of the power of attorney can represent or speak on behalf of the other. In the case of medical power of attorney, that holder may "intercede" with physicians to insure that the person's end of life wishes are carried out.

Intercession is a powerful role and an important role. Just think, what if a parent or sibling asked you to be his/her spokesman and to inform family, friends, and physicians what his/her desires are when he/she cannot speak for himself/herself? What a heavy responsibility! But what an honor that the person chose YOU to speak for him/her!

Isn't that one of the things the Father accomplished by sending Jesus to this earth? Jesus became an intercessor for humanity, but also on an individual basis. Jesus is our go-between! Through Him, we have confident access to the Father - the creator of all that was ever created.
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Pavlov's Dogs and Contentment...

2011-04-30T21:15:00.007-05:00

Ivan Pavlov

Ivan Pavlov won a Nobel Prize in 1904 for his research in behavior modification with dogs. I remember studying this in my Intro to Psychology class. He realized that his dogs associated food with the ringing of a small bell. Everytime he rang the bell, he fed the dogs, which led him to notice that the dogs would begin to salivate when they heard the bell ring. His discovery led to a break-through in the study and work ofpsychological conditioning in humans. Basically, he figured out that the dogs' response to the bell was learned behavior.

Lily Eoff

We used behavior modification with our Bichon, Lily. Knowing that Bichons are highly intelligent and trainable (they were once known as circus dogs!), we set out to teach her to do tricks when she was a young puppy. Our problem was getting her to recognize and then emulate the desired behavior; getting her to take a treat was the easy part! Take barking for instance. Either Garry or I would say, "Bark!" then bark and show a treat. We did this over and over. I'm sure anyone looking in the window would have thought about calling the guys in the white coats! However, eventually, Lily got the picture and at the command "Bark!" she finally let out a pitiful gurgle that we praised furiously and then fed her a treat. Well, she liked that, so we continued and she became very astute at barking for her treats. Eventually, she learned to stand, sit, roll over, sneeze, and even dance. I won't go into the details of how all of those were achieved (or you might call the white-coat guys!). The point is that all those tricks were learned behaviors - that's Nobel Prize material!!

Okay, I know I sort of got carried away, but stay with me - I have another point to make, and it's an important one.

I won't string you out - here it is: Contentment, emotional and spiritual, is a learned behavior.

So, what is contentment, really? The word means satisfaction or ease of mind. That's easy to understand as I think of emotions - easy to understand, not necessarily to achieve. Spiritually, it means agreeing with God that everything I have is everything I need. That one is not easy to understand or achieve!

The opposite of contentment is anxiety. Paul had this say about anxiety -

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6-7

So emotional and spiritual contentment leads to a kind of peace that the human mind can experience, but not understand enough to put into words. When you experience that kind of peace, you just know it!

The Garment of Humility

2011-04-14T18:03:00.003-05:00

There is an invisible shroud that follows me around and raises its ugly head once in a while. It gets in my way, changes my plans, disrupts my schedule; it even causes me to think, do, and say things that I know are not nice! Sometimes it prevents me from complimenting or affirming someone, sometimes it keeps me from asking for help or admitting that I don't know what to do in a situation. There are times when this shroud can be a positive thing, but usually its results are negative.

Have you figured out what my shroud is? I suspect that it follows you around as well. Its name is Pride.

We all know how destructive Pride can be in our lives.

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling. Prov. 16:18

I am not going to elaborate on it here - I'm afraid that, if I did, I would never get around to the point of this post. So what is my point:? To look at the antidote to the shroud of Pride - the garment of Humility.

Humility - 1) Not proud or arrogant, 2) having a feeling of insignificance, 3) low in rank, importance, status (dictionary.com)

What about those definitions rubs you the wrong way?!! All of them, of course. "Sounds" so good, but oh so difficult to live out.

All of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, and He will lift you up in due time. 1 Peter 5:5-6

Humility is an attitude that is lived out in actions. Attitudes and actions are a matter of choice. I can choose to be humble - or not. But as I think more and more about emulating Jesus, I think of Philippians 2:5 - In your lives, you must think and act like Jesus. (NCV) To think and act more like Jesus, I am going to have to make some choices and some changes.

Making a conscious decision to choose humility should be birthed out of the understanding that humility is one of God's characteristics - it's His nature to be humble. Jesus lived out his nature, and one of the most dramatic examples of His humility is found in John 13:3-5:

Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God. So He go up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples's feet, drying them with the towel he had around Him. (NLT)

God, the creator of the universe, the One who breathed everything into existence, came in the form of a man, and before He was arrested and executed, He became like a lowly servant and washed the dust from His friends feet! Think about that....that's a WOW!

And then the ultimate picture of humilty -

He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. Philippians 2:8 (NLT)

How do we even begin? It begins in our minds - as a choice.

You must have the same attitude that Christ had. Philippians 2:5 (NLT)

That is only achieved when we spend time with Him in His Word everyday - consistently. Humility is not part of our human nature, and it is not part of the Fruit of the Spirit. It's an attitude which results in action that we choose to take on. If we choose to live and act like Jesus - knowing that it is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, then we must choose to lay aside the shroud of Pride and put on the garment of Humility.

Liar, Liar...

2011-04-10T19:09:00.001-05:00

"Liar, liar, pants on fire!" - A familiar childhood chant we've all probably sang out to tease our friends. Think for a moment about why people lie. Obviously, to distort the truth, change someone's perception or perspective, or to avoid detection. Those are probably the main reasons for lying. We've all done it at some time(s) and to some extent. Most of us do not lie to cause harm, but unfortunately, not all lies are so innocent.

Ervin W. Lutzer says in 10 Lies About God and the Truths That Shatter Deception , that there are lies about God that permeate our culture.

God is whatever we want Him to be.
Many paths lead into God's presence.
God is more tolerant than He used to be.
God has never personally suffered.
God is obligated to save followers of other religions.
God takes no responsibility for natural disasters.
God does not know our decisions before we make them.

God helps those who help themselves.

92 percent of Americans say they believe in God. That make us a "Christian" society, right? Wrong... When pressed, statistics tell a different story. Americans believe in spirituality, but not necessarily the God of our Bible and Jesus Christ. Somewhere along the way, America has bought into lies about the God of the universe, and believers are standing silently by - allowing the Truth to be distorted.

To begin to really understand this dilemma and to begin to counteract it, we must know who the main players are in this drama.

One is God - the God of the universe - We must know our ally, His nature, and how He works:

The One by whom all that is created was created (Rev. 4:11).
The One who is all powerful, all knowing, and all present.
The One who does not change (Malachi 3:6).
The One who says, "I AM who I AM." ( Exodus 3:14).
The One who says, "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Light..." (John 14:6).

To know that One is to know Jesus and the Word. We need to study it and hide its truths in our hearts to foil Satan's attempts to veil our eyes (2 Cor. 4:3).

The other player is Satan himself. We must know our adversary, his nature, and how he works:

1 Peter 5:8 - ...your adversary, the devil, is prowling about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour
2 Cor. 4:3-4 - ...Satan is the god of this world...and the one who tries to keep us from seeing Truth
John 17:15, Eph. 6:16 - Satan is the evil one...
Eph. 2:2 - Satan is the prince of power of the unseen world...
John 8:44 - Satan is a murderer, a liar, and the father of lies...
Rev. 12:9 - Satan is a dragon, the serpent of old, and the deceiver...
2 Cor. 11:14 - Satan disguises himself as an angel of light...

How easily deceived we can be when our eyes are not focused on Jesus consistently. Yet, it seems so simple. On one hand we have Truth, on the other hand we have the Father of Lies. But that liar will never come to us looking like the red guy with a tail and pitchfork. He will come dressed in all kinds of disguises trying to trick us, deceive us, and destroy us.

Believers need to choose to no longer stand silently by and let our world believe the enemy's lies about God.

As we begin a new week, I echo those words of Peter to all of you and to myself: "Be sober of spirit, be on alert...our enemy is seeking someone to destroy..."

I also echo the words of David, "But the Lord abides forever; He has established His throne for judgement...The Lord will also be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble...and those who know Your name will put their trust in You. For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You." (Psalm 9:7-10)

Ordinary or Extraordinary?

2011-04-04T14:39:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about the difference between being conformed or transformed spiritually in relation to the world in which we live. Today, my mind is thinking about the difference between being ordinary or extraordinary.

I think of ordinary as being like most other things in the same category. I play Bunco with a wonderful group of teacher friends. For years, each table played with the normal white dice with black dots - ordinary. Then a math teacher in the group brought dice she used with her students. Some were green, some red, some yellow, some pink, etc. - extraordinary! We never know what color of dice will be at our table as we try to play our way to the top! For some strange reason, it makes our games more fun. (It may be that it just doesn't take much to entertain ladies who have been with kids all day!)

In the same manner, after I had been teaching long enough to get my legs under me, I decided I did not want to be an ordinary teacher teaching an ordinary subject. I wanted my students to love literature and writing and even grammar (now that's a stretch!) as much as I did. So if it meant creating lesson plans beyond what the textbook suggested or thinking up assignments and projects that would capture their interest and also be somewhat fun, then that's what I would try to do. At one point, the teachers on my interdisciplinary team and I decided to recreate with the students the Oregon Trail. We put together math, English, history, and science to tramp across the acreage surrounding our school with the students pulling their wagons and dealing with our version of the many hazards the pioneers faced.

Now, obviously, we had mixed reactions from the students. These were eighth graders, so to some it was NOT cool to be dressed up like a pioneer pulling a red wagon loaded down with pounds of bricks and water jugs. I did see quite a bit of eye-rolling going on! But we had so much fun, and I can guarantee you that those students will remember more about Westward Expansion than they ever thought possible. My oldest daughter was in that first group of trail-blazers, so I saw a LOT of eye-rolling from her. I mean - it was her MOTHER making them all do this! Not cool! But not long ago, she mentioned how much fun that experience was and how unlike any other "lesson" in school she experienced - and she is almost 30! It was extraodinary!

Well, I don't want to live an ordinary Christian life! And I don't believe the Lord wants or expects the ordinary from us. Let's look back to Romans 12:2 -

Do not be conformed to this world [live like ordinary, worldly people], but be transformed by the renewing of your mind....[live an extraordinary life by learning to think like Jesus] (editorial comments are mine)

Living that kind of extraordinary life can't be accomplished without the help of the Holy Spirit living in a believer. But if that Spirit does live there, then that believer has the capacity to learn to think like Jesus. And that, my friends, will lead to an extra-extraordinary existence!

A good place to begin is Philippians 4:8. This verse can serve as a filter for our thought processes.

Finally brethern, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

If we want to have our minds renewed, to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, then we must choose to learn to think like He thinks. That verse gives us insight into what He likes His mind to ponder. Truth, honor, righteousness, purity, love, excellence, praise-worthy....

Now, I've been working on this for a while, and I have to tell you it is NOT an easy task. It is NOT our nature to think on the honorable, right, pure and lovely things about ourself, our circumstances, or other people! So don't get discouraged and give in to being ordinary. Remember that you (I) can do all things through Christ who gives us (me) the strength! (Phil. 4:13)

Let's agree that we want to be one of those green, red, or even yellow die that when scattered on the table draws attention to itself because it is different - in a good way. Our difference will be because we have the mind of Christ and are learning to think like Him.

The Paradoxes We Face...

2011-03-28T22:58:00.001-05:00

Do you ever think about how much our society has changed over the last 50-60 years? Your answer to that may depend on how old you are! Was life ever as it was in "Leave it to Beaver" or "Happy Days"? Well, it may not have been that idealistic, but it was different. The things we value and our ideas about those things are radically different. I believe these changes hinge on our collective and individual relationship with Jesus Christ.

Consider these passages from God's Word:

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matt. 7:23-14

Do not turn to the right nor to the left; turn your foot from evil. Prov. 4:27

I believe that as a people, we have veered from His path. Let's consider two areas.

Our culture of politics is a strange paradox of sorts. We want more social services, better education standards, and a stronger defense. However no one seems to want higher taxes, nor does anyone want to make financial reductions in other areas. What’s a government to do? We are a culture of excesses, spoiled by the lavishness of our lifestyles, confused between our wants and needs. The things we want have become the things we must have! Ours is a society so far removed from the real poverty of our world, that not possessing the latest trends in fashion or pleasure, renders one poor. This political paradox has been costly to the backbone of our society, the family.

That cost has been high. The average traditional family unit does not look the same as in the generations before ours. Gone is the assumption that every child in the classroom goes home to both parents. Gone are the days when most families gather every evening around the dinner table to break bread and share the goings-on of their day. Gone is the notion that most families will be in worship on Sunday morning. Gone are the days….

Speaking of Sunday morning worship, our culture of spirituality is also a strange paradox. Our airways contain more spiritual programming than at anytime in history. Being spiritual, not religious, is as in vogue as wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt. Yet, our society is more violent, more divided, more materialistic, and more absent of conscience than ever before. My generation, which is following the Greatest Generation, has seemed to disavow the spiritual Truth that guided their fathers to greatness. How did that happen? What went wrong? Why are the values of those parents not embraced by their children?

This modern spirituality has led us to a paradox of values. We value human life, yet we lead the world in the number of abortions. We put men on trial for murdering their unborn children, yet we don’t recognize the viability of a fetus. We embrace “family values,” yet 50% of all marriages fail. If history tells us anything, it is that this republic, which we so cherish and that gives us the freedom to change, was founded upon Biblical values. And now those Biblical values cannot be displayed in our classrooms or on courthouse lawns. Some would have us believe that we can no longer express those values in public displays or prayers. Then we wonder why our children are confused and look elsewhere for stability in their lives. Yes, a paradox of values.

Actually, these paradoxes have evolved into a single crisis. A crisis of Faith. We've gotten off His beaten path!

How do we find our way back? By reading His Word, pondering His Word, and living His Word!

Grace to all as we walk His path,

Pray or Be Prey....

2011-03-26T23:35:00.002-05:00

Do you remember the days of playing those childhood games like “Hide ‘n Seek”? My memories of that game are not all that good. I had two problems when I was on the “hide” side of that game. As a child who wore a leg brace, I was not very fast – so by the time whoever was “it” counted to 10, I usually had not gotten very far. “It” could also track me to my hiding place by listening to the squeaks of the ankle joint of my brace! I always felt like raccoon that was being treed. It's not a good feeling to be someone's prey!

In the spiritual realm, I am also being stalked because I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

· Be of sober spirit; be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

In that passage, Peter is speaking to believers. So, that someone is me and you – if you are a believer in Jesus Christ! I don’t like the idea of being hunted. I don’t like the idea that someone is actively seeking to destroy me. So what are we to do?

Paul was very specific in his instructions about fighting the devil in Ephesians 6. We are to suit up for battle because we are at war with Satan. He is seeking to destroy each of us, to steal our joy and abundant life, to oppress us so that we do not share the news of Jesus with those we encounter. He wants us to be paralyzed, unhappy, and ineffective as a child of God.

· Put on the full armor of God so you will stand firm against the schemes of the devil… Eph. 6:11

Most of the armor the soldier of that time wore was defensive in nature. The only offensive weapon mentioned is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Just as we saw with Jesus when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, the scripture defeats Satan. He has to flee when God’s Word is spoken. So it makes sense to me to pray that armor of God on everyday to be protected from his attacks. We should pray it on ourselves and on others we care about – especially when they are in the midst of battle and may not be strong enough to pray it on themselves.

The Word of God is powerful – even more so when prayed in the name of Jesus! When fighting your own battles or helping to equip someone else, pray on the armor:

Father, let _____________ be strong in You, and in the strength of Your might. Put on her the full armor of God that she may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Lord, hold her tight with the belt of Truth. You are the Truth; help _______ to hold fast to you and not be afraid. Dress her with the breastplate of righteousness – search her heart, protect her heart, and fill her heart with right motives and emotions. Place on her the shoes of the gospel of peace. Where ever she goes, let her go in the spirit of peace and let her be ready to share Your salvation with those she meets. Place in her hands the shield of faith that it might deflect the flaming missiles of the evil one. Through her faith, let her carry out her purpose and claim the victory that You have already won. And Father, put on _________the helmet of salvation. Remind her who she belongs to and not let her listen to the whispers of Satan. Protect her mind from falsehoods and self-defeating thoughts. Transform her mind into the mind of Christ as she goes about her daily life. Finally, Father, let her carry the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Bring to her mind the verses that she needs for comfort, courage, and battle against Satan. Let her remember Your word that she can claim as she faces the temptations of Satan. Your word says that You have given Your angels charge concerning her, to guard and protect her in all her ways. Thank You for building a hedge of protection around her. Finally, I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that You are able to guard what I have entrusted to You until that day when you return. I entrust _______________ to You.
Eph. 6:10-20; Ps. 91:11; 2 Tim. 1:12

As believers, we can choose to pray or be prey...

Conformed or Transformed????

2011-03-21T22:40:00.000-05:00

Have you ever really thought about what happens to a person when he or she becomes a Christian? I mean, is there a big cross tattooed on the forehead or something? Obviously not. So, how are we to recognize someone as being a Christian? Or, are we even supposed to be able to recognize a Christian?

Many times a Christian doesn’t want to be noticed, doesn’t want to be singled out as a believer in Jesus. Some people see believers as Bible-thumping holy rollers who look down on the humanness of our condition. Others look for the imperfections in Christians that contradict what they say they believe. Then there are some who actually make fun of and ridicule people who profess faith in Jesus. Sometimes it’s just easier to not be noticed as a believer; it’s easier to live as a silent Christian.

Scripture indicates very strongly that a true believer in Jesus Christ should be different from those who do not profess faith – they should be noticed!

· Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

Two key words in that verse are conformed and transformed.

· Conformed - to act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes, practices, etc., of society or a group; to be or become similar in form, nature, or character. (dictionary.com)

What does being conformed to the world mean? It is necessary to know the answer to that question in order to understand the imperative to NOT do it.

If one is conformed to the world, he/she looks like, talks like, walks like, and smells like the world. In other words, there is no difference between the two. It’s like the old adage, “If it walks like a duck and quakes like a duck, it’s probably a duck.” There is no distinction between his/her vocabulary, or the jokes he/she tells and laughs at, or the morals and ethic he/she lives by. Business is conducted like the world, relationships look like those of the world, social activities are the same as the world.

Believers are NOT to be like the world.

· Transformed - to undergo a change in form, appearance, or character (dictionary.com)

Instead of conformed to the world, believers are to be transformed – changed! Believers are to be different! They should stick out! They should be noticed! – Not in an obnoxious, “better-than-you” type way, but different in their character, motivation, and purpose. Wow! That’s not something one can do on his own. Oh, one can pretend – for a while – but eventually, the true self will win out.

So how is that transformation achieved? …by the renewing of your mind… This is a spiritual transformation – unable to be achieved except via a supernatural force.

· This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Transformation!

Christianity is a calling – away from worldliness and toward Godliness. We are called to be like Christ – not BE Christ, but be LIKE Christ by the transforming of our mind, our thoughts, our inner man.

That spiritual force, the Holy Spirit, is instantly in us when we put our faith in Christ. That refining process of transforming our minds is a process, a path we travel as our relationship with him grows deeper.

Christians are to be noticeable. They should stick out like a redhead in a sea of peroxide blonds!

If you claim Christ as your Savior, is it noticeable to those who cross your path throughout the day, or are you living out your life as a silent Christian, hoping no one singles you out, pointing no one toward Jesus?

Are you conformed – or – transformed?

Indian Giver...

2011-03-19T21:13:00.000-05:00

Chief Peta Nocona

I grew up in a time where it was still “cool” for little kids to play cowboys and Indians. I also grew up in a community filled with Indian lore; in fact, my town was named after Indian Chief Peta Nocona, the great Comanche Indian warrior who raided Fort Richardson and took young Cynthia Ann Parker hostage. Cynthia Ann eventually married Chief Nocona and fathered the famous Quanah Parker. My family, like probably half of the families in the state of Texas, claim some lineage to Cynthia Ann Parker although we have never been able to find that final link…

Anyway, I said all that to say that I grew up playing a make-believe cowboy fighting the make-believe Indians that continually attacked our small acreage in the country. Because we had such binding ties to all that Indian lore, I didn’t want to be known as an Indian-giver – one who gives then takes back whatever was given. While studying this past week, I realized that in God’s eyes, I am an Indian-giver – BIG TIME! What do I give God and then take back? Well, too many things to discuss in this post, but the obvious one that struck a note this week is my worries, i.e. anxieties, situations I ponder and fret about, things I need to fix.

Cynthia Ann Parker &
Baby Quanah Parker

Here’s how it plays out in my life. Something arises that gives me that “unsettled” feeling, I begin “pondering” it, and then I transform into Mrs. Fix-It. I don’t actually visit a phone booth or anything, but the wheels begin turning, trying to figure out what I can do to make this situation better or go away all together. Along the way, I am multi-tasking. You know, talking this over with the Lord until I finally give it over to Him. But, before long, I’ve taken it right back from Him and started pondering again. Thus, my Indian-giving…

I've been thinking about the concept of praying to the next level, that of staying and obeying. Prayer is the antidote to worry. That’s why I claim Phil. 4:6-7 as an undergirding principle of my walk with the Lord.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God…

But for me, I pray about something and give it to God only to find myself worrying about it later in the day or the next day. I don’t have the staying power that He wants me to cultivate as I walk with Him. I am doing exactly what Satan wants me to do – changing my focus from the Lord back to being the fixer. Well, it is my choice to pray, and it is my choice to stay. Isaiah 26:3 says,

He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! (TLB) …

"thoughts turn often to the Lord… " Basically, I have to make the choice to stay focused on Him and let Him work on my worry. So when I am tempted to take back my concern, which I will because I am human, I must choose to let it remain with Him, trusting Him to take care of it. Staying is trusting.

Staying focused on Him instead of the worry, trusting, naturally leads to obeying. As our trust grows, we will begin to live out 2 Cor. 10:5,

…we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

We begin to frame our thoughts by asking, “How does God want me to think about this?” Well, He wants us to take up the Sword of the Spirit and fight by thinking like He thinks. We learn that by learning His Word. When we learn to take a concern and counter it with scripture, we are learning to take our thoughts captive to obey God.

Prayer is, indeed, the antidote to worry, but only if we learn to extend the prayer into staying power and obedience. My personal challenge is to let Him keep me in that perfect peace by keeping my mind steadfast on Him. The more time I focus on Him, the less time I will have for worry. And that, my friends, will help me experience that peace that passes all understanding. And that will also help me to NOT be an Indian-giver to the Lord.

From the Bank of the Jordan River to the Jungles of the South Pacific...

2011-03-17T17:50:00.001-05:00

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or dismayed. For I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9

One of my favorite parts of American History is WW II. Because my dad fought in that war as a young man, WW II has always been part of the fabric of my family’s life. My parents were already engaged when Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941, and my dad was drafted soon after. They moved their wedding up to December 21, he was inducted into the army on February 3, 1942, and he was discharged on August 13, 1945 – a changed man. My dad was like so many vets who don’t talk about their war experiences, so I know only snippets of what he went through during his time in the Pacific.

My Dad - Part of the Greatest Generation

I know that he was trained in reconnaissance, which meant that he and two or three other guys would scout through the jungle looking for the enemy before the main group of his fellow soldiers would step foot in the bush. I know that at least one time, he and his buddies got close enough to the enemy that they were fired upon and my dad heard a bullet whiz past his ear. I know that my dad was scared to death – he told me so! I also know that he continued on his mission because that was his orders – he told me that, too!

I know that his body was racked with malaria and that he wrestled with tremendous anxiety – both of which affected him the rest of his life. I know that through most of that he stayed with his troop and battled the enemy as if his life depended on it – because it did. I know that in the midst of his fear and anxiety he sought refuge and strength from his Lord and the Word, which he carried in his pocket – as if his life depended on it – because it did.

I know that even though he returned in a weakened state, his experiences in the South Pacific made him a stronger man. I know that because of his walk with Jesus Christ – I saw it every day.

When we are faced with “war” – in whatever form it may take – what are we to do? The Lord told Joshua, and we are to follow those same orders.

· Be strong and courageous! That’s so easy to say, but so difficult to do. Sometimes I am just plain afraid of what’s going on around me, and especially afraid of the “what if’s?” If my dad were alive today, he would tell you as he told us that he was more afraid to sneak into that jungle than anything else he ever did in his life. I can’t even imagine the fear that would grip me! He would also tell you that the only way he was able to carry out his orders was to depend on God for strength and courage.

o Psalm 27:1 – “The Lord is my light and salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life. Whom shall I dread?”

o Psalm 46:1 – “God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble.”

o Psalm 138:3 – “I called – You answered. You made me bold with strength in my soul.”

· Do not be afraid or dismayed (discouraged)! Fear cripples faith and leads to discouragement and/or depression. Believers are never alone; God is always present with us and in us. My dad told me about how he “felt” the presence of His Savior as he tramped through the jungle and as he laid in sick bay shaking with fever. He never felt alone – because he never was.

o John 14:16-17 – “…He will give you a Helper who will be with you forever, that is the Spirit of Truth…He abides with you and will be in you.”

o Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength.”

o 1 John 4:18 – “…perfect love casts out fear…”

Two more things stand out to me in the story of Joshua and his army taking the city of Jericho.

· God prepared the way – they just had to follow Him. Joshua was given specific instructions about the taking of Jericho. Before they could take it, they had to cross the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. The odd thing is that He didn’t part the river until the priests stepped into the water! It would not take as much faith to walk into a dry riverbed, but to step into a flooded, rushing river – well, that calls for a different level of faith.

· The victory was already won – it was theirs for the taking. Before the battle, God sent the captain of the host of the Lord to give Joshua his orders. In that conversation, “The Lord said to Joshua, ‘See, I have given Jericho into your hands, with its kings and the valiant warriors.’ “ 6:2 No wonder they didn’t need to be afraid. God had gone before them and was with them and had secured the victory. Joshua and his army just had to obey orders.

All of us face our Jordan Rivers from time to time. It may be in the form of illness, loss of a loved one, marital or family issues, financial crisis, loneliness, depression, enemies on the battle field, and the list goes on…We are to face these battles like Joshua – as a mighty warrior ready to step into the river and watch God work. He will – just as he did for Joshua and just as He did for my dad in the jungles of the South Pacific.

I am so proud of my dad and the man he became – a member of the Greatest Generation. I want that same strength and courage that he called on when facing his enemies. Today, I resolve to step into my Jordan Rivers and see what great and mighty things my God will do!

The Old Oak Tree...

2011-03-11T22:02:00.000-06:00

It seems that many of my Bible readings lately deal with the same theme: the reasons and benefits of meditating on God's Word. The Bible study I'm doing right now, "Following God With All Your Heart," makes that point in every lesson. But even when I'm just doing some "free" reading of the scriptures, the idea of being in the Word shows up! I guess the Lord is really trying to get that message across to me!

One such reading took me to Psalm 1 a few days ago. I have dubbed it the "Oak Tree" Psalm - even though it doesn't actually mention an oak tree! I love oak trees! I grew up in an area where the old, stately oak trees were very common. In fact, we had several in our front yard. There is a reason that the oak tree is the symbol-tree usually used in family trees and ancestry data. It grows tall and wide, is fairly disease-free, and has a root system that grows to China! It is a symbol of longevity and stability. I love oak trees!

That's why when I read Psalm 1:2-3, I immediately think "oak" tree.

"He whose delight is in the Word of God and who meditates on it day and night, will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and its leaf does not wither, and in whatever he does, he prospers."

My interpretation: The person who loves the Word and who studies it consistently will be like a tree ...

firmly planted - deeply rooted, a tower of stability and security, able to withstand the storms of life
by streams of water - nourished and fertilized, which enables its roots to grow deep and healthy
will bear fruit in season - life produces results, by-products are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control, which abound when needed (in season)
its leaf does not wither - doesn't fade in heat or drought - when the storms of life pound and blow
...he prospers - meditating and applying God's truths and wisdom results in God's approval and blessings upon his life

That sounds like an oak tree to me!

When my parents built that house with the big oak trees in the front yard, my dad quickly planted other trees in the back yard. He loved trees and wanted shade in the back like we had in the front. His tree of choice to plant was the fruitless Mulberry because of its fast-growing nature. Well, they did grow and grow quickly. We had shade within three years. And by year ten, the trees were gone. Their root system doesn't grow deep; it grows wide! It is not a firmly planted tree. The roots grow right under the surface of the ground, which causes all kinds of problems from ruining the yard to making the tree susceptible to crashing when the terrible storms of Tornado Alley blow through.

So, if asked whether I want to plant oak trees or mulberry trees in my yard, I have to go with the oak. I know the oak takes longer to grow and become the beautiful tree of my childhood, but I want a firmly rooted tree that will weather the storms.

I want my life to be like the old oak tree in the front yard of my childhood home. How do I do that? - By delighting in His Word and meditating on it consistently.

You know, I am really glad God keeps reminding me of the lessons I need to learn and apply. It's sort of like the yellow ribbon around the oak tree! He constantly reminds me of His love and desires for my life.

I love oak trees!

The Attitude of Gratitude...

2011-03-04T20:06:00.000-06:00

I am all about peace, love, and joy– I’ve said before that I am definitely a child of the ‘70’s! When I was in high school, I cruised around in my parents’ old Pontiac with wire-rim glasses, long, straight hair, and hippy beads. “Peace” was our by-word. My bedroom door was filled with strings of beads, and when I was home, incense was burning in some weird jar on my dresser, and I was strumming the guitar. My airwaves were

A Rendition of My High School Days

bouncing with John Denver, Bread, or The Beatles. I truly was a hippie-wanna-be! But I was never truly a hippie. Why? Goodness knows that countless others in my generation totally embraced the attitude and lifestyle of that culture that so changed America’s values and even our society’s vision of God.

I know what happened – or didn’t happen – to me. I didn’t cross over into hippiedom because I never fully embraced the defining, life-changing elements of that culture – drugs and the sexual revolution. Thirty-plus years of hindsight makes me so grateful that I didn’t because I see the evolution of our culture due to those troubled years. And, as you know, what we see is not all that good.

There are three reasons why I didn’t choose that path. One was availability. I grew up in a small town, the daughter of a preacher, who gave a daily devotional and prayer on the school’s PA system every morning. I didn’t run with the crowd that got into drinking and drugs – and no one was chasing me down to offer them to me. At times, I thought I was not very cool, but I know God was protecting me. A second reason for not choosing that path was pure fear – of my parents! I loved life and sure didn’t want it to end prematurely. That might sound flippant, but I truly feared the anger of my parents, the disappointment in their eyes, and the alienation from them that it would bring. Lastly, there was something inside me that just knew those choices were not right. That something was the Holy Spirit. I asked Jesus to be my savior when I was nine years old, and I was raised in an atmosphere of reverent respect for the Lord. Now don’t get me wrong; I wasn’t a perfect child and teenager. I have my share of wild stories, but I just never got comfortable even desiring those things that my generation was so quickly embracing. I am so very thankful to the Father that the whispers and sometimes yells of the Holy Spirit were heard by my heart and mind.

So, here I am, thirty years later, still all about peace, love, and joy, knowing that those are part of the fruit of the Spirit that lives inside me. I have experienced them and enjoy them immensely. But I wonder sometimes why I have peace one day, then worry or fear the next. I enjoy love and joy for a while only to realize that they have slipped away – again. What is keeping me from living in those attributes everyday? Again, I find myself faced with a choice. That choice is found in Philippians 4:6-7 but can be easily overlooked if I am not careful. Look at those two verses, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

With thanksgiving…The attitude of gratitude! If I want peace to guard my heart and mind, to keep it from going into the overdrive of irrational thought that leads to fear, insecurity, low self-worth, etc., I must come to Him thankful for everything that comes my way. Now, it’s easy to be thankful for the all the good in my life, but giving thanks for the insignificant, the not-so-good, and the really awful circumstances and situations is a different thing! Sometimes unfair and or even tragic things happen to me or to those I care about. I find it very challenging to be thankful in the midst of despair. The Apostle Paul was human; he knew as he penned those words that they were impossible for him or any of us to do. That’s why, a few verses later, he also reminded us that, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength.” (4:13) – Meaning having an attitude of gratitude in the most difficult of circumstances. Yes, I can do that! The Father can help me see the good, the possibilities, even the blessings that He will bring out of the darkest situations.

Once, I was a “hippie-wanna-be” who chose NOT to fully embrace “hippiedom.” That was good. Now I find myself being a “Jesus-wanna-be” choosing TO fully embrace His Kingdom and all that it offers me in this life and throughout eternity. That is good. I choose to have an attitude of gratitude – even when it’s too difficult for me because I know He will give me the strength.

How Do You Define Success?

2011-03-01T21:30:00.000-06:00

Most of us define success in terms of our occupations, income, and possessions. Our culture perpetuates that definition as well. One problem with that concept is that there is no period to that definition. In other words, enough is never enough - mostly due to those darn Jones'! We spend way too much time, energy, and money trying to keep up with them, but they seem to always be one or two steps ahead!

One of my daughters is really good with techno-things like computers and cameras. That's good for me because when I can't figure something out, I call her. She is the one who kept insisting that I change over to an iPhone when the 3GS came out, and I am glad she did! As soon as the 3GS came out, she bought one herself and sold her original iPhone. But when the iPhone 4 was about to be released, she learned that our local provider would only have 60 for the first week or so. She arrived at the store at five o'clock the morning of the big release and was second in line. (As a side note, I haven't updated to the 4 yet, but it is really a great phone that has a camera flash and "face talk" ability. I will update when my contract is up!)

My point is not to rag on my daughter for keeping up with technology - 'cause like I said, I will update my own phone soon. The point is that there is always something else on the horizon that is better or more modern than what we have. I'm positive that as I write, Apple is working on the next generation of the iPhone. We can spend our lives trying to keep up with everything and everyone, but if that's how we define success, it will be fleeting and we will be frustrated human beings.

God's Word has a lot of say about success and prosperity. In the New Testament, Jesus equates a successful life to living an abundant life. Abundant in Him and not in the physical, temporal things of this world. Look at Jesus Himself. I feel certain He would say He lived a successful, prosperous life - even though it was murderously cut short in His thirties. He knew the Father intimately, and He lived out the fruit of the Spirit found in Galations 5. And most importantly, He fulfilled the Father's purpose for His life - on the cross. So if we define success via Jesus, it is 1) knowing the Father intimately, 2) living an abundant life (in the spiritual sense), and 3) fulfilling God's purpose for our lives. Um...doesn't have much to do with the latest gadgets and gizzmos, or bank accounts and addresses, does it?

Jesus showed us what a successful life looks like. We can go back to Joshua to find out how to attain that kind of success. The first nine verses of Joshua is a treasure-trove, but let's concentrate on verse eight.

"This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you shall have success."

My paraphrase of that verse goes like this (BTW, it is based on study and research):

Be sure you read and know the Word of God. Ponder it all the time and in every situation. Obey everything it says. Then you will be successful and prosperous - like Jesus.

Very simple to say; very difficult to live out. Success revolves around knowing God intimately - He reveals Himself through His Word. The more we know His Word, meditate on His Word, and obey His Word, the more we know Him. The better we know Him, the more abundant our lives will be - we can actually live in the fruit of the Spirit - love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. And just as Jesus did during his earthly life, we can know and fufill His purpose for our individual lives by knowing Him intimately.

That, my friends, is His definition of success. There is certainly nothing wrong with trying to better ourselves in the worldly definition. Thank goodness I haven't talked myself out of that new iPhone! However, when those desires override our desire to spend time getting to know Him more deeply, our idea of success has shifted, and it's time to re-evaluate our priorities. His desires need to always be put before our own. Then we will taste the sweetness of His presence in our midst.

Patient Obedience and Self-Control...

2011-02-26T14:21:00.001-06:00

I have always been an outspoken person - that's just how God designed me. But just because that's how He made me, doesn't mean I've always used that characteristic in a good way and to bring Him glory. In fact, I've used my quick wit and sharp tongue to harm many people throughout my life. Having the ability to use words, written and spoken, in creative, persuasive ways is a blessing and a curse. In high school and college, it helped me win contests and awards; in teaching, it has helped me advance my ideas and connect to people; in my personal life, it has helped me break down the barriers that a disability can build. But the words of my sweet mother have echoed through my head since I was a teenager. "Debbie, your mouth is going to get you into more trouble than you know what to do with!" And she was SO right! That's the curse side of this ability. After teaching for a few years, I ran into my sixth grade teacher at my home church one Sunday. I immediately was transported back to her classroom and replayed the many times I was hateful to her - almost daring her to take me out to the hall and give me spats. Then I thought of my experiences on the other side of that relationship and how it feels as a teacher to be so disrespected. When the final amen was said, I caught up with her and explained that I had been teaching for a while and just wanted to apologize for my behavior when I was in her classroom. She stared at me with cold, piercing eyes, and said, "You should apologize." WOW! That was like a slap in the face. I left there in disbelief and almost angry that she was so rude. But as I pondered that experience for several days, I began to realize her response came from the hurt I had caused her. God showed me how my actions and words - even as an eleven-year old - had had a lasting, negative affect on this lady. (As a side note, she must have pondered on it also because since then, any time I am in my home church, she seeks me out and is very sweet to me.) It also served as a lesson for me in how fragile my witness for the Lord is. When I am out of control - it will harm my influence for Christ.

The writer of the book of James had this to say about the tongue: "the tongue is a fire, the very word of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell...But no one came tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing." James 3:6-10. Those are very strong words! But so full of truth!

It takes patient obedience to tame the tongue. In fact, it is impossible - without obedience to the Holy Spirit. James said no one came tame the tongue - only through the Spirit, can one get a handle on it. Perhaps that's why God gave the Children of Israel an exercise in holding their tongue before they captured the city of Jericho. The account of taking that fortified city is found in Joshua 6.

The Israelites, who, according to scholars, numbered two million, had just crossed the Jordan River and entered the land promised to them generations before. Moses had died and Joshua was now their spiritual and military leader. Jericho was one of the oldest cities in the world. It had fortified walls that were in some places 25 feet high and 20 feet thick. It was the symbol of military power and strength for that part of the world and was considered invincible. But God is omnipotent! And he purposed that His people would take the city and root out evil from this promised land. Even before He laid out His plan for Joshua, He said to him, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its kings and the valiant warriors." (6:2) The victory had already been won; Joshua and his people just had to be obedient and claim the victory.

Now, God's plan to take the city seems somewhat absurd to us. Joshua was to take part of his army, followed by seven priests carrying trumpets, followed by other priests carrying the Ark of the Lord (which symbolized God's presence) and march around the city once a day for six days. As they were marching, they were to be silent! "You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard nor let a word proceed out your mouth..." (6:10) Okay, it's not like they were planning a sneak-attack. The guards on the watchtowers would see them and alert the city, and that many people marching around would surely stir up a dust cloud. And why do this for six days and allow time for the enemy to ready for an attack? It seems like a recipe for disaster! And then on a personal level, think how difficult it would be to march around that city, knowing you were going to attack it at some point, and not even whisper to the person beside you! I couldn't do it!

Joshua also tells them that on the seventh day, they would march around seven times, then the trumpets would blow, and Joshua would shout. When they heard him shout, they were to shout back. So, on the seventh trip around the city, the trumpets blew, Joshua shouted, and the people "shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat." (6:20) That's right...those 25 feet high, 20 feet thick walls fell down flat! Can you imagine the reaction of the Israelites and of the people in the city? When the wall fell down, the Israelites rushed in and took the city. They claimed their victory.

I don't know why God required silence for those six days. I can only surmise that, based on the history of these people, God had truths for them - and us - to learn.

Patience is a virtue - it is also part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). It is NOT natural to man. As we draw closer in our relationship to Christ, the more the fruit of patience grows. The Israelites were having to grow patience as they marched and waited seven days before they took the city. I would have been saying, "Come on. Let's get this over with!" But God was having them wait - on Him and His timing. His timing is perfect.
Self-control is also part of the fruit of the Spirit, and they were having to work on that as well! The fact that they had to march silently for those six days, was an excercise in self-control - holding their tongues, not grumbling, not asking why or when or how come. It also gave them time to reflect on the Lord. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God." Sometimes we just need to be quiet and meditate upon the Lord and listen to Him. Too many times our tongues are flapping and we can't even hear God.
Obedience is not part of the fruit; it the vine that grows the fruit. Without obedience there is no fruit in our walk with God. No love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. He desires and even demands obedience to Him and His Word. "...be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success." (Joshua 1:8) Obedience is the key to defeating our enemy, Satan, and the key to abundant life on this earth.

God wants us to have self-control, which is really Spirit-control, over our human nature. One of those areas for me is the tongue. How do I gain that control? By patiently being obedient to Him. When those three areas are clicking - patience, obedience, and self-control - I am able to claim the victory in all areas of my life that Christ has already won. Do I have perfect control of my tongue? No, not yet. But I can tell you that I have much more control than before. I am a work-in-progress, and as I march on with Him, He is perfecting me until that time when I will stand before Him, and I am claiming the victories along the way!

Sometimes, God Asks the Unthinkable...

2011-02-21T22:36:00.002-06:00

My spiritual heart has always been torn between passion and reason. Since my teenage years, I have loved the Lord and wanted to serve Him. The passion-part of me wanted to say to Him, "I'll go wherever and do whatever You want!" The reason-part of me did say, "I'll go wherever and do whatever...within reason." In other words, I have put parameters on what I would do for God. Have you ever done that? If you have, you - like me - will never know what blessings we have missed.

We run into a man in Acts who was asked to do the unthinkable. It wasn't an easy decision, and he wrestled with the Lord over it. But, eventually, he decided to trust Him and be obedient - and it paid off with tremendous blessings. His name is Ananias, and his story is told by the writer of Acts in chapter 9 and then recounted by Paul in chapter 22.

Saul (later called Paul) was on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus with a letter from the high priest giving him permission to arrest anyone belonging to "the Way" and bring them back to Jerusalem to be tried. Saul was responsible for ravaging homes belonging to believers and having them imprisoned and even killed. Remember, he was present at the stoning of Stephen and even thought to be the overseer of that event. Saul was an educated Pharisee who violently rebuked the good news of Christ. He was powerful and influential. The believers in Damascus had heard that Saul was coming for them, and, undoubtly, were somewhat frightened even as they were learning to trust and stand tall in their faith. It is really hard for me to wrap my brain around the idea that someone would want me dead because of my belief and faith in Jesus Christ! That's where we, as Americans, are so very blessed...we don't face that kind of opposition to our faith - yet.

While on the road to Damascus, Saul encountered the risen Christ, and it changed his life. He was left blinded by the encounter and given instructions to go on to the city and wait. In the meantime, the Lord appeared to Ananias in a vision. Let's talk about Ananias for a minute. We know from the scriptures that Ananias was a devout Jew who believed Jesus was the Messiah and became a follower of "the Way." His name means "the Lord is gracious." He was a quiet leader of the church at Damascus who had a close walk with Jesus - so much so, that he recognized the Spirit speaking to him through his vision. I must admit that I don't always recognize when the Spirit is speaking to me. When I've been out-of-touch with Him, His voice is sometimes vague. Again, I have to wonder what have I missed because I didn't hear Him???

However, Ananias DID recoginize His voice, but he didn't like what he heard. God asked the unthinkable of him! Actually, He didn't ask; He told. God told him to go to this particular place and ask for Saul of Tarsus, that he would be found praying. Okay, let's look at this. Ananias knew who Saul of Tarsus was - the persecutor of Christians, the one who gave the nod to Stephen's death, the one coming to Damascus to do the same to him and the other believers! Ananias' reaction was swift, "Lord, he is coming here to do us harm, maybe even kill us, and You want me to present myself to him like a present? I can't believe what You are asking me to do!" (My paraphrase)

Wow! How many times in my life have I had the same "silent" conversation with God? I can't give You complete control of my life because You might ask me to do something I just don't think I can do! Or go somewhere I just don't think I can go. Or ask someone for forgiveness that I just don't think I'm ready to forgive. Or share Jesus with someone that just might not want to hear about Him. Or...the list goes on...

The Lord's answer to Ananias' concern was, "Go..." So he did...and he found the blinded Saul who had encountered Jesus but needed someone to share with him how to go about this new life. Saul regained his sight, was baptized, spent several days with the disciples learning more about Jesus, and was empowered by His Spirit to preach His salvation. And the rest, as they say, is history. Paul became a missionary and church planter. God used Paul to take the gospel westward to Asia Minor, Greece, and eventually Rome. Paul authored 13 books of the New Testament. Paul, who once imprisoned believers, was imprisoned several times for being a believer. Paul, who persecuted believers, was perscuted because he believed.

It is easy to focus all the attention on Paul, but let's not forget Ananias. Saul was able to become the Paul we love because Ananias "went" when God told him to "Go." He trusted God and his passion for Christ when his reason told him to stay and play it safe. The experience of Ananias reminds us that we should never be afraid to obey God's will. Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

How many times has God asked the "unthinkable" of me? I know I have missed many blessings because I have yielded my passion to my reason. I can't retrieve those times, but I can NOT miss them in the future. That's my prayer - to hear like Ananias, to trust like Ananias, and to be used like Ananias. Who knows how many "Paul's" may be in my path?

When Life Looks Bleak...

2011-02-17T17:56:00.001-06:00

How does life look to you right now? Is everything going your way and all is right with the world? Or are you at one of those junctions in life where things are not progressing the way you had hoped and dreamed? It is so much easier to smile and praise the Lord during our happy times than in our down times. Sometimes, we may even begin to wonder where God is and if He has abandoned us. No doubt, the most difficult step in our walk of faith is to trust Him when life is a bummer. It brings out the age-old question, "Why does a 'good' God let such bad things happen to good and or innocent people?"

That was the question discussed on the air-waves for weeks after the attacks of 9/11, and again, after the Tsunami hit Indonesia, and again, after the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Why would God allow such destruction? Obviously, I am not a scholar or a theologian (not a surprise if you've been reading my blog), but I can share what I've learned through personal experience and time with the Lord.

To begin with, I had to accept the fact that God is God - omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and I am NOT. Therefore, I will never fully understand the mind of God and His ways until I am fully in His presence on the other side of this life. That usually doesn't set too well with the human mind that is inquisitive and strives for reason. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 - Our walk with Christ is a walk of faith. That has to be nailed down in order to move forward in that relationship.

With that said, God DOES allow bad things to happen to good people. However, His Word assures us that "Everything will work together for good, to them who love the Lord and who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 - We saw that with the stoning death of Stephen in the book of Acts. That horrible death was the pivotal event that caused the newly-birthed Church to be ravaged by the likes of legalistic Jews like Saul. That persecution caused the Christians to scatter in all directions away from Jerusalem. It was the beginning of the fulfillment of the Great Commission - taking the gospel to "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth." God used the murder of Stephen to spread the Good News to the rest of the earth - that was the "good" that came from his death.

God will use everything to work His purpose in this world. When life throws us a curve, we need to seek His will and purpose and not give in to the human nature of anger, bitterness, hatred, or even the desire for revenge. I know upfront that I won't be able to accomplish that on my own. My nature is so "human!" I must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit - God's power in me - to look for His purpose and His desired reaction. Sometimes, He wants us to do something immediately. He told the Jerusalem Christians to go - to leave Jerusalem for safety reasons, but, ultimately, to spread the Gospel.

Later in Acts, He told Paul and Silas to stay - in their prison cell - to spread the Gospel. Paul and Silas found themselves in the city of Philippi on their second missionary journey (Acts 16:12-40). Philippi was a Roman colony on the continent of Europe, and they continued to spread the Gospel westward. While there, they stirred up a commotion among the citizens when Paul cast out an evil spirit from a girl who had been following them and yelling at them for several days. The problem was with this slave girl's master. Once the evil spirit was gone, she could no longer make him money with her fortune-telling. Paul and Silas were eventually brought before the magistrate, who had them beaten, shackled, and thrown into prison. Their relationship with the Lord allowed them to be joyful - even in the midst of a deadly situation. By midnight, they were praying and singing hymns of praise - and the other prisoners were listening to them while the jailer had fallen asleep.

How could they be so full of joy after and during such an event? They were beaten with clubs and then their feet fastened into stocks. I can't really imagine how difficult it would be to endure such an attack. All through the book of Acts, we've seen how important prayer had become to those early believers. And in this dire situation, Paul and Silas once again turned to prayer. That is how their human nature of bitterness and desire for revenge did not overtake them. Their spiritual nature of peace and joy in whatever circumstances they found themselves in did take over. So much so, that they started singing - right there in the prison cell! The heavens reacted to their praise with a huge earthquake that shook the very foundation of the prison house - even causing the cell doors to open and their shackles to unfasten!

Here is where they had to really listen to the Holy Spirit and not their own. My spirit would have looked at those open doors and loose shackles, and said, "Run for your life!" But when the jailer did go in, ready to kill himself for letting the prisoners escape, there they were - all of the prisoners - not just Paul and Silas! Don't you know the jailer looked at those guys with astonishment? In fact, verse 29 says with trembling and fear he fell down before Paul and Silas and asked what he had to do to be saved! They told him, he responded, and he met Jesus! As far as we know, he was the first Roman soldier on European soil to become a believer and follower of Christ!

God used the difficult situation with Stephen. The Spirit told those Jerusalem Christians to go, which they did, and the gospel was spread throughout the region. God used the difficult situation with Paul and Silas. The Spirit told them to stay, which they did, and the gospel was spread to Europe. No situation we may find ourselves in is for naught in God's purposes. He will take whatever comes our way - good or not - and use it for His good - IF we allow Him access to our hearts.

If it hasn't happened to you yet, it will. Life will throw you a curve - probably several. You, all of us, will endure some type of suffering in this life. How will we react? Whenever I suffer, whether it's a little or a lot, I don't want it to be wasted suffering! I want to be spiritually able to release it to Him and let it be used for His purposes. I want to hear Him say, "Stay," or "Go". I want those times to be markers on my walk of faith that represent something good that He has done. What about you?

Author Inverview

2011-02-10T21:00:00.000-06:00

Last semester, I had the privilege of leading Before His Throne, a Bible study written by Kathy Howard. It is a great study, and our group enjoyed it greatly. She has just released her newest study, and I am happy to recommend it to you.

Kathy Howard, a Bible study author and speaker, has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years. She’s taught a wide range of topics to an even wider range of students – everything from basic Bible stories at a middle school to teacher training for church leaders. Kathy particularly enjoys speaking at women’s events and retreats to encourage them in their faith. She has a Masters in Christian Education from the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary and serves on a church staff in West Texas.

Kathy and her husband have three children and one son-in-law. They live in Midland, Texas, where Kathy is on staff at Fannin Terrace Baptist Church. When the family gets together there are also four dogs in the mix. Kathy writes to have something to do while drinking coffee. Find out about her Bible studies and speaking ministry and get discipleship and leader helps at her website: www.kathyhoward.org.

Unshakeable Faith, an 8-session Bible study for women by Kathy Howard, has just been released by New Hope Publishers. This study helps readers apply 8 key “faith traits” found in the life of Peter so they will be prepared to weather the harshest storms of life. Today we got to interview Kathy about her new Bible study!

Kathy, what prompted you to write on this particular topic?

Over the last few years, many Christian women I love and admire have endured difficult circumstances such as life-threatening illness, divorce, death of a child, and financial hardship. The quality of their faith significantly affected how they endured these trials and how God worked in them for His glory. God strengthened and guided them through their close relationship with Jesus.

Their experiences made me wonder how I would do in the same circumstances. Like most women, I manage to juggle the everyday things of life – work, family, ministry, and home life – without too much difficulty. But sometimes, even in just a small crisis, my self-sufficiency is shaken. Would I stand firm in really hard times or would these trials knock me flat? I began to ask God to show me how my faith could be prepared.

So why Peter? Why is he a good example for us to study?

Peter was just an ordinary man, a fisherman. He worked hard. He had a family and friends. Peter was passionate and a natural leader, but he was also headstrong and impetuous. Peter had sworn to follow Jesus unconditionally, no matter the circumstances. Yet on the night Jesus was betrayed, his faith wavered and he denied His Lord. But then several decades later Peter willingly faced martyrdom rather than deny Him again. This study is about what made the difference in Peter’s faith. Unshakeable Faith looks closely at Peter’s life and teachings to discover some of the key characteristics God built into his faith that helped him stand firm in the face of death. That’s the kind of faith I want to have.

What’s unique about this study?

I love to study God’s Word. Learning about God, His ways, and what He desires for us is wonderful. But if we don’t apply what He teaches us, let it shape our lives, then we fall short of the full purpose of study. Unshakeable Faith not only leads readers into learning God’s Word, but it also purposefully helps readers apply it. In addition to each week’s application section, there is a “Faith Shaker” story that helps us see how that faith trait works in real life. These stories are about real women who have faced a life trial with which many readers will relate. Readers get to see how their faith keeps them standing firm. A strong faith in Jesus Christ does work in real life!

Where can readers get a copy of Unshakeable Faith?

The study is available at most online bookstores and many Christian bookstores. If your local bookstore does not carry it more than likely they can order it for you. Here are a few links to online stores.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Unshakeable-Faith-Traits-RockSolid-Studies/dp/1596692979/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295970163&sr=1-4

New Hope/WMU Bookstore: http://www.wmustore.com/product.asp?sku=N114134

Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Unshakeable-Faith/Kathy-Howard/e/9781596692978/?itm=1&USRI=unshakeable+faith+by+kathy+howard

Christian Book Distributors: http://www.christianbook.com/unshakeable-faith-traits-rock-solid-living/kathy-howard/9781596692978/pd/692978?item_code=WW&netp_id=834962&event=ESRCN&view=details

Guitar Playing and Prayer???

2011-02-08T13:22:00.000-06:00

A Rendition of My High School Days

At the end of 8th grade, I had major surgery on my leg to correct some issues caused by my bout with polio when I was two years old. The doctors warned my parents that I would be off my feet for about three months - or, as I saw it, the WHOLE summer! What a bummer! Back then, we had no computers, video games, cell phones, or many of the various other items available today to keep a kid somewhat occupied. I was in for one boring summer! I had been thinking for quite a while that I would like to learn to play the guitar. Now, you have to understand that I am a child of the 70's - a hippie-wanna-be! (Through my high school years, I had long, straight hair, lots of hippie beads, a curtain of beads at my bedroom door, and wisps of incense burning in my room!) I thought playing the guitar and singing like Peter, Paul, and Mary or Simon and Garfunkel, or John Denver would be the bomb! My folks and I decided that I should put my energy toward that effort during my summer down-time. I had saved up some money, so I ordered a fairly nice guitar from the Sears catalogue. When it arrived, life, as I knew it, changed! I spent countless hours teaching myself several chords. I practiced so long that my finger tips developed blisters that eventually gave way to callouses.Then I worked on my rhythm and strumming techniques. By the end of the that summer, I was a guitar-playing fool! Over the next several years, that guitar brought me so much fun! I used it to teach Vacation Bible School and to lead the singing in my youth group and sometimes at Sunday night church. I didn't go many places without my guitar.

I am not an overly musical person. I love music, but I'm certainly not close to being "gifted" in that area. I had had a little musical training prior to my guitar years. My older sister was a very good pianist and taught me the basics of middle C, and I played clarinet in the 5th and 6th grade band - until I was "asked" not come back by the band director. (That's a story for another time!) But, for some reason, I ended up being pretty good on the guitar. No, it wasn't "for some reason;" it was because, for those three months, I devoted myself to learning to play. I'm talking hours at a time - practicing those chords and working on my rhythms and songs. I was truly devoted.

As I have read through Luke and half way through Acts, I see similar devotion played out in prayer. Jesus gave us several examples of devoted prayer in Luke and the other Gospels. As a side note, I am so glad God, in His infinite wisdom, sent Jesus to earth as a man! Not only did His coming provide our means of salvation, but He also showed us how to live a believer's life, how to experience abundant life, how to access God the Father, and how to interact with other people. Prior to beginning His formal ministry, Jesus was led by the Spirit to the wilderness for forty days (Luke 4:1-13). The scripture is definite in that He was led there to be tempted by Satan. Just like us, Jesus had to go through a refining process. But the scripture is also definite in that while He was there, He fasted and prayed. Jesus walked this earth as a man - don't forget that! He was showing us how to live out our earthly life God's way. Without spending "devoted" time in prayer and in the Word, man-Jesus could very well have taken Satan up on his offer to rule the world. Satan was and is the prince of this world and could have given the keys over to Him. Or after going a month without food, man-Jesus could have easily turned the stones into bread when Satan suggested it. But Jesus drew on the strength He was given through his devotion to the Father and refuted Satan's temptations with the Word of God.

Before Jesus began making the all-important decision of choosing the twelve men whom He would teach, He prayed. Luke 6:12 - It was at that time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them... Again, he showed us how important serious prayer is to our lives. Later, Jesus was arrested as He is returning from the Garden where He had been praying. Luke 22:39-46 - And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives...and He withdrew from them...and knelt down and began to pray...Scripture says that He was praying so fervently, that He was sweating drops of blood! Did you notice the as was His custom part?

Devoted means to commit to something completely, wholly. Fervent means marked by great intensity of feeling, passionate. That's the kind of prayer life Jesus had - because He knew the Father and had encountered the Holy Spirit.

In the disciples, we see a different kind of prayer life. All through the four Gospels, these twelve walk side-by-side with Jesus for three years, yet, we do not see a devoted prayer life. In fact, as they are nearing the climax of their three year journey and they go with Jesus to the Garden, and Jesus tells them to watch and pray - they fall asleep! Oh, how I relate to that! How many times have I've been caught "napping" when fervent prayer was needed! At times, I've been so out-of-touch with God that Satan has whispered, "You can't pray for that person; why, you aren't worthy to approach the Father because you haven't talked to Him in days! And now, you want to take this big need before Him? Who do you think you are?" Yes, I've been caught napping too many times.

But, when we get to Acts, the disciples' prayer life is very different. After Jesus ascends into Heaven, they gather in the upper room for several days "...continually devoting themselves to prayer." (1:14) Those prayers were answered in tongues of fire as the Holy Spirit rained down on them. As the church began to grow in Jerusalem, they continued to "...continually devote themselves to...prayer..." (2:42) and hundreds were being saved. And after Peter was arrested and imprisoned for the third time, the believers prayed. "So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God." (12:5) The result? An angel walked Peter out of prison and right up to the door of the prayer meeting!

What changed the way the disciples prayed? They went from knowing the man-Jesus to encountering the God-Jesus through the touch of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The man-Jesus showed them that by committing His life completely to God, a man could endure any thing Satan can throw at him, even Crucifixion. He could continue in this life focused on the Father no matter what happened to Him. Their personal experience with the risen Jesus through the person of the Holy Spirit empowered them to devote themselves to that life.

All of this gives me pause to reflect on my own prayer life. I have not been as devoted to prayer as I was devoted to learn to play the guitar! I have not spent hours at a time pouring myself out and bringing needs before the Father. My knees do not have callouses from hours of practice. I've been napping - way too long. Prayer is a powerful tool to be used as we traverse this life. Prayer is our secure line to the God who breathed all of this into existence. Prayer is necessary for me to grow in my walk with the Lord. And scripture assures us that fervent prayer is effective prayer. "The fervent (effective) prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." James 5:16

It's time to wake up! Let's not nap any longer - It's time to become the prayer warriors He desires us to be!

Are You Full Of It?...

2011-02-05T20:09:00.000-06:00

What is your comfort zone? Everyone has one - that place, either physically or emotionally, where you feel safe and the most comfortable. You may not think much about it until you are moved out of it. Then the uneasy feelings begin to creep in and you react. Some people react by shutting down, kind of like a turtle pulling his head back in his shell. Others react just the opposite, sometimes with a nervous giddiness. Then are those for whom getting out of the comfort zone causes a full-blown panic attack. Most of us are somewhere in between, depending on the day and the situation.

For me, personally, when I am asked or prodded out of my CZ, it usually calls for courage that is more than the daily deal. Sometimes it is courage to Act, and sometimes it is courage to not React!

The seventh and eighth chapters of Acts shows us two examples of men who were moved out of their comfort zone by the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. First, is Stephen. In chapter 6, Stephen and six others were set apart by the apostles to serve in a special role in the Jerusalem church. We generally refer to them as the first deacons. The church had grown so much that the apostles needed help with administrative and ministry duties so that they could concentrate on preaching and sharing the gospel. Stephen is described in 6:5 as "a man full of faith, and of the Holy Spirit." and in 6:8 as "full of grace and power who performed great wonders and signs among the people..." We don't know anything about this man before he was selected as a leader in the early church, but those few descriptions in the above mentioned verses tell a great deal.

Notice those verses repeat the saying "full of," thus, the emphasis in Stephen's life is "fullness." In scripture, to be "full of" something means to be controlled by that something. Paraphrased, that would read, "Stephen was controlled by faith, controlled by the Holy Spirit, controlled by grace, and controlled by power." I would say he was on "God-control!" Can you imagine living a life that full of the presence and power of God? Obviously, the apostles saw leadership qualities as well as a ministry spirit in him. So leading in the church and serving the widows may not have been too far, if at all, out of his comfort zone. However, I am going to take a leap here and say that preaching Christ and debating the same group of pharisees and high priests that had called for the execution of Jesus, was out of character for the "Before Christ" (BC) Stephen. He was so passionate in his zeal for the Lord that he was eventually stoned to death. Now that is out of anyone's comfort zone!

Phillip was another one of the deacons called out to lead the church. He is listed in 6:5 right after Stephen. We meet up with him again in Chapter 8, after the church was scattered throughout the regions. Phillip went out to share Christ in Samaria. Samaria would not be in most of these men's comfort zones. Samaria was a region north of Jerusalem populated by "half-breeds." - Jews who had, generations before, intermarried with foreigners from the east. Because of their "impurity," the Samaritans were hated by the Jews. In fact, Jews would travel out-of-their way to avoid passing through Samaria. Now that's bigotry! Remember, when they traveled, they traveled by foot and by caravans. To go miles out-of-their way so as to NOT have to interact with Samaritans, was the norm. Phillip's ministry in Samaria resulted in hundreds of new converts in that region and among non-Jewish people. On his way back to Jerusalem, an angel appeared to Phillip and said, "Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaze." (8:26-40) He obeyed, not having to know the reason or the outcome; he just obeyed. I'd say he was "full" of the Holy Spirit - just like Stephen. On that road, he saw a governmental caravan, and in the main chariot, was a man reading the book of Isaiah. Again, he obeyed the Spirit and caught up with the chariot and asked the man if he understood what he was reading. The guy, who just so happened to be a court official to the Queen of Ethiopia, said he needed someone to explain it to him. So Phil jumps aboard and tells the official about Jesus, beginning with the Old Testament prophecies all the way to His resurrection. The man accepts Jesus and stops to be baptized by the side of the road. Then Phil is miraculously whisked away and lands in another place to begin sharing the gospel.

I don't think I can wrap my mind around the importance and application of these stories. The best way for me to begin to understand is to look at the "what if's." What if Stephen hadn't ventured out of his comfort zone? Well, for starters, he most likely would not have been stoned to death! However, the flip side of that is what happened because he was stoned to death. Upon Stephen's death, the new christian church came under great persecution, and "they were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria...Saul [who later is renamed "Paul"] began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison." (8:1-3) As a result, Phillip took the message of Jesus to Samaria, and then, to Ethiopia by way of the court official he "ran" into on the road. Remember, the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20. And then, just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told the disciples, "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." (1:8) I'd say Ethiopia was pretty remote by their standards!

You see how the Lord took something that was not good - especially for Stephen personally - horrible, and used it for good? You see, we are never left without hope! Even when Stephen was being pounded by rocks until he literally died, he was gazing intently into heaven and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God (7:55) and knew that his death would be used by God for good! God used the horrific persecution of the church and the imprisonment and death of many believers to spread the availability of salvation the the entire world. The gospel spread from it's core in Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the earth like ripples on a pond. It was accomplished because believers who were full or controlled by the Holy Spirit were willing to leave their comfort zones and tell about Jesus.

I've been guilty of being "full of it" many times. But usually, I'm full of myself! What would God use me to accomplish if I were full of the Holy Spirit, i.e. controlled by the Spirit? If I were willing to leave my comfort zone and go and do whatever, wherever He directs? Only He knows the answer to that, but I have the same hope that Stephen and Phillip had - whatever it is, it will be for good.

Brash or Bold?...

2011-02-03T16:36:00.000-06:00

I live deep in the heart of Texas (and am a Proud Texan!), and for four days, we've been frozen in one of the worst ice and snow events in many years. It has been in the teen's since Monday night (I am writing on Thursday) with just enough ice on the ground to bring nearly half of Texas to a grinding halt. Schools have been closed, and we've experienced rolling blackouts due to excessive energy needs across the state. Where we live, this is a rarity! My dogs really don't like this weather! Neither Lily, our Bichon, or Sis, our Rat Terrier, want to go out and do their business! You would think they are the most meek and mild little dogs in the world - until the Schwann man rings the doorbell. Then they morph into these dastardly beasts who bark and snarl like they are going to have the guy for lunch! Their brashness always amazes me, and frankly, wears me out! The only way I could get them to go outside this morning was to let them out through the garage. For some reason, an opening to the front yard spells freedom. They got so excited and start jumping and barking. I guess they didn't realize it is as cold in the front as it is in the back! So I opened the garage door and off they went, racing with each other to see who could get to the grass first. Only our driveway is still a solid sheet of ice, and when their little paws hit it, they both went sliding down the drive and into the street! That made me laugh!

However, there is another side to our dogs. For example, when I am kicked back in my recliner and Lily is laying across my lap, her bark becomes a growl, and she is one serious pooch who is filled with the "don't mess with my Momma!" mentality! If another dog even thinks about sniffing my feet, Lily strikes the "at attention" pose and really will try to take down even the biggest of dogs - like Rambo, our daughter's blue heeler. Her boldness to go against this dog who weighs probably five times her weight amazes me! BTW - I think she is more interested in protecting her territory than her master!

After reading the last chapters of Luke and the first few chapters of Acts, I started thinking about the difference between brash faith and bold faith. When you look those two words up, you find them both described as "confidence." But digging deeper into the nuisances of the words, you'll find a subtle but important difference.

Brash/brashness is the appearance of confidence. Cocky and reckless are its synonyms. (Dictionary.com)

Bold/boldness is confidence. Courageous and resolute are its synonyms. (dictionary.com)

It was Peter who recklessly cut off the ear of one the soldiers who arrested Jesus, and it was that same Peter who cowardly denied even knowing Him three times before He was murdered. Peter was a hot-head whose appearance of boldness was dimmed by his fear. Before he experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit, Peter's "faith" was iffy - at best. Obviously, there was something about Jesus that captivated him and caused him to alter his life and follow Him for three years. But his relationship with Jesus was not deep enough to alter his character.

That all changed with his Pentecost experience. When the Holy Spirit filled that upper room and filled those 120 people, it literally altered personalities! Peter went from the cocky, reckless young man who would fade when the pressure was on, to a courageous Apostle who perfomed supernatural works and resolutely proclaimed that there is no other name by which one might be saved but Jesus. He became a powerful preacher whose fearless faith allowed him to stand before thousands of people as well as the same officials who had crucified the Christ. Just as Jesus had said, Peter became the rock upon which the Christian church was founded.

Peter was transformed from brash to bold - by the power of the Holy Spirit working in his life. That kind of boldness requires courage to press on through our fears and do what we know is right. How can we get that kind of boldness? - the courage to proclaim the name of Jesus without backing down - no matter what...

The answer? Do what the disciples did:

pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to give you courage. Read the first four chapters of Acts and count how many times and how much time they devoted themselves to prayer!
look for opportunities in your family, social relationships and work circles to talk about Christ - and do it! When Peter and John were ordered by the officials to not talk about Jesus anymore, they said whether it is right in the eyes of the government or not, we can not NOT talk about Jesus (my paraphrase!).
realize that rejection, social discomfort, and embarrassment are probably going to come your way. Scripture tells us that Satan is the Prince of this world - and he HATES Jesus. It's not going to be easy to be a bold believer. and
start where you are by being bolder in small ways. The more you practice telling others about your Jesus, the more natural it becomes.

If you want to be a Brash christian with a little bite - don't worry about it. Most of us are already there! But if you want to be a Bold christian with a big impact for the Lord, roll up your sleeves, get down on your knees, and pray for the Holy Spirit to alter your character.

Routine or Reality????

2011-01-30T20:19:00.000-06:00

As I write this post, I am wrestling with a question - Am I living in routine or in reality? I'm going to do my best to explain what that means in my mind, and then, I want you to ask you, along with myself, to make a choice. Routine or Reality?

Routine - n - 1. a customary or regular course of procedure 3. regular, unvarying, habitual, unimaginative, or rote procedure (Dictionary.com)

We all have several activities that are routine - things we do mostly at the same time of day and in the same manner. Brushing my teeth comes to mind first. If you were to ask my husband about my morning routine, he would probably call it a ritual! It goes something like this: brush my teeth, wash my face, take a couple of pills (one is a hormone and one is for blood pressure - you don't want me to NOT take either of those!), wash my hair, do my make-up, dry my hair, etc. If anything gets me off that routine, I may end up at church or work with wet hair or as a raving maniac! That's how stuck I am in my routine! I feel confident that you are relating to this - well, maybe not the hormones! That just seems to be the way we are wired.

The scariest experience of routine is when you are driving a familiar path to work, a store, or even home from somewhere, and you realize that you don't remember the last couple of minutes, you don't remember passing by a certain landmark or stopping at a red light. (I hope you are still relating to this???) Scientists tell us that these are times when our subconscious takes over, and we are actually on cruise control. That has happened during my morning routine also. There have times when I've had to count the blister-pack to see if I took my blood pressure medicine because I could not remember taking it! That's so bizarre!

Reality - n - 1. the state or quality of being genuine; not counterfeit, artificial, or imitation; authentic; 2. the state of being present (Dictionary.com)

Reality is getting a bad rap these days due to "reality t.v." The number of shows on the countless number of channels is probably more than we want to know. And, for the most part, what purports to be "reality" is no more than an unscripted script. Most do not come close to showing genuine or authentic life. Reality changes when the camera shows up!

Then there is the issue of personal reality. Again, most people show others only what they want them to see. The person(s) who really knows our reality is the one who lives with us everyday. My husband knows the "real" Debbie more than anyone else because we have spent so much time together. But even he doesn't know all of my inner-most thoughts.

These words are not opposites. In fact, some would argue that one cannot chose between them because they exist simultaneously. And that is true to some degree. Everyone has routines in their lives, and that is part of our reality.

However, when it comes to my spiritual life, my relationship with Jesus Christ, I need to evaluate the role of each one. Routine - do I need some regular, habitual procedures in my walk with the Lord? Obviously, the answer to that is yes. I need to regularly spend time in His Word and in prayer. Those are two of the most important ways we communicate with each the Lord. Do I need to worship regularly and fellowship with other believers consistenly? Again, the answer is yes. The problem comes with part of the definition. When an activity becomes unimaginative or a rote procedure, am I really present? Or do I tap the cruise control button and am not even aware of all that is going on? How many times have I walked out of Bible study or church and couldn't really tell you what was talked about? Or how much of my prayer time is repetitive thank you's, bless them's, and don't forget the food? We do need some regular routines in our spiritual walk, but when they become so routine that my heart and mind doesn't even have to be present, something is wrong.

I was reading the first couple of chapters of Acts when this idea of reality began bumping around in my mind. After Jesus was raised from the dead, He spent forty days appearing to the disciples and various other people at random times giving them assurance that He was the same Jesus and giving them instruction. Right before He ascended into heaven, He told the disciples to return to Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The gathered in the upper room and waited for ten days. While they waited, they prayed. They were out of their routine. Jesus was gone from them; they were on their own waiting. The Holy Spirit came upon those 120 people in a dramatic way. Their reality changed. The authentic Jesus was very present with them once again - only now in the form of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, as a man, could only be in one place at a time. As a spirit, He could (and can) be everywhere, and He empowered them in a supernatural way.

Fifty days ago, Peter denied even knowing the man Jesus. After the Holy Spirit filled him, he preached to a huge crowd about the risen Jesus, and over 3,000 accepted Him as their Savior that day. The Christian church was birthed in the reality of the Holy Spirit!

Acts 2:42-47 gives the account of this first church. It says, "and they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer...and day by day continuing with one mind ...with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God...and the Lord was adding to their number daily those who were being saved."

They were living in the reality of the Holy Spirit - not the routine of godliness. The reality of the Holy Spirit is that He is ALIVE, REAL, ACTIVE, EMOTIONAL, and POWERFUL! That's what "the state of being present" means! You are not on cruise control, not remembering if you encountered Him today or not. You are so conscious of His presence, that everything you do is framed by that awareness. Is your spiritual life dull and seemingly non-existent even though you know that you know Him as Savior? Then perhaps you've been living in the routine of godliness. It's worth pondering.

As for me, I want to live in the REALITY of the Holy Spirit!!!

Have Your Been Sifted...Yet?

2011-01-26T22:01:00.000-06:00

I've concluded that the most difficult job in the world is farming the land. It is not as difficult as it used to be with advent of the industrial revolution - tillers, tractors, pickers, combines, balers, etc. Just think for a moment how different life was before those inventions! Think how difficult growing crops was before even the most basic of tools were around. It all goes back to Adam. Remember how God told him that because of his sin, he would have to work the land for their sustenance, and it would be back-breaking work? That was not just a play on words.

In Luke 22:31, Jesus told Peter that Satan wanted to sift him like wheat. So, let's examine what that agriculture term suggests. Sifting grain such as wheat or barley is the process of separating the chaff, little stones, and sometimes tares from the kernels that eventually make meal. In Bible times, this was primarily done by the women using a sieve of some kind or sometimes just shaking the grain furiously by hand. It was usually a long, tedious process. Basically, the purpose is to separate the good parts from the bad. Little stones and dirt are obviously not good, and tares are weeds that choke out the good fruit. But what about chaff? It is part of the plant. Chaff is the dry, scaly protective covering of the seed grain. Once the grain is mature, the outer casing begins to dry and pull away from the seed. Its usefulness is over. Eventually, it will fall off and be blown away by the wind. When sifting, that process is speeded up so the grain can be harvested and turned into meal.

What was Satan wanting? He wanted permission to try and break Peter. No doubt, he had been watching Peter and the other disciples for three years as they followed the Christ. He had seen Peter's brashness and impulsiveness, and knew Pete could be a hot-head. He knew Peter's weaknesses. Satan thought this just might be his chance to break Peter and get to Jesus. He wasn't successful in breaking Jesus in the wilderness, so this was another chance. Remember, Satan and his demons are in constant conflict with God and His angels - Good vs. evil. He was hoping that Peter was all chaff and no seed.

This should be a wake-up call for all believers in Christ. Once you accept Jesus as your personal savior, Satan does not forget about you. He still prowls about like a hungry lion seeking someone to devour (I Peter 5:8). No, he cannot rob you of your eternal salvation. However, he can rob you of the abundant life Jesus wants you to experience on this earth. He can devour your joy, peace, and your faith. If he is successful in that, he will prevent you from sharing your faith and being a godly influence to those with whom you come into contact. In other words, you will still go to heaven, but he doesn't want you to take anyone with you.

How does Satan sift us today? Well, be certain he knows our weaknesses - just as he did Peter's. Some of the most common sieves we filter through are physical sufferings, financial hardships, career issues, family problems, and a vast array of personal temptations. In those trials (sifting), Satan tries to shake us hard enough for the chaff to fall away. His hope is that our seed is dried up and is of no use to us or anyone else. But the person who has a growing, dynamic relationship with Jesus won't have a dry, scaly covering that is so fragile that it falls off when shaken. And his seed will be ripe for planting whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself.

I hope you didn't miss the fact that Satan had to ask permission from Jesus to even approach Peter. Talk about the sovereignty of God! And we see in subsequent verses that Jesus allowed Peter to be sifted - and he didn't do too well. That could be a whole post of its own!

Another remarkable thing is seen in v. 32. Jesus, still speaking to Peter, says, "but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once your have turned again, strengthen your brothers." Here's our WOW moment! Jesus prayed for Peter! And Jesus prays for us - He intercedes for us to the Father! He knows us, each one, by name, and takes us before the Father and expresses our needs. This is the Creator, the One who breathed life into man's existence! He also knew Peter would falter - and told him so. Of course, the brash, young Pete exclaimed his loyalty to Jesus and pooh-poohed the very thought of such. And, again, we have the benefit of knowing the rest of the story. Jesus also knew that Pete would come around and realize he had danced with the devil and would turn back to Jesus. He prayed that Peter's sifting experience would make him stronger in his faith, and that he would be a source of strength and encouragement to other believers. Was Jesus' prayer answered? Oh, yeah! Big time!

We know from Peter's experience that sometimes our trials and adversities are a direct result of Satan's work around us. We also know that sometimes God, in His infinite wisdom, allows us to be tested and sifted. There are times when we need the dry scales knocked off so that we can be spiritually healthy. We have the assurance that Jesus is with the Father watching and praying for us by name that our faith will be strengthened, and we can then strengthen the faith of our brothers and sisters.

So, the question that is posed for us is, how will we fare when Satan sifts us like wheat? Because he will - sift us, you know. Is your "faith" made up of dirt and weeds and chaff so that when you are shaken, it will blow away with the wind? Or, is there a plump, ripe seed smack dab in the core of your faith that will sustain you through the trials when they come?

Jesus is praying for you - and for me - that our faith will grow strong so that it will sustain us through whatever life brings our way. That's a WOW!

Sibling Rivalry...

2011-01-23T22:00:00.001-06:00

If you have a brother(s) or sister(s), you have probably experienced sibling rivalry to some degree. I have an older sister and an older brother, but we are all spread out with four to six years between us. So we were not so close in age as to be competitive with each other. Psychologists tells us that birth order makes a huge difference in how one learns to relate and cope with others throughout their lives. I am the "baby" of the family and also experienced a bout with a devastating disease when I was two years old. So I know that I was treated differently than my brother and sister. Did these things impact my relationship with my siblings? Yes, no doubt they did. It is often said that the baby of the family is spoiled and not held to such an exacting standard as the older children, especially the eldest. I have to say from my personal experience as the baby and as the mom of two children, that is pretty much how it goes. Then in my case, add a debilitating disease, and for the older kids, you get disaster! No doubt, there were times in our younger days, when my sister and brother got fed up with the extra time and attention my parents gave me. They were often shuffled off to stay with relatives while my folks stayed with me six hours away from our home. I am sure there were activities they had to forgo because of my situation, and times when they were sick of hearing something like, "Don't be rough with Debbie." I know myself well enough to know that had the roles been reversed, I would have tired quickly of the world seeming to revolve around one them. We are all human.

When we pick up the story of Jacob's family in Genesis 37, we run into sibling rivalry at its worst. Jacob had twelve sons by four different women, but only the youngest son, Joseph, was the son of Rachel, the love of Jacob's life. It's obvious that Jacob favored Joseph from the time he was born. That favoritism did not set well with the brothers, and because they were human, jealousy, hatred, and bitterness took seed in their hearts and bloomed into full-blown treachery.

At this point, I encourage you to read Genesis 37, if you haven't, and get a feel for the family dynamics in Jacob's brood. It was dicey and no one, including Jacob and Joseph, was without fault. No, the brothers did not react in a godly way to Jacob giving Joseph a "coat of many colors" that was similar to what men of high standing would wear. It wasn't the normal dull-colored, short sleeve tunic that most teenage boys his age wore. Now think about this for a minute. If the father had always favored the little brother and then crowned him with this expensive, royal-like garment, they would naturally be angry. I'm not saying their attitude was right, but it was natural. Sometimes we seem to focus on their actions without considering why they felt the way they did. When we put ourselves in others' shoes, we sometimes see ourselves.

Joseph didn't always help his plight with the brothers, either. I mean, did he have to share his dreams with them? Dreams that put them subservient to him. According to Warren Wiersbe (see my Bible study references on the left), it was most likely God's will that the brothers and then Jacob hear about his dreams. However, the problem might have been in how Joseph presented it to them. You know, presentation is the thing! How we say something can instill peace or insight riot! Joseph was a bit brash and perhaps flaunted his favoritism when he should have shown humility.

Anyhow, when Jacob sent Joseph out to check on the brothers, the last straw had been drawn. Galations 5:19-21 tells us that the deeds of the flesh are, among other things, enimities, strife, jealousy, anger, disputes, and envying. Take your pick - they were all present as the brothers connived a way to get rid of Joseph without his blood literally being on their hands. After stripping him of his coat and throwing him into a deep pit from which he could not climb out, they ended up selling him as a slave to some Ishmaelites who were passing by on their way to Egypt. (Ishmaelites - get the connection?) When they returned home, they took the coat, which they had dipped in blood, to their father who then assumed the boy had been devoured by some wild animal.

Now, how's that for sibling rivalry gone too far? What can we learn from this episode in history? Many things starting with these:

Jealousy, hatred, and bitterness are an all consuming fire. Whether they thread through families or other relationships, they are costly - if not deadly. They are listed in Galations as deeds of the flesh because they are natural, human reactions. However, they can be countered and overcome by the fruit of the Holy Spirit, who lives in the heart of a true believer.That's what putting on the "new" nature is all about.
Favoritism is a destructive force and has no place in any of our relationships. Whether it's family, work, or social situations, it will breed the deeds of the flesh. The outcome will not be good. Aren't you glad that Jesus knows no favorites? He loves me regardless of what I do or don't do, and He died for all and does not pick and choose to whom He offers salvation, He gives a royal cloak to ALL who receive Him.
We need to "grow up in Christ." Joseph learned about God from his father Jacob, and followed His teachings. But when God gave him some spiritual insight, he handled it poorly. He reacted with arrogance instead of humility, and it fueled the hatred of his brothers. The fruit of the Spirit, proof that one is growing in relationship with Him, is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galations 5:22-24). Joseph could have benefited from some of those.
Ultimately, God is in control and He will see His will through. We will never know if all that transpired between the brothers and Joseph was God's will or if He just allowed it. But, if you have read on in Genesis, you know the end of the story. God's people were saved from certain death by famine because of the role Joseph came to play in the government of Egypt. Once again, we see the truth of the promise in Romans 8:28 - "All things work together for good to them who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes."

Sibling rivalry is part of the natural course of growing up with brothers and sisters. Enough said about that. But think about sibling rivalry within the body of Christ. We are brothers and sisters through His blood. When we let the deeds of the flesh control our motives, actions, and words, we are instruments that can infuse that same all-consuming fire witnessed in Jacob's family into our spiritual family.

Woe be to those who mess with God's family!

The Wee Little Man...

2011-01-20T21:13:00.000-06:00

Zaccheus was a wee little man; a wee little man was he...
He climbed up in a sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see...
And as the Lord passed that way, He looked up in the tree...
And He said, "Zaccheus, you come down - for I'm going to your house today...

Remember that little ditty from pre-school Sunday School? We teach that song to our children, but do we really know the meaning of that event in Luke 19? Let's examine Jesus' encounter with this tax collector and discover the Truth that's in it for us.

Jesus and his disciples and the multitudes that had been following them were traveling to Jerusalem, where He would eventually be formally accused, tried, and crucified. On their way, they passed through Jericho and were met with a huge crowd. Now we know that these huge crowds that frequently mobbed Him were full of people who had heard about Him and the miracles He had performed. However, the vast majority of these people saw Him as an oddity that they wanted to get a glance at. Most had no idea or belief that He was the Messiah. Others followed and got excited because they thought He was going to set up a new government, thus, overthrowing the Romans. And still a few followed Him because they truly believed.

Zaccheus was a chief tax collector - meaning he was a supervisor, the big cheese among tax men. Tax collectors were not "Citizen of the Year" type men. They had a reputation for extracting more money from the citizens than was really owed. Some used all methods of extortion; they were not liked. The overage lined their personal bank accounts. As for Zaccheus, the scripture notes that he was rich, so he most likely was one of the dishonest tax guys. He probably even took a cut from the those under him since he was in a supervisory role. One other item the scripture tells us about him is that he was "small in stature." I think it is interesting that we are given that detail. How many characters in the Bible, especially the New Testament, do we get a physical description of? When something unusual pops up like that, we'd best take note.

Have you ever heard of the "Little Man" syndrome? In our culture, the "Little Man" syndrome is when a man who is physically small, projects a large personality, perhaps to compensate for his size. That large personality ususally comes across as offensive and arrogant. It's hard to like a "Little Man." I see Zaccheus as a "Little Man."

As the street in Jericho became more congested with people trying to get to Jesus, Zaccheus was unable to break through the crowd. He wasn't large enough to muscle his way through, and people certainly weren't going out of their way to help him. This situation begs the question, why did Zaccheus want to see Jesus so badly? What had he heard that made him so curious? Was there something deep in his heart that was wounded that Jesus might heal? Was he beginning to doubt his wealth and his eternal security? We are not privy to his thoughts, but we do know he desperately wanted to see Jesus. So he runs around and ahead of the crowd and climbs up into a sycamore tree. He made himself a tall perch from which he could watch for and see Jesus. There is no indication that he wanted to talk to Him or touch Him - he just wanted to see Him.

When Jesus came to the tree, He stopped, looked up and spoke directly to Zaccheus, calling him by name. He told him to hurry and come down because He was going to stay at his house! That's a WOW! Scripture says he hurried down and received Him gladly. Zaccheus goes on to say, unprompted, I might add, that he would sell his possessions and give half to the poor and repay those he had defrauded by four times. By-the-way, paying them back four times what he had taken was the harshest penalty under their law, and he chose to do that on his own. Jesus replied that salvation had come to Zaccheus that day.

What Truth can we glean from this familiar story?

Those who seek Jesus - even when they are not sure Who or What He is - will be found by Him. Zaccheus was driven to find Jesus. Driven by something he may not have understood, but still driven to the point of running through the streets and climbing a tree! That's pretty drastic, especially for someone who had wealth and position in the community. It takes a lot for a "Little Man" to lower himself to do something so drastic. But look closely at the passage. Zaccheus positioned himself in the tree, but it was Jesus who stopped and looked up at him. Jesus found him! Jesus invited himself into the man's home. Jesus desired a relationship with Zaccheus, a man who lived his life as a cheat and a crook.

Jesus' eyes pierce our hearts and souls - in a life-changing way. When He looked up and into the face of Zaccheus, Zaccheus was a changed man. He was convicted of his sin to the point of repentance. It's the same thing that happened when He looked into the eyes of Peter, James, and John at the seashore and they immediately left their old way of life and followed Jesus. He knows us by name and sees into our very hearts. He has the power to change us forever - if we will come down from our perch and let Him reside in our hearts (homes). The "Little Man" became a humble, repentant man who became a "son of Abraham," meaning, of course, a child of Faith. That's about as Big as one can get!

Personally, I have no doubt that He invited Himself to my home and I received Him gladly! I hope you have already been found by Jesus and experienced that life-changing look into His eyes. If you are not sure, I pray that you will come down from that tree and take Him into your home (heart). You will be glad you did, and you'll be changed forever.

I Am Rich!....

2011-01-18T22:00:00.000-06:00

I don't play the lottery. But I must be honest and admit that I've thought about it - a lot! I find my thoughts drifting to the possibility of winning thousands or even millions of dollars when I'm paying bills and money is not stretching as far as I need it to. Or sometimes when something big goes wrong with the house or a vehicle, and it's going to take a chunk to fix the problem. Or sometimes when I decide on something I want or someplace I really want to go, and it's just not in the budget. And then there are times when the philanthropic me would love to take care of needs that I see around me or even across the world, but I don't have the resources to do much at all. When my mind dreams about what I'd do with all that money, I always think, "I'll give a bunch of it to the church and mission work!" I really would, but thinking that probably helps clear my conscience! The fact is, I am not sure how having lots of money would change me, if at all.

Jesus spoke about being rich several times in Luke, so it must of weighed on his mind. In Luke 16, he tells of the Rich Man and the beggar. The beggar was at his gate everyday, covered with sores and longing to be fed the crumbs from the man's table. This is the poor man whom the dogs licked his sores! A very pitiful situation. The rich man never acknowledged the beggar, never offered him anything to eat, never offered to clothe him with the clothes his servants were taking to Goodwill, never offered to get him medical attention, never even shewed away the dogs! The poor man died and was taken to heaven; the rich man died and went to Hell. Hell was so torturous that the rich man asked that the beggar be able to come and just give him a dip of cool water! He still didn't get it! Even in Hell, he expected the beggar to serve him - he didn't get that something was so very different between them that they ended up in very different places!

Jesus again spoke of riches in Luke 18. Here he speaks to the Rich Young Ruler who asked what he needed to do to receive eternal life. Jesus recited the Ten Commandments and told him to keep them, to which the rich young man said he had been keeping them all of his life. Jesus then said there was one other thing he needed to do and that was to sell all of his possessions and distribute the revenue to the poor, which would build up treasure in heaven, then follow Him. Wow! Can you imagine what must have been going through the young rich man's mind? He was rich...and had never lacked for anything...could come and go and do as he pleased - just like if I won the lottery! Now Jesus was asking him to sell EVERYTHING and give away the money. He had been watching Jesus; he must have known the kind of nomadic lifestyle He and the disciples lived - never quite knowing where their next meal was coming from or where they would lay their heads at night. Jesus was asking the young man to make a drastic change! The scripture says that the man "became very sad, for he was extremely rich." Then Jesus said that it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

At first thought, I can rationalize the stories Jesus told about rich people in one of two ways. One, I am not rich, therefore, I am not the focus of the stories, which lets me off the hook. Second, the stories can stand to validate the view that rich people are selfish and snobbish, and think they are better than everyone else. Accepting either of those, would indicate my own shallowness in my relationship with the Lord. So, I must dig deeper and think broader until the Holy Spirit shows me Truth that applies to me, personally. That's what Bible "study" really is - much more than "reading" the scripture.

Obviously, there is a literal meaning and application of the lesson of the rich men when "rich" means well-off financially. And, there is truth in those lessons. However, I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God and that all of it has meaning and application to all people. I can't pick and choose the stories that I want to draw application from. There is something for me in all of His Word, but sometimes I have to study on it a bit more.

Okay, I am not financially well-off, so can I metaphorically be the rich men in the stories? Yes, indeedee! Let's take the first story, the rich man and the beggar. The rich man had a lot, and the beggar had nothing but sores. The beggar came to the gate everyday hoping to receive something helpful from the one who had much. How many people do I pass by everyday who needs something I can give? Attention, a smile, a hug, an ear to listen, a nice word, the gospel. You see where I am going with this. It's not necessarily about money but ministry. I am rich because I know the God of the universe! The Creator of all, the Helper, Healer, Comforter, Provider. the Rock, Forgiver, Redeemer, Salvation-giver! I have everything that "beggar" needs! Yet, most days and most opportunities, I pass right by and never even notice his/her presence.My gosh, even the dogs noticed the beggar and licked his sores!

What about the second story? I, too, try to keep the commandments. But Jesus wanted more than legalistic obedience. He wanted "heart" obedience. He told the rich man to sell all that he had and give the money to the poor. When the man couldn't do that, He said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to go to heaven. I believe Jesus was talking about what we focus our time and attention on - whether that's money or family, or job, or sports, or scrapbooking, or quilting, or building birdhouses. What is it that we won't give up and instead, put Him first in our lives? The man whose focus or treasure is concentrated on something other than the Lord is the target of this story. I may do all the "things" that I can check off on my offering envelope, but none of those may deal with the condition of my heart. He readily admits that in our humanness, it is very difficult to not focus on something other than God. That's why he added the strange remark about the camel. But when we don't even notice or care that we are out of focus - that's the problem the rich young ruler had and was unwilling to rectify.

All this time, I've been reading those stories about rich people and thinking how "right" Jesus was to concentrate on them. Wow! How small-minded I've been. He has speaking to me and about me all the time because - I AM RICH because HE IS in me! I have won the Lotto!!!

Faith is Not Having to Have All the Answers...

2011-01-14T22:03:00.001-06:00

We had another family discussion tonight concerning the events we've been reading about in Genesis.We agreed on at least a couple of things. One is our curiosity about why God continues to be faithful to unfaithful people. Second, they had some mighty strange customs that don't seem "right."

Now, a part of me is really glad that we see the Lord God continuing to be faithful to the people of Abraham's family tree - at least those on the Isaac side of the tree. It shows me that God doesn't give up on people. In fact, He gives them chance after chance to follow Him and obey His will. That's not to say they don't have to face the consequences of their choices when they disobey. But God, in His sovereignty, will ultimately see His plan for man fulfilled. In other words, we may alter His plan for our lives, but we cannot alter His plan for this world.

He makes a covenant with Abraham that He will make Abraham the Father of Many Nations - God's chosen people. He is given Sarah as his wife, and together they follow after the Lord God. God takes His time in blessing them with a promised son. We're talking about years! Years past the normal child-bearing age. So they take matters into their own hands. Sarah suggests that Abe take her servant, Hagar, and have a son with her - and he does. That was not how God wanted it, but He allowed it. Since the beginning, He gave man free will to make his own choices. As we all know from personal experiences, man (and woman) doesn't always make the right choice! Abe and Sarah did their part to "help" God along with His promise, and the result was the birth of Ishmael. God's plan was not to generate His chosen people via an illegitimate son. God allowed the birth of that son but not the birth of His nation through that son. His plan didn't change. Human nature took its course, and Sarah became resentful of Hagar and her son, and finally had Abraham send them away. How Abe handled that was really not humane - at least in our way of thinking. Sending a mom and her young son out to the desert with little provisions is a death sentence. However, God had mercy on them and promised her that her son would also father a nation, but this nation would be in contention with Abe's. Ishmael became the father of the Edomites. Today's native Middle Eastern people, the Arabs and Palestinians, are descended from the Edomites. Is there contention? Oh yeah....

God did fulfill His promise to Abe and Sarah, and they became parents to Isaac. Why did He make them wait so long? Was He testing them? Growing them? Toying with them? Didn't He know they would take matters into their own hands and mess up the plan? Why didn't He wipe them out and start over like he did with Noah? I can't answer those questions. There are some things we will never know or understand in this life. Part of faith is not having to have all the answers.

God's promise to Abraham was passed on to Isaac, who married Rebekah. They also had issues. When she finally did get pregnant, she had twins. Essau was born first, followed by Jacob. God intended for Jacob to carry the covenant promise even though Essau was the older son. Again, we see the mom take things into her own hands instead of waiting on the Lord and His timing. Rebekah and Jacob conspired and cheated Essau out of his father's blessing. They did not wait on the Lord. And again, there were consequences to their actions. Essau determined to get his revenge by killing Jacob, so Jacob was sent away for his own safety. It took him twenty years to return home, and he never saw his mother again. Essau married into Ishmael's family, thus, consolidating the forces against God's chosen people.

God continued in His faithfulness to His people and blessed Jacob with twelve sons, from whom He would divide and populate Abraham's descendants. Now, there was treachery in Jacob's story as well. His twelve sons were from four different women, two of whom were his wives, and two of whom were servants. Today, we live in a culture of a husband and one wife - at least, one at a time! It is not okay to have affairs with multiple people. Why was it different back then? Was that okay with God? If so, when did the rules change?

Once again, I don't have all the answers - but here's the thing. I am okay with not having all the answers. I know with confidence what God's plan for our generation is, and that's what I am to live out.

I don't know or understand why God put up with so much wishy-washyness and deceit. If I think too hard on it, I begin to get angry! Now isn't that ironic?

So, let me try to sum up some of the things learned from these accounts of God's people.

God is faithful even when we are not. He keeps His word and does what He says He will do.
God works on His on time-table. His timing is perfect, and when I try to "help" Him along, I am actually attempting to usurp His authority!
God made man with a free will. However, when our will acts contrary to His will, there will be consequences that may ripple out beyond ourselves and may continue to ripple for eternity.
If the poor choices of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their families frustrate me to the point of getting angry, how much more frustrated must God be with His people (like me) when I am unfaithful to Him?

This is not an end-all list of lessons to be gleaned from the first thirty six chapters of Genesis. This is just the list that jumps out at me as I write. I pray that the Lord will continue to mull His Word over in my heart and mind and continue to teach me. And I pray that I will be open to His Spirit's teaching.

The Art of Obedience...

2011-01-13T15:16:00.001-06:00

Since I last wrote about my journey through Genesis, I've moved from Chapter 15 to Chapter 33. That's way more history than I can cover here. I've seen the lives of Abraham and Isaac played out and am in the middle of Jacob's life. God used these three men to create the foundation of the Christian faith. One thing is clear from reading about their lives - they were not perfect! And I am so glad! That gives us all hope and promise that He will use us and our imperfections and missteps to bring about His will in our world and in our personal lives. We don't have to be perfect - just obedient.

Abraham (Abram) was a descendant of Noah's son Shem. We are not told why God singled him out to become the Father of Many Nations, but we do know that Abraham loved the Lord God, and, thus, found favor in His sight. He married Sarah (Sarai), and she was barren for MANY years. God continued to bless Abraham and Sarah and brought them into the land of Caanan and told him that his discendants would possess this land and they would number more than the stars.Now Abe and Sarah were getting on up there in years (much like Zach & Liz from Luke 1) and still, they had no children. Abe talked this over with the Lord on different ocassions - how was he to be the father of many nations when he wasn't even a father of one child? But God kept promising him it would happen. And, by-golly, it did - when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was only ten years younger! Now much happened in between including Abe fathering a child, Ishmael, by Sarah's servant. Like I said, he wasn't perfect! But we know that when Isaac was born, Abraham and Sarah were filled with unspeakable joy! God had blessed them and had proven faithful!

Over those years, Abraham learned a lot about what it means to walk with God. He made some serious mistakes along the way, but he never let his mistakes turn him away from following the Lord. Through those years, he also learned about obedience and the consequences of disobedience. He grew into the man who, indeed, could and would be the patriarch of the Christian faith. All of his mistakes, all that sojourning through the countryside, and all the challenges that his life had brought, prepared him for a final test of faith.

God asked Abraham to sacrifice that precious son for whom he had waited so many years. WOW! How could He ask such a thing? It's one thing to sacrifice your best lamb or goat, but it's another thing to give up your only son! Why would He ask such a thing? He had promised that son and had promised to multiply his descendants - he couldn't do that without Isaac.Talk about a turn-of-events that you don't understand! But Abraham didn't even question Him. He just went about being obedient. Now, in the old days, the younger Abraham would have barked back at God much like he did when God told him that Sarah would bear a son. He fell on his face and laughed and scoffed because of their age. But this Abraham was more seasoned in the knowledge and ways of God.

Now, let's stop for a minute and think about this situation. Abraham is walking his only son, the one he had waited many years for, up the hill in order to build an altar and lay Isaac on it and watch him burn to death! What gut-wrenching turmoil must Abraham been going through! Was he arguing with himself, torn between his love for his son and his love for God? He had to be! When that sweet little boy asked "Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb?" didn't he want to gather him in his arms and run back down the hill? Sure he did!

Was Abe really willing to go through with what God had asked of him? The answer is yes. He built the altar, then took Isaac and bound him and laid him on top of the wood. He took a knife and stretched out his arm to slay him, but an angel stopped him. I picture this as Abe holding that knife in the air, praying to the Father, and as his hand begins to come down toward the boy, the angel speaks - and Abe is stopped in mid-air. I think that because I think God wanted to see into his heart and know that he was willing to give his very best to Him.

Am I willing to give my very best to the Lord?

He was willing to give His very best to me...in Jesus Christ. And He went through with it! The parallel between this event and the sacrifice of His only son is undeniable. God loves us so much that He called for His own Son's sacrifice to take the place of our own. He watched His Son walk up Calvary's hill and be laid out on that wooden cross and die a horrible death - so that I wouldn't have to. "For God so loved the world (that's you and me) that He gave His only begotten Son (that's Jesus) so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

And just as Abraham was obedient to the point of sacrificing his son, Jesus was obedient to the point of literally giving his life for me. God desires obedience. Obedience allows His plan and purpose for our lives to be fulfilled. Abraham did go on to become the Father of Many Nations and the patriarch of our faith.

What is His plan for me, for you? We will never know all that He has planned for us until we learn the Art of Obedience.Sometimes it may be costly; however, He provides the strength and grace we need to get through it.

Mary or Martha?...

2011-01-10T22:15:00.001-06:00

One of my most favorite movies of all time is White Christmas. When I was growing up, it always came on TV on Christmas Eve, and my family would gather round to watch it every year. Then I shared it with my girls, and we continue to watch it every Christmas season. There is just something wonderful and wholesome about the story and its characters. My dad was a WW II vet - maybe that was one reason it hit a soft spot with our family. But I loved the music and the dance scenes as well. And I loved Rosemary Cloony! The one song besides the title song that has always stayed with me is "Sisters."

Sisters, Sisters. There were never such devoted sisters...
All kinds of weather, we stick together; the same in the rain and sun...
Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister,
And lord help the sister who comes between me and my man!

The relationship between sisters may be one of the most complicated of family relationships. It is filled with love, friendship, jealousy, resentment, contempt, and the list goes on. I know because I have a sister. I also have a brother (I wanted to mention him in case he ever reads this!) I also know this because I am the mother of two sisters. So, I've seen this sister-thing from different vantage points. You can say things to a sister that you can't or would never say to anyone else - both good and bad things. You learn to read a sister's face and body language - you know when she is happy, in love, jealous, angry or put-out - especially with you.

So, I think it's fitting that Jesus chose to teach us a lesson(s) through two sisters, Mary and Martha, at the end of Luke 10 (v. 38-42). Jesus and His disciples had been traveling for weeks from village to village teaching about the Kingdom of God, healing the sick, and casting out demons. They were tired, thirsty, and covered in road dust. As they came into this particular village, Martha welcomed them into her home. We don't know a lot about this family other than they also had a brother, Lazarus (John 11). We learn later that Jesus and the brother developed a deep friendship. We don't know about husbands or children.

What we do know is that these two sisters were opposites. Martha was a "doer," and Mary was a "listener." Martha was the leader; Mary was the follower. In this situation, Martha welcomed Jesus and the boys into her home and quickly got busy preparing to serve them. No doubt she was a great hostess and homemaker. She went about her work, using her gift of service. Mary, on the other hand, never made it to the kitchen to help Martha prepare the meal. She was mesmerized by Jesus and sat at His feet and listened as He talked. As with any "good" sister, this ticked Martha off! She did the unbelieveable - went to her guest, Jesus, and tattled! My goodness, you would think they were five years old! She actually complained that Mary wasn't helping her in the kitchen and actually asked Him to tell Mary to get in there and help her! I can't imagine...if I had ever done something like that to my sister, well, let's just say I would not be here to write this blog!!!

But Mary didn't react. Now, I have to say that if I had been Mary, a cat-fight would have insued. Instead, Jesus looked into Martha's eyes and basically said, "Martha Martha, calm down. You are getting yourself worked up over nothing...Only one thing is essential, and Mary has chosen it, and it's the main course..." (The Message) That could be interpreted as Jesus getting on to Martha. But I've read this in several versions and my trusty commentary, and none of them indicate that was intended or implied. Instead, I see Jesus saying those words with empathy and concern in His voice. Why? Because that's His M.O. - He always treated people who were seeking to know Him with compasion.

So, what did He mean? Martha had chosen to serve the Lord and got busy doing just that. Is that bad? Well, sometimes, it is. Just being busy "doing" is not all that Jesus wants or deserves. Sometimes we can get so busy doing good things, that we don't even think about "why" we are doing them or for Whom. I can get really busy doing church/God related activities. I study, I teach, I help with the drama productions, I work on the Women's Ministry team organizing Bible studies and helping with events, I help with the Fall Festival, I help with Operation Christmas Child, I help with Heart Beat, I do..., I help..., I do...! Wow, am I busy for the Lord, or what??? All those are good things, but at what point and how often do I take time to just sit at His feet and listen to Him? That's the main course, the most important activity we can do for Him (and for ourselves) is to spend time with Him, soaking in all He has to teach us. That's how we grow our relationship with Him deeper. It's through that relationship that true meaning and purpose is found in the things we do.

Yes, we should be about "doing" for Jesus, but never before we have "sat" with Him. We need a little bit of Martha and a whole lot more of Mary so our life with Him will be healthy and balanced.

The Calming Affect and Efffect...

2011-01-08T14:42:00.001-06:00

No telling how many times in my life I have read the 8th chapter of Luke. As I was reading it this morning, the events and parables are so very familiar, so, no doubt, I've read it countless times. However, the number of times I've really READ it, doesn't climb as high! Today, I tried to really READ it, and, again, another WOW! (I think WOW has become my new favorite word - it's so expressive of the inexpressible!) I could spend days writing about the various pieces of that chapter that are powerful, but for now, I want to concentrate on verses 22-25.

At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus and his disciples (and some faithful women, by-the-way), began taking His ministry from city to city and village to village. One day they got into a boat to travel from the west side of the Sea of Galilee to the east side. Jesus must have been physically exhausted from all that He had been doing - healing, teaching, casting out demons, dealing with religious and political leaders - and He fell asleep in the boat. I love it! We are reminded of His humanness! As a youngster, I spent a lot of time in a boat with my dad, either fishing or dragging my brother or sister behind the boat on skis. A small-ish boat is not an easy place to take a nap! And Jesus was with several people who were rowing and probably yakking as they rowed. I'm just saying...He had to be really pooped to fall asleep.

Anyway, while Jesus was napping, the wind got up to the point where the waves were beginning to swamp the boat - and He still slept...The disciples were frightened for their lives, rightfully so. They woke up Jesus, and in their fear, shouted, "...we are perishing!" The disciples were in panic-mode! In my mind's eye, I can see Jesus rousing from His slumber, rubbing His eyes and looking at the boys and out toward the the water - not in any hurry or fear. He then stood up in the boat and rebuked the wind and the gigantic waves, and there was immediate calm. Yep, another WOW! Now remember, this is the same part of the "Us" that separated the waters from the waters and the waters from the land and heaven on day two of Creation. Yes, indeedee, He had to power to speak the water into existence and to calm winds and waves. A miraculous display of omnipotent power! But that's not all...

Jesus looked deep into the eyes of his disciples and said, "Where is your faith?" To me, that means, "Don't panic; I AM right here with you in the middle of this storm!" You see, we can't avoid the storms of life no matter how hard we try or how smart we think we are. Yes, some storms are of our own making, and we do have some control over those, depending on choices we make. We wouldn't be so foolish as to go boating when we know a storm is approaching! So we should always "check the weather" before making a bad decision. However, other storms - not of our own making - will come our way. Some may be due to the choices of others and some just from the circumstances of life, but they will come.

The reaction of the disciples serves as a lesson in what not to do, and that's to not let fear and anxiety grip us so tightly, that we begin to flounder. One of the most powerful things about this story is that Jesus was right there with them in the boat! He was with them in the storm! They were not alone! We must hold tight to the truth that one who walks with Jesus - as the disciples did - is never alone. He lives in us through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Where we go, He goes. He wasn't standing way far off on the shore unaware of the trouble the boys were in. No, He was in the same boat. So, we are never alone in our crises.

It's not just that Jesus is with us in the storm. It's what He will do if we call on Him. That is His affect. Affect is a verb, meaning it is an action word. According to Merriam Webster (BTW - another mush-have is a good dictionary), affect means "to produce an effect on or to influence." Jesus' affect when He stood up and spoke was to influence the guys to calm down. I take comfort knowing that in the middle of a life-threatening crisis, Jesus induces calm! He will calm me when me when I feel like I'm about to be overwhelmed by that which I have no control over. My friends, that is peace! Philippians 4:7 says, "...the peace of God surpasses all understanding." Those boys couldn't begin to understand how Jesus calmed the winds and waves. They didn't have to know! They just got to experience - His affect - His peace.

Jesus can also have an effect if we call on Him. Effect is a noun, a person, place, or thing, defined as a result or consequence. The result of Jesus' action was to stop the storm, literally. With His omnipotent power, He changed the circumstances of the storm. In this case, he stopped it all together. When they were overwhelmed, they called on Him to act, and He did. Now listen, He may not always choose to end your storm immediately. I recall that Paul was in the middle of a hurricane at sea and ended up shipwrecked; however, the effect was a more powerful testimony and ministry for the Lord. But even when Paul finally made it to shore, he knew he was not alone. Jesus (via the Holy Spirit) had been in the same boat with him. When we call on Jesus, there will be an effect - a result - and it will be good. Paul was wrecked but not dead!

Soak in the familiar words of Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and called according to His purpose." That sums up both the affect and effect of the Lord Jesus in our lives!

Wise or Foolish?....

2011-01-06T21:29:00.001-06:00

I learned a song as a Sunday School pre-schooler that is chocked full of Truth. If I were real techno-smart, you would click on a link at this point and hear me sing it for you. It's probably better that I don't have that link! I bet you know the song, though.

The wise man built his house upon the rock; the wise man built his house upon the rock. The wise man built his house upon the rock, and the rains came a tumbling down....And the house on the rock stood firm!

The foolish man built his house upon the sand; the foolish man built his house upon the sand. The foolish man built his house upon the sand, and the rains came a tumbling down.....And the house on the sand went splat!

That's the parable Jesus tells at the end of Luke 5. Obviously, the intent of the parable is to show the benefit of making the Lord the foundation of one's life. But to really begin to grasp His meaning, we need to read the context in which the parable is told. After choosing his twelve apostles, He gave a sermon in which He explained the principals of the christian life, called the Beatitudes. You can check out a more extensive listing of the Beatitudes given in Mathew 5. I like to look at these as the Be-Atitudes - Have these attitudes in your personal life and you will be laying a foundation that will stand when the storms of life roll through - and they will.

Be poor in spirit - live with an attitude of humility treating others as you want to be treated.
Be hungry and thirsty - for the righteousness of God, longing for and needing Him like you do food and water
Be compasionate - to the needs of others, putting them before your own
Be ready to be persecuted - you are in the world but not of the world and the world will not like you when you stand for Jesus

Be those things through the power of the Holy Spirit working in your life, and you will be laying a foundation that will not fail when times get tough. That foundation is Christ the Lord. He should be the basis of everything you are, everything you do, everything you think, everything you say.

Remember Enoch and Noah from a few days ago? Enoch "walked with God" and Noah "found favor with God" - and they lived extraordinary lives as ordinary people because their foundation stood firm.

We have a crack in the ceiling uf our breakfast area. While eating dinner last night, our four year old grandson looked up at the crack and then said to Garry, "Pa, why do you have a crack in the roof?" We all took our turns trying to explain to him in our various ways what had caused the crack. One of us finally said something about the house shifting. Then, he quite seriously looked at us and said, "You shouldn't have a crack; you should get it fixed." There have been times in my life where my foundation was beginning to show signs of neglect. You may have experienced that too. It happens when I neglect those attitudes that should be the essence of who I am. I neglect those attitudes when I neglect spending time with the One who seals my foundation. When you find your "house" shifting, check your foundation and renew your Be-atitudes! You will experience life in a whole different way! Live life as the Wise Man and not the Foolish Man.

The WOW Affect...

2011-01-05T21:38:00.002-06:00

I just finished reading Genesis 12-14 and Luke 5, and I don't know where to begin... There is so much covered in those chapters. But, I will go with Luke for now.

Scripture tells us that Jesus was 30 years old when his cousin, John-the-Baptist, baptized Him and the Holy Spirit descended identifying Him as Christ the Lord.(Chapter 3) Jesus then sought time alone with the Father to gear-up for His mission ahead. In fact, His time turned into forty days in the wilderness during which Satan came to Him and tried desparately to side-track Him. I'm not going to go into detail on that event; however, I don't want anyone to miss HOW Jesus dealt with the devil and all that he threw at Him. Ephesians 6 states that our one offensive weapon is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (v 17). And that's exactly what Jesus used to rebuke Satan and his attempts to have Jesus take His focus off of the Father. That is a huge lesson for us. Jesus was living out Psalm 119:11 - Thy Word have I hidden in my heart so that I might not sin against Thee.

After His wilderness excursion, Jesus goes right to work, teaching about God and His way of salvation and healing in His name by the power of the Holy Spirit. Don't you know that people's heads were shaking and they were saying, "Wow! What's up with this guy?" I love the part where he is by the seashore and hollers at Simon Peter and the guys to go out futher and lower their nets. Peter explains that they have been fishing for hours to no avail, but for some reason, he did as Jesus directed. And wouldn't you know it...Wow! Their nets were so full that they were beaking and others swam out to help. By the time they were finished, they had several boats full of fish.

Wow! Peter and the people had seen and or heard about Jesus healing multiple sick people. They had experienced an abundance of fish in their nets. So, did it surprise you that when Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Leave your boat, nets, and all those fish, and follow me," he did? I mean, he dropped everything - his life - and followed this One who had filled his nets to the breaking point. Now, that's a "Wow!" affect. We also see that James and John, who were also fisherman, left their life as they knew it, and followed Him. And later in the chapter, we see Levi, who is known as Mathew, leave his lucrative tax collection business and follow him as well.

So, what was so compelling about Jesus that these strangers left everything and everyone behind and followed Jesus and His teaching? Was it that He had performed these miraculous deeds? Would witnessing someone healing the sick compel me to leave my family and friends and trek off with him? I don't think so. Remember, at this point, these guys didn't know who He was; even at the end, they didn't fully get it. Then, was it his persona? Was He so captivating and charismatic that they couldn't resist? I don't know about that either. These are grown men with families, careers, and responsibilities. It just doesn't make sense...

Well, I don't have the answer. Miracles would be impressive, and He did have a warm, compasionate personality (but of course, my opinion is colored by all the movies that have been made about Him). But it had to be more than either of those things. I can only think that it goes back to the dove. Remember, the one that descended on Him when He was baptized? The HOLY SPIRIT descended on Him in the form of a dove. That's the same Holy Spirit that draws sinners to His saving grace; that is the voice of my conscience and which gives me moral direction; that same voice that brings me to my knees in shame and repentance; that same voice that lifts me up and holds me safe. That's what drew those men to leave their comfort zones and follow the One who would change the course of humanity.

That's the WOW! affect...

Where's the Bitterness???

2011-01-04T20:17:00.001-06:00

The writer of Hebrews defines Faith as the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Hoping for children was what all young married couples did. Zach and Liz were no exception. They hoped, they prayed, they hoped, they prayed, and it did not happen. Elizabeth was branded as “barren”, and Zacharias could have put her away and taken another wife. Being barren was not a good thing in those days. That label brought with it serious social consequences, and she certainly faced raised eyebrows when she approached gatherings of other ladies in their community. They were surely known as the old couple who could never have children. A mixture of shame and pity shrouded them.

I can’t even begin to imagine her surprise when she learned that she was pregnant! Today we think it odd when a woman over forty gives birth; just imagine what we would think if an eighty year old lady became pregnant! My mind won’t even go there! But let’s look at how Liz handled her surprise.

Scripture tells us that she kept herself in seclusion for five months. Apparently, that time was a time of spiritual soul-searching for her. She concluded that the “Lord had taken away her disgrace among men.” It’s important to note here that when she and Zach are introduced to us in Luke 1, they had been living with their disgrace for many years. Furthermore, we should remember that they were “both righteous in the sight of God and were walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Law.” Now here’s my question. How did Liz keep bitterness from consuming her? She had every right to be disappointed that she had not been able to have a child. Disappointment breeds anger, and anger breeds bitterness. Where’s the anger and where’s the bitterness in her life? How was she able to continue walking blamelessly with the Lord throughout her life? I think it was her relationship with the Lord that gave her an uncommon peace.

It wasn’t just those five months of seclusion that had been a spiritual journey for her. Most of her life had been a spiritual journey. Even when she was a young woman and barren, she walked blamelessly in her relationship with God. Years down the road, when other couples their age were becoming grandparents, she walked blamelessly with God. Scripture doesn’t give us detailed insight into Liz’s mind through those years, so we don’t know how much she wrestled with anger and bitterness or if peace came easy to her. When big things don’t happen for me the way I hope, I do wrestle with anger and sometimes bitterness. Oh, that I could continuously walk blamelessly with God!

Let’s continue Liz’s story. While she was in seclusion, the same angel that had appeared to Zach, appeared to her cousin, Mary. In the proclamation that Gabriel gave to Mary about giving birth to the baby Jesus, he told Mary that Liz was also pregnant with a special child. The last thing the angel said to Mary was, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” That’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one! Not only had God allowed Elizabeth to become pregnant in her old age (and she would later give birth to a healthy baby boy), now Mary was going to become pregnant while still a virgin. Soon after learning the news from the angel, Mary went with haste to see Liz.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, her baby leaped in her womb, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. At that point, Liz cried out a blessing upon Mary and her baby, who was to be the Lord. Liz seemed to understand her pregnancy and the roll her child was to play in the coming of the Lord.

Her faith had seen her through to the purpose of God in her life. She faced a crisis of Faith early in her marriage, but did not allow anger and bitterness to ruin her life. Keeping her relationship with God from being stained by bitterness allowed her to protect her relationship with Zacharias.

So….. What do we learn from Zach and Liz’s crises of Faith? How we react at that critical and decisive moment may frame the rest of our lives. It certainly impacts our spiritual journey. Sometimes we react with anger, fear, and doubt. However, if we give that over to the Lord and walk with Him through the crisis, we will grow stronger and taller in our relationship with Him. How we react may also frame some aspect of another’s life. We’ll never know until we walk through the crisis with Him. I think Elizabeth would tell us that God was with her at the beginning of the crisis, in the midst of the crisis, and through the end of the crisis. That’s what walking blamelessly with Him means.

Where will we go from here? Next time…

A Crisis of Faith...

2011-01-04T18:35:00.001-06:00

It's time to comment on this week's readings from Luke. Our reading plan calls for reading from the OT and NT everyday. I've been reading the NT but just haven't posted anything about it. So, here we go with Luke 1...

A crisis is defined as being faced with a decisive or critical moment in which a decision must be made with the consequences being unsure.

Zacharias faced such a crisis when the angel Gabriel appeared to him in the Holy of Holies and announced to him that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a child, and that child would grow up to be John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ. That doesn’t sound like much of a crisis; after all, most married couples look forward to having children. However, the time of barring children had long passed for Zach and Liz. Scripture tells us that Zach was old and both were advanced in years. The scripture also says that both were righteous in the sight of God and were walking blamelessly in the commandments and requirements of the Lord.

Let’s think about this for a minute. Zacharias was righteous and walking with God. So why was this a crisis of Faith ? Zach was immediately troubled when the angel appeared, and then fear gripped him. It seems that he did not recognize the angel as being from God – even though he was in the holy place interceding for his people, and the whole multitude was gathered in prayer outside the temple. Isn’t that just like us? We pray and pray, and even have others praying with us or for us, and BOOM! God shows up and fear or doubt grabs hold, and we don’t see Him through our anxiety and fear. Was Zach really praying with faith as we are admonished to by Paul? Doesn’t seem so. Would I recognize an angel of the Lord if one appeared before me? I’d like to think so; however, I am guilty of not seeing God work in and around me all the time. I find myself praying about something and then not seeing God’s answer – many times because His answer is not what I’m looking for. When His answer is not what I’m hoping it will be, I face the faith crisis of submitting to His will or not. Sometimes I don’t because His answer troubles me, sometimes it scares me, and sometimes I don’t understand it. Obviously, I’m not much different from Zach in that area.

After the angel explained to Zacharias that Elizabeth was about to become pregnant and that the child would serve a unique purpose in the coming of the Messiah, he still wasn’t convinced that God was at work. Anxiety and fear struck first, but then doubt immerged. “How will I know for certain?” Wow! That’s got my name written all over it. How many times have I sensed God’s will but kept asking, “How will I know?” If Zach had not gotten past that question, he and Liz might not have ever had their rendezvous. He did pay a price for his doubting. He was struck silent until eight days after the birth of baby John. Think what we miss because we never take that next step. Talk about the “What if’s”! Where might you be? What might you be? How would the world be different? Only the Lord knows the cost of our doubt.

Once his tongue was loosed, he began to speak in praise of God. Seeing God’s faithfulness through this crisis of faith made Zach a more powerful witness for the Lord. So, did the crisis turn out for good or ought? You got it! For good. Zach had over nine months to think about his encounter with God that day in the Holy of Holies. By the time he could speak, his first words were not, “Man, you won’t believe what I’ve been through!” It was more like, “Man, I’ve got to tell you about the greatness of God!”

How did Elizabeth face this crisis of Faith? More on that later.

Blessings, Deb