The Wait

I hear that during this week's lunar eclipse that the animals were very still, very silent.  They anticipate something that nature is bringing so they hush.  They sit still. They gather their young and lay securely in their nests or beds, waiting. 

I think that this is what happened on earth the night of the birth of Christ.  I imagine that some people, caught up in their own business and importance, missed the pause. They hustled and bustled through their daily activities. But those in tune with God simply knew.  Their air was heavy with anticipation of something.  The wind ceased.  Animals were quite.  Birds hushed their singing.  No wolves howled or dog barked or horses neighed.   

The earth was silent.  She was waiting. 

Suddenly, after a young girl's cries of labor pains, a baby's cry broke the silence.  Angels appeared on a hill top to shepherds.  I'm guessing that birds began to sing much earlier than normal.  Young kids danced while old goats watched.  Horses neighed and whinnied while roosters crowed in the middle of the night.  Trees danced, even without a breeze, while grass swayed.  Rivers babbled a little more joyfully. 

The wait was over.  The Savior was born.  Redemption and hope lay in a manger in Bethlehem.  Isaiah 9:6 tells us "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called  Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,  Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

The wait is over.  Jesus has come. 

Let's tell the world. 

"Their children are a blessing"

We're making a big breakfast for the family this morning.  It's a lazy morning and a breakFEAST (as my teenagers call it) sounds like a great idea.  French toast is on the griddle, bacon is cooked, and eggs will be done soon.  Banana bread is in the oven.  Yum! 

Better than all of the delicious foods listed above is the fact that Mark and I are fortunate to be called children of God and along with that privilege comes this promise:  The godly always give generous loans to others,and their children are a blessing." Psalm 37:26

Do you know what that means?  That means that our children, all five of them (and the others that we consider children) are blessings regardless of the day, their attitude, our attitude, their address, their state of life in this very minute, our frustrations, busy schedules, whatever.

God has promised us this in His word.  They are blessings - encouragements, special favors, mercies, and benefits (www.m-w.com).  They are no accidents in our lives.  God has given them to us for reasons that He had in mind and part of that reason is blessing.  They are favors or gifts bestowed by God (www.dictionary.com). 

Take a look around you at the children placed in your life.  God has given them to you; they are blessings. Be thankful.  Enjoy them today. 

The Christmas Season

I don't like the Christmas season.  

Hear me clearly:  I don't like the Christmas season.  I love celebrating the birth of Christ.  

I think that at this time of year it's easy to get swept away in chaos and frenzy of other people's ideas about what Christmas should be.  Retailers entice us with glittering lights and deals "that can't be beat".  There are parties to attend, some of which are attended merely out of obligation.  There is a lack of time:  we get to sleep later and rise earlier.  We squeeze things in where there is really not time to do them. 

To me, this is what has become the American Christmas season.  I don't think this is what God intended. 

God announced the birth of Christ to shepherds, in the dead of night, with the presence of angels.  The announcement was grand but it was not harried.  Check it out for yourself in Luke 2:8-15 The announcement of the birth of Christ ends with the angels saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (v.15)


This season let's remember the true reason for Christmas.  Amidst the bags, bows, bells, and whistles, there is a baby who was born in a stable and placed in a manger, the Savior of the world.  He became a man and died a horrible death on the cross for me and for you to save us from our sin.  He overcame death so that we can live with Him forever. 

That is the greatest gift of all. 

My friend, Jim

On Saturday, December 18, many of us paid our respects to Mr. James Lee Bible Senior. Personally I didn't have the pleasure of knowing him for a long period of time but I did have the privilege of knowing him and I think that's great. What's even better is that I know I'll spend eternity with Jim. The duration of eternity will make this lifetime seem like the blink of an eye.

Jim Bible was very sick; stage four lung cancer had taken it's toll on his body. But guess what? There is no more pain or suffering. It gets better than simply "no more suffering". Jim is whole now. Isaiah 35:6 tells us that "the lame will leap like a deer". My friend, Jim, who often times relied on his walker for mobility, is now able to LEAP in the presence of his Savior.

I don't know if Jim liked to dance but I'm betting he has already cut a heavenly rug! Laughed with James and John (the Sons of Thunder) until his sides hurt. I believe that he has listened, awestruck, to Paul and Peter tell their stories.

After all of this, I believe that there may have been silence in heaven. The crowd stilled and Jesus looked at Jim and said, "Tell us your story, my son". And Jim spoke. Moses nodded his silent approval. Paul remembered the scar in his neck as Jim talked about his cancer. Elijah recalled not having had to taste death in this world. Peter could relate to leaving a family behind.

And after Jim finished, I'm betting Jesus said again, "Well done, good and faithful servant, well done".

I think angels applauded as the heavens broke into joyous praise for our God and our brother and friend joined them in loud voice.

You see, my friend Jim has experienced the hope of heaven. This life is but a moment, a passing through. Our home waits in heaven.

"When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be, when all get to heaven, we'll sing and shout the victory"

A-men!
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What You Do (Part Deux)

I've been thinking about yesterday's blog and I feel that an addendum is in order.

Yesterday's blog had a slant toward service and that needs to be expanded. WHAT YOU DO should be done because we love the Lord. Colossians 3:23 tells us "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people."

Here are some thoughts:

• Go grocery shopping as for the Lord
• Go to work every day as for the Lord
• Drive in traffic on 285 as for the Lord
• Go Christmas shopping as for the Lord

The idea is that I do WHAT I DO because I love God more than anything else. My love for Him should be the motivation for all I do.

Pray and ask God that He will help you to make Him the motivation for all you do today.
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"Would you still do what you do if your name was not on it?

If you received not credit for doing it?

If no-one knew you were involved in it?"

I took the author's name off of the above quote because I thought it was fitting.  I assumed that it would be okay with the author of that quote if he/she gets no credit for it. 

What about you?  What about me?  Do you do what you do because you love it?  What you do might be parenting, being a good spouse, a great friend, serving the homeless, teaching a class, changing a diaper, picking up trash – the list of possibilities for what you do is endless. 

Do you love what you do so much that you would do it even if no one knew that you did it?  Jesus tells the people in repeatedly in Matthew 6 that if when they do what they do to be seen by men "that they have received all the reward they will ever get" (Matthew 6:2). 

What if you were "nameless" in your service?  For example: 

• These children were raised (with "by Joe or Susie" excluded - no one's name here)
• This class was taught
• The garbage gets picked up
• Our babies get their diapers changed

Would you still do what you do if no one would ever, ever, ever know? Think about it.  Is what you do the passion of your heart or a way that you measure your worth because others praise you for what you do? 

Today, don't do what you do "publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven" (Matthew 6:1).  Do what you do because God sees it; because your Father in heaven sees everything and He will reward you (Matthew 6:4). 
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Dropping the Mom Ball

I dropped the mom ball recently.  I juggle several balls at once and am fairly successful but I let the mom ball go, hands down.  Kersplat!  I didn't actually just gently release it.  I inadvertently threw it to the ground. 

 I felt like a total bust.  It was so stupid, the releasing of the mom ball.  I was grumpy, the day had been long, and with a wicked and resounding thump, that usually light, airy orb dropped to the ground like a rock.  A boulder even.  One unthinking little (really, I mean, little) act on my behalf and disappointment was instantaneous.  Hurt and confusion were apparent in the eyes of my child.  No amount of explaining could rationalize what I had done in a moment of selfish pettiness. 

Funny how a split second can change everything. 

Thank God for repentance and forgiveness.  After a deep breath I said, "I'm sorry.  I won't do that again."  (Repentance means saying,  "I was wrong and I won't do that again".)  And my baby looked at me and said, "It's okay.  I love you."  We've moved on.  That was moment has become a drop in the bucket of our history, of our story.  That forgiveness liberated me from my selfishness. 

Again, funny how a split second can change everything.  This time for the better.  

All that from a child.  How much more does Jesus forgive us when we turn to Him in true repentance, after repeated acts of selfishness, pettiness, and sheer rebellion and say, "It's okay.  I love you." 

We've all dropped the ball on some front.  Maybe it's not the mom ball for you; maybe it's the spouse, sibling, friend, child, co-worker ball, or complete stranger ball.  Maybe it's the Jesus ball. 

Jesus paid everything for us because He loves us that dearly.  He is waiting anxiously for us to say, "I'm sorry that I haven't lived for You, Jesus." Pass the Jesus ball to someone else today.  Give them the chance to hear the Savior whisper gently to their hurting heart, "It's okay.  I love you." 

What Do you Call Me?

One of the things that Pastor Jeff said during the sermon was that Jesus doesn't call me by my sin, He calls me out of my sin. Man, oh, man!  The world call us by our sins.  "ou're the adulterer, the drunk, the thief, the liar, the (fill in the blank)".  They remember us for what we have done and don't want to know us for who we are now, in Christ.

Now here is the sticky part:  how do we label fellow Christians?  How do you label me?  How do I label you?  If I am stepping on your toes, don't feel bad.  I am dancing the jig on my own as I write this.  Do we, as Christians, remember that fellow Christians are just as forgiven as we are?  Jesus tells us to forgive others (Mark 11:25) but He also tells us that if we don't forgive others that God will not forgive us (Matthew 6:15, John 20:23). 

Let me tie two things together for you, for me.  If I don't "unlabel" my fellow Christians, if I choose to remember their past (sordid or otherwise) while claiming that my own has been forgiven, why would I ever expect that the world would see forgiveness as whole, all encompassing, and total?  Why would I expect that non-Christians would believe that Jesus can forgive when I don't act like I believe it? 

Ouch.  Maybe even double ouch. 

Division in the church is a great tactical weapon of Satan and labels fuel discord among believers.  My prayer for us all that we will not only present but truly live in such a way that we show a united and forgiven front to the world.  I pray that we will allow the light of our God to shine brightly through us and pierce the dim, hopeless darkness that covers this world. 

Silly Anecdote No. 902

Today I'm going to share Silly Anecdote No. 902 from the Michelle files with you.  I have ear aches - lots of them.  My Mama tells me that I was not really sick as a child but that good health does not seem to have followed me into adulthood.  Regardless, I suffer from ear aches and I'm really sick of it. 

The goofy part of this story is the fact that I decided that if I were to put cotton in my ears to block the wind from getting in them then I can ward off future issues.  The problem is that I was in the house and, while our home may be a little chilly from time to time, it is not known for it's wind gusts. After I got past the gales of laughter coming from Mark I decided that this idea was actually okay.  I was going to prevent the ear ache from returning. 

I have no idea if this flash of brilliance is going to work but I discovered something phenomenal.  I mean fantastic.  Show stopping.  Awe inspiring.  

I couldn't hear much of anything with cotton in my ears.  

This is perhaps the most brilliant thing that has happened to me in a long time.  "Why?" you ask.  I'll share with you.  All of the little sounds that distract me from everything that goes on around me were muffled.  I couldn't hear them.  They were gone.  The sounds of the television coming from downstairs - finito.  The hum-drum noises of the dryer (or the silence when the cycle finished) were gone.  I was in my own world and I was quiet.  The lack of chaotic noises helped to quell my need to participate in the frenzy. 

The lesson that I learned is this:  sometimes maybe I need to put a little cotton in my ears in order to spend time alone with God.  I mean really alone with God.  Maybe I need to take an extra step to drown out the noises of things around me and focus on Him.  Perhaps silencing the sounds in my atmosphere will encourage me to hush to so that I can hear His still small voice. 

I think that  I may add a couple of cotton balls to my daily quiet time.  It may not prevent ear problems but I'm betting it's going to change my life. 

This Is as Close as I'd Like to Get, Thank You

In Sunday's sermon Pastor Jeff said something that got my attention.  My paraphrase is this:  for non-Christians this [world] is as close to heaven as they are ever going to get and for Christians this [world] is as close to hell as we're ever going to get. 

Does that make you stop and think?  If it doesn't then you need to stop and think about the fact that you didn't stop and think. 

This world is as close to heaven/hell as you're ever going to get

based on the decision that you have made about Jesus.  

Thank God that I know Jesus and have chosen Him as the Lord of my life.  If this world is as close to hell as I'm ever going to get, I'm just fine with that.  Most days that pass find me longing for my eternal home.  I don't want to stay here forever; this life is hard and tough and there is a gross separation between the worldly and the spiritual.  Being here leaves me in the world, away from my true home, my spiritual home, and away from my spiritual family and a perfect existence that is spent praising my Creator.  Being on planet earth leaves me with a hole, a longing for the God of all the Universe and only eternity with Him is going to fill it.  There is good news for the Christian. 

The news is bleak if you're not a Christian.  This life is as close to heaven as you'll get.  The brokenness, the hurt, the uncertainty, the pains, the mortal body - all of this is the best there is if you don't know Jesus.  Hell will be a thousand times, no, a million times, no, a bazillion times worse than this life.  And the very, very, very worst part?  Eternal separation from the love of your God - knowing that He is there and all that you had to do was invite Him in to live in your heart but you did not do it.  Living with the knowledge, that after every knee has bowed and every tongue has confessed, that the perfect Lamb died for you but you made a choice to leave Him out of your life.  That decision will haunt your forever and you won't have the chance to change it once you've landed in hell. 

The good news is that if you are reading this, there is still time to change that decision. TODAY IS THE DAY!  Ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life.  Weigh the costs.  Discipleship is not easy.  It's not always fun.  But it is always rewarding.  Ask Him now.  If you're not sure you're ready, ask Him to make you ready.  He will.  He loves His people and He meets us where we are, but only on this side of eternity.  Once we've crossed that divide there is no looking back. 

I am praying for you today that you will know Jesus as Lord.  If you already know Him, I'm praying that you (and I) will have a desire to tell the others around us that He is alive and living and that He he died so that you don't have to. 

As for me?  I'm doing my best to stay the straight and narrow path and am looking forward to eternity with my Jesus.  This as about as close as I'd like to get to hell, thank you.

Pride and Joy

I never really appreciated Stevie Ray Vaughn until after his tragic death in a helicopter crash in August, 1990.  He played a mean blues guitar; I'm talking wicked mean.  Not many folks could make a Fender sing like Stevie Ray, not even his brother Jimmy. 

One of my fave SRV tunes is Pride and Joy.  The last verse of this song is

Yeah I love my baby....heart and soul
Love like ours wont never grow old
Shes my sweet little thang....shes my pride and joy
Shes my sweet little baby....Im her little lover boy

Man, Stevie is proud of his girl!  The lyrics lead you to believe that she is, in return proud of him.  As much as Stevie and his girl love each other, though, they got nothin' on God and His love for us.  

You might think that I'm stretching here but did you know that God wants to be our pride and joy?  Isaiah 28:5 (NLT) tells us that after God's children have been exiled and returned to Him that

 

Then at last the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
      will himself be Israel’s glorious crown.
   He will be the pride and joy
      of the remnant of his people

 

God desires to be my pride and joy, your pride and joy?  He wants me to want Him more than I want any other person or thing in my world.  He wants to be my One desire, the One place where I place my hopes and dreams, more so in Him  than in my husband, my children, my friends, my job, or any other thing.  He wants me to take pride in Him, in being His child, in having the Creator of the Universe as my Father, and in knowing that all things come through Him and by Him.  

 

Don't be shy!  Let the whole world know that God is your pride and joy.  Let Him reign supreme in your life and watch others notice the change that is evident in your life.  Maybe you'll get to break out your blues guitar and put a little rhythm to your praise.  Something tells me that God (the ultimate creator of the Fender Stratocaster) loves a good blues guitar, too! 

Toilet Prayers

The Bible has much to say about communicating with God.  We are to tell God the thoughts of our heart, sing His praises, listen to Him, worship.  We are also to go to a special place:  Moses spent 40 days with God on top of Mount Sinai.  Elijah experienced God's presence on Mount Hoerb.  Jesus continually withdrew to the Garden of Gethsemane so that He could spend time alone with the Father.  

And for us in contemporary America, an open altar on Sunday is a great place to drop to your knees and start your week praying, alone or with friends.  Worship music is playing, the lights are set at "just right".  You are alone with your Creator regardless of being in a church congregation of 10 or 10,000. 


The above are all very official ways to spend time with God. But what about toilet prayers?  

Yes, toilet prayers.  Here are scenarios that will possibly lead you to this place:  

• At work, the day is overwhelming.  Deadlines loom, bosses scream, co-workers don't produce necessary information.  You need a minute to stop and regroup with God. In case of emergency use the office facilities . . . 
• The kids are out of school after a highly sugared holiday party and you didn't get enough sleep.  They're wired; you're tired.  The coffee maker broke yesterday.  What you would do for just two minutes with God bring endless creative possibilities and solutions.  Can I just make it to the guest bathroom, the one at the back of the house?
• Serving others is fun and you love to do it but you need a second to catch your breath and ask God to remind you why you are serving.  Oh, no!  There's nothing in site but a porta-potty. 

The humble bathroom.  A less-than-dignified place of and far-less-discussed place for prayer. 

Let's be honest.  I have found myself in all of the above situations praying desperately and I am inclined to believe that God hears these prayers.  I actually think that He may even be a little more in tune with these than with my Sunday morning altar prayers.  Why?  The answer  is simple.  When I find myself huddled into a bathroom stall, in the stale gray of a public restroom, or the overly green hard of a plastic outhouse, rest assured that pretenses of pride are gone.  I cry out to God and He hears me.  I have left myself and my own efforts behind.  I am crying out to Him from deep in my heart and I am completely relying on Him.  

This is the essence of prayer.  Abandonment of self and focus on my God.   In the bathroom?  Yes.  


I am a huge proponent of getting me out of the way, looking to God with my entire being, and focusing on WHO HE IS and what I am not.  I'm ready to spend time with a toilet trivia book and a little extra Charmin if that's what it takes to talk to my Daddy. 

Relentless

The message yesterday was called Relentless and the subject was God's tireless pursuit of us. I "know" this in my head but I tend to forget this in my heart, especially in daily life.

God loves you. He loves me. The Maker of the Universe chases you down every day, waiting for you to respond to Him. Even if you have not yet given your live to Jesus, God wants to be part of your life.

The news is really good for Christians. 2 Chronicles 16:9 tells us that "The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him". That is great news! When we do our best to follow God, even in all of our broken efforts, He strengthens us.

All He is asking us is to pursue Him, to put everything else in second (or third place) and choose Him first. He's not requesting us to be perfect but He asks us to try and to do our best to be like Him.

In this season when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, I challenge us all to relentlessly pursue God. Tirelessly. Effortlessly. He gave His all for us. Let's do the same for Him.
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Our $29,000 God.

Reposted from Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff  This is good stuff and you should definitely read it.  I don't want a God who fits in my pocket, either, and neither should you.

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Our $29,000 God. Posted: 24 Nov 2010 04:23 AM PST A few months ago, my five year old, McRae told me, “The biggest number I know of is 26.” At the end of her understanding of numbers was the number 26. In her mind, that was really how big numbers come. If you wanted to describe how far the moon was from earth, probably about 26 miles. Want to say how long it felt to wait for Christmas to get here? It was like 26 minutes! Number of pieces of candy she estimates she got for Halloween? 26. It’s her biggest number. Until that is, I told her about 27. And blew her mind. She’s not great at “sizing” things. But that’s OK, she’s 5. She’s pretty sure fairies are real. She’s convinced every dog in the world would like to meet her. The other day at Costco she saw a man with a white beard and proceeded to yell to everyone in the store, “Santa is shopping here today! He. Is. Here. Today!!” That’s OK behavior for her. She’s just a kid. She’s little. But oddly enough, she’s not the only one who tends to get sizes all twisted. She’s not the only one who tends to “under size.” In fact, I think lot of us do that, especially when it comes to God. I learned this last year when the Stuff Christians Like community raised money to build a kindergarten in Vietnam. On a random Monday, I asked readers to help me raise $30,000 and that honestly made me nervous. It’s weird to ask for money. It changes your intimacy levels. It’s like actually holding hands during couples skate at Roller Kingdom in Hudson, Massachusetts. Sure, you might skate around in circles with Stacy Valentino listening to Bobby Brown’s “Tender Roni,” but holding hands is a whole nother level. (That example got really specific and 7th gradery.) But it’s true, asking for money is awkward, which is why pastors do the money disclaimer when they preach. They start their sermon by saying, “I never normally preach about money, I never preach about tithing, except today.” And that’s always the Sunday your neighbor or coworker finally agreed to come to church with you. Your friend always comes on the money Sunday or the day the mime group, “Gloves of Love” is there to perform. So I was anxious about asking for money. And I honestly thought it would take us 6 weeks to raise $30,000. But if you’ve read this site for a while, you know that was not the case. We raised all $30,000 in a matter of 18 hours. It took us less than a day to complete the entire campaign and I realized I had been like McRae with the number 26. Here’s what I essentially said to God before the project started: “God, you are massive. You are huge. You made the universe and created all space and time. You are without end! But, you are slightly less big than $30,000. You’re like a really solid $29,000 God. And that’s awesome. I mean that’s pretty good. I think you’re almost all powerful, you’re just not $30,000 powerful.” Have you ever done that? Have you ever been faced with what felt like an insurmountable challenge and in the midst of that, you’ve worshiped a really small God? Have you ever prayed something like: “God, you are gigantic. You rule the universe. You’re just not as big as my college application process. You are slightly too small to handle that.” Or “God, I love you. You are massive and supreme. You are huge, except you’re not big enough to handle my divorce. You are smaller than this experience.” Or “God, you are like the real He-Man, you are master of the universe! You are so big and so all knowing, except you probably don’t know how to handle my job search. You’re big, you’re just slightly tinier than my unemployment.” No one would actually prays those words, but that’s what flows from our heart when we allow doubt to set up shop. That’s how we live when we feel like we’ve got to force things to happen or they never will. That’s what happens when we under size God. The truth is, God is bigger than $30,000. God is bigger than a divorce. God is bigger than unemployment. God is bigger than a teen daughter who swears she doesn’t love you. God is bigger that money problems. God is bigger than our biggest dreams. And I thank God that he is. I think sometimes we want him to be pocket-sized and manageable. I’ve heard people say things like, “I want a God who can explain to me why bad things happen to good people.” I understand that frustration, I do, but here’s the thing. I don’t want a God who ever has to fit within my understanding. I don’t want a God who is limited by mind and my experiences. I want a big God. A God that spans generations and space and time. I don’t want a God who needs my approval or comprehension to do something big. How we as a people have lost a sense of the mysterious when part of the trinity is the Holy “Ghost” is beyond me, but we have. This holiday season, as the birth of Christ is remembered, let’s celebrate our big God. Let’s honor a huge, wild, unable to be controlled by our small minds God. He’s bigger than that thing you worried about or dreamt about. I promise.

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Living with Abandon

Sunday Pastor Jeff talked about living with Abandon.  Abandon.  Merriam Webster describes the verb of abandon as to give up to the control or influence of another person or agent; to give oneself (over) unrestrainedly.  This definition brings to mind the following things:  

• To let go
• To forget that people are watching
• To live life fully according to my faith in God
  

Before you go and pass judgment on me or think that I'm too crazy with these ideas, try these scenarios on for size.  

• At the local knitting bee you let your cardigan drop carelessly to the floor, wave your yarn wildly over head, and chant "CA-BLE-NEED-LE! CA-BLE NEED-LE!"  
• At your child's school performance you run to the front of the auditorium with the video camera, knocking other parents out of the way to film your child while screaming "No one have ever been that good of a rock before!  You're gonna be a star!  Mama loves you, baby!!!"  
• On the front lines of the 0400 crowd at the after Thanksgiving sale you take your buggy (yes, buggy!) and plow over shoppers in front of you to get the very last $99.99 item.  

Those are all instances of living with abandon.  Absurd, maybe, but Abandon.  Jesus wants nothing less than having us live with Abandon for Him.  He did likewise for us.  He died a horrible death for our sins; He was perfection in the form of broken humanity, hanging on a cross, in humility, to save us.  He deserves at the minimum is for me to live each day for Him with Abandon and let the world see.  

Undignified

Pastor Jeff was on fire today with his sermon.  First of all, Consumed has been fantastic!  It has been hard hitting, direct, much needed, and right on time, at least for me. I love worship.  I have always liked to sing and praise God.  I enjoy being surrounded by people who praise and being inundated in worship with God's people but I am learning that worship is so much more.  I am learning to be consumed with worship. 

Worship is walking away from a dirty joke at work.  Worship is loving those I consider unlovely.  Worship is taking the time to sit with one of my children when my patience is growing thin.  Worship is giving up something that I want so that someone else may have something they need. Worship is not being afraid to be different.  Worship is dancing naked in front of a procession bearing the ark of the Lord.  

Oh, yeah, naked.  

King David was so excited that the ark was finally being returned home to it's proper place that he danced wildly in front of the ark.  He was so consumed with worshiping God that he lost his wife over this act of  worship.  She confronted him and condemned him for his foolish behavior in front of his people.  

David's response?  Simple:  I will celebrate before the Lord.  I will become even more undignified than this.  (2 Samuel 6:21-22)

Today, let's be undignified.  Let's live today with total love for our King regardless of what others around us think.  God will bless you; He hears the worship of His people. 

I'll close with a little treat from DCB; one of my favorite tunes from the Lime cd.  Enjoy! 

Undignified - DCB

Living A Life of Cliches

This month I have been posting daily at Twitter and Facebook one thing I am grateful for.  The list is varied; you will find anything from "being able to wear jeans to work" to "Thankful to be a child of the King of the Universe".  I have had a lot of fun posting these things. 

In my typical fashion, though, I decided that simply being grateful is not enough and that I should name this initiative of positive existence.  I decided upon "A November to Remember" and then the phrase "Attitude of Gratitude" came to mind and I didn't know which would fit.  After all, an idle mind is the devil's playground and I got so tied up in naming this activity rather than being grateful that I got mad as a wet hen and realized I was barking up the wrong tree altogether!

Feeling dumb as a stump, I was reminded by the Holy Spirit that the point of this exercise is to be grateful not to get tied up in the details of what to call the act of doing so.  So, hope against hope, I scrapped the naming process and to back to the action of being grateful.  Praise God!  He reminded me that it ain't over til the fat  lady sings and in the way only He can do, He gave me yet another second chance. 

I'm going to get down to business and share the point directly with you:  listing things I'm grateful for is not the same as living a life that demonstrates gratitude.  And living a life of gratitude has one simple name:  Christianity.  It doesn't need for me to relabel it or rework it in my head. 

My gratitude for today is this:  grateful that I can live a life that is pleasing to my King.  Stop the presses!  I think I may be onto something here! 

Mark, Beyonce, and Crab Legs

For my lunch partners yesterday. . .

 

Did that title grab your attention?  I hope so!  That little teaser is all that I'm going to share with you because that silly phrase came about at lunch yesterday and this blog is not about lunch or Mark. Beyonce, and Crab Legs.  This blog is about something that is dear to my heart and that "something" is fellowship. 

 

One of my absolute favorite parts of being a Christian is fellowship – hanging out with the body of Christ.  Fellowship is so wonderful and so important to me.  It is a vital part of feeling like I belong in the church. 

 

Below is a short list of some attributes of fellowship that I have experienced: 

 

Eating (Hooray!)

Praying

Studying

Serving

Praising

Crying

Sharing

Laughter

 

If you feel like you are missing something in your life as a Christian I would tell you to be sure that you are hanging out with Christian folks.  This can be in friendships, a small group environment, at a special service such as Night of Worship or Christmas Eve, through service, membership or Fresh Start classes, or even just milling around in the church lobby before or after service. 

 

I challenge you to seek fellowship with someone in the body of Christ.  If you currently hang out with church folk, think about some of the fun moments you have shared together.  You may just reflect on or come up with your own headline that puts "Mark, Beyonce, and Crab Legs" to shame. 

 

Secret Agent Man

Secret agents have some great advantages in this world.  Take James Bond for example; he is an international man of mystery; he has tricks and gadgets and tools that make your head spin.  He looks debonair and suave, he never gets messy and he always gets himself out of trouble.  As far as I can see, however, that's where his rewards end. 

 

You see, poor ol' Jimmy (no one every called him "Jimmy", I'm sure, before now) eats alone at the holidays.  He might eat at the finest restaurant in the entire world but there is no one with whom he can share.  He might have the newest car or nicest watch (that can shoot your eye out) but he has to get them for himself.  Even if someone gives him one of these things, they give it expecting that he will do something in return.  And he cannot tell anyone what he is doing or why he is doing it; his job is to operate in secrecy, total anonymity. 

 

To make matters worse, JB is a hero when he saves the day.  Everyone applauds him.  If he messes up, though, no one supports him.  He's all alone to figure out how to fix the catastrophe.  And, if it suits the HQ, M to be exact, she will deny him in a heartbeat and let him take the fall for everyone else. 

 

I don't think it's good to be a secret agent.  Neither does God. 

 

Unlike agent 007, Christians are called to be part of a body of believers, a family.  This is one of my favorite parts of being a follower of Christ.  I don't have to eat alone or worship alone or struggle alone or rejoice alone.  I am never alone because Jesus has promised to be with me.  The most amazing part is that Jesus gave His life for me and never expected anything from me in return.  He wants me to love Him and follow Him in obedience but He was willing to die regardless of how I treat that sacrifice. 

 

The only thing He tells me is that I cannot deny Him in front of me, or He will deny me in front of His father.  It's as simple as that.  I cannot wear the trench coat of Christian stealthy or hide behind the mask of the mundane or mediocre.  I am called to be in the world but not of the world.  There's no such thing as a secret agent Christian. 

 

Today I challenge us all to live openly for Christ.  I don't have to wear a t-shirt that says Jesus Rules or walk around with my Bible tucked under my arm everywhere I go.  My speech and my actions, however, should mirror my love for him.  Keeping my mouth shut when everyone else is talking or talking when everyone else hides in silence should show people that I'm different because He lives in me. 

 

Throw out the membership card to the secret society and live in the light of Jesus today. 

Name That Tune

I love old hymns. They just bring a joy to my heart that I cannot find elsewhere. I can hear my grandmother singing to my grandfather when he was at the dying. I have fond memories of (attempting to) playing hymns on my other grandmother's organ when we would spend time with her in the summers.

One of the things that I like about old hymns is that they ring true for so many direct sentiments and that they are simple. They don't complicate the gospel. Here are a few of my favorites:

"I have a song that Jesus gave me, it was sent from heaven above, there never was a sweeter melody, tis a melody of love . . . "

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see"

"When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul"

"At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, where the burdens of my past rolled away, it was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day"

Let the lyrics of these songs bathe your soul in peace. Ask an older relative to share a memory of the favorite hymn. Close your eyes, hear the music in your mind, and relive a past experience. This may seem old fashioned but one day our Hill Song and Chris Tomlin and David Crowder will be oldies to our children and to their children. Share Jesus with generations, both past and present, through music today.
Sent from BB - please show mercy & grace for any typos

Night of Worship

We just left the night of worship and it was AWESOME!!!! There are no words to describe this evening.  I just want to share some random thoughts that are on my mind: 

• I owe so many people in my sphere of influence an apology.  I have not lived each day as a life of worship; I have lived day-to-day and I'm so sorry that I have not shown Jesus through my life.  
• I don't EVER want my life to be the same.  I don't know exactly how God is going to change me but I have come to the realization that I cannot change me but I can walk in obedience and let Him rule in me and change me in bigger ways that I ever imagined possible. 
• Our teenagers rule!!!!  If you think there is no hope for the future take a look around Stockbridge Community Church and see what God is doing.  
• Worship contained to our four walls at SCC is a disservice.  Worship is not meant to be demonstrated only in our walls and never shared with a lost and dying world.  That's not true worship.  True worship goes out boldly and shines the light of Jesus into a dark and hurting world.  
• Worship, as defined by my friends at www.m-w.com, is to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion.  This should be my every day attitude and outlook, not just a quarterly outpouring to God.  

I could go on for a while because I'm so excited about what God is doing at SCC but I'll close after these few thoughts.  What's your feedback on tonight or on worship in general?  I'd love to hear from you. 

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Having 2 Gods.

Really good stuff from John Acuff today; it stopped me in my tracks.  I tend to serve the After Crucifixion God these days.  Take a minute to read this and make sure that you remember that our God is greater, our God is stronger, He is higher than any other, He is healer, He is awesome in power, He is merciful and lovely and gracious. 

Having 2 Gods.

Posted: 03 Nov 2010 06:16 AM PDT

I am a wuss.

When I was growing up, we watched the movie Jaws. I imagined that the floor was an ocean and that if my feet touched it, that massive shark would bite them. Twenty five years later I still refuse to have my feet on the floor during scary moments. In movie theaters, at home, at friends' houses, I will yank my feet up if a movie grows dark and an "oboe of terror" starts to mournfully play.

I am a wuss, but sometimes this world is legitimately scary.

The Department of Justice recently did a study that showed that 1 out of every 4 girls will be raped before graduating college.

Every day, kids plant landmines online that will not explode until they are older and realize a photo can never, ever be deleted from the Internet.

The only fictional part of movies like "Man on Fire," and "Taken," is the idea that someone is coming to rescue the kidnapped and sex slaved children around the world.

We are hurt and continuing to hurt each other.

And into that world, I am sending my two daughters.

That scares me sometimes. I'm trying to send my two daughters out into the world so full of love that when culture tries to spill them, they will not empty. When faced with temptations or trials or hurts, they will be so sure of who they are, in both our family and our God, that they will not be full of doubt. That they will know that whatever they do, whoever they grow into, the love I gave them as children is the love I will give them as adults.

My fear is that they will think I am two dads, in the same way lots of Christians think there are two gods. (That almost sounded like a reference to the show, "My 2 Dads," but I assure you it was not. Worst show concept. "We were both sleeping with your mom and don't know which one of us is your father. I'm wacky, he's straight laced!")

What do I mean by two gods?

Simply this: Sometimes, we live our lives as if there is a Pre Crucifixion God and an After Crucifixion God.

If you're a Christian, at some point in your life you've been bowled over by the graciousness and wildly unkempt love God had for you Pre Crucifixion. He so greatly desired your presence and your closeness that he sent his only son to the cross to draw your near. Over a period of generations he unfolded a plan that sent his son to the cross and you to his arms. His love was so deep and true that he forsake his own son to open the door to you. There is no greater love.

We are overwhelmed by Pre Crucifixion God. He is amazing and as one author put it, almost wasteful in his love for us he pours it out so generously and lavishly.

And then we start to live life.

Then the weeks and months start to stack up between us and that moment when we first encountered Pre-Crucifixion God. We get some distance between us and that unleashed, unbridled love. And we make some mistakes. We fail. We fall down. And that is when we meet After Crucifixion God.

That is when we find ourselves hiding in the shadows. Like Adam and Eve accepting an apple when they were already given the whole orchard, we choose the small and insignificant and we blow it. In that moment, what do we do?

Do we run back to Pre-Crucifixion God? Do we say to ourselves, "This God of mine, he loved me so much that he sent his son to die for me. Where else could I find love like that? Where could I find forgiveness like that? Look what he did in the past, surely he would love me in the present!"

No, that is usually not what I do. Often, when I fail, I construct a less loving God in my head. He has arbitrary rules and regulations. He is not so loving. He is a God who keeps score and tallies failure. He wants me to earn things. He does not lavish grace. He regulates it. I end up finding an After Crucifixion God. A less loving caricature of the God I used to know.

I end up serving two Gods.

But the truth is, there is only one God.

God was not just loving in the past, he is love.

God was not just forgiving in the past, he is forgiveness.

God was not just gracious in the past, he is grace.

The God who drew you near with the death of his son, is the same God who loves you through the new failures of the new day. That wild love, is still the love he gives.

Because there is only one God.

I hope my daughters will always know that the dad who loved them when they were 3 will love them when they are 33. I hope L.E. and McRae will always know my love for them is not subject to performance or accomplishment. It just is.

And I'm only a dad, a broken human of a dad.

Imagine how the one God feels about you?

Are You Radical?

Radical hope, faith, love, joy.  When I first heard about the campaign and we talked about getting back to the roots of Christianity, I though that the items in the list of "radical elements" were things that I had licked.  This campaign was going to be for someone else and I was going to coast through this six weeks. 

Famous last words (well, famous last thoughts). 

This six weeks has proved to be grueling for me.  The struggles that I have faced as I let my spiritual guard down have been overwhelming at times.  The battle has raged during fall campaign for us as individuals and as a congregation.  Satan has been playing hardball and he's hit us low and dirty.  Personally, I have been angry, confused, frustrated, lost, doubting, and a list of other emotions that are all negative.  I have hardly felt joy or hope or love.  I have felt much more like I was manifesting acts of the flesh (anger, rage, hate, discord, selfish ambition) rather than the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:19-26). 

As we draw to a close of this campaign I am grateful for God's goodness and His never failing love.  I am so thankful that even as I have not proven myself a mighty warrior during this time that He has and is lovingly showing me where my weaknesses are, where I must rely more on Him, and how to be better prepared for the next battle I face. 

You see, His mercies are new every morning.  His faithfulness is great.  As Jeremiah said, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore,  I will hope in Him!" (Lamentations 3:22-24)  Because of God's goodness, I can say with confidence,  "I am radical".  I hope you are, too. 

Keepin' it Real

I missed my quiet time this morning.  I flew in yesterday from a business trip, got to bed later than I would have liked, slept too late this morning and just missed it, period.  I slept right through my precious alone time, got up in a hurry, carried around a cup of coffee that eventually got cold as I got ready for work, frantically remembered to grab Jake's soccer bag, ran the kids to school, and shot off to work. 

Wednesday, October 27, in the year of our Lord 2010 has been forever shaped by my lack of quiet time, my alone time with God. 

To say that my plate is full at work is an understatement.  I have been given a disposable dessert plate at a big game buffet and am expected to balance everything, including a big glass of iced tea that's full to the brim, while I walk a tight rope after I've been blindfolded.  (Okay, it's a bit extreme but hopefully you get the picture here.)  Add to this the fact that today has been rainy and that rain will likely affect traffic which means my husband will probably arrive home later than normal and may be rushed.  Wwe have adult studies at church, which I love, but I have to stop now and ensure that the harried nature of the beginning of my day doesn't affect the people whose company I enjoy each week.  Finally, my family will get home tonight, all of at the end of a long day, and I have to work carefully to make sure that I don't act harshly to people that I treasure so much. 

Would the circumstances change if I had actually had my quiet time today?  No. 

Would I be better able to face them?  Without a doubt. 

I'm just keepin' it real for you here (well, for me, too).  My quiet time is not an option.  It's not something that I can do if "it doesn't crowd my schedule" or "if I feel like it".  It's what keeps me going through the day.  It's what makes me a good wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend. 

Looks like I won't be hitting snooze on the alarm tomorrow.  I'm looking forward to my date with my Father and a good cup of coffee.

Death Crawl

I watched Facing the Giants over the weekend and I have to tell you that I love that movie; it never gets old to me!  The message is fantastic and I usually dust it off and watch it when I am feeling down and defeated. 

 

One of my favorite scenes is the death crawl scene.  I never played football or had brothers so the death crawl was new to me but it's brutal.  A player gets on hands and feet (no knees on the ground) with another player on his back and "crawls" for a specified period of time. 

 

In the scene from the movie the team leader, Brock, is called to do the death crawl to the 50 yard line.  The catch is that the coach blindfolds him.  So, with another player on his back, a slightly cocky Brock takes off with no visibility to his goal, down the field. 

 

His initial motions going forward are easy and his arrogance carries him.  As he continues, though, the going gets very touch.  He cannot see what lies ahead.  He thinks he is close but he doesn't know.  The load on his back which was, at the beginning, known to him and familiar, becomes heavy and hard to bear.   He is frustrated and weak and wants to stop. 

 

By his side is Coach Taylor, down on the ground, screaming encouragement in his ear.  He keeps yelling to Brock, "Don't quit!  Don't quit!"  Brock asks if he has yet reached the 50 and Coach Taylor responds, "Don't worry about the 50!  Keep going!  Don't quit!  Don't quit!" 

 

When an exhausted Brock finally is allowed to fall to the ground, with no strength left, he removes the blindfold and Coach Taylor says, "Look up, Brock, you're in the end zone." 

 

This is often how our life is as Christians.  We move forward in the dark, seemingly headed to nowhere.  Our load becomes heavy; we want to quit; we wonder how much further God is going to require us to go. 

 

Like Brock, however, God, as our coach, is guiding is so much further than we ever aimed to go.  He takes us beyond the 50 yard line, into the end zone, and when we finally look up and see where He has brought us we are overwhelmed, amazed, and grateful for the journey. 

 

Keep going, even if you are weary and cannot see the end.  You can trust your Heavenly Coach.  He has great things planned for you. 

Ticked Off & Proud Of It

When I was younger I didn't have an opinion about the things of God.  As I got a little older I thought that God's word was "right" but I still applauded those who had the backbone, the chutzpah, to stand for what they thought was right whether it agreed with God's word or not.   Now, as I finally start to mature, I see much God's word much more in black or white.  God's word is right; going against it is the wrong thing to do.

Why do I write this?  Because it has been my prayer that God would break my heart for what breaks His and the more that this change takes place in me, I find that sin makes sick.  It ticks me off!  I can no longer look at a pastor who announces to his conversation that he is gay because made him that way or that he had an affair and condone his behavior.  I get nauseous!  Seeing children being treated as nothing more than an afterthought by parents who are consumed with their own selfish and sinful desires makes me angry!  Watching greed in our lives (in my own life!) take precedence over helping those in need burns me up.

I hope my tirade in this blog doesn't offend you but rather that it spurs us all to action.  God wants us to be like Him and when we allow sin to take first place in our lives over God there is no way that we can do this.  When we condone sin in our society because we believe that certain things are the "norm", we are not acting like the church.

It is not our place to condemn people.  It is, however, our place to stand for our beliefs and not be apologetic for God or His word.  It is our place to love those around us but we do not have to tolerate the sin that permeates our world.

I'm ticked off and proud of it.  I hope you are, too.

Serving the Right Purpose

I can't pass up household disasters, no matter how small or great, when they have the potential to be great blog material.  To my unnamed son: thanks for the idea!  


Tupperware is a great product.  I love it! I will admit that I have other brands of the same type of product but I <3 Tupperware.  This stuff comes in all sizes, shapes, and functional uses.  You can always tell the era of Tupperware by the color; it's lasts forever so I have some 20+ year old country blue lids and I think my mama still has some that reflect the 70s in the yellows and browns and oranges that were popular then. 

Tupperware is awesome!  However, there are some things you just can't do with it, like put it in the toaster oven.  No matter how much I love Tupperware or how durable it is to be used for endless reheating of leftovers in the microwave, it's just not meant for certain things.  This picture, for your viewing pleasure, indicates just that. 

We're like Tupperware.  We are made to serve a purpose and to honor God with our lives.  When we do what we were created to do, we stay in tact.  Like a plate in the microwave, we may go round in crazy circles or get a little hotter than we like, but we're okay because we're doing what we are supposed to do.  At the correct time the plate comes out of the microwave and food is heated to "just right".  In serving our purpose we have been used to make something else better and to help it have it's own purpose through our discomfort and efforts. God uses all things to our good, remember? (Romans 8:28)

When we get outside of our purpose, however, say not living our lives to honor God, that's when things get messy.  The heat becomes too much, the activities too overwhelming, the crowd that we're with too influential.  This is when we start to run and melt, just like my poor plate.  And the thing  (food) that we were supposed to be helping along is also ruined because it gets caught in our mess (note the fate of the unfortunate waffles in the picture above - they're stuck in Tuppergunk)

Today as you make choices about how to live your life, remember my poor plate.  Hopefully it will help you to remember that when we live outside of our purpose that lots of people, including us, end up getting caught in our own mess. 

Boring & Stink Free

I love all animals.  We currently have three cats and three dogs in our abode.  I have had two parrots, too many snakes to remember, mice as pets after the snakes decided that they were not hungry, hamsters, a guinea pig, and a Savannah Monitor.  When I was much younger we actually had  17 cats at one time (nine of them were kittens!)  I have rescued countless birds because I decided that, if they were not going to live, they at least need to die with dignity.  I actually saved a squirrel from the clutches of death (at the paws of my horrible huntress and her brother) much to the horror (and secret delight) of my family.  I simply can't see my life without animals.  Poor Mark!  He probably harbors the secret fear that one day he'll come home to a Noah's Ark scenario. 

There are some "things" about animals, though, opportunities if you will allow me to use this word.  You have to learn how to take care of them.  Care of a parrot is much different than care of a monitor.  The environment to be created for a water snake is completely different than that of one required by a reptile who lives in an arid climate.  Dogs and cats speak for themselves; they are entirely different from one another. 

Another opportunity with animals is that, well, they sometimes leave a mess.  Occasionally the mess might smell.  Nothing reeks of "I love you" like a wet, muddy dog hopping on the bed.  House training a new puppy is always an adventure.  Rodents just smell.  Period.  (Sorry if you disagree - my experience has been that they stink).  Kitties have their own way of letting you know they're around. Even snakes are a little smelly and they don't even do much. 

If you wonder where I am going with this, I don't blame you.  To recap, I love animals but not everything about them is pain free or always pleasant.  Sometimes I have to learn something I didn't know,put forth effort when I don't feel like it (change the sheets late at night after the muddy dog jump), share them with others (a tough one for me!), or just trust them to be who they are. 

Here's the point: life without animals has great potential to be stink free.  But for me it would be boring.  I would be lost without the ongoing adventure of my silly critters, looking to see if the Beast has tucked herself away on a shelf or in a closet waiting to pounce.  What would coming home from work be like without little Dweezil dancing at my feet, terrorizing my toes?  Or Jack taking a minute to actually acknowledge me from his vantage point as kind of the jungle?  And what if Baby wasn't there to talk back to me?  or Milo to cuddle up, sleep, and keep me warm?  What if I turned on the bathroom light and Ferris wasn't sitting in the sink impatiently waiting for the water to be turned on for him?  Life would just be blah. 

I like the adventure of having pets in my life.  I think that this adventure parallels to being a Christian.  It's not always fun, easy, convenient, or what I'm ready for, but it is so worth the investment that Jesus asks me to make.  He never asks anything of me that is greater than His sacrifice on the cross. 

Today as I face the trials and tribulations of my daily routine, no matter how small or large, I'm going to smile and remind myself that although my life may be a little stinky at times, it is not boring, and there is great reward to be gained through tenacity in my walk with Jesus. 

Just Goodbye for Now

Today we suffered a horrible loss as the family of Christ.  Our friend and sister, Christa, went to be with Jesus.  I hope that I do her some justice in this blog but I am not sure I will or even can.  I am stunned and shocked. My heart breaks for Andy and their children as they mourn someone who can never be replaced in their lives. 

Christa and I were friends, not BFF as they say, just friends.  We laughed together.  We cried together.  We prayed together.  I know that she loved Jesus, her husband, and her babies.  Well, all babies; yeah, think she loved all babies.  She was born to be a Mama. 

Christa lived a life worth living.  She lived a life of faith even in the dark times.  She was an example of joy and hope and radiance.  The power of prayer in this awful time that has united people who don't know each other but know our risen Lord reflects the kind of person that she was.  That God will be glorified in this tragedy that makes no sense to me somehow seems to reflect her beliefs in Him.  

Christa celebrates now with her Lord, and she is reunited with those gone before her.  I think she is holding her babies that she never got to meet before now and I think she just might be snuggling with little Caleb Emmons, too, and holding him tight until his mama and daddy gets there to do it themselves. 

Today is not goodbye forever,  just goodbye for now.  Christa waits for us on the other side of eternity.  We will see her again when we, the imperfect, put on the perfection of Christ.  Death has been swallowed in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54)  This is not the end, just a really crappy "now".  

We will continue to pray for Andy and  the family.  We will mourn.  And pray some more.  And grieve.   And pray again.  And we will somehow find strength to rejoice (Philippians 4:4)

Radical Joy

(For friends unnamed but you know who you are)

 

Yesterday Pastor Jeff preached on Racial Joy and he used Romans 8 as his main reference.  In case you missed the message, let me recap our reasons to have radical joy.  (I'm using the New Living Translation)

 

•         There is NO condemnation for those who belong to Christ (v. 1)  No, none, finito!  Condemnation is gone – hallelujah!

•         I have eternal life (v. 11)  Don't let this one slide past you.  You and I were DEAD (deprived of life, no longer alive – www.m-w.com) until Jesus came along and shed His blood to make us alive.  We will live forever with Him.  This is reason for joy!!!! 

•         God works all things together for my good when I love Him (v. 28)  This is HUGE to me because I have done some really stupid things in my life and I still continue to be faced with circumstances that I find unpleasant and undesirable.  However, God takes the foolishness of my past and the yuckiness of my present and stirs them together to make something beautiful (if you were present yesterday just think about the "Hot Donuts" sign flashing in the window at Krispy Kreme). 

•         God is for me (v. 31)  I have always known that God is with me and I have heard that God is for me.  My friends at Merriam Webster define with as used as a function word to indicate a participant in an action, transaction, or arrangement whereas for is defined as on behalf of, representing, in favor of (www.m-w.com)  The difference in these two is massive!  I hope you see it as clearly as I am seeing it, perhaps for the first time.  God is not just a participant in action or transaction for me but he is IN FAVOR OF ME, He represents me. 

 

As I left church today I had newfound thoughts about the ideas of joy.  I realized that I have been a whiner a lot of the time and that, in light of the above, I don't really have much to complain about and I truly have no reason not to be joyful.  As a wonderful preacher said at the youth service last night, "Joy is a fundamental part of being a Christian."  This is what sets us apart from the world, what makes us shine as a light in the darkness. 

 

Get your joy on today.  It suits you well! 

Microwave Idol

We are definitely a society of instant.  We have microwave popcorn, instant coffee, instant grits (which I happen to actually enjoy although it betrays my true southern-ness), instant money access through online banking, instant weight loss pills, movies on demand - the list is seemingly endless. 

I was a bit shocked when God said to me tonight (on the drive home from church), "What about instant idols?"

I have never thought of idols as instant.  I always thought that idols were something that built up over time, something that pulled your heart away from God a little more each day if you didn't guard yourself.  I think those things are true of idols but tonight God pointed out something new to me:  the microwave idol.

You know the microwave idol; it's that thing that you wake up with on your mind:  the office gossip that is too good to pass up.  The bill that is due that you can't pay until Friday but somehow worrying today makes it all better.  It's the drama you can't control but must discuss.  It's the future that you say you trust God to handle but you are trying to figure out today how you can change it. 

The microwave idol.  The instant god.  The immediate deity.  Call it what you will - they hit you like a ton of bricks and, if you are not careful, they take over your thoughts and your mind.  They can stay with you for days.  Like the sudden onset of the flu the split-second onset of the lord of the now takes you over before you can blink. 

What do we do?  How do we combat this subtle and swift tool of the devil? 

We resist the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7)
We take every though captive to the knowledge of Jesus (2 Corinthians 10:5)
We repent of our sin so we can walk in salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10)
We walk in the newness of Christ  (Romans 6:4)

Be aware of the long-suffering idol.  He is there.  He is waiting for you to let your guard down.  But today, beware of the microwave idol.  Look for him in the snack machine or the nearest drive thru for fast food.  He is just waiting for 9 seconds of your time to grow into something big. 

Lessons from Stone Mountan

I recently climbed Stone Mountain.  Wow! Spiritual lessons abounded as I traversed the face of a 300,000,000 year old piece of granite.  I'd like to share some of these with you. 

I find that I have much in common with weather rock that comprises the mountain.  As time passes the rock has been exposed to more elements parts of the rock have become fragile and break easily.  Only the parts of the rock that are firmly attached don't break off.  This is much like my relationship with God: when I am deeply rooted in Him it is not easy to break away because I am securely planted in Him and His word. 

The trees grow crazily on the side of Stone Mountain!  Trees that I judged, at a glance as dead, are not dead.  They are quite alive.  They just don't grow in the manner that I am used to seeing or that I think they should grow.  Some of these trees are growing in L or J shapes but they are alive.  How many times do I judge those around me because they don't look like I think they should look? 

The hardest lesson I learned was that I am out of shape.  Period.  I knew in my head that I was out of shape and I only look or give the appearance of  being somewhat out of shape but putting my physical abilities to the test of the mountain proved otherwise. Wow!!!  How is this like my spiritual life?  I give the perception of being spiritually in shape but when the storm comes my responses and my perseverance reveal the true nature of my spiritual health. 

The best lesson that I learned from the mountain is this:  stick it out.  We struggled, sweated, and climbed our way to the top of the mountain.  The hardest part was immediately before we crested the last rise; this section required more effort and concentration than the lower parts of the mountain.  When we came around the last corner, however, the view was phenomenal.  Standing high above birds and cities and being able to see for miles was amazing.  This lesson?  Walking with Jesus is worth all of the sweat, effort, sacrifice, and more that He requires of us.  There is nothing that will ever be better than when we come to the end of our journey and see what He has had in store for us all along. 

Thank God for Stone Mountain.  Thank Him for lessons learned.  I hope that these help you in your walk today. 

Spiritual BiFocals

As I mature as a Christian I thought that my vision for things that are spiritual would get sharper, that I would see things a little more clearly and understand a little better.  What I wasn't ready for was the fact that God is going to help me see more clearly, i.e. I have been given a prescription for spiritual bifocals.  b i f o c a l s Glasses that have two lenses in one and are required by the aging (I wasn't ready to include myself in that group).  Formerly the lenses were clearly separated by a heavy line in the middle but current technology now seamlessly blends the two panes into one lens.  Bifocals have two parts:  one part that corrects for near vision and one for distant vision (www.m-w.com/bifocal)  These are required when my eyes can't see everything on their own the way that they should.  


Spiritual bifocals.  Who knew???


The reason that I find I need spiritual bifocals is that I have trouble sometime focusing on the short term and the long term aspects of Christianity.  I tend to either say, "I know I will get my reward in heaven" and forget that God actually wants to provide blessing to me in this world, too, or I look through a blurred perspective and think, "I don't care about the long-term gain; this short term hurts too much" and then I decide that I don't want any part of it.  

I need spiritually corrective lenses to help me see both of elements of Christianity.  For instance, I need these glasses to remind me that turning the other cheek today doesn't mean that I am loser (which feel like sometimes when I turn the other cheek) because God's word tells me that I am victorious in Him (Romans 8:37).  

I'm interested to see what other aids God is going to provide me as I age in Him.  I would guess that there is a hearing device and as well as some sort of filter for brain-to-speech functionality in my future.  Possibly even a heavenly Rascal for when I am too tired to move and God is going to carry me for a while.  I know this much:  because they come from my heavenly Father, I welcome them. 


Bring on the miracle ear! 

Coming Up Roses

How is the intentional gratitude going this week? Are you doing well? Have you been purposefully showing gratitude and kindness to the people around you?

The idea of gratitude brought to my mind the phrase "coming up roses". I'm sure you may be asking yourself what this has to do with gratitude. Let me share my thoughts.
I love roses. They're beautiful. The smell of fresh roses is something that cannot be replicated. The sight of a bunch of living roses bring a smile to the face, a pleasant memory, happiness to someone who may need cheering up. Nothing compares to a rose; it does, after all, smell as sweet even if it is called by another name.

Have you ever smelled roses that have been cut from the bush? Seen them? They smell and look beautiful for a brief while. The "look" like live roses. But after a day or two they start to turn and the smell becomes sickening. The beauty quickly turns to rotten ugliness.

This week I have realized that gratitude is like roses. When we are truly grateful in the name of our Lord and in an effort to bring glory to Him, we can bring a smile to a stranger's face. We can make the lives of those we love a little brighter when we offer acts of unexpected kindness. When we offer false gratitude or extend half-hearted that kindnesses we start to stink, like rotting roses. We "look" like we're grateful but when we've been detached from the vine there is no true life left in us.

Is gratitude really is coming up roses? I think so. The question for you today is: do you bring life or rottenness? The choice is yours: choose your roses wisely.
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Here Is Our King

Allow yourself to travel with me for a moment: 

You are in a crowded room with thousands of people; you all wait anxiously for the moment when everything will begin.  Suddenly a voice surrounds you and those around you; you hear thundering commands: 

"Come, everyone!  Clap your hands!" 

This sounds like the opening of something big, an introduction to a celebration or a revelation of something long anticipated.  More imperatives follow: 

"Shout!  Sing!" 

Descriptive words and phrases are also proclaimed loudly and with great confidence:  "Awesome . . . Bravo!  Bravissimo! . . . highly honored . . .  King of the mountain"

Where are you?  Are you at a rock concert?  A celebration for someone great?  A victory party?  I'm not sure where you went on this brief adventure but what I have described are words from  Psalm 47 (New Living & Message translations).  This Psalm is nothing but good, old fashioned praise to God. 

What's got you down today?  What is weighing on your shoulders like the weight of the world?  Put it down.  You cannot clap your hands and praise our God when they are full of sorrow and burden.  He will carry it for you (Matthew 11:29-30). 

Take a minute to praise our King.  When we focus on Him it changes our perspective on everything.  Just to get you started, I've included a link to one of my favorite David Crowder tunes: Here Is Our King

(Chorus:)
Here is our King
Here is our Love
Here is our God who's come to bring us back to him
He is the one,
He is Jesus

Praise Him today.