Hamburger, Jelly, and the Fruit of the Spirit

 

When my friend, Machelle, asked her three-year-old grandson to name his favorite foods, he listed them: hamburger, jelly, and the fruit of the Spirit. In his preschool mind, the list seemed logical: these were things he had enjoyed at one time or another—the hamburger at dinner, the jelly on some toast at breakfast, and the fruit of the Spirit through the actions of his parents and those who loved him. He heard and remembered this spiritual tidbit about fruit and decided to add it to his favorite foods list. Why not?

Galatians 5:22-23 teaches us “ . . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. . . (ESV). When we accept Jesus as our savior, we are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV). This encouraging fact means that God marked us as his own by giving us his powerful Spirit to live inside of us! This seal serves as a guarantee that our inheritance in the Kingdom of God is real–not only here on earth but in Heaven as well. Because we possess the same Spirit who is also in our Savior, we are able to produce fruit–or character qualities–that make us look more like Him. But, being able to look more like Him does not mean we always choose to live more like Him. The reality of sin complicates things.

When we allow our sin-tainted will to guide us, we are tempted to gorge on the false foods of self-sufficiency and pride. These can make us feel full for a while, but they won’t lead us toward Life. True life is found in God and in the Spirit he freely offers. When we allow that Spirit to transform us, we can deny our sin and we can feast on the fruit of holiness. This fruit–God’s very nature–is given to enliven and make us more like Him, but it is also meant to be shared. So in a world full of brokenness and grief, Christ-followers can exude beauty, wholeness, and hope; humanity hungers for these. So let’s offer them our bounty, but introduce them to the Giver as well. Wouldn’t it be grand if everyone we met went away full of the Spirit and filled to the brim with fruit? Make us faithful and fruitful, Lord.

Next time someone asks me about my favorite foods, I will start with tortilla chips and ice cream, but, like a certain three-year-old, I will continue with these: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. Why not?

 

Red Bird Devotions #21

Living For Jesus

When the children were babies and Brent would rock them to sleep, he always sang the same song. Brent is not a singer (and I think maybe this is the only song where he knew all the words. He learned it in Cadets as a child) but his slightly off-key voice always sounded so sweet as he sang this to our sleepy babies lying in his arms.

I remember one night, when I was sad, my sweet husband sang this same song to me. As I listened to the words coming out of his mouth, I was struck by the solidity of the truth they contained. So…I decided to share them with you. Here they are:

"Living for Jesus”

Living for Jesus, a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me. 
O Jesus Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me.
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne.
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.

Living for Jesus can be so simple.

And we make it so hard.

When we yield allegiance to ourselves and make Him our only Master, we truly will be glad hearted and free.

Let’s try it, shall we?

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:36

List #3: Lessons God Taught Me in 2014

God is constantly changing the way I think, and this year my Gentle Schoolmaster has taught me much.  Let me see if I can recall just a few of His lessons…

1.  Surrender

When I surrender my plans for my life and agree to live the life He has given me here and now, I am actually more content.  When I give up what I naturally desire, and deny my own willful ways, I find joy because I have escaped the bondage of myself.  I don’t have to do what I want because I am freed to do what is right.

2.  Identity

When I try to find my identity in anything other than Jesus, I am anxious and dissatisfied.  For a time, I was a mom of young children who needed me, but when those children grew and became independent, I became unsettled because my identity had been placed in motherhood, not in Christ alone.  Then I became a runner, and my identity was placed in how far and how fast I could run.  When my running stopped consuming me, I felt uneasy because if I wasn’t an athlete, what was I?  I then decided that I would be a writer since I was no longer a young mom or a successful runner, and this writing, it satisfied me…for a time.  But when I had less opportunity to write, I was constantly anxious because I was a writer but I wasn’t honing my craft.  If I thought of myself as a writer but never wrote, I felt bad and wrong since I was not doing what I was “made” for.  The fault with all of these methods of “finding myself” lies in the fact that I am made to bring God, not myself, glory. I am not here on earth to find myself.  I am here to acclaim the God who saved me.  I am here to make His name great.  My identity is to be found in Christ, not in what I do.

3.  Focus

The other night, I attended my son’s band concert, and before it began, while all the instruments were still warming up, chaos and disorganization reigned.  The clarinets practiced scales while the trombones belted low notes.  The drummers practiced paradiddles (yes, this is a real thing.  I am a former drummer), as the flutes trilled melody.  The din of all of them together assaulted my ears.  But then, as the conductor took his place on the podium and as all the eyes focused on him, the unorganized noises instantly became a beautiful song—with each instrument performing its appropriate role.  Isn’t this how it is with us?  We focus on a million things and our lives seem confusing and overwhelming.  But then, as we learn to keep our eyes on our Conductor, we begin to play our appropriate role in the Kingdom, and the very place that God has put us becomes a beautiful melody of praise to Him.

4.  Presence

When my oldest son Luke was just a little boy, he loved to set up armies of plastic green soldiers.  In fact, he spent so much time setting up his army men that he never played with them.  The process became so important that the fun of having a virtual, plastic battle was sacrificed.  Sometimes I am like this.  I get so caught up planning the details of my life, or trying to find a way to make a task more efficient that I forget to be present in the moment.  I forget to find joy in the process.  I often recall the quote by John Lennon that warns, “Life is what happens when you are making other plans.”  God wants me to live right now, in this moment.  I can plan, but I can’t ruminate and become anxious about my unknown future.  God’s got it.  THIS is the day that the Lord has made.  I WILL rejoice and be glad in it.

5.  Food

Each morning when I go out and feed the pets (a job I inherited from my new college freshman, Shay), I am reminded of the verse in Psalm 145, “All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time.”  When the animals hear the garage door rise and see me descending down the hill, they know it is time to eat and that I will give them what they need for the day.  This daily reminder of their trust in, and total dependence on, me leads me towards my Savior every time.  I often want to grow faster and understand more deeply the truths of God NOW.  The painfully slow process of sanctification is discouraging to me.  But my Father knows what I need and when I need it.  If He revealed all of His will for me in a torrent, I might become overwhelmed.  And if He made me unable to comprehend any of His precepts, my spirit would be malnourished.  He feeds me what I need when I need it.  I must trust in that promise.  As always, my Father knows best.

He must become greater; I must become less.  

John 3:30

The Very Same ONE

Hey Y’all.  I played a fast one and went to Zambia, Africa for 12 days without even telling you. I had a few things post in my absence just to heighten the sneakiness.  But, now I am back and I have lots of stories to tell, and the first one is this:

Guess what?  The Almighty God that we serve here in the American church is the same One they serve in Zambia! He is big and powerful and strong enough to change Zambian and American hearts.  He speaks English and Bemba and a whole lot of other languages too.  His spirit lives in people with black skin as well as in those with white.  The same Spirit that is alive in me lives in the woman in the mud hut in Serenje!  And His character remains the same half way around the world because He never changes.  Culture does not affect our God; He freely gives His Spirit to those who confess their sins and accept His leadership. God does not show favoritism to any race; His people from around the globe yearn for the same Truth and the same Power and the same Wisdom; these things can be understood by any nationality because the same huge God has made them plain to them.

And the people who reject Him in Zambia are grieving the same God as those rejecting Him in America; their curses wound the very same heart .  The Father of all longs for His children to run to Him, no matter where they live.

It blows my mind that we all serve the same God—the very same One.  And we can all know the same God intimately—the very same One. And He can be our forever Father—for eternity together…even if we live halfway across the world from each other.

God’s got it covered.  He really does have the whole world in His hands.

And that my friends, is amazing.

 

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,  since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Romans 1:18-20

On a Mission #3 (by Luke)

Living Incarnationally

I was reading in Oswald Chamber’s Utmost for His Highest while I was in China. On July 6^th, under the title “Visions Becoming Reality”, Chambers talks about how “God gives us vision, and then takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of that vision.” Then on July 7^th, under the title “All Efforts of Worth and Excellence Are Difficult” Chambers says: “Thank God that He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a joyous thing, but it is also something that requires bravery, courage, and holiness.”

I was on a sleeper train from Zhengzhou to Beijing while I read the July 7^th devotional. It was late, but I put down the book and cried out to God. The summer had been good so far, but I longed for greater things. I wanted more vision and I wanted difficult things to do.

A few days later, I arrived at a camp to be on staff. I loved it. The entire camp was run out of an apartment complex. Everyone lived there together. Despite being an introvert, I loved the community; sleeping a room away from my other staff members and eating meals with them and even brushing our teeth together. When we were in Wuhan, it felt like our ministry stopped when we went to our hotel, but here it started the moment I woke up. I have heard people talk about “incarnational living”, living so that others see Jesus in you, and this was it. Most of the Chinese staff and translators were not believers and they got to watch us every day, to see how we lived, and especially how we loved the orphans that came to camp. There is great power in Christian community.

We had four weeks of camp. The second week started out great. On Thursday, we even got to baptize two of our Chinese staff and one translator in the pool. I was really filled with joy, but so quickly that joy was zapped out of me. About half of our staff was sick and one volunteer was so sick, she had to be sent to the hospital and eventually back to America. The kids were really naughty this week and found ways to annoy us, especially when they realized that they had to go back to the orphanage. Two of the kids even got in a fist fight. They didn’t really mean to, but at supper they were spilling their food and water. I was pretty frustrated at this point, but I could handle it and I was still strong. Then I spilled my own water bottle all over the floor, and for some reason, I couldn’t handle it all anymore. I was my own worst annoyance. I felt defeated.

Then, I heard that one the girls of staff, Lily, her brother had just died, being hit by a drunk driver.

I know that what I felt was in no way equal to what Lily felt, and I wasn’t even sick. But because we were all in that community together, when other people were sad, I felt it and it weighed on me. That night in my journal I wrote “I didn’t expect the valley to be like this. I expected it to be in a certain way, exciting, a challenge to overcome, difficult, but rewarding. Like lifting weights hard. The valley is not like that at all. Instead it is sorrow and I know the way out, but it seems out of reach. Working harder doesn’t help. When I do get out, stumble out, there is no satisfaction or accomplishment. I don’t feel the growth. The only way I can endure is faith in a good God.” I didn’t expect sorrow to be like this, but this was an answer to my prayer and God was refining me.

I didn’t magically ever feel better, but God worked through it all. He worked in me to trust Him. And everyone around us got to see how Christians grieve with hope. And throughout the rest of camp five more people gave their lives to Christ. Praise to our Father!

My favorite part of camp though, was getting to baptize Evan. I didn’t do much, but I was there when Evan decided to give his life to Christ. God had been working in his life and he was so intrigued by the love of God flowing through those of us who believe. After he gave his life to Christ, he wanted to get baptized, but we couldn’t go to the pool, so Evan’s volunteer, Seth got to baptize Evan in the bathtub as I said “Sheng fu, sheng zi, shenglin” (Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit in Chinese). There was something about that moment that was so right. I don’t know how to adequately describe it, other than that it was the power of God moving in China, and I got to be a part of it.

God’s Eyes

Hey y’all!  I did it.  I posted every day in July. But I’m going to be done with my every day posting now; it’s an added responsibility, and I want  a break…so it’s back to my “whenever I’m kind of inspired” schedule.  But before I go, I wanted to share something with you that I got in an email from Luke today.  Each week that he has been gone to China, his team has sent updates.  Here is an excerpt from his most recent note:

…Then we went inside the orphanage and waited for the kids. As the kids started walking out, some of them were severely disfigured, some had trouble walking and another boy was mute. Initially these kids repulsed me. I didn’t want to be near them. I asked my Father quickly, but sincerely for help to love these kids. Almost immediately I saw the children in a different light, and they began to smile. I began to have a deep love for these children.

When I read his words, I immediately began to sob.  I’m not sure if it was his honesty about his repulsion, or my realization that I do the same thing, that made me cry.  But I think it was the latter.  And I think the words were powerful to me because I realize that not only do some of the “least of these” repulse me, but I allow myself to stay in that state of repulsion and seeming superiority; I don’t ask God to intervene in my mind because I don’t think I am wrong. 

But I am wrong, so wrong, and when I am actually using the mind of Christ, the renewed mind that He has so graciously given, I can see even the imperfect as beautiful; I can see them as His creations, as His beloved children.

God allowed me to witness Luke’s authenticity about his sin through his email. He used it to show the ugliness that exists in my heart.  And it was that ugliness, I believe, that made my spirit sad. But, I don’t need to stay sad.  God has promised me power, power that frees me from my natural, sinful tendencies—the same power that Luke received immediately when he asked his Faithful Father.  All I have to do is ask. 

I have to ask Him to give me His eyes.

And then I have to remember to use them.

May it be so.

Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see

Chorus from “Give Me Your Eyes” by Brandon Heath

From Haiti with LOVE

                                      

Shay just returned from a life-changing trip to Haiti.  She was so full of joy when she came back that I asked her to write out the things she learned there.  Today and tomorrow, she will share what God did through her, and to her, as she followed Him in Haiti.  You will love her stories.

I just got back from a mission trip to Haiti, and I don’t really have the right words to relay that experience to others who weren’t there. But I’ll try to give you a little picture of the last 9 days of my life. After 3 flights and a long, and relatively sleepless, night at the airport, my team of 17 arrived in Haiti. As soon as we got off the airplane we knew we weren’t in America any more. A group of men with guitars and maracas greeted us as we walked in the very hot Haitian airport. We were the spectacles of Port-au-Prince that day as the native Haitians watched 17 very tired, hot, and confused white people walk in the airport in their matching bright pink t-shirts. We finally made it past immigration and to the van and truck that our gracious hosts had prepared for us . For the next three hours we bumped, honked, and swerved our way past the Haitian countryside. As I sat with my eyes glued to the window (that is, when I wasn’t sleeping), I saw goats, dogs, donkeys, pigs, and chickens roaming the streets and open fields. I saw piles of garbage filling every available ditch. I saw women carrying very impressive amounts of cargo on their heads, children that were naked and underfed, and tents, made from tarps, that these people called their homes. Over the next few days I grew to love this country and these people that seemed so different than my own. When I came home and my mom asked me why I loved this dirt, poor, and very hot country so much, I could answer that question in so many ways: the beautiful children, the majestic scenery, my wonderful team, the fresh mangos, the list goes on and on. But these are my top three:

First off, Haiti is very poor. Some go days without eating or have to be satisfied with one meal a day. I saw one-room houses made of dirt that held families of 7, 8, or 9 people. Children were naked because they had no clothes, little boys begged for water on the streets, and most children that do not get the chance to go to school are forced into child labor…and yet these people are full of joy. They are perfectly satisfied with the smallest gifts. Two stories illustrate my point perfectly:

Every afternoon we hosted a VBS camp for the kids in the community. Our second class each day was a class of older guys; many looked to be my age. Some were younger, and some maybe even a little older. I was concerned that many of the crafts we brought were far too elementary to entertain a class of this demographic. On the third day we were scheduled to decorate picture frames and draw a small picture for the inside. I wasn’t sure what to expect. In America, I would probably either get laughed at or watch as the teens did a half-hearted job so they could get on with their life. But here, I was completely wrong. For the entire half-hour that these boys had art, they carefully and skillfully made the wooden Popsicle sticks into works of art. Many of them wrote names on them, with the intention of giving them to someone else. Even our adult translator sat down to make his own; they were so thankful and satisfied with four wooden sticks.

My second story takes place on our last afternoon in Haiti. Our team had packed up many Ziploc’s full of rice and split into groups. We then went out to bless the community with prayer and a physical gift of rice. After stashing the heavy bags of rice into our backpacks (so as not get mobbed), we wove our way through the streets. On our way, dirty children reached for our hands, every eye turned to the out-of-place white people, and we had to carefully navigate the path so as to not fall in a puddle of mud or trip on a nearby wondering goat. Our translator led us into a yard, and an older frail lady in a blue dress was sitting at a sewing machine. I regret that we never did get her name. After the usual greetings, we told her why we were there and, through our translator, asked if she had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Her face lit up as she told us how she came to know Christ when she was sick and pregnant with her first child. Then she called out and a healthy looking teenager came into view from behind the mud hut. This was the child that she had been pregnant with. We then gave her the gift of a small bag of rice. She smiled wide and repeatedly said thank you! Thank you! God bless you! Her smile was radiant. She had so little, yet such great joy. I will never forget the smile on the nameless woman in the blue dress.

(to be continued tomorrow…)

Rise up Sturdy Christian Women!

Dear Gentle Reader,

Please tolerate my harsh tone in this post and remember that this is “Soap Box Series” week, where I share my opinions on several subjects.  This piece is meant for me as much as anyone else and this is how I talk to myself when I am being a Proverbs 27:15 wife (you’ll have to look that one up.)                                                                     

Christian women, buck up!  Life is not all about you and your needs and your feminine desires.  Stop expecting your husbands to be perfect.  Stop expecting them to read your mind.  And stop wincing and crying out at the smallest infraction.  You are so much bigger than that! God wants so much more for your life and your marriage.  Mostly, He wants you to stop looking inward, stop keeping a tally of hurts, and start looking upward, accepting and extending His grace. Resist requiring so much maintenance and start being agreeable.  As Christian women, let’s decide to be sturdy, not fragile; let’s use our minds to believe the truth instead of using our feelings which often lie.  If you have chosen to be a Christ follower, you gave up your rights; so whether you want to or not, and whether you feel like it or not, you must be obedient to your Master, God.  And God says to be a peacemaker.  Are you making peace or making war?

If you begin to feel sorry for yourself, hurry up and reach out to someone else before Satan tempts you to throw yourself a pity party.  Remember that “community” we talked about yesterday?  Go, get caught up in that and not in your own tiny little world.  You will be amazed how much better your life will be if you decide to overlook an insult or to remain calm when irritated.

Here’s an excerpt from a post that I wrote several years ago, but think about often…especially when I am not doing it.  Maybe it will help you as it helps me:

“While reading Jane Austin's book Persuasion a few weeks ago, I noticed one statement at the beginning of the story. This statement wasn't particularly important to the ensuing drama, but it convicted me nonetheless. First, I will give you some context, and then I will reveal a lesson learned.

In this classic story, Austin writes about a family composed of Sir Walter Elliot and his three daughters, Elizabeth, Anne and Mary. Lady Elliot, Sir Walter's wife and the girls’ mother, had died several years earlier. We get a glimpse of her character from the following statement written about the respect she bestowed upon her husband:

"She had humoured, or softened, or concealed his failings, and promoted his real respectability for seventeen years; ..."

And here is the lesson learned: I don't do that. But I want to.

Why am I not more like Lady Elliot? Because sometimes my husband bothers me and I want him to know it. Because I am selfish and proud often think myself superior. Because I often care more about myself and my feelings than the feelings of my husband.

What can I do to become more like Lady Elliot? I can laugh at the little, silly idiosyncrasies that makes Brent who he is. I can soften and accept the beautiful, well-meaning, but imperfect, man God gave to me. I can choose not to talk of his mistakes and foibles to others, but instead make him shine in their eyes. I can promote his real respectability--the person that I know he is--and believe in that myself. And I can continue to do that for the rest of the years that God gives us together. God help me.”

And that’s my opinion on the state of unnecessarily needy women within the body of Christ.  

What does God think?  His opinion is pretty clear:

Better to live on the corner of a roof
      than to share a house with a nagging wife.     

^{Proverbs 25:24}

Better to live in a wilderness
        than with a nagging and hot-tempered wife.      

 ^{Proverbs 21:9}

Better a meal of vegetables where there is love
                    than a fattened ox with hatred.                        

^{Proverbs 15:17}

A gentle answer turns away anger,
                    but a harsh word stirs up wrath.                      

  ^{Proverbs 15:1}

A fool’s displeasure is known at once,
        but whoever ignores an insult is sensible.         

  ^{Proverbs 12:16}

Pleasant words are a honeycomb:
        sweet to the taste and health to the body.       

   ^{Proverbs 16:24}

And that’s just a few of His Proverbs. He has a lot more to say in the rest of the book…have I convinced you yet? 

Rise up sturdy Christian women!

Make your men proud!

Disconnected Community…(or Why Facebook is so Popular)

I’ll be honest.  I don’t struggle with watching TV.  I almost never watch it; it holds no appeal for me.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t waste time.  Things like email, Facebook, and blogs capture my attention in such a way that, at times, it worries me.  I can literally spend hours (usually not in one sitting—but minutes add up ) checking and answering emails, perusing updates, photos and videos on Facebook, and reading other blogs. I’m afraid to get a smart phone because I know I am weak and I fear I will be constantly distracted by the availability of these mediums.

When I allow myself too much computer time, I feel guilty—like I am being a bad steward of my time; “Tomorrow,” I say, “I will only spend 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening on these frivolous activities”, but then tomorrow comes, and I waste time again.  What is it with me? 

Why do these internet  “connections” draw me in?  Why do I gain satisfaction from these “virtual” conversations?  You know why?  Because I long for community.  So do you.  That is why these social medias are so appealing for many of us—especially those of us who work from home (and have no co-workers) or those stay-at-home moms who feel restricted by their lack of freedom.  Things like Facebook create a sense of belonging and acceptance because communication and approval happen; “Oh!  Somebody liked my status!” “Look how many people commented on my photos"!”  We all need to be noticed.  We all need an “atta-girl!” now and then.  This kind of thing happens on Facebook.  This kind of thing happens on blogs.  But why aren’t we doing more connecting in real life? 

Connecting in real life requires risk.  Connecting in real life takes pre-planning and actual talking.  Connecting in real life requires us to show up, put our real selves out there, and invest in others’ lives. It’s not always pretty, but it’s almost always rewarding.  Connecting builds a strong communities, solid societies, and people bonded by common beliefs.  When people connect in real life, they watch and learn how to raise their kids, how to love their husbands, how to make dinner, and how to be hospitable.  You can’t truly experience these things through Facebook or blogging or surfing the web.  And an emoticon ((hug)) isn’t nearly as satisfying as a real one.  As our society becomes more and more connected to technology and disconnected to people, we lose the sense of “unity” that the “United” States once shared—think about the movies you have seen or books you have read about barn-raisings, 4th of July celebrations, small town festivals, even the well-know Thanksgiving story with the pilgrims and Indians.  Now think about your own life; recall things you have done with a specific group—mission trips, vacations, building projects, even connections groups and Bible studies—we often bond with others during these times because of the experiences we have shared together. 

We all want community.  It’s how God intended His church to be—He even chose a community of people—the Israelites—to be His chosen ones. And who doesn’t long for the kind of fellowship the New Testament believers had in Acts 2:42-47 (see below). When we connect like these believers did, we show the world God’s love in 3D. 

In the olden days, people created relationships by spending time together, sharing meals together, doing life together. Let’s stop being lazy and dependent on Facebook for our social fix, and let’s get out there, meet our neighbors and share life.  We will all be the better for it.

Now get off the computer, make a plan, and do something to promote community in your family’s life this week!

Then keep doing it.

Leave a comment to let me know what you did!

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs and wonders were done by the apostles.  All of the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to everyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.  And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2:42-47

Still thinkin’ bout feeding Jesus…

Shay’s going to Haiti on a mission trip on Thursday, and when I went to the website to check out her accommodations, I was greeted by this quote from George Bernard Shaw:

 “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity.”

Think God’s trying to get my attention?  Yep.  So glad He opened my eyes to see Him.

 

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James 2:14-17

Beyond my bench

While I have been hanging out in Iowa City (my third trip on the ten day tour), during Tess’ college orientation, I have had opportunity to do lots of people watching (this is because I chose not to do the parent portion of the orientation since I had just done it two years previous).  As I sat in the ped mall—a very cosmopolitan, outdoor, community-inviting section of downtown Iowa city—I ate my Jimmy John’s Turkey Tom Unwich and my cake batter/black forest froyo, I watched a traditionally dressed Indian woman talking on her cell phone and guiding her tiny beautiful daughter, who stopped and stared at my yogurt, with her dark and delicate hand.  I saw another mother, Caucasian, obviously mid-forties, dressed in the clothes of a teenager, trying to look like a teenager, and walking with her soon-to-be college bound daughter, who was dressed in the same type of clothes; it was easy to tell who the real teenager was. I noticed a 50-something biker dude all decked out in spandex shorts and shirt, and he looked great from the back, but when he turned around, he had this huge belly which was showcased by his tight white biking apparel—and his phone—which had to be plastered with sweat to his skin—was also zipped inside.  Maybe he’s new to the sport. and wanted to make sure he had his phone in case of emergency.  I saw guys and girls walking hand in hand, girls and girls walking hand in hand, and young mothers with strollers and ice cream-stained children trailing behind them.  I heard a little girl on the bench beside me telling the people beside her that she had never seen so many birds up close.  The birds at the ped mall—pigeons, and sparrows, and little un-namables with very cute perfectly round heads—reminded me of the birds I had seen while in Holland in the town centers.  They are so tame and plentiful—looking adorable while they feast on everyone’s crumbs.  I saw two preppy guys and a magnificent-looking Siberian Husky retreat into a mysterious door on the side of a bar.  I eyed some parents on the bus with worried-looking faces—each wearing Iowa pins and carrying remarkable amount of Iowa paraphernalia—obviously here for orientation; as they clung to one another, their son sat aloof beside them trying to act cool and not scared. I watched a grandma, adoring her grandson as he toddled into the fountains of water erupting in the playground.  I told her that I was adoring him too, and she beamed.

I wondered about all of these people.  What were they thinking?  What were they doing out and about on this Monday afternoon?  Were they thinking about the doctor’s diagnosis?  or their late rent? or the fight they had with their spouse before they left?  Were they proud of their middle school baseball star? worried about their chronically sick child?  their wayward teenager?  their ailing parent?  Did they wonder how they would make it with their son away at college? Were they excited to be married?  depressed about their impending divorce?  rejoicing in being a grandma?  mustering up the courage to ask the admired one on a date? Were the moms delighting in their children? or just trying to make it through the day?  Were they appreciating the little ones’ dependence or yearning for an early bedtime?   Did they feel appreciated?  obligated?  taken for granted?  I thought about saying “Good job!” to the little Hispanic man cleaning the high light fixtures on the side of a building, but I didn’t. Maybe I should have. Maybe he needed encouragement. 

Everyone’s got a story.  Everyone feels pain.  Everyone feels joy. Everyone feels.  Sometimes that’s hard for me to remember.  Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my story, and my lunch. and my bench, that I forget to look beyond.  My world becomes all about me.  That’s not how God wants me to be.  He wants me to watch these people, get involved with their stories, and love them lavishly.  He wants me to show them Who He is by getting to know who they are. 

He wants me to get out of my own little world and into His big one.  That’s not an easy task for an introvert like me.  But I can do it, through Him, because I desire to obey.  and to become less like myself. and more like Him. 

Dear Jesus, help me to have eyes to see beyond my bench…and hands to reach your world.

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again,not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

^{1 Peter 1:22-23}

Life Saver

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20

When I was just a wee little girl with no bangs (because my friend, Robin and I decided to cut them off with safety scissors during Kindergarten class), sometimes my mom would buy me Life Savers.  And I got to eat the whole roll myself.  And I loved this.  But what I really loved the most was that I was able to open them myself.  My mother had shown me how to pull the little blue paper string at the top of the roll and pull off the little silver top.  The fact that I knew how to do this formerly mysterious task thrilled my bang-less self and made me feel very grown up. Sometimes, my mom would even ask me to open her pack of gum using the same method, and when I did this, I felt so very helpful.

You know what?  God doesn’t need us.  He is fully capable of achieving His purposes and showing His glory without our help.  But, He loves us, and sometimes, because He is our Father, He lets us help with some of His tasks.  Sometimes, these tasks are small, like writing a note of encouragement, and sometimes, they are huge, like telling the nations about Jesus, but either way, we can feel good about being included in His plan.

He allows us to help Him “pull the string” because He wants us to know that we are part of the Kingdom, and He knows that we care much more about things in which we are invested.  By walking with God and watching for where He is working, we can get involved in His work and grow up in His grace.

‘Cause He is the real Life Saver, you know.

 

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Colossians 3:4

 

A Light Walk

Ever been in a in a really dark room where the darkness seems oppressive because you have just come out of the light?  And you do things like put your hand up to your face but you can’t even see that?  But little by little, as your eyes begin to adjust to the darkness, your hand comes clearly into view and the darkness doesn’t seem so dark anymore?  It’s not like it’s a big shock or anything—the new ability to function in the darkness--it occurs so gradually that it seems normal—the whole adjusting thing.  Wouldn’t you agree?

Don’t you also think we do that sometimes with our faith?  I mean as Christ-followers, we are walking in the Light.  But sometimes, when we are not being purposeful with our days, when we are not disciplining our minds to think with the truth, when we are not practicing discernment with our eyes and ears—basically, when we are allowing the world to woo us—then we are surrounding ourselves with darkness, not light.  And because most of us don’t just jump with wild abandon into these compromises, and because most of these compromises come from several wrong choices over the course of time, it’s an unnoticeable change—a slow fade. 

As we continue to surround ourselves with the darkness of the world’s ways, we become more and more able to function in that arena.  In fact, the darkness begins to feel comfortable—not like an adjustment at all.  We begin to look just like the world—not like the Children of Light that we are. 

Let’s make a choice to be blinding Light to a world comfortable in darkness.

Then, and only then, will we be proper Image-bearers. 

May it be so.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light—for the fruit of the light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth—discerning what is pleasing to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:8-10 (HCSB)

Merry Christmas!

THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ.  (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3 :20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God  (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good  (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph.. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13 )
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor.. 3: 16).   I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).  I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor.. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5) 

Keep this bell ringing. Pass it on.
May the LORD bless you and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you.
The LORD turn His face toward you,
And give you peace.'
Numbers 6:24-26

His Treasured Possession

A few weeks ago, my friend Kathy taught about being the “body of Christ.”  She told us that we are all necessary and that none of us should complain by saying, “I wish I was a different body part.”  During her teaching she distributed the following story.  I found it convicting because although the author of this essay could have done lots of grumbling about the “part” she was given, she instead learned to praise God for who He made her.  It’s long, but so worth the read.  Check it out:

I was born with Down syndrome 30 years ago. This makes some things very difficult for me. When I was younger, I spent a lot of time asking God, Why did you make me with Down Syndrome? Why can’t I be normal like other people?

I told Him all the time that I didn’t like having Down syndrome. I kept thinking that if only I didn’t have Down syndrome I would be happy. I thought that somehow God made a mistake when He made me. My Mom and Dad always told me they loved me so deeply, and that they could not love me any more, but somehow down deep in my heart I always wondered if they would love me more if I didn’t have Down Syndrome.

When I was in high school, the kids on the school bus were very mean to me. They laughed at me, and mocked me and they called me all kinds of bad names, and told me that even my parents couldn’t love me. That hurt me so deeply!

When I got off the school bus in the afternoon, I would be crying. My Mom met me at the door, and we would talk and pray every day. She told me that people used to say bad things about Jesus and call Him names too, so He understood exactly how I felt. She told me that real truth is only found in God’s Word, and not in what other people say about you. She told me that if I could find anywhere in the Bible where God calls me bad names, or said I was a mistake; she would pay me $5,000. I spent a lot of time reading in the Bible to find out what God said about me. All the Scriptures I found said just the opposite, so I never did get the $5,000!

Some of my favorite Scriptures are: Psalm 139:14 where God says,“I am fearfully and wonderfully made." God tells me in Psalm 17, "I am the apple of His eye." In Deuteronomy 7:6, God tells me that I am "His treasured possession." In Philippians 4:8, God tells me to think about whatever is "true, noble, right, pure, and lovely." I like to think about the truth that God tells me and spend my time thinking about what God says is true. The last Scripture I want to share is Psalm 119:114, “You are my refuge and my shield. I have put my hope in your Word.” My confidence and hope is in God. I know now that instead of being a mistake, I am the Lord’s treasured possession.

I like to memorize Scripture and fill my mind with the truth of who God says I am. This understanding has made all the difference in my life. Now I recognize that God has a plan for my life, and He created me just the way I am for His special purpose. I may still have Down syndrome, but now instead of saying “if only” I didn’t have Down syndrome, I say, “So what, I will glorify God just the way He made me." I know He loves me and cares for me with His whole heart.

The Lord showed me that I am not a mistake, but I am a precious gift…His treasured possession. We have a choice to believe and fill our minds with God’s truth, which will change our hearts, or listen to what other people say and be sad. It is a choice we must each make. In Exodus 4:10, Moses tells God that he can’t do what God told him to do because he was slow of speech and tongue. In verse 11, the Lord said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go. I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” He made me just the way He made me for just the special purpose I was created for. There is special work He has for me to do that can only be done by me, just the way He created me. (See Ephesians 2:10)

If I spend my time wishing I was different, I will never get around to doing those things God wants me to do. If your heart is sad because you wish God had made you different, read in His Word the truth of what He says about you, believe it, and let Him change your heart. Nothing is impossible with God. He certainly did change my heart.

Lord, I pray for each person, that you will fill their heart with Your truth of who they really are and how much you love them. AMEN!

Could I?

I saw a video that someone posted on Facebook recently, and I can't get it out of my head. The video showed an American or British woman arriving at a secluded African village. She was looking for the orphans often left alone in these primitive settings because a parent(s) has died of AIDS or starvation or other disease. As she comes upon this little village, she encounters two tiny, skinny, naked children laying on the dirt--not really moving at all, but moaning quietly. It is only because of the moaning that one knows they are still alive. They are starving to death. It is at this point that the woman, so moved by pity, cries out in anguish. Then you see another little girl enter the scene. This little girl--tiny herself--is dressed only in a dirty, and very much too big for her, men's dress shirt. She is the 8 year old sister of the others. She is carrying a large tub of water which she sits down by the children. She then picks up her less -than- 20- pounds 7 year old brother--who can't walk because he was afflicted with Polio--and carries him to a blanket where she begins to bath him from head to toe--all the while looking shyly at the camera. This 8 year old has had to walk miles to get this clean water, and miles to get back, and yet here she is, taking care of her siblings. After she is done bathing her brother, she carries him to a clean blanket and carefully puts him down. Now she goes to her sister, carries her tiny body to the water and bathes her just as she did her brother. This is not an easy job as this younger sister's legs are also useless--affected also by Polio. She repeats the same process again and lays her clean sister beside the brother. This 8 year old girl has become the only 'parent' these children have--what amazing commitment and love she shows them.

Knowing that the children are starving and wanting to help at least a bit, the cameraman reaches into his bag and pulls out three packages of peanut butter crackers and gives them to the little parent-girl. She opens one of these packs eagerly--she, too, is starving--but still she serves; she offers the first one to her brother, and the second to her sister. After each of the little ones start nibbling, she gets a cracker herself and begins to eat. After just that minute amount of sustenance, the younger children are able to sit up and pay attention to their sibling parent.

The video then cuts out and script on the screen tells the viewers that because of this American/English woman's efforts, these children were taken to hospitals to rehabilitate them. They were then placed in loving foster care. Their sister was also placed in a foster home where she could once again enjoy being a child--not a little adult.

As I watched this video with tears, all I could think was, "I can go and get food anytime I want it...and even when I don't want it. I have never truly been hungry." Yet, they had no food to nourish their small bodies. They eagerly accepted what someone had thrown in a backpack for an afternoon snack. We, in America, have so much. We don't often think of people dying because they have nothing to eat. In fact, food is so accessible to us, many are grossly overweight.

I wasn't sure what to do with this video. It made me feel ashamed to be living in America--where the livin' is truly easy. It made me feel guilty to eat three meals and still want more. It made me realize how insulated I am in my cushy world. I don't think God allowed me to see it, though, so I would condemn my lifestyle and curse my lot in life. I think he showed it to me to help me see more clearly beyond my near-sighted world.

So, what can I do personally for these starving children and others like them?

Am I supposed to adopt? I don't think so, but God will make it clear if that's what He wants. Should I give more money to alleviate this poverty? this hunger? this hopelessness? Maybe so. Should I go? and see? Probably--maybe to the Zambia Hope Center where we already have a start. I can go...and see...and experience another life than my own...another culture unlike my own...with people that God loves as much as me because they are His own. But these are all eventual things--concrete things that I can accomplish by doing paperwork, writing a check, hopping on a plane.

What if God wants to do something else in me right now? Like change my view of drudgery--and see it as service to Him? And change my view of imperfect--and see it as beautiful? What if He wants me to shun attention to my tasks of honor with only a shy smile and a continuation of my service? What if I am supposed to be second, or sixth, or last? What if He wants to use those children to make me more like Him? And what if He wants me to be more like those children--humble, helpless, dependent on His judgment call?

What if?

Could I? Would I?

What would You have me do, Dear Lord?

Enable me to do it.

Here Am I. Send me.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 1:27

To view the video, click here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v7ZQUzr0yo

Three Truths and A Lie

Let’s play a game called “Three Truths and a Lie”. To play the game, I have to tell you four things about myself and you have to pick out the one lie amongst the three truths. Ready? Here we go…

• I really like my children to make their beds
• I have shown my children how to make their beds
• None of my children make their beds on a regular basis
• Because my children don’t make their beds, I have trained them poorly and, therefore, I am a bad mother.

Can you guess which one is the lie?

I couldn’t, until I read a chapter in Practical Theology for Women about finding my identity in Christ. Before I read this chapter based on John 15 (the Vine and the branches), I assumed all of the above statements were true

But…after I spent some time at the feet of Jesus today, and after he reminded me not to base my identity on anyone or anything but Him, I realized that the last statement (the one about me being inept in child-rearing) was a lie. Their lack of bed-making success does not determine if I am a good or bad person. My worth is in Jesus Christ and Him alone. I cannot base my identity on my ability to succeed in my profession, on how productive my schedule is, or on how clean my children’s rooms appear. God does not value me less if my children are lazy in sheet straightening or value me more if they make hospital corners. God sees me as beautiful because Jesus is His lens. In Jesus, I am beautiful because His blood removed my unworthiness.

He is the vine—my lifeblood—my identity. I am a branch—dependent and unable to live without His grace and sustenance. I am valuable because I am in Jesus. Unmade beds do not demote me…but they still irritate me. So be it. I tried.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

And the Answer is…(3)

Tess’ Defense

(dictated to me)

Lately, I’ve seen the overwhelming love of Jesus in my life.  Like several weeks ago, I was really stressed out about many things and I felt like I had too much to do, so I prayed that God would take something away and He canceled a track meet in a way only He could.  It made me feel very loved to know that God cared even about the little things in my life.  I’ve also seen His love recently when I wrote support letters and was nervous about raising the required amount of money.  I decided to pray for the people I sent the letters to, and I quickly received responses back from many generous supporters.  This could only be God.  God shows himself in my life through His love for me.  It makes me smile when I receive one of these little hugs from God. 

Believe

Oh Jesus!

My Jesus!  You are He, that baby in my arms…

When I first held you--carefully, nervously--on that night of your birth, I pondered your perfect nose…your little fists…your tiny toes…your lusty cries--the life that came from my body.

How could I have fathomed the agony of watching you beaten, and bruised, and crucified like a thief--my firstborn, my heart?  Your cries pierced my soul, and as your blood drained, so did my hope. I can give you life no longer.

God has promised you that. God has promised me that. Do I believe Him? 

Where are you now, my Jesus? Descending into Hell?  Are you taking even my horrors, my brokenness, my failures upon you?  I am so sorry, my Son…my Savior.  I wish I could have taken your place; but I am not stain-less, nor spot-less, nor whole.  You are all of these. You were necessary. Now you are gone—from me, for me.

God has said you will rise again—to new Life. God says I will have new Life in You. Do I believe Him?

Your Father God forewarned me of yesterday.  He sent you to die…but it is I who helped to give you life, Jesus. Suffering seemed so far away on that first night. You were my son, too. I ache for you.  He said your shed blood would be the final sacrifice—once for all. 

God has promised that you will defeat death.  God has promised me eternal life.  Do I believe Him?

God has spoken of joy in the morning. but this night is very long—so long. I will not sleep, nor have I since you died, my Love.  My child, I wait for you.  I need you.  Be my Comforter.

He has said you will ascend to your heavenly home—so I can truly go Home. Do I believe Him?

I want to.

I wait. I hope. I pray. I cry.

Breathe again, my child; for me…for all.  God has spoken.

I believe Him.

 

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
    the Maker of heaven and earth,
    and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
    born of the virgin Mary,
    suffered under Pontius Pilate,
    was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,
    and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
    from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;
    the holy catholic church;
    the communion of saints;
    the forgiveness of sins;
    the resurrection of the body;
    and the life everlasting.

Amen.

The Apostles’ Creed

A Bigger Picture

When going through some documents on the computer, I found this little poem that Shay wrote describing the Body of Christ.  We all fit together…

A puzzle…

Each piece needed to create a grand picture

While some have curved edges and bright colors,

Others are straight and dull

Each of them has their own place in the puzzle,

But each one cannot fit in every place

No one piece is better than another

Everyone is needed in the bigger picture

Just like the body of Christ

Every person is needed to complete the picture of Christ

While some can prophesy or heal

Others can encourage or preach

Every person has their own gift

But one person cannot have every one

Not one gift is better than the other

Everyone is needed in the bigger picture

 

 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.  For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.  Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14