He Said WHAT?

I've been marking more of the book of Isaiah, after taking a very lengthy hiatus because of the two previous Bible studies I've done at church. I'm growing to love Isaiah though, and am enjoying my time alone with God's Spirit while searching through it. I'm currently in the part of the book that references King Hezekiah a lot. Recently, I came across a passage that left me shaking my head in disbelief. Even though I've read it before, I am still amazed.

Last week, for one day's study, I read about how King Hezekiah was "mortally ill" (see Isaiah 38). It doesn't sound good, does it? But what does the king do? He doesn't resign himself to the inevitable. He has been told to "set your house in order, for you will surely die and not live." [Sarcasm moment...I would think most of us would "not live" if we had "surely" died. Just love God's humor sometimes!] To me this is about as much of a double negative regarding your continuing existence as you can have. But no...Hezekiah reminds God that he has always followed God with his whole heart and has done what is "good in Your sight." (verses 1-3)

So Hezekiah dies...right?

No! God changes His mind and says, "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life." Wow! If you ever needed proof that prayer can move the heart of God...there it is!

But apparently, someone else changed in the process too...Hezekiah.

The very next chapter, King Hezekiah is healed and whole and receiving visitors from Babylon with well-wishes and congratulations on his recovery (see Chapter 39). In the course of the visit, Hezekiah shows off all of his wealth. I mean he shows them everything. And we're not specifically told this...but he must have been bragging or at least had an arrogant or prideful heart about it...or in some way taken credit for amassing this wealth that had been given to him and Judah by God's provision alone.

How do I know this? Because God sends Isaiah to set the record straight.

There's not a lot of chastising or condemning words, just a few questions and then a matter-of-fact prophetic consequence: There is coming a day when everything you have stored up will be carried off to Babylon...and some of your descendants too. They will even serve the King of Babylon.

Do you remember the Hezekiah that pleaded for his life? The one that reminded God of his whole-hearted service? You'd expect that guy to show up right about now...asking...begging for forgiveness, right?

Nope...that's not him. Instead the king that responds to Isaiah says, "The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good." (verse 7) He said WHAT? Why in the world would he, who wept for his own life, not weep and plead again?

Here's a little clue: "For (Hezekiah) thought, 'For there will be peace and truth in my days.'" (emphasis mine, verse 8) Apparently, Hezekiah wasn't concerned about the world he left behind, as long as he had peace in his days.

As I sat and shook my head in wonder and thoughts flew through my mind like, 'How could he?' 'What a jerk!' 'This guy amazes me.' 'Really? Who does he think he is to ruin life for those that won't even be to blame?' and 'That's just ridiculous!'...God's Spirit stopped me in my mental tracks and reminded me...am I any different when I shop, spend money, throw away items, horde stuff, etc, etc, etc...all without any thought for the person that had to work at slave wages to give me that luxury item (like coffee, sugar or chocolate)? When I buy clothing without any regard for the sweatshop in which it has been made or I buy food that has been factory-farmed and is killing the environment that subsequent generations will inherit...am I not just like King Hezekiah?

This blog has mention after mention of organizations that are making a difference for future generations...in the God's-Kingdom-is-coming-now-type way. Two I just posted about last week are Generosity Feeds and A Heart for Korah, but there are countless groups that feel compelled to stop the cycle of poverty, human trafficking, enslavement, starvation, and filthy drinking water, either on a local or global basis. In our world of instant information, there is no longer an excuse for remaining in the dark about where darkness is thriving and God is leading His people to push it back inch-by-inch for His Kingdom.

With that in mind, I ask you this question and I pray I'll keep asking it daily of myself: how do you want to be remembered? Like King Hezekiah, as long as you have peace in your day, will you be content? Or do you want to be known as the one that allowed the Holy Spirit to use him/her to break the bonds of evil...even if only for one person?

Amen!

No More Listening to the Rogue

"1 Behold, a king will reign righteously

And princes will rule justly.

2 Each will be like a refuge from the wind

And a shelter from the storm,

Like streams of water in a dry country,

Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.

3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded,

And the ears of those who hear will listen.

4 The mind of the hasty will discern the truth,

And the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.

5 No longer will the fool be called noble,

Or the rogue be spoken of as generous.

6 For a fool speaks nonsense,

And his heart inclines toward wickedness:

To practice ungodliness and to speak error against the LORD,

To keep the hungry person unsatisfied

And to withhold drink from the thirsty.

7 As for a rogue, his weapons are evil;

He devises wicked schemes

To destroy the afflicted with slander,

Even though the needy one speaks what is right.

8 But the noble man devises noble plans;

And by noble plans he stands." (Isaiah 32:1-8)

Like me, are you tired of listening to the rogue and the fool? Are you exhausted...like the parched land of verse 2...from listening to all the rhetoric that is telling us what's wrong with the world?

From where I'm sitting, it seems like a lot of the people that are getting blamed happen to be unable to speak for themselves. We're told that sending aid to impoverished countries or supporting policies and programs that aid and assist the destitute are what are causing all of the economic ills of our society. 

Mostly what I hear the fools saying is "nonsense" and "wickedness" (verse 6). And if their remedy for the economic crisis has anything to do with hording our own wealth and spending it only on ourselves so it can "trickle down" then my prayer is that as the Body of Christ...we choose not to "practice ungodliness and to speak error against the LORD." These will only keep the "hungry person unsatisfied" and will "withhold drink from the thirsty." (verse 6)

How else can we explain ourselves when our nation throws away copious amounts of food and we buy bottled water by the boatload...yet just a short plane ride away (or maybe even in our own backyard), there are people who have no food and have to literally drink from a cesspool? Can we even come up with a reasonable excuse anymore?

There are times that I absolutely abhor media and technology. Yet, it has made our world so much smaller that I can no longer neglect the outcry of the poor. 

When people in Manilla must make a city in the midst of a cemetery and lepers are forced to live in a garbage dump, how can we stand before our Messiah, who left us with the command of loving and serving "the least of these" in His Name, and explain away our apathy?

Are you ready for something more than being told that the rogue is "generous" (verse 5) while behind our backs he is enslaving generations of impoverished families? I pray that you are. But where do we start? How can one person make a difference?

First of all, remember that you are not one person. The Spirit of the Almighty, the Creator of the universe lives inside of you if you recognize Him as Lord of your life. And when that happens, there is no limit to what you can do. (Ephesians 3:20)

And when we allow Him to "reign righteously" (verse 1) in our hearts and let His 'just rule' (verse 1) be our plumb line by which we measure all things and through which we filter all the noise of this world... 

"Then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded, 

And the ears of those who hear will listen.

The mind of the hasty will discern the truth,

And the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly." (verses 3-4)

To me that sounds better than any "noble plan" that I could devise, but by HIS 'noble plans...I will stand!' (verse 8)

Generosity Feeds

What do you do when 1 in 5 (yep, 20%!) of the children in your community are "food insecure"? [Food insecurity means their only meal they can count on each day is from their public school.] And what do you do when summer is looming ahead and that one meal a day is no longer available? Why, God's Word says...you feed them...of course!

Today, we had the blessing to join about 900 volunteers, divided into two separate sessions, that collectively packaged about 20,000 meals. Our church, First Church of Christ, hosted the event...but it was a community effort. Several individuals and local businesses donated toward purchasing the product. Church members, community folks, scouting troops and co-workers all worked together in assembly lines to crank out 10,000 meals in a little over an hour (We did 10,000 in the afternoon session. 10,000 had already been completed by the morning session).

This reminded me a lot of the Kids Against Hunger packing events we've attended. Whereas KAH has a global focus, Generosity Feeds is specific to the community where the packing is done. I think there is a need for both!

To find out more about Generosity Feeds and how you can be a part of feeding hungry children in your community, go to their website at GenerosityFeeds.org

Oz the Great and Powerful

On $5 Wednesday, I took Rebekah (12) and Leah (9) to see Oz, the Great and Powerful. The movie stars several actors of whom I am not exactly a huge fan. The exception to that is Rachel Weisz who has been pretty amazing in anything I've ever seen her in. To be honest, I didn't really have my expectations set very high.

I was pleasantly surprised!

I love to hear my Rebekah laugh. It is a full-bodied guffaw and it is one of my many deep joys to hear. Her laughter resonated throughout the theatre on many occasions. Leah enjoyed the movie too. On the ride home, we all agreed that it was well worth seeing.

Visually, the movie is stunning. Starting in black and white and moving to explosive color with the arrival in Oz...I felt like I had just a little glimpse at what audiences in 1939 experienced with the original movie version of The Wizard of Oz.

One thing that I realized about an hour after seeing the movie was that the special effects didn't blow me away. They almost seemed childish for our modern, sophisticated taste. But what struck me is that whether it was his intention or not, I say "kudos" to the director (Sam Raimi) for the vision to hold back. Here's why: Nothing frustrates me more with a "prequel" than when the effects are 500 times better than the original movie (or movies). Take Star Wars, for example. Obviously, technology had advanced by canyon-sized leaps and bounds from 1977, the year Star Wars: A New Hope first knocked our socks off, until the prequel trilogy kicked off in 1999 with Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The current return to Star Trek is yet another example. I applaud the director's decision to hold back and make this movie appear like it "could have" truly happened prior to Dorothy Gale's house dropping down upon one of the unsuspecting evil sisters.

I know my Abbey will always prefer the Wicked version of the Oz back story, but I happen to like this one. James Franco, as the wizard, carries the movie well. With the support of the talented Zach Braff, as well as, Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams...the nap I thought I might get in, never occurred.

At a rating of PG, this is a movie for the whole family to enjoy. If you haven't seen it yet, it will probably be heading to your local second-run theatre soon and I highly recommend seeing it on the big screen. I think this is one movie that much of the spectacular visuals will be lost on a smaller one.

Korah, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Never heard of it? Neither had I. In fact, you probably never would unless you intentionally researched the place like I have for the last few weeks.

You see, it all started with a harmless Facebook post by a woman I went to church with when we lived in Indy. It seems she has a friend that has adopted five children from Ethiopia, in addition to the three they already had. In December 2012, Tisha Alexander travelled to Korah while in Ethiopia to bring home the three boys that were joining their growing family.

What Tisha saw broke her to the point that she knew, with God's help, she had to do something...and A Heart for Korah was born. Julie's "harmless" Facebook post was a request to help A Heart for Korah receive 1000 likes because a generous donation of $2 per "like" would be given to the organization up to $2000. Praise God, they received their desired number of likes...and then some. When I clicked on the link (which you can do also by going to their Facebook page), I didn't know what to expect, other than I knew Addis Ababa was the capital of Ethiopia.

What I was not prepared for was the desperate circumstances in which over 120,000 people live.

Korah...as it turns out...is a dump. Yes, you read that correctly...a garbage dump. It's not only a dump where people pick through it for food to eat and items they can sell, but the "lucky" ones live around the outskirts of the dump. The unlucky ones live on the dump.

As I read more and more about this place, I knew I wanted to do something to help. A Heart for Korah is already doing something...through sponsorship of families. Yes, the entire family is sponsored. They always have on their blog a list of families that need sponsorship (click here for more information). For only $40 per month, $35 goes to the family for food and rent or other specified needs, and $5 goes to the pastor that visits them regularly. The pastor is the one that also pays their rent and buys their food for them with the funds from sponsors.

It takes me awhile to mull over things and to ask God's Spirit what He would have me do. So flash forward about two to three weeks and here's what happened:  We received some unexpected, "free" money. Immediately, I started planning for the purchase of some patio furniture I've been wanting...but then...the full weight of all I had been reading and processing fell upon me with this thought from the Holy Spirit:

Angela...how can you even think about buying new patio furniture when there are people in this world that actually have to pay rent to live in a dump.

Anger, grief and plain disbelief welled up in me as I became infuriated that I live in a world where we in the U.S. have so much...too much...and half a world away, by only an accident of geographical birth...people...children...have to pick through trash to be fed. I remembered how many times (too many to count), when I or my children have expressed discontentment I have said aloud, "Well, at least we don't live on a garbage heap, picking through it for our food." And here I was, confronted with the faces of people that have to do exactly that. They were no longer faceless "them"...they were smiling, beautiful faces, each with lives and a story to tell.

So I went to the internet again, to do more research outside of A Heart for Korah's information and I came across innumerable photos, posts and blogs about Korah. It seems that slowly...but surely...God is shining light in this very, very dark place. One of the best posts I read was from a woman that visited there in 2010. Please take the time to read it. She admits that the experience was too overwhelming to convey her emotions, but just the description of what she encountered is enough. Kuwaitcitygal.blogspot.com

How come we haven't heard of this Gehenna (see link to Kuwait City Gal above)...this Hell on earth...before? Because darkness hides. How come God's Church is not rising up to storm the gates of this Hell and so many others like it? That is a more complicated answer, I'm sure.

Or is it?

I am not charged in God's Word with trying to find out the why. I am charged to be faithful with my what.

So Holy Spirit asked me, What are you going to do about it?

Truly, the thing that infuriates me the most is that someone actually has to pay rent to live in Korah. God help us right the world of such excruciatingly horrible wrongs.

When confronted with the knowledge of something downright awful that I previously had never known before, time and time again the Spirit brings my heart and mind back to James 4:17, "Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin." (emphasis mine) I can no longer chastise my discontent children with an admonishment about perspective poverty, when there are names and faces that I turn a blind eye to, can I? Can you?

Meet Yalew Sendek and his son Tesfaw. By the Spirit's leading and His provision, they are the newest members of our family. We still have our long distance son, Lazarus, in Zimbabwe, through World Vision. It seems we're making our way around Africa...and since I may never get to visit there myself, I am thrilled!


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I have a "full disclosure confession": right after contacting Tish to confirm which family we would sponsor, I took the kids out to lunch. I don't know why...other than dining out has been one of our family's favorite things to do. The bonding over food and conversation has always been precious to me. But I confess, that I had that "tug" that I shouldn't be spending the money on dining out...and I ignored it. When I saw the total and realized we'd just spent more than one month's support for a family on one sit down lunch...I was disappointed in myself and that's putting it mildly...mental nausea is probably a better description. I know I'm still a work in progress and I won't be perfected until I stand before Jesus...but it is time for me to get this right! Someone's very life may depend upon it.

For another ministry opportunity for the people of Korah, here is a short documentary from MissionEthiopia.com

The Hangman's Daughter

This is the second book I've finished on an e-reader and with Amazon Prime, I borrowed it for free. That's a good deal! Overall, I liked it...but there were some parts that moved a little slowly. I was attempting to quickly finish the book, so I found myself skim reading through the middle third quite a bit. I don't really feel like I missed any pertinent details by doing this either.

It's a bit of a whodunit, but I had it figured out by about page 100 of 400+. That didn't take away from a couple of surprises throughout though.

What attracted me to the book to begin with is that it is written by an actual descendant of a hangman. Oliver Potzsch can trace his lineage back to the Kuisl dynasty of hangmen. Regrettably, someone had to do it...and the task fell to his family to complete. 

But don't let the title deceive you, there's plenty of good old fashioned torture too...though thankfully, not described in detail. Oddly enough, the hangmen traditionally had reputations as healers too. They worked alongside midwives to provide remedies and healing herbs, in a time when bleeding someone and reusing filthy rags to staunch wounds was commonplace.

Pick up a copy, or if you have Amazon Prime, borrow it for a month. If, like me, you like historical fiction, I think you'll enjoy it too.

Zero Dark Thirty

Yesterday, I finally saw Zero Dark Thirty, starring Jessica Chastain as Maya, the CIA agent who with single-minded determination focused everything on finding Osama Bin Laden.

The movie is Rated R, and rightly so. [To find out why, visit this link to IMDB.com] I used to be able to watch all kinds of movies. My kids can't believe now that I used to enjoy horror flicks, because I have no desire to see them now. As I've matured in my faith, some of what I used to tolerate actually turns my stomach. Such is the case with the interrogation scenes of this movie. I can't even tell you how bad they are, or if they're bad at all, because as soon as I saw what was happening, I fast forwarded to the next scene. But such was the climate of post-9/11 questioning of suspects, so it's something we should know was done. Still, to watch it was a little too much for me.

Overall, the docudrama feel to the movie wasn't something I liked and knowing the outcome, I didn't have any "edge of your seat" expectancies like I did with Argo. For me, this sums up why Argo won best picture and Zero Dark Thirty did not. Argo did an amazing job of creating suspense even though you already knew the ending.

Still, Jessica Chastain's Oscar-nominated performance was worthy of the nod and I hope to see her receive more great roles in the future. But compared to the Oscar winning Argo, or the other nominees that I've seen, Les Miserables, Lincoln, Life of Pi and Silver Linings Playbook, I'm uncertain how this film fell into the same category as those great movies. Not to deter you from watching the movie if it's been on your must-see list. I would give it a solid B+, I just didn't feel it was on the same level as the aforementioned films.

Always a Raggamuffin

Friday, April 12th, Brennan Manning went home to his Abba. Why is this significant to me? Because this man taught me to use the name "Abba" for the Creator that knows me best and loves me most.

Brennan (as everyone called him) has been one of the most influential people in my life. I know his Abba has told him that now...so I'm telling you. It's taken me almost a week and a half to write this post, because I don't think there are enough words to convey how blessed I have been by his life, his honesty, his writing and his humility.

My beloved former pastor, Brian Delbridge, first shared with me that I should read The Raggamuffin Gospel, probably eight or more years ago. I think I've read it at least five or six times since then. The Holy Spirit has led me back to this celebration of God's Love time and time again...just when I needed it.

Brennan's message that your Abba loves you, no matter what you've done and no matter how far you've wandered, changed my life forever. Brennan didn't just preach this...he lived it.

The Holy Spirit brought this message of God's boundless love for me into my life at a time when I needed to KNOW that you can never stray too far from the arms of the Abba that longs to hold you near. I am forever blessed by the words God gave Brennan to share.

I've also read The Signature of Jesus several times and after the first reading was ready to sell everything and follow God wherever He would lead. Funny how this many years later, I'm still trying to live this out.

I have since read Abba's Child, The Rabbi's Heartbeat, The Importance of Being Foolish and Above All and each and everyone carries the same theme: You are loved!

One day, I'll meet Brennan Manning and I'll tell him just how much his life's work touched my life. I have this sneaky suspicion I'm going to have to get in the back of a long queue to do so.

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Other posts in which I have mentioned Manning's works include Thankful and Tithing, Part 2

*If you'd like to know more about Brennan's life and story, read his books. If you'd like the short version, his obituary can be found on his official website http://brennanmanning.com/*

Silver Linings Playbook

If you're noticing a running theme that I am several weeks or months behind in watching the latest movies, then you would be right. We just don't pay full price that much anymore. For us, that is a good thing.

But for our anniversary this past Tuesday, Dale and I went to dinner, using a $50 gift card he'd won at work. Then, since dinner was free, we thought we'd go to the $1.75 movie night at our local Danbarry Cinema.
We had no kids with us for a change, so we pushed the envelope and saw the rated R Silver Linings Playbook. [As to why it is rated R, I'll leave that to you to research on the IMDB link you'll find when you click on the name.]

Jennifer Lawrence won the Best Actress Oscar this year for her performance and I can't compare her performance to that of the other nominees, because I haven't seen any of the other performances. But she was good. Honestly, I think I was more impressed with Bradley Cooper's acting skills though. Had he been nominated in a year when Daniel Day-Lewis had not literally embodied Abraham Lincoln...he may have had a chance at a statue himself.

I appreciate a good chuckle and this movie had both of us belly laughing several times. It's an intelligent humor though...and that's the best. For me, this was a "slice of life" story that tried to put a good spin on the struggles we all face. That's not surprising given the title.

Persepolis 2

I did read the second graphic novel, as I mentioned in a previous post that I would. (see Argo and Persepolis) To be honest, I didn't like it as well as the first installment.

It was definitely interesting to see the outcome of her education in Austria and her return to Iran, but her obvious struggle with depression through the years made it a little difficult to wade through. She was successful at portraying the blandness of her life. If that was her intent...it was perfection. Essentially, the author never felt she fit in anywhere...in Iran, she was not an Islamic extremist and in Austria she was the Iranian that the rest of the world had been taught to fear.

Although I did appreciate the sense of her "coming home" not only physically to Iran, but also an eventual embracing of whom she is, the abrupt conclusion to the story disappointed me. I don't know if the author is planning a third in the series, but after coming to the end of this one, I felt that the anti-climactic ending left the possibility wide open.

If you've read the first graphic novel, I still encourage you to read this one. It will complete the story to some degree and can help us better understand the millions in our world that feel like they too don't "fit in".

What a Ride!

Yesterday, I celebrated 19 years married to the same man. Because I run in mostly Christian circles, this doesn't always seem like a great feat to me. I know though that realistically, both inside and outside the Body of Christ, this far exceeds the "norm".

I would also like to quickly point out that I humbly take none of the credit. Were it not for God's mercy and grace, we wouldn't have gotten this far. And I told Dale last night, "If Jesus doesn't come back, maybe we'll be given 19 more."

I wrote this on my Facebook wall yesterday: "Happy Anniversary Dale Barthauer! Thankful that you joined me on this roller coaster ride 19 years ago." And I meant it!

I wasn't just trying to be cute or come up with something original. Actually, it's not original at all.

I once heard a speaker say that he thought that every valuable life lesson could be taught from the movie "City Slickers". For me, that movie is "Parenthood", starring Steve Martin. And though it's been more than a decade since I last saw it, one of the most profound lessons I've ever learned comes from the grandmother of the family, played by Helen Shaw.

[I hope this clip plays. If the link doesn't work, definitely go to Youtube to watch it.]

Here's what I knew within the first two years of this leg of the Journey together...we were in for the ride of a lifetime! Looking back at this juncture...I wouldn't trade one hill or one valley!

Every once in awhile, I feel compelled to make a "master list" of all that we've been through: loss, death of loved ones, financial distress, job changes or losses, family tragedy, church family difficulties and on and on and on. I don't do this to somehow dwell on the negative. Once I write the list in my then-current journal, I put it away and don't look at it again. I feel comforted by God's Spirit that He leads me to do this because some day, when I've shed this mortal shell, my prayer is that my spouse, my kids or my grandkids or even perfect strangers will stumble upon it and be encouraged to read the factual documentation that God is good and He will always be on the roller coaster with you.

When Dale and I each posted our "Happy Anniversary" to each other we received several dozen "likes" and comments congratulating us. But one friend I think understood my perspective...because she added, "Keep your hands and feet in the car at all times." I would be lying if I didn't admit that I've wished numerous times that I could have just a little merry-go-round fun, (see YouTube clip above) if only for a little while.

But the Holy Spirit has led and pled with me, especially in the last three years, that I need to know and remain confident that when I say these crazy things like, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." (see Joshua 24:15) and 'No matter what, I'm going to cling to Him,' or 'Though the world may pass away, I will serve the Lord,' (see I John 2:17)...I've already bought my ticket and found my front row seat for the loops and spins, heights and depths...I might as well let go and throw up my hands too.

And sometimes...just a very few sometimes...He'll allow me enough inertia, enough speed and just the right amount of wind that I'm even lifted off my seat and allowed the privilege to feel like I'm flying.

"Fasting" by Scot McKnight

Part of The Ancient Practices Series, Fasting by Scot McKnight is written with the "average Joe Christian" in mind...meaning it was easy to follow, without of the $10 theological terminology and yet, hard-hitting enough to challenge me to continue the exploration of this discipline that until recently had all but vanished from evangelical churches in the U.S.

But nowadays, fasting has become the trendy thing. McKnight warns up front that fasting should never be results-driven. Yet, isn't that what most of us hear in our churches? We're told that we can discern God's will better, draw closer to Him or maybe even have a supernatural experience if we'll only fast.

McKnight doesn't hesitate to belabor the point that the biblical and historical traditions of fasting always arose out of a "grievously sacred moment". Either a person or nation was confronted with their own sin (i.e. David after his sin with Bathsheba, pleading for his child's life) or when purifying themselves before a holy God, fasting brought sharply into focus that He was no longer their first love.

Death, shame, confronting evil and even oddly enough, celebrations could all become moments that would catapult someone into expressing their grief or desire in no other way than through the practice of fasting. This was a new concept to me. I've asked the Holy Spirit to lead me into a season of fasting when He desires and He has faithfully done it. Whenever I have attempted to fast because it's someone else's inspiration, I have always quickly given up. McKnight also alludes to Richard Foster (author of Celebration of Discipline) with the premise that whatever controls us will swiftly rise to the surface when we fast. He is absolutely spot on! If I have an ulterior motive of losing weight or anger or bitterness are consuming me...it is rapidly evident when I begin to fast.

But McKnight doesn't ignore the church rhythms of fasting according to the calendar either. He advocates Lent and fasting on holy days as a way of reminding us or giving us an opportunity to participate in the sufferings of our Savior.

What became for me the strongest argument for fasting wasn't even McKnight's main focus. But for me it comes down to this: We in the western culture have become dualistic in nature. We have separated our physical being from our spiritual one. I just said to a friend this week something like, 'People say their spiritual instead of religious, like that means something. It doesn't. We're all spiritual by the very nature that we all have a spirit.'

Most of what I see critics in and out of the church grumble about all comes down to the fact that we've lost the innate perception that nothing happens to our physical body that doesn't affect our spirit. That's why we have obesity even more rampant in the church than in the general population. It's why premarital sex statistics aren't much different no matter what you faith background is. It's why Christians sit in front of tv's wasting just as many hours as non-Christians. It's why we can gripe about poverty and people draining resources and not see it as our own spiritual problem And one of my biggest pet peeves...it's why we keep putting junk into our bodies and don't expect it to harm us spiritually. Really? How can I have the energy and mental acumen to serve Jesus when I'm filling up with processed foods and sugars all day long?

What helps bring me back into the rhythm of remembrance that my body is not my own, just as my spirit is not my own? The ancient disciplines...prayer, meditation, solitude, simplicity...and fasting.

Miry Clay

Every time I read the following verse, I hear in my head an old hymn we used to sing in the Nazarene church:

"He brought me out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm." (Psalm 40:2)

If you didn't hear the tune in your head, that's okay...that's not the point of this post. Here's what hit me yesterday, given my recent distress over how Christians treat each other (See "I Choose Joy..."):

We've ALL come out of the same filthy, miry clay!

An alternate translation in my New American Standard Bible is "mud of the mire". If you're like most people, you haven't enjoyed playing in mud since you were five. The problem with that is that it seems to me we're forgetting exactly where we all were lifted out of.

Now, admittedly, some of us barely had our toes covered and some of us were sinking in up to our eyeballs and going down after the last breath when He grabbed us out of it. But in my limited, finite brain, I don't think it matters how far you were buried in the filth and slop...the point is, you had the opportunity to get just as dirty as the rest of us.

James says that if we're not doers of the word, we're just like the man that looks at himself in the mirror, goes away, and then immediately forgets who he was. (see James 1:23-25) Now that I've spent more time in God's Kingdom than out of it, I confess...it often feels like someone else lived that life so long ago.

Satan used to try to trip my up with guilt over my past and when I started thanking God instead for where He'd brought me from, the guilt and memories no longer had any power over me. I even prayed, "Never let me forget where I have come from!" 

It does get more difficult over time to remember how deep in the muddy mire I was stuck and it's far too easy to snap to judgment when others are still stuck in it. So here's what I did yesterday...I made a little mud just off my patio...stuck my foot in it...and took the photo above. I pray God's Spirit uses this to remind me that this side of Heaven, I'm never really going to escape the filth. Yes, I stand before Him a new creation and He doesn't hold my sins (past, present or future) against me any more! But I won't be perfect until I see Him face-to-face. And when I'm tempted to lose patience with, harshly judge or condemn and criticize others...I need to remember my dirty feet.

My dirty feet are the only ones I'm supposed to be looking at. Instead of judging others, but remembering that if it were not for Him...the One who cleanses me with His own blood...I would be going down for the last time too...and that He sets me on the solid rock of His Love...what does that do? King David expressed it best:

"He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God." (Psalm 40:3)

Lord, words cannot express my thankfulness for You picking me up out of the mud, muck and mire and setting me on the solid rock of Your Love. May my praise and love for You be always on my tongue and my heart be overflowing with gratitude. Help me focus on my mud alone. I don't need to start flinging anyone else's mud at them...I have enough of my own.

I "Choose Joy...

...Because Happiness Isn't Enough"

This is the title of an upcoming four week study our women's ministry is doing. It starts the last week of this month. We've already signed up, reserved childcare and have looked forward to getting together for one last hurrah before the summer begins.

But the irony is not lost on me that this study was written by Kay Warren. Yes, the Kay Warren, wife of Rick who has been in the news the last few days...sadly because of the suicide of her 27 year old son. We've all just learned that the Warrens' son suffered from depression and mental illness for most of his life. When our women's director was promoting the upcoming study, she shared with us that Kay wrote this study out of her own struggle with depression and her battle with cancer.

It seems that her joy is, once again, being put to the test.

And evidently, the onslaught is not only from this terrible tragedy that has fallen upon their family. I have read posts from both Gregory Boyd (see article by Frank Viola Rick Warren's Horrific Tragedy) and Beth Moore (see "Sadness and Madness") and discovered that apparently the Warren's are being attacked by people who call themselves Christians. [If you don't take the time to read both of these articles, I can summarize for you that both blog posts condemn the hateful, spiteful things being said of and to the Warrens.]

For what they are being attacked, I do not know. In what state of mind could you ever possibly believe that God would condone expressing hatefulness to someone that has just lost their son. I read some of the comments that Mr. Viola quoted and stopped...because I just don't want to hear (read) it!!!

I can never think of a time in Holy Scriptures when Jesus told us to kick a person when they're already down. In fact, Beth Moore says it best I believe with this quote: "There's a bigger issue in the Body of Christ than immorality. It's hatefulness. If the greatest priority Christ assigned to us was love, the gravest offender is hate."

Lord, LORD...help us overcome the hate, malice and spite of this world and continue Your work of ushering  in the Kingdom of Heaven. That Kingdom is one of indescribable, boundless, immeasurable Love!

It seems to be the fashionable thing to bully and discredit someone with whom we do not share the exact same views. It happens too often and quite frankly, is beginning to make me nauseous. The past election season was...in my opinion...one of the most detrimental phases in the American church for the cause of Christ. Or, at least in my lifetime. I did not find one redeeming comment from Christians anywhere. I even had discussions of disagreement and I believe lost potential friendships because of my words of caution and care for our witness to a lost and dying world.

It seems that ever since the political rhetoric began flying about a year ago, there has been a ceaseless barrage of condemnation, retaliation and alienation from people who call themselves my brothers and sisters in Christ. And I don't even need to single out a cause...you name it...Gay Marriage, Gun Control, Entitlement Programs, Obamacare, the Budget Issues, Evolution v. Creationism, Abortion and on and on and on.

I have seen tirades both for and against each and every one of these issues...and I am disgusted with it all!

When it's a slow news day, I guess we've run out of things to rail against so the sights have been set on Christians instead. It's happened before...Ann Voscamp, Brennan Manning, Eugene Peterson, even Richard Foster, for pete's sake, have all been called, "new age" and "theologically unsound". Really? Are you perfect 100% of the time? Yeah...that's what I thought...neither am I!

So my tirade is this: Shut up!

And please...Quit using God's Word as a platform to walk hand in hand with evil!!

You know what...I'm choosing Joy instead...why don't you try it too. You just might be surprised.


***For further reading, try the Book of James. He has a lot to say about taming the tongue, judging your neighbor, speaking against and judging our brethren, catering to the rich while ignoring the poor and that we need to be very mindful that the Judge is standing right at the door***

Argo and Persepolis

Yes, I finally watched it...thanks to Abbey picking up a free Redbox rental for me. While it was a great movie and definitely worth of its Oscar win, I'm writing this because of my fascination with another theme that's been brewing in my life for the last few years.

I can't tell you where or when it started and I've made more than one reference to my fascination with conspiracy theories, but this idea that our Enemy loves nothing more than to deceive us with "smoke and mirrors" (as I like to call it) actually pervades everything in our culture...even our news media. Argo and Persepolis are yet even more proof that this is the case.

While neither the movie Argo, nor the graphic novel Persepolis make any reference to the Iranian cultural revolution as a "conspiracy", they both confirmed that I only know as much about history as my culture's news media will allow me to know, unless I do the research on my own.

Persepolis was given to me to read by Boone County Public Library librarian, Krista, whom I was helping in a "book group" class at our home school co-op. The students were all choosing graphic novels to read and she thought I might enjoy this one. She was absolutely right!

You see, I was a kid during the Iran Hostage Crisis and although I didn't know a lot of the details, I do remember all Iranians, perhaps even all Muslims, being portrayed as the evil incarnate that we as Americans must fear. It was almost portrayed as a "holy war"...if only the U.S. were a little more religious. But what Persepolis taught me was that the discontent with the dictator Shah of Iran's reign of terror began with students and intellectuals that knew life should be better than people starving in the streets while one man and his family clenched their massive wealth with iron fists that tortured and killed just because you verbalized your dissent.

The author, Marjane Satrapi, was a child in Tehran when extreme Islam swept through her beloved country like wildfire. Her parents where among those that protested alongside other intellectuals. She also lost relatives under both the Shah's and the Ayatollah's regime because of their perceived communist affiliations.

Overall, I was struck with the idea that I never once remember being told by our news media that there were people who initially protested the extreme Islam that was taking over Iran. I'd never heard that there were people who sent their children to schools modeled after European ones that wanted their daughters to go on to college, enjoy western movies and music and that grieved the opportunity Iran lost to become a shining beacon of hope and healing to the world around them. No, that is not the Iran that was ever portrayed on our televisions.

Imagine my surprise while watching Argo when animated panels from Persepolis appeared on the screen! They used this portion of the graphic novel to tell of Iran's proud history as the progressive and powerful kingdom of ancient days.

No, what Argo instilled in me, yet again...is that we only know what we're allowed to know. In fact, I don't even remember hearing about these six American citizens being spirited out of the country of Iran. But even if I had, my knowledge would have been that Canada had instigated a plan to safely bring home these men and women. Not until the 1990's did this CIA operation become declassified and the proper credit given to the agent that hatched the plan and carried it out.

I highly recommend both the movie Argo and the graphic novel Persepolis. I plan on reading the second graphic novel too. Not only are they well done and offer history from a different perspective...I pray they open others up to the idea that we cannot take things at face value just because the media says so.

WarHorse

Last Saturday night, Abbey and I had the pleasure, yet again, or ushering at the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but knew from a little background on the play that it had the potential of being phenomenal...and it was!

WarHorse is the Tony award winning play based on the book of the same title written by children's author Michael Morpurgo. I had seen clips of the show while ushering previously at the Aronoff, so I knew the horses, played by puppeteers, would be a huge presence onstage...but that is an understatement.

I had an opportunity to sit in the fourth row, so I never really stopped noticing the puppeteers. This is definitely a show that further back in the house would have been an advantage, but I was still fascinated by the detail that was visible probably only up close. Blinking eyes, rotating ears, breathing up and down, stomping hooves and flowing manes cannot describe what it actually looked like. For all practical purposes, there were two live horses onstage that night.

This is the only performance I've ever attended, where "unseen" performers (the puppeteers) received more applause than, and even a standing ovation before the "real" actors. But it was a history lesson for Abbey and I also.

She's studied U.S. History this year and therefore has learned a little about World War I. I confess that my own knowledge of that war is far less than that of World War II or even the Civil War, my two favorite historical periods. I knew about the trench warfare that occurred, and as with all wars, the inevitability that it lasted much longer than anyone predicted. But what this play brought to life for me was the evolution of warfare that took place during this war...like possibly none other.

When Cavalry soldiers head into the front lines with only a sword and a steed and are mowed down by machine gun fire, the disparity between the old and the new is difficult to watch. I know technological advances always occur at lightning pace during wars...sometimes because they have to. And while I would never say that there is anything humane about warfare...the human element seemed to all but vanish during this...The Great War.

By the end of the play...and the war...the horse has been replaced forever by the great tank Beast that also forever changed the face of war.

This is a great show and if your children are not disturbed by loud noises and non-bloody warfare, it's even a show for them. The word "f-in" is used a lot...but it's spoken precisely how I've spelled it...with three letters missing in between. Use your judgment, but a piece of history that's entertaining and teaches at the same time is rare. The show runs through this Sunday, April 7th, and good seats are still available.

If you don't think you'll make it to the show, at least click on the YouTube video below to get a glimpse at this imaginative retelling of part of our history.