It's Been A Long Time

Over 2 years ago, I wrote my last blog post. I knew then it probably wouldn't be the last one ever, but I knew it would be a lengthy hiatus at best. There were several reasons for this, and now there are several reasons for returning.

A lot has happened in the last 2 years...politics aside...I mean personally. For the last year, I worked in a homeless shelter. You want some perspective on what matters in this world, go to work for a population of people who carry all of their personal belongings in a backpack. Also, about 2 years ago, I embarked down an area of study in my spiritual life that has completely changed the way I look at this world and my place in it. More importantly, God has awakened me to His power within me and the dark forces that are at work against every single one of us, whether you're a Christian or not. Just being human means you have an enemy that wants to destroy you, because he wants to destroy everything and everyone that God created...and that means you.

But as a Jesus-follower, I am empowered with certain gifts...promised to each of us...that will not only aid in my survival, but will actually help me soar above the muckety-muck of this world we call home.

I'm now at the cusp of yet another new beginning on this Journey. And as the Holy Spirit always does, He has been prepping me for this one too. I don't yet know where it will lead, but I do know it will involve growing things and growing people. That's pretty much how He's summed up my purpose here. And because of the heart He's given me, I know those things include plants that feed people, and the people will involve those on the fringes of our everyday lives.

I've struggled a lot over the last year, first with my health, and then stress and anxiety that were digging deep roots into my soul and taking hold in ways I didn't know were possible...and I've had a lot of stress in my past. (Just read previous posts...particularly in years 2009-2011!) But as I finally listened to what He's been telling me to do for the last 2 months, the source of the stress is gone, and now I just need to let Him work on digging up the stump. I know He will be faithful to do it!

Not coincidentally at this same time, He's been calling me to get back to finding out who He really is. A lot of the teaching I've heard, and the lessons I've learned amid the cacophony of voices that seep into our lives through news, media, the internet and even our churches, is so diametrically opposed to who God says He is, that part of my stress has involved simply trying to hear His Voice.

The best way I know to get back to the heart of God is through Jesus. Who did He say He was? How did He live His life? Not just what did He say, but what did He do? To whom did He go?

I have to strip down that muckety-muck I referred to previously and look with new eyes upon the One who gave everything just so I could commune with Him. So the best place that I know to start is in the gospels...Matthew to be specific. I know I'll find Him there, because He promised that when I seek Him, I will find Him. (see Jeremiah 29:13)

Do you want to join me on the Journey? He promised there is no greater adventure! I don't know how long it will take, but it would be good to hear your thoughts and observations along the way. Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't insert here that the plan isn't just to find out who He is, but to put it into practice too! After all, James the half-brother of Jesus, told us that "faith without works is dead." (see James 2:20) I honestly don't need any more head-knowledge, do you? What I do need is the transformational power of Jesus to so infect my life that the world is different because I know and love Him!

I can't think of anything more worthy of my time, energy and attention...let's get started!

I Didn't Even Know I Could Ask!?

This may look like "just" some raspberries and very small garlic bulbs. You would be right.

And you would be wrong. It is so much more.

It's essentially a question I've been asking myself:  What have I missed out on because I was too afraid to ask?

I want to say flat-out that I am not a "prosperity" Gospel person. I believe God's Word that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. We will have bad things happen, simply because we exist. There isn't any magical set of hoops we can jump through to get the big house, fancy car, around the world cruise or _____________(insert your wildest dream).

But James told us that "Every good and perfect gift comes from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." (see James 1:16-17) In other words, God gives good gifts to His children.

If you've journeyed with me for any length of time at all, you know what a gift our new home is. I truly cannot think of one single thing that we needed...or wanted...that God did not provide. My children even tease me that I've developed a "script" of sorts when I give a tour of our new house. When they first mentioned this, I backed off of my exuberance a little...but then realized that the "script" was just the story of what God had done in us, through us, and for us.

One of the last pieces to fall into place was discovering a community garden a mere five houses down from where we live. I had a key within a week of moving in, and 10 tomato plants planted in my new plot by the following week.

Because I've seen how God has put this all together, I have not dared to say, "Oh...and God...if You don't mind...there's one more thing I'd like to have." I kept thinking instead that He has done immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine, so I didn't want to be greedy and ask for something else.

As I've plotted, planned and put in my gardening areas, the one thing I kept thinking was that I would never have space for berries (which are some of my favorites), asparagus or maybe not even a garlic bed. This was neither a request, nor a complaint...just wishful thinking. Obviously, this picture gives away the story.

You see God is so abundantly awesome that He prompted someone several years ago, to plant peach trees, grapes, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, garlic and yes...even asparagus so that one day I could come along, tend to them, and enjoy a little harvest. I'm not sure that words can express the delight, the joy and the amazement at how my Abba orchestrated all of this. 

No one has taken care of these plants in years. It will be my pleasure to do so. A good and perfect gift is worthy of great care and tender cultivation. I would not want to neglect something He so brilliantly grew in anticipation of my arrival in this neighborhood.

Today, as I scurried around looking for a container to carry home the delicious raspberries, my mind kept turning over the wonder and awe of a God who delights in giving us a handful of berries because He knows it will move us to tears at how tenderly merciful He is. I know He was smiling at my joy and basking in the praise I offered Him for knowing me even better than I know myself.

And the verse that just kept circling round and round in my awestruck brain was again from James: "You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your own pleasures." (4:2-3)

What have I been too afraid to ask?

What have I missed because I thought it was too insignificant to ask of my Father?

How do I live so that these gifts are not only "spent" on my pleasures?

What is He anxiously waiting to give me, because He knows I will appreciate it in a way that no one else will?

Why don't I ask Him what He wants me to ask for?

I have some homework. I think you do too. And if you get to a place in your thoughts that you think what you're asking is insignificant, tedious or you could just go out and do it yourself...please come back to this photo.

I mean...really...a God who puts together a few red raspberries to embrace the soul of one of His children. Yeah...I don't think you need to worry about it being too small.

Finishing Up Hosea

As my friends and I took a couple of weeks off for vacations, this past Tuesday meant a hurried conclusion to Hosea. There is no way to plumb the depths of this book in only three to four weeks. Yet, the summer is flying away and here are the last few thoughts I had regarding this wonderful book of God's redeeming love.

In Hosea 12, we are told that Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom remnant of Israel) "feeds on wind, and pursues the east wind continually..." (verse 1) I've been refreshing my memory work of the book of James and the cross references in my Bible for this passage brought to mind a few correlations that I needed to see.

In Genesis 41:6 Pharaoh tells his dream to Joseph of an "east wind" that scorches the corn. James 1:9-11 plainly speaks of how the poor man "should glory in his high position and the rich man should glory in his humiliation". Why? Because just like the withering grass that the sun shrivels up with a scorching wind, "the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away". (see Flowering Grass, January 2013)

What am I chasing that when the chaff is all burned away, simply won't exist anymore? What treasure am I hoarding and where is it being stored? (see Matthew 6:20)

Hosea, for me, has been all about exposing the subtle idols that come between me and the radical, boundless, passionate pursuit of the Holy Creator who loves me. I am sad to say, there have been a lot that have risen to the surface. Just a few examples include pride, self-image, perception others have of me, media, use of time and the list goes on.

There has been a theme running through my life for the last eight or nine months and I chose to tune it out for most of those. Mark Batterson's All In deeply challenged me to dig in and find out why I've been in a season of hesitation. I've been getting some answers and the more days that pass, the message is getting clearer and much more difficult to ignore. Most of it comes back to my idols of comfort, self-image and fear of the unknown (aka lack of control). I can't keep pushing this aside though and today brought some very vivid clarification of what God's Spirit is calling me to. I'm not certain how much time I'll have to post over the next few days, so just know that I'm not trying to delay any sort of "big reveal".

No...He's showing me repeatedly, through multiple books, songs, sermons, and conversations that it's the little things that He's calling me to. I just need to take myself off the throne of my kingdom and let the King bring His Kingdom into my home, my neighborhood, my relationships and my heart...one moment...one action...one expression of obedient love at a time.

I guess you could say God is preparing me to be a "fool for Jesus". Radically following Him always looks foolish. I won't do it if I'm consumed with the opinions of others. Stop worrying what people think of me is a huge hurdle to overcome. I know it's only the beginning. And in the End, I have a man who married a prostitute and pursued her obediently, faithfully and passionately and didn't worry about what others thought of his reputation or how it "looked" to thank when I meet him someday.

Pride

Anyone near-abouts my age might have started humming "In the name of love". But that wasn't necessarily the direction I thought I was headed with this post.

Or is it?

You see, I've been thinking about pride...as in the kind that 'goeth before the fall'. (see Proverbs 16:18) At least that's what all of us who grew up in the church were told that we needed to guard against, almost more than anything I can remember...with maybe the exception of sex.

But several years ago, before our downwardly mobile lifestyle began, God's Spirit specifically whispered the word 'humility' to me. I knew at the time that humility was my next big lesson. I just didn't realize how humbled by my circumstances I could become. How could I have known? I couldn't...plain and simple.

And while I've read cute little sayings that remind us 'humility is one of those things that as soon as you think you have it...you've lost it,' God's clarifying humility a little bit more for me. Or rather, He's shining His light on some wisdom and discernment that myself and many others need to remember.

Here's what I've been noticing:  We are so concerned and hyper-aware that we do not want to be prideful...we are denying the glory to God for the things He has done!

Can I get an 'Amen!'?

Allow me to elaborate.

When I spoke in our Bible study recently, I shared with the ladies a Bible verse that perfectly describes me. "They shall eager utter (or bubble over with) the memory of Your abundant goodness and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness." (Psalm 145:7)

If you give me a chance, I am going to fill your ear with God's goodness and His righteousness. That is just who I am. I'm almost to the point where I simply can't help it anymore. For someone that used to be so terrified to speak up regarding Jesus and His workings in my life, it is nothing but Him that causes His goodness to just roll right off my tongue. I wish everything that came from my mouth were always as good as Him. (But that lesson is for another post)

There was another result of the lesson I taught on that day though (and with the help of Emily Freeman's book, A Million Little Ways)...I realized, this is what I was born to do! 

Sharing God's grace, the Love of Jesus and the discernment of the Holy Spirit either through home schooling, teaching a Bible study, writing a blog or growing a garden (yes...in my brain, it does apply!)...this is what makes me feel ALIVE! And I'm no longer going to apologize for it...sweep it under the rug...try to be something I'm not...or "humbly" shy away from acknowledging how God has gifted me.

Every part of my being is oozing with His goodness and I want everyone to know it! 

With the help of Freeman's book...which I can only read in small doses because it is chock full of godly wisdom...God's Spirit is helping me overcome the fear of my "first thoughts". I shouldn't downplay my gifts. And it is not pride that keeps me from doing so. How do I know this? Because James 1:17 tells us that "every good thing given and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."

Thus, if my heart is surrendered to serving God my Father and He chooses to use the gifts He's given me, it is not prideful to acknowledge the gift and, in turn, give Him the glory. I have even recently heard some people leading up to sharing something that they did...as clearly prompted by the Holy Spirit...and yet, quickly skip over the gift they were able to give away to someone in need! I completely understand that they did not want to sound prideful...but God is the giver of everything we have; He alone prompts us to be giving and kind (that does not come from our Enemy...ever!); and if someone is blessed by that gift...we should not shy away from giving Him the praise.

I will caution that Jesus told us to give in secret (see Matthew 6:4). As someone that has been the recipient of many generous gifts, I almost think this is more to protect the weaker one on the receiving end than to protect the giver from pride. This way, the recipient owes no one. There is no "one-upmanship". There is no burden lurking between the two parties involved. In other words, no strings attached. Also, as the giver, it frees me from taking any credit.

But, admittedly, when I am comfortable and have a rock solid relationship with the one to whom I am giving, I love being able to say, 'I hope we're beyond having to do the secret thing and that you know this didn't come from me. It's from God.' One of my dear friends said to me, upon receiving a gift from her, that she just didn't want any weirdness between us. With the confidence of the Holy Spirit, I could tell her, "No weirdness here. I didn't ask for the gift and it was prompted by the Holy Spirit...so thanks for being faithful to do it." See...God is worthy of the credit, not us.

What might this look like then?

Obviously, I'm assuming that we're not bragging about the gifts we've given to someone in need...directly to their faces. But I don't see any pride in admitting to a friend or companion in Christ that "God gave us this extra blessing and I am thankful He prompted us to share it." It also means living out daily what He leads us to do by the power of His Holy Spirit...and not shoving it aside because it doesn't seem "practical" or it looks "foolish". It's okay to say "I don't take credit for _________________ (Insert gift or talent here). It's what God is working out in me so that I can be the person He created me to be."

It's that simple. God is given the praise. I don't know about you, but I don't ever want the rocks to have to cry out in my place. (see Luke 19:28-40) I'm even beginning to think that when we don't acknowledge how God has gifted us, that is more evidence of pride than anything.

Is it not selfishness and pride that would cause us to deny gratefulness and thankfulness for God's gifts to us?

So here's where I'm at in my processing of this question, What makes me feel alive? Well, obviously, I feel most alive when I am doing, saying and living out the gifts God has innately programmed me to have. My continued existence is proof that there is still something He has left for me to do for His Kingdom that is on Earth as it is in Heaven.

I'm tired of being deceived by my Enemy into somehow believing that it's prideful to want to live out these gifts. I am, quite frankly, exhausted at shoving these gifts to the periphery of my life when God's Spirit keeps trying to draw them out to the forefront, which is precisely where they should be. It's a spiritual "tug of war" that I didn't even realize I was waging until this past month.

It's time, my friends! 

Time to start coming alive, live out the Vision God has for your life and to stop apologizing for it! Augustine is quoted as saying, "The glory of God is man fully alive." We all keep saying with our mouths that we just want to glorify God...I think it's about time our lives looked like it too!

Are you ready?

Go!

Living the Vision, part 6: Everything is Finished

**This is the last in a of a series of posts that are a more in-depth look at a lesson I recently taught to a group of women in our church. To read the additional posts, you can easily access them by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page or in the body of this text.**


Yes, it is finally coming to an end...sort of. See...I think this "Living the Vision"-thing is a lesson that never ends. When I shared how God is drawing me to "live like the vision is complete", it includes coming to Him daily and thanking Him that it is done, and asking Him to show me how to live like it...just for today. Today is enough to worry about, Jesus said. (see Matthew 6) I think He actually meant it, although it flies directly in the face of everything we have experienced in this life.

So to pull all of these posts together, I have taken a little longer to ponder and process for this final segment. It is by far the most potentially volatile and could conceivably be misconstrued on many different levels. Therefore, I am asking you not to take my word for it. Instead, go to the Holy Spirit and ask for His discernment. He has challenged us to
"...cry for discernment, 
Lift your voice for understanding; 
If you seek her as silver 
And search for her as for hidden treasure;
Then you will discern the fear of the LORD
And discover the knowledge of God." (Proverbs 2:3-5)

You also need to know up front that I despise "prosperity gospel" and "name it and claim it" heresy. The "power of positive thinking", might lower your blood pressure, but no where did Jesus equate blessings with wealth, happiness with stuff, or Christianity with an easy-street-pass for ever and ever. Amen!

With that disclaimer in mind, I still want to persuade you of something. This is why I used words like "revolutionary" to describe this "revelation" on how to approach God's will and even how I would pray.

The "thing" is this:
When the Holy Spirit lays a request or desire upon your heart for which to seek His will, wisdom or discernment...we should automatically accept that it is done!

Go ahead...think of something for which you have been praying. Ask these questions...

• Is it good?
• Is it within God's will?
• Can only good come from it?
• If I remember that God still gives visions and dreams; this world as we know it is not all there is and that God dwells in the fullness of time is there any reason why God couldn't complete this "thing" some day?

James teaches us that "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." (James 1:17) If only good will result from it...I can guarantee you the prompting is not from your Enemy. Again...I am not talking about stuff! We Americans have to stop thinking of prosperity, blessings, joy, and happiness in terms of wealth and stuff!

When I ask, "Is it within God's will?"...this isn't really as complicated as we make it either. I don't know how many times myself or others have absolutely agonized in prayer over someone's salvation. Is it God's will that a person be saved? Absolutely! If not, then Jesus died for nothing and His blood sacrifice was a waste.

2 Peter 3:9 tells us that, in fact, God wants everyone to come to repentance. Now...don't go around saying that I've become a universalist. Do I think everyone will be in Heaven? Actually, Scripture teaches that many will not. I am saying their salvation is complete. They still have the option to choose it or not.

But God also told us that if we delight in Him, He would give us the desires of our hearts. (see Psalm 37:4) As we delight in Him...His desires are reflected in our desires. If He lays upon my heart to pray for someone to seek a relationship with Him...I am 100% certain that for God...it is done!

We no longer have to agonize over if it's His will for someone to know Him. Instead...keeping the focus simple, as with the Vision for your life...when the Holy Spirit reminds us to pray for a person, we can confidently thank Him that "Joe's" (insert any name He leads you to) salvation is complete! It's done! Hallelujah!

The second part of that prayer is this...Now today Lord...draw them just one step closer to living like it! And then, when we see "Joe" being kind...or generous...or loving...or merciful...or forgiving...or anything that is good...recognize it, remember that "Joe" is on a Journey to becoming the soul God created Him to be and thank God for how you see Him working in "Joe's" life. Once again...I can guarantee none of those "good" attributes are anything "Joe" just drummed up out of the goodness of his own heart. No...Scripture also tells us twice that "every inclination of the human heart is evil." (see Genesis 6:5 and Genesis 8:21) 

Do I think that all "good" people will get into Heaven? Bottom line...I am not God and I will never presume to decide who's in and who's out. What I do know is that Jesus said He is the way to the Father (see John 14:6) I just happen to believe that it absolutely does not matter how God chooses to bring a person to that conscious choice.

As humans created in the image of God, we just don't want anyone to suffer. But sometimes it takes great loss and great tragedy for a person to lean upon an Almighty God. Are we willing to walk through great suffering, loss and tragedy with someone...if it means they can spend eternity with their Saviour? Sometimes I think we want to make everything neat, tidy and pain free. But if someone had to endure pain and decimation in order to experience the full glory of God...wouldn't that be worth it? There is no fuller glory than knowing the redemption of a loving Saviour!

The other example I'll give is when we pray for a person's healing. I don't want to belabor the point, but suffice it to say no one has ever entered Heaven with a tumor on their back...or brain...or colon...or carried a congenital birth defect into eternity. And no matter how much we pray for healing in the now...none of us will be whole and healed until we stand before Jesus.

Can God heal in this life? Absolutely! Does He sometimes choose to do so? Again..a resounding "yes!" But we have to stop thinking that if we agonize in prayer just a little bit more...maybe He'll do it in regards to the loved one for which we pray. Too many parents are beating themselves up for not being faith-filled enough. And too many people begrudge a God that "chooses" not to heal them. 

If we can remember that this life as we know it is not all there is then when the healing occurs doesn't matter...because we know it will!!! Again...God dwells in the fullness of time so for Him your healing is complete...now for today...what do we need to do to live like it?

I would never belittle another person's pain. I also know there are parents with children for whom their prognosis gives great uncertainty as to what their future can hold. I just know that when I am praying as the Holy Spirit leads...I can confidently pray that for Him, that person is healed. But even better...there will be a day when I get to hear the story of how God healed them and how His presence was so real during their illness that they knew He was near.

For me, it does not matter if I hear their story in this life...or the life to come. I will hear it!

And Beautiful Beloved...you will one day have that amazing child look you in the face and tell you how they always knew you were there and they never missed one minute of what you did to love and serve them. And that parent or grandparent that right now struggles to remember your name will very soon sit across the table from you and remind you of your patience, care and joy during the journey of their slow decline.

You see...for God...there is only healing.

I've got to wrap this up, but thank you for hanging with me. I pray you do seek God's wisdom in regards to not only the Vision He has for your life...but how to live it out for today. But more than that...my prayer is that we can boldly and confidently believe Him. Instead of laboring painstakingly to effectively pray and drum up the faith to make the prayers come to fruition and agonizing over when and how the results will be revealed...we can embrace that for God, His will is already complete.

So why aren't we living like it???

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I would delight in hearing how God works this out in you and draws you closer into discovering His Kingdom is already at hand. Feel free to leave me a comment and allow me the joy of rejoicing with you! Amen!

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See also the other posts in the "Living the Vision" series:

Part 1, God Still Gives Visions and Dreams

Part 2, This Life As We Know It...

Part 3, God Dwells in the Fullness of Time

Part 4, The Vision is Complete

Part 5, How Do I Live Like the Vision is Complete?

Living the Vision, part 1: God Still Gives Visions and Dreams

A few weeks ago, I asked the question, "What if we finally awakened to the reality, that the vision (God has for each of our lives) was now?"

In that post, I promised to share more in the coming days. There's been a lot of snow, ice and freezing temperatures in our part of the country, so I had a week longer to prepare to speak at our women's Bible study. Now, as I committed to the ladies today, I'm ready to get myself out of this "winter distracted funk" and settle in to delving into this idea further.

I never set out to have a three-point sermon. It just so happens that when God was growing this lesson in me, He utilized three ideas that He had already been developing in my life. In early November 2013, He pulled all three of these together to present me with a choice of how to proceed in my relationship with Him and the way I approach discerning His will and even how I come to Him in prayer.

But more about this later. For today, I'd like to share the first lesson God had been growing in me for a long time:  He still gives visions and dreams.

Acts 2:17 reminds us of a prophecy first found in Joel 2:28:

"'And it shall be in the last days,' God says,
'That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind,
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
And your young men shall see visions,
And your old men dream dreams;'"

I'm not sure if you've noticed or not, but every day we are one step closer in the Kingdom calendar to the day Jesus returns to establish His reign on the New Earth. I have heard Beth Moore state in two different Bible studies, each recorded almost nine years apart, that we are in an obvious time of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As she says, 'We didn't all the sudden just wake up and get smart and start studying God's Word.'

The almost insatiable appetite for God's Word, getting back to what really matters (i.e. not building massive churches, but investing massively in Kingdom work), and the current Millennial generation's willingness to forgo college and traditional jobs in order to serve the poor, the destitute and the downtrodden, are all beautifully amazing indications that we are living in a time of God's outpouring of His Spirit. If you need further proof, someone recently shared with me that an online Bible study (I think from Lysa Terkheurst) has 39,000 women from around the world participating in it.

That's just one study.

I hope you're convinced that we are living in a time of God's outpouring. If so, I'd like to press you further into embracing that because of this outpouring, young people "will prophesy".

For just a moment, I'd like for you to set aside your preconceived notions of what it means "to prophesy". It's not just the hairy man standing on the street corner shouting at cars and pedestrians that "the end is near"! The actual dictionary.com definition also includes "a declaration...as if by divine inspiration". There is even an archaic definition rendered as "to teach religious subjects". If you need further proof of this one, return and reread the third paragraph up. This Millennial generation is putting all others to shame in their desire to abandon all and no matter the cost follow the teachings of Jesus. I don't know what could more adequately demonstrate God's declarations.

And as far as visions and dreams...I've heard story after story in recent years of people who have grown up in cultures where Christianity is not even allowed, let alone promoted, and live under hostile religious regimes, yet they are willing to follow Jesus as Messiah because He comes to them in dreams and declares His love for them. Last year, I shared a review of a book written by two such women entitled Captive in Iran.

But here's the place that God was drawing me to last fall:  It's not just dreams, as in the Biblical sense, that He gives...He graces us with His vision for our lives too.

I've actually known this for quite some time. If you've been reading this blog very long, you know that about five years ago we began a financially downward spiral that was out of our control. "Downwardly Mobile" was no longer a cute catch phrase coined by Henri Nouwen to describe when a Christian walks away from the pinnacle of their career to embrace a life of servitude to the marginalized and forgotten. Downwardly mobile was our existence.

I won't rehash it all here, you can already turn to many of the early posts of this blog to learn more about my story. But this blog was started out of the fullness of my heart as God showed me piece by piece how He was reshaping me to be mindful of the "widow and orphans" (James 1:27) of our society. Single moms will always have a special place in my soul because of that time period in my spiritual growth.

God's faithfulness, provision and determination to get me through to His way of looking at life was nothing short of miraculous. But something else happened during that time that I don't think I've ever shared on here. Because of this "revelation" (for lack of a better word) in November, it is now time.

I've lost track of precisely when...but sometime in 2010-2011, God gave me His "vision" for my life. It wasn't a divine billboard dropping out of the sky. It was more like whispers, refinement, unquenchable desires and abiding joy at a plan He was growing in me. I spoke this out loud to a group of people outside of my closest friends and immediate family for the first time today. Somehow it's appropriate that I put it out for the world to know too:

Some day...I would have a place where I can grow things, teach others to grow things (the current "it" word is "live more sustainably") and a place where the "weary traveler" can come, put up their feet, rest, be nourished, encouraged, grow in wisdom, discernment and knowledge, for however long it takes for them to be sturdier on the feet God gave them.

That's a mouthful.

At times, I have thought He has a place for me on the "back 40" somewhere. A place where I can have chickens, goats, orchards, massive garden sites and enough room to take in a herd of people too. I envisioned classes, seminars and relationship upon relationship, cultivated just as much as the ground upon which I would toil.

Other times, I've found it very appealing that maybe God's vision for my life would be in an urban setting. The work that groups like The Simple Way have done to live out love and relationship in the inner city is nothing short of amazing. A "beauty from the ashes" story is one I'd also love to live.

What I was able to share with the ladies this morning in our study of the life of Joseph, son of Jacob, is that while my "trials" by no means compare to his...I do know what it's like to be given a vision by God that looks nothing like your physical life exists.

How could I be confident and assured that His vision would become reality? That's the second part of the lesson He was growing in me. Come back tomorrow (or two days!) to learn why my confidence in His vision could not be shaken.

*************

More in this series: Part 2 This Life as We Know It...

Learning to Pray Boldly

Pictured above are several index cards with biblical scriptures printed upon them. This is not a concept that is new to me, I've been doing it for about four years now. Beth Moore, in one of her studies, was the first to "turn me on" to this way of learning Scripture and claiming it personally. What is new to me is an idea presented in her Believing God study: Speak the Scripture out loud and claim them with the power and authority of the Holy Spirit whom resides in me.

Obviously, she can explain this much more eloquently and dynamically than I ever could...but here's what I know:  this has absolutely transformed my prayer life and outlook on my relationship with God. Do not tune me out because you think I've bought into some type of "prosperity gospel". I am not claiming a boat or a car or a mansion or a fancy trip or any other number of things that many televangelists and preachers have wrongly taught that you can "name it and claim it".

But if I am praying from a heart that is wholly surrendered to the will of God, asking Jesus to speak His Word into my life and prayerfully expecting the power of the Holy Spirit to deliver on the promises He has claimed that He can, then I can with unfettered boldness declare: God, as Your eyes move to and fro throughout the earth, I know that You will strongly support me (sustain me; make me bold; encourage me; repair me; help me to withstand) because You find my heart (my soul; my inner part; my inclination; my resolution) is completely (wholly, perfectly) Yours. (see II Chronicles 16:9)

By simply taking His Word, inserting personal pronouns and sometimes even my name, (and even looking up alternate definitions for some significant words) I have claimed a biblical promise for my own life. Again, this concept isn't new to me. What is different is speaking it out loud! 

Moore explains the reason for this: We can pray without ceasing and should...but when we speak God's, Holy Spirit inspired Word...we are speaking the very words of God. We've been told in Scripture that our enemies tremble in God's Presence (see James 2:19 for one reference). We've also been told that the Holy Spirit has unsurpassed power and that He is the energy in the spoken word of God (see Genesis 1:2). Thus, when we speak the very Words of God, demons flee and the Holy Spirit is unleashed to work, battle, encourage or discipline just as He has promised He will.

Since I began doing this a few weeks ago, having tailored some specific Scriptures to specific people and situations, I have seen God's Spirit moving and working. Long-buried issues that have needed addressed; old habits that just need to be put away so we, as Christians, can enjoy Kingdom-living (see Proverbs 14:26-27); awareness that we don't fight against flesh and blood but against powers and forces we cannot see so I don't take little slights as personally as in the past (see Ephesians 6:12); a very real knowledge of the closeness of the Presence of the Holy Spirit (see Proverbs 2:3-5); and that His hope for reconciliation, restoration, abiding joy and comfort and beautiful life is always available and no one can take that hope away from me (see Ephesians 1:12 and Romans 5:5 and (I Corinthians 13:13)!!!

Because of all I have seen, heard and felt over the last six weeks, I may be annoying those who know me. I cannot help but be 'bubbling over with the memory of His abundant goodness and shouting joyfully of His righteousness.' (see Psalm 145:7) I have had some amazing conversations the last few weeks and I just know He is only getting started! I have to be honest and say that there has been a lot of activity on my Enemy's part too and I have not been surprised. But 95% of the battle has been in my head and declaring God's Word out loud makes the baddie flee the premises much faster than he used to. Bottom line...I am supposed to be about my Father's business (see Joshua 24:15) so no enemy that comes between that objective should get free rent in my head any more.

God never said this would be easy (see John 16:33), but He promised He would never leave nor forsake me (see Deuteronomy 31:6). So as I "fight the good fight" (see I Timothy 6:12) I am thankful to be learning just how powerful my Sword is (see Ephesians 6:17)!

***Okay, funny side note for anyone that ever grew up in an evangelical, protestant church. Did you ever have Bible drills? Did your Sunday school teacher ever have everyone start with their Bibles extended in the air? Did your teacher ever say, "Put your swords in the air."?? Really? Why did it take almost 40 years for me to get this: It really is a sword!

This Internal Stuff is Tough!

And I am not exaggerating!

Last Thursday, it was my turn to lead our small group in discussion at the Believing God Bible study. Lo and behold, the topic for the week was the tongue. Ugh! We meet on Thursday mornings and by Tuesday afternoon, I only had one day of the homework completed. This is not like me. Normally, I try to stay on top of it all so I can get the full benefit without hurrying through it all. But going over day one of the workbook...where the topic was James 3 and taming the tongue...I had to process for a few days and try to come to grips with living this thing out before I stood up in front of 20 women and told them they needed to do the same.

The tongue "is a restless evil and full of deadly poison." (James 3:8) Not exactly tea-party conversation here. I completed the homework...sorted through a lot of yuck I needed to give God...and when Thursday morning rolled around...still felt completely inadequate to stand up and facilitate a conversation about how the tongue "is set among the members as that which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of someone's life and is set on fire by hell." (James 3:6)

Yikes!

Thursday as I was getting dressed and ready in my bathroom, I was literally doubled over with my hands on my knees, moaning and asking God "Why?" Why did it have to be me? The one that struggles with her tongue more than anyone I know. The one who unfortunately has all too often with my tongue "blessed our Lord and Father and with it cursed men who have been made in the likeness of God." (James 3:9) You'll find it as no surprise that when I memorized James at this same time last year, this is the passage that was most difficult to learn. I am a woman "of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips" (Isaiah 6:5).

As I was praying and processing and meditating on His Word, it wasn't that I had any divine epiphanies. There was nothing new for me to learn on this subject...but bless His magnificent Name...He kept graciously reminding me of a few things over and over again.

• I need to be impeccably above the standards of this age...not only in my spoken word...but in my written word as well. Facebook should not be a platform to air my grievances...whether they are personal or against an entire people group. Neither will I condescend to fight through texting, messaging or wall posts. And this blog should always be used as a tool to bless (aka. speak well of) instead of curse (doom) my fellow man whether I can yet call them brother or sister in Christ or not.
• The post I wrote a year ago about Jeremiah 31:3 "The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness." is just as true today as it was last October. In the way that a salve or poultice will "draw out" the yuck in a wound so that true healing can begin...God himself slathers His lovingkindness all over our "yuck"...drawing it out so that true healing and growth can begin.

And here's something of a new thing I did learn during the tortuous week of self-examination: The drawing never ends! In God's perfect timing and mercy, He begins drawing out from the surface and slowly, yet assuredly, He takes away layer and layer of "yuck" so that as the internal is purged and refined, the external radiates His gorgeous Light more clearly.

So when you come across that time in your life when you feel like you're struggling in an area that you've worked on before, maybe He's just "drawing" out at a deeper level, calling you to a deeper walk, so the Light of His Love will shine forth more brilliantly, piercing the deeper darkness in a way we never could have imagined.

Have You Seen This Yet? KLOUT

Okay...this social networking thing is completely getting out of hand. I recently signed up to blog about books for free copies of the books. I know...I know...something right up my proverbial alley. The company though, reserves select copies of their books for members that have a "KLOUT" score of 30 or more. Even more select copies are available to someone with a score of 60+.

What is KLOUT, you say? It's a social networking site that analyzes your social networking use. When I link my Facebook, Twitter, Google+ (also LinkedIn, Instagram and Foursquare, none of which I have) KLOUT analyzes your data to give you a score. Now, I recently had a birthday, so I received a lot of posts from people and I think my scores a little inflated because of that, but I had a score of 53.

Here's the problem I see that could be developing quickly: Depression onset by a low score. 

Just as the number of Facebook friends, likes or Twitter followers can make or break your perception of yourself, I foresee that this could become the bane of the low-self-esteemer's existence. Beth Moore puts Facebook into perspective in her study of the book of James and I think she is spot on that ignoring friend requests, withholding likes, etc. can be used as a form of power, manipulation and control. For someone that's a pleaser at heart (like myself) this can have huge consequences on your emotions.

Is it really that big of a leap toward people doing whatever it takes to up their KLOUT score? Maybe...maybe not. I have a Facebook friend that just posted an article yesterday about how SnapChat was originally developed as a venue for sexting. Ugh! Lots of encouragement abounds, mostly from stay-at-home Christian moms, to have us slow down, set down the electronics and stop and "smell the roses".

No matter your feelings on social media, iPhones, iPads, Kindles, computers...and on and on and on...my point is, maybe this is all getting a little out of hand. I speak for myself and my family when I say that I think it has. Last night we were excited to get a free Redbox rental (coupon for my birthday) and we opted to watch Warm Bodies again. Less than half-way into the movie, I had one daughter and one son each on an iPod messaging friends or whatever. Now, I can't judge them too harshly, because there are many times my youngest wants me to sit with her to watch something and I whip out the Kindle to check status updates, tweets or just to play a game.

I guess my point is this, God knew we were going to progress to this point in history and He knew most of us wouldn't be able to be hermits and keep ourselves completely untainted by the outside world...but when my media is dictating my feelings, emotions, priorities and energy expenses...it's probably time for me to step back and reevaluate how much and when it should be allowed to speak into my life. Letting God keep the scorecard of my influence is probably the best option...oh wait, He doesn't keep score.

Precisely!

Blessed Are the Poor...

It's going to be a very slow process, but I am continuing to pick through the red letter teachings of Jesus. I can already foresee that in many places I will have to ruminate line by line in an attempt to grasp even a small portion of the feast He has invited each one of us to enjoy.

Today, is one of those days as I found myself unable to get beyond one verse, Matthew 5:3. This begins the portion of Scripture we call The Sermon on the Mount and encompasses chapters 5 through 7 of the first Gospel of the New Testament. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God." (NASB)

What struck me initially, was that I knew this verse and could have quoted it to you verbatim, but the words "in spirit" had never impacted me before today. I have immersed myself in the book of James for so long that I have been putting more emphasis on the word poor and completely neglecting "the spirit". James tells us we should never dishonor the Poor and that God specifically chose the Poor to be rich in faith and heirs to the kingdom He has promised them. (see James 2)

So there I was asking the question for the first time: What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Do you think that it's pure coincidence that when I asked What IF He REALLY Meant It? I posed the additional question:   "But when you live among people that may not be experiencing as much financial poverty as they are deep poverty of the soul...how do I speak into their lives the Love of Jesus?" To me, this is not coincidence.

Sorting through the question, I looked up numerous references that reiterate how and whom will "inherit the kingdom". (Matthew 5:10; 19:14; 25:34; Mark 10:14; Luke 6:20; 22:29) and a recurring theme seems to be utter dependence on God...like a child or because you are persecuted. When I looked up the word poor, the definition that applies the most to me is "deficient or lacking in something specified". Spirit is described as my "conscious, incorporeal being" or the "vital principle in humans" that animates the body or "mediates between body and soul".

Even with all of this, I was still chewing.

What I realized I was stumbling over was one word...the one that starts each of the nine sentences from verses 3 and 11...blessed. Why am I blessed if I am deficient in the vital conscious being that defines and animates who I am? Perhaps, when I'm at the end of myself...I am ready to see, feel, taste and experience Who He is and what His kingdom contains...utter, complete, boundless dependence on Him and His Love.

Wow...that would be great! But then the next question that immediately comes stampeding on the heels of the first is: I'm pretty sure given the lavish Love of Jesus, He never intended for this blessing to be a one-time-deal. So how do I live in such a way that I am always poor in spirit?

There's the crux of it for me. I am being asked to always live at the end of my ability...the end of who I am and what I am able to do. That's a call for me to live in such a way that (as Frances Chan says) "If God doesn't come through, I'm screwed." It is radically living sacrificially and without reserve so that who I am and what I am able to do can only be explained by a supernatural God, the Love of His Son and the Spirit that empowers us beyond our limits. It is a call to be a Red Letter Radical!

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!


****************************************************************************************


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

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***

Dishonor

This is a tough one...but I'll try. The tough thing about this topic is not writing about it...it's keeping my temper in check. Curious? Read on. Not in the mood to look in the mirror? Stop reading here and come back when you're ready. And yes, I'm looking in the mirror too.

There is a passage in James 2 where I become teary almost every time I say it.

"But you have dishonored the poor man." (James 2:6a)

Actually, there is a lot leading up to and following after this one small sentence and in order to understand why my temper needs checked and I'm teary when I say or read it...I'm going to have to explain a little...or a lot. Please bear with me.

This one line follows hot on the heels of James 1:19-21 where we have been strongly cautioned to be "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger." (verse 19) James also reminds us that our anger doesn't accomplish "God's righteousness". (verse 20) Dictionary.com defines righteousness as "the quality or state of being just or rightful." So our anger...no matter how "righteous" we may think it may be...does not bring about God's justice, morality or uprightness (also as defined on dictionary.com). 

I believe this warning to check our anger...also called "setting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness"  and to instead "in humility, receive the word implanted" (verse 21) is one that greatly needs to be heeded by the American church culture. This is not the first time I've shared my frustration over what was plastered all over Facebook during the political election season. Too many times to count I was ashamed at the anger, divisiveness and nastiness that was spoken (in our culture...that means typed) by people calling themselves Christians. 

The huge sigh of relief I felt after the election was short-lived, as now, almost two months later comments are still being made! Ugh!...is the only word that will sometimes express my feelings. Unfortunately, I've had to unsubscribe from more than a few people just so I won't harbor anger and bitterness toward them. I would never "unfriend"...but I don't have to have their poison spewed all over my news feed! Enough said!

Or maybe not.

Because James goes on. In chapter 1 he not only tells us to "receive the word" but that we need to prove ourselves to be doers of it. Also, that I should never forget "the kind of person [I] was" (James 1:24) But one more warning that should smack us all out of our bitter jibes and deriding comments is this: "If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless." (James 1:26, emphasis mine) Maybe it's time we start "bridling" our keyboards too! 

Do you want to have "pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father"? Then James not only cautions us to bridle our outbursts...but to also "visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." (James 1:27) How many people do you know that were pontificating on the evilness of one side or another (and still are), but have actually sat down with a single mom (a.k.a. the widows of our society) or latch-key or fatherless kids (a.k.a. the orphans of our society) and tried to understand why they feel a sense of entitlement or despair? Yeah...I don't know very many who've done this either.

And right before James makes me teary and sad about how we "dishonor the poor man". He warns us yet again to not get too high and mighty about our faith. (see James 2:1-3) In fact, this segment of Scripture in the NASB is entitled "The Sin of Partiality". James wants us not to give favor to the rich and look down upon the poor because "Listen, my beloved brethren, did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" (James 2:5)

The question I keep wanting to ask when someone is concerned about "entitlement", "hand outs", "redistribution of wealth" and "lazy people that just want society to take care of them", is this: "Do you actually know any poor people?" 

I'm not talking about someone that gets posted on broadcast news, YouTube or elsewhere talking about how great it is to get all of this free help. I'm also not referring to someone that just can't afford to eat at a sit down restaurant. Nor am I alluding to someone that doesn't have the latest iPhone, iPad or accompanying fluff to go with it. No...I'm talking about have you actually sat down and had more than a 5 minute conversation with someone that has to scrape together money for gasoline so they can get to work...which is a job that pays less than $10 an hour (equal to only about $20,000 per year) and probably has to work a second job, has their kids in daycare or before and after school programs, might be in school part-time or full-time, has no husband paying child support, no medical insurance if they or their child gets sick and can't stay home if they are sick because they'll either miss much needed income or worse, lose their job. 

How many grandmas have you conversed with that are living on medicare and social security, raising their grandchildren and trying to help those kids sustain a standard of living that will keep them from being made fun of and bullied at school?

When was the last time you sat down,  held the hand of and prayed with someone who just needed a few forks, a couple of bowls, some decent clothes for a new job and maybe a pillow and blanket so the floor would be more comfortable?

It's been awhile for me too. But when I have, I have walked away not only humbled, but astounded at the ones that say, "No, it's alright...I don't need free food...I get food stamps. Leave it for someone that doesn't have help." They haven't asked for a new set of dishes or towels or sheets that match. They've been thankful and grateful to just get enough to get by.

Are there people that feel entitled to food, clothing, shelter and other assistance? Absolutely! Try taking all of that away from your family for a few weeks and see if you begin to feel like you should be entitled to it too.

And, yeah, yeah...I know there are chronic abusers...I've met a few. I am by no means excusing their laziness or brazen expectations for it to just be handed to them. I'm just hinting at this idea that maybe instead of making blanket statements about the thousands of poor in America (or billions around the world)...might it be more beneficial to sit down with them and find out why they have these behaviors and attitudes?

But see...that's the hard part isn't it? Actually entering into someone's life...messy life...is exactly what we try to avoid. But there is no shirking the responsibility that it is exactly what God calls us to do and Jesus lived out!

James, doesn't let this go and I don't want to either...if we claim to be Jesus followers, in our culture that's called a Christian, then James says our works will put feet to our faith. If we don't have works that match our faith then we are no better than the demons who believe in God. Oh wait! At least "the demons also believe and shudder." (James 2:19, emphasis mine) I've heard a lot of Christians use this passage against people who say they "believe" in a god but live lives contradictory to the Bible's teachings. Interestingly enough, it was actually written to Christians that said they had faith and had no works to back it up. Yes, the ones who were dishonoring the poor!

Is it maybe time for us to start doing some shuddering too?

My loving Abba, I am ashamed at the people we have become! Myself included! We are more concerned about our own comfort...our own toys...our own gluttonous "needs"...that we are more than willing to dishonor the poor with our words of accusation or judgment and our condemnation than we are to cry out for mercy, justice and love on their behalf. How patient and merciful You have been with us! May we never, ever stop looking in the mirror and remembering "what kind of person" we were! (James 1:24) Or maybe the person we would still be if not for your unconditional, undeserved Love! When we are tempted to wade into the filth and wickedness of this age and accuse people who do not know You of not living up to standards that we somehow, miraculously expect them to just understand and live by...may we shut our mouths...close up our keyboards and instead open up Your Word and our hearts to hearing how much YOU love them and want us to as well. May our anger and fear at what appears to be "unfair", "unjust" and "unequal" not drive us to social media and rants about political positions...but instead, may we be driven to our knees to intercede on behalf of the billions who are dying without the knowledge of an Abba who loves them without any limits. And when we've been on our knees long enough to have our hearts broken for the poor, the widow, the sick, the imprisoned, the orphan, the destitute and the outcast and yes...the clueless...in the same way that Your heart has been broken...may we rise up to become the people that you created us to be...a people that is known by our Love for one another. Lord, through your servant James, You have told us that 'blessing Your name and cursing men who have been made in Your likeness' should never come from the same mouth (James 3:9-10). Lord, may it not be so! Instead give us mouths full of praise for You and edification, mercy, hope and love for others. For we know there is no where else in this world they will find these but in You.

Amen!

After this...you may unfriend me. That's okay, if you feel the need to differ with my convictions. Eventually, the only posts that may come up on my Facebook news feed will be photos of grandkids, puppy dogs and cutesy little sayings about rainbows and butterflies. Actually...I'm okay with that too.