More Thoughts On Pride

I never cease to be amazed at how the Holy Spirit puts lessons and wisdom together for me. After I posted a few days ago regarding pride, I've been asking myself, "If Paul writes that it is good to boast of our weaknesses, (see 2 Corinthians 11:30) then how do I remain humble?"

I want to glorify God and shout to the nations of His Love and amazing works...but how do I remember that it has nothing to do with me?

As I have been asking myself these questions, I remembered two things that recently happened. Of course  they fit perfectly into His teaching regarding pride.

The first, was that sometimes in our family, we belly laugh so hard that it embarrasses another member of the family. Laughter is good medicine. In fact, more and more research suggests just how potent it is. On occasion, the thing that makes our children laugh most is their parents' laughter. It occurred to me that taking myself too seriously could potentially even be unhealthy.

So I determined that I should strive to do one thing every day to embarrass myself...and hopefully my kids too!

Now, I don't want to be obscene or rude, demanding or unfeeling...but if singing a little louder in church, or doing a quick shimmy in the grocery store when an 80s song comes on helps me remember my place in life...then shake on baby!

The second thing that happened was that when I recently spoke in our women's Bible study, I did not allow myself to color my hair prior to speaking. I have been in desperate need of covering my gray, but throughout the preparation was hyper-aware that I should not touch up the color. I knew this was God reminding me to be authenticate. In fact, I did not want to purchase anything new to wear either...but was deeply concerned that the older women in our group could find offense from my holey...not holy...jeans. Funny thing though...I went to the Gap Outlet to get them as cheaply as I could and tried on six pairs before I could find one without strategically placed holes. Who knew simple living and humility could be trendy?!

Then today in my study, author Mary Englund Murphy described three different types of servants in the church. While I won't transcribe it all here, I was reminded that there are certain jobs that I have not sought out because they don't appeal to me.

Yes...there is the pride that still needs rooted out.

So today, I need to sign up for a job that I abhor and do it with love, compassion and joy.

After all my Saviour went through for me and the embarrassing lengths to which He would go to have relationship with me...there should never be any task below my station in life, should there?

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.

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

The Only Question That Matters

I am almost nauseous as I write this post. It's the same feeling I had when I first learned of the proposed debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham. I have tried to avoid any commentary in any form on the internet, and I've told only a couple of people who know me best how I felt about the debate. I know that putting my "opinion" out there will no doubt alienate some faction of people I call friends.

I have very far left and very far right friends and I think that this article summed up best how the polar opposites are not where a vast majority of people fall. I am part of that section of the general populous. I fall at neither extreme on the continuum.

Yet, I know many people who view all things as black or white that will find me "wishy washy" or "noncommittal" or worst of all "afraid to stand up for what you believe". But actually, this post is my version of "standing up". That's precisely why I'm a little nauseous. 

I don't want to be attacked or alienated any more than the next guy. Miscommunication and misunderstandings abound on both sides of this issue and I do not wish to contribute to the foray. 

Yet...there was something that came about as a result of the debate that I felt compelled to address. If you look at my blogging for today, you will see that this is the third post for this date. Honestly, the first two were just a tactic to avoid this one. Yes, I'm sort of a wimp and I don't relish the comments I know that could result from this post.

But here's what I know: There were two articles after the debate that sparked something in me that just has to be addressed...if for no one else's sake than my own.

The first was entitled 22 Messages from Creationists to People Who Believe in Evolution. I even know one of the ladies in one of the photos and I love her dearly. I saw the article posted to her Facebook wall. That's how some of my friends lean to the right. 

The second article was entitled Answers for Creationists. And yes, this article was posted by one of my friends, among many, that lean to the left.

Here was my thought after reading the first article: If I had been there and had been given the chance to pose such a question, what would I have asked?

This is what immediately came to mind:

After all...isn't this the only question that begs asking?

Isn't this what the entire Bible is asking us to come to terms with?

Isn't this the question that as believers in a Messiah that died so that each of us might have life...and a life that is whole and complete in Him...the primary and essential question that we should ask of everyone?

But sadly, when we focus on what separates us from one another...the One thing we all have in common gets scuttled off to the fringes. The One thing that should be our absolute heartbeat, becomes an annotation to a footnote of an index in the margins. The One Person we should be carrying forth before us and shining out to the nations becomes a dim glimmer of the Hope we were commanded to give to a lost and dying world.

To be fair, I did not watch any of the debate, even though it took place less than five miles from my home. Frankly, I didn't want to risk a lowered opinion of either side. So for all I know, Ken Ham spent three hours telling the world that God loves them ferociously and went to the point of dying on a cross so that He could have relationship with each of us. And if he did...then kudos to him! But for myself...and only speaking for myself...the platform that I am commanded to stand upon is One of Love...Absolute Love.

That is my starting point. There is no other platform upon which I care to stand. [Again...I speak for myself only!]

So call me wishy-washy or non-committal because from your perspective it may be true. But now...after having fought through the nauseousness and overcoming my fear and as soon as I push the "Publish" button...no matter how trepidacious I may be about doing it...no one can say I don't stand up for what I believe.

I just did!

I Think She Gets a Bad Rap: Sarah, (Conclusion)

If you've waded this far through this series of posts about Sarah, you'll already know that I've had a change of opinion regarding this woman of faith. If you've not read the previous posts, then you have my permission to back out of this one. Should you choose to proceed, here are the links to the other posts:
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

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I concluded the third one by asking, "what's the big deal and why should it matter to me so much?"

Honestly, I don't know why this struck a chord with me. Maybe I was just looking for a way to fill up several hours of my time during the Christmas rush. Possibly.

I really think there's something here though, and I can't exactly put my finger on the full meaning of it. I just know I was "wow-ed", for lack of a better term, by the thought that all of the preconceptions we have been taught about Sarah may not be accurate.

Oh, yes, the facts are still the same...but the nuances as to why she gave Hagar to Abram and why she laughed might have been lost all these many thousands of years later. Are we willing to admit that we really don't understand much about ancient Eastern cultures of that time? Can we recognize that they may not have even pitched their tents on the same acre of land...thus, not even sharing the same tent (common of that time)...and that Sarah's possible isolation would have grown even more as Ishmael grew up strong and sure, ready to inherit Sarah's world should Abraham pass away?

Yep...all of that is not only possible...but very likely. Here's the thing: Although the culture, interactions and customs are vastly different...the human condition is not. And the truly blessed fact is that God has not changed.

The God that did not remove the blessing because of Ishmael, nor when either Abraham or Sarah laughed...is the same God that keeps drawing us to Him inch by beautiful inch until we are not only willing...but capable of receiving the blessings He has for us. God Incarnate, Jesus, as we were told to call Him, came to do precisely that...draw people out of the empty, barren land of their souls...breath by breath...into the fertile life of knowing and accepting His love.

Do we mess up? Yes
Do we take matters into our own hands? Absolutely
Do the consequences sting for years to come? You betcha

But sometimes, we only have enough Light to move forward to the place where we "think" He's leading us. I'd sure hate to think that centuries or millennia later someone would look at my life and say, "Why in the heck did she do that when all she had to do was wait on God?" That's not exactly fair for the one with all the information to judge.

No. I've begun to see Sarah for the woman she was, not the woman I've been taught she should have been. She had limited knowledge, a limited uterus and a husband who on more than one occasion asked her to lie to protect his own skin. How can I piously assert that I would have somehow been able to wait better than she? I can't.

And this gives me hope. Hope that an extremely flawed, limited-brained, plowing-ahead-without-all-of-the-facts-up-front person such as myself still has a glimmer of hope to one day hear my Savior say that He found me faithful. Since He's the only One in possession of all the facts, isn't He the only One I should be attempting to impress anyway?

I Think She Gets a Bad Rap: Sarai/Sarah, (Part 3)

At this point, if you haven't read parts 1 and 2, this post will make absolutely no sense to you. Thus, I encourage you to read them before proceeding here. (Link to Part 1 and Link to Part 2)
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I hope you took the time to read Genesis 16. If we keep in mind that in Ancient Eastern cultures, when a woman could not bear sons...or any children for that matter...she was considered cursed, judged unworthy or guilty of some hidden sin and for all practical purposes, could be disposed of in favor of a woman that would produce sons...is it any wonder that Sarai gave her servant, Hagar, to Abram to conceive a son for him?

I once saw a rather good movie portrayal of this story of Abraham and Sarah. In it, Hagar sat upon Sarai's knees as she birthed her child. I have heard of this in other places and found this commentary that describes the ancient practice. As it points out, we do not know this practice was carried out, but neither do we know that it wasn't. How it was done really is not the point...why is huge though.

Abram and Sarai had lived in Canaan for 10 years by now and no children also meant no one to inherit Abram's massive wealth. Sarai's biological clock was ticking...loudly. If you've ever known someone that struggles with infertility or perhaps you yourself have...you know of what I speak. It becomes all-consuming. Everything is filtered through the ongoing process of how to conceive. What trick, what remedy, what calendar, what doctor, what donor...will finally work.

Abram and Sarai were not only well beyond the normal years for conceiving a child, they did not have access to all the information and possibilities we have today. I think if I were there and she had asked my advice, I probably would have approved of her course of action. And that is not to say I do not have faith. God, up to this point, promised Abram, the child would come from his body. Unless there was information not recorded for us to be privy to, Sarai still had no such promise.

Yet, every Bible study, commentary, sermon and conversation I've ever come across essentially utters this common "If only".

If only Sarai hadn't taken matters into her own hands.

I hope you're beginning to sense that just within the last week, I've stopped viewing Sarai this way. I think she did the best she knew how to do with the information and circumstances she had at her disposal. We also are never told in any part of Scripture that Sarai had a change of heart and repented for her presumed unbelief. So why does God point to her as a pillar of faith in Hebrews 11? Is it possible that God did not view her actions as evidence of unbelief?

We find out in Genesis 16 that Sarai's regret over her actions and Hagar's haughtiness combine for a volatile cocktail that almost destroys Hagar. Yet God still has a plan for His purposes when we miss the mark of His perfect path for us. In Genesis 17, God institutes the ceremony of circumcision as an outward sign that Abram (now to be called Abraham) and his entire household are to be set apart. Did you just pick up on the beautiful nugget that only Abraham and Ishmael would have been among those we would now consider "the Chosen people of God"? Only those two had Abraham's blood flowing through them and Jews and Christians alike do not consider Ishmael as part of the promise. Yet from the beginning, God's covenant was inclusive for all who would follow Him...be they foreigner acquired into the family, servant or slave. Make no mistake, Abraham had a very eclectic mix of Middle Eastern ethnicities in his household...and every man was circumcised.

This same chapter is when Sarai becomes Sarah...'"princess". Also, for the first time, God states, "I will bless her and surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of many nations; kings of peoples will come from her." (verses 15-16) And there it is in verse 17, Abraham laughs and says to himself, 'How can a 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman have a child?' He goes on to ask God to bless Ishmael. I don't know why. Obviously, over the 13 years since his birth, he had educated and cultivated his son to be his heir. It only seems natural since God never intervened and chastised Abram and Sarai for the Hagar incident. Up until this time, they could honestly assume Ishmael was the one.

In Chapter 18, we have the infamous interaction between God, Abraham and the two angels on their way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. But tucked in this passage is the just-as-famous laughter of Sarah. Keep in mind, we still have no recorded interaction that Abraham told Sarah what God had previously said. Wouldn't most husbands protect their wives from such building up of her hopes? I don't know if he had told her or not. We only know that when she heard it from the very lips of God...after the 13 year daily reminder, living and growing before her that her ovaries and uterus were defective and Hagar's were not...she laughed!

I think this laugh, in and of itself, is not the evidence of Sarah's lack of faith. No...I believe this laugh is proof that there was still an ember of hope. How many people do you know that after 23 years of infertility could still laugh at such a comment? (And actually, Sarah's had lasted for several more decades than this!) Most people I know, myself included, if it were me, would find the bitterness palpable, the rage constantly just under the surface and the angst ready to be rung from your soul at any moment. I'm afraid that to place myself in her sandals means I probably would have exploded and let the Creator of the universe "have it". Don't piously deny that you wouldn't have done the same. Remember, to this point, Sarah has never heard about any of the promises directly from God and we have no recorded proof that Abraham had ever told her.

Certainly...God calls her out on the laughter and asks Abraham, 'Why did she laugh?' And at this point Sarah, 'is afraid, lies and says she didn't laugh.' Trusting that the God who said He is the same, "yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) is just as loving, gracious and merciful then as He is now...without a hint of disappointment or condemnation in His Voice, but with a beautiful gleam in His eye says, 'Oh yes you will, young lady...this time next year, you'll have a son. If I can speak a whole world into existence, this is a piece of cake.'

Okay, that's how I imagine Him saying it, but the theme is the same: No chastising...just loving affirmation.

So three posts later, what's the big deal and why should it matter to me so much?

Come back for the conclusion soon.

I Think She Gets a Bad Rap: Sarai (Part 2)

I began the first part of this post by laying out some common knowledge amongst Christians regarding Abraham and Sarah. I am fully aware that this couple also play large roles in Judaism and Islam, but I am not familiar with the specific details of how each of these religions view their spiritual ancestors. Although I could make assumptions regarding both, I am choosing not to so as not to show my ignorance in these religions.

No, for my purposes, I am speaking to those of us raised in the Christian church or at least have been there long enough to have some common knowledge about the Patriarch of God's people and his spouse. If you haven't already read the first post on this topic, you should, otherwise the points I'm about to make will probably seem...well...pointless to you.

(For part 1, click here)

What I'd like to do in this post is bring forth a few observations that for some reason struck me for the very first time as I read the Genesis accounting of Abraham recently. These observations led me to ask a few questions and look at Sarah from an entirely different perspective...a much more favorable one than I confess I've had in the past. I will also share that my study came from the New American Standard Bible and unless something has been lost in translation, I believe them to be accurate.

• Genesis 11:30, we learn for the first time that Sarai, Abram's (aka Abraham) wife is barren
• Chapter 12, verses 1-3 indicate the first recorded time God spoke to Abram and promised he would be a great nation. The promise includes that those who bless Abram will be blessed and those who curse Abram will be cursed. "So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him..." (Genesis 12:4)
• In said promise, there is no mention of how God will accomplish this. Abram's moving from Haran and setting out for Canaan is interpreted by most as belief in God's promise, but we are not told this specifically.
• Chapter 12, verse 7, God appears to Abram and says, "To your descendants I will give this land." Emphasis mine, because this is the first recorded mention of the land belonging to Abram's descendants.
• Verses 10-20 record a lack of faith on the part of Abram. There is a famine in Canaan, Abram and his entourage head off to Egypt in order to survive. But apparently, a woman we would now consider elderly, Sarai is so beautiful, Abram fears the Pharaoh will take her as a wife and kill Abram. He instructs Sarai to speak a "half-truth" saying she is Abram's sister (they really were half-siblings). Pharaoh gives Abram a lot of loot, including servants (could this be when they acquired Hagar?) because of Sarai. We are not told that Pharaoh ever sleeps with Sarai, but it would not have been out of practice to do so. Regardless of how Sarai was treated, Pharaoh's household is struck with "plagues", and he knows it's all Abram's fault. Thus, he has them escorted away.
• The last bullet point proves that Abram's faith was a bit shaky because how could you believe the promise of God and yet fear for your life. Keep in mind, up to this point, we have never been told that Abram believed God. Genesis 12:7 says Abram built an altar because God appeared to him, not because he believed Him.
• Chapter 13 tells how Abram and his nephew, Lot, amicably part ways because their farming operations had become so vast that the land could not support both of them any longer. After Lot separated from Abram, God reveals even more of the promise to Abram: All the land he could see, as far as he could look, would belong to Abram's descendants who will be too numerous to count.
• When we skip forward to Chapter 15, this is the first time God spells out for Abram, your servant won't be your heir. No...it will be "one who will come forth from your own body..." (verse 4) I would like to point out, this still does not stress that Sarai will be the mother of this heir.
• At this point, God takes Abram outside and says just as he can't number the stars, neither will Abram's descendants be countable. Verse 6 of chapter 15 is the first place it specifies, "Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." Yes, the emphasis is mine. But I believe that little word, "then", is there because this is the very first time Abram actually believed God's promise...particularly the part about the heir coming from Abram himself.
• Even though we're told Abram believed, he still asks God, "how may I know that I will possess (the land)?" God then does something no other god has done...He "cuts covenant" with Abram...a man. The full sacrifice is described in Genesis 15:9-21, but essentially God passed between the sacrifice to show His commitment...His covenant...(contract) with Abram. This ritual in that day usually consisted of both parties passing between the sacrifice, but in this context, the entire covenant depended upon God, not Abram. Thus, only God passed through.

I hope you've already picked up on this huge point I'd like to make: No where is it written that Sarai knew about any of this. We are placing our Western assumptions upon their marriage that she knew everything her husband experienced. Also in no place recorded, has God as of yet declared that Sarai would be the bearer of this heir of Abram's.

Keeping this in mind, can we cut Sarai a little slack for what she does in Chapter 16?

Read this chapter in Genesis and come back soon for some thoughts on Sarai's desperate actions.

I Think She Gets a Bad Rap: Sarai (Part 1)

When I say the names Abram and Sarai or Abraham and Sarah, if you've been in a church for very long at all, a few nuggets of their story quickly jump to the surface of your recollections.

• Abram was later called Abraham; Sarai later named Sarah
• God promised Abraham would be the father of many nations
• Sarah tried to create a "shortcut" to this promise by giving Abraham her servant, Hagar, to produce an heir through her.
• This obviously created tension between the two women and the sons of Ishmael and the sons of Isaac still war to this day.
• Sarah had the first recorded LOL (laugh out loud) when God, in person, suggested to Abraham that within a year's time of His visit, Isaac (which means "he laughs") would be born.
• God sealed His covenant with Abraham through the outward sign of circumcision.

Now, I'm not here to debate whether the validity of any of things are true or not. Each of these bullet points are "true". Through my lifelong upbringing in the church though, I have been tainted to believe that both Abraham, and particularly Sarah, attempted to "take matters into their own hands" and we all pay for the consequences ever since. I've also been led to believe that Sarah's laugh was an indication that she didn't fully embrace the previous prophecies of her conceiving and carrying the heir herself.

In other words, I've been taught to believe that although God indicates Abraham and Sarah had profound faith (see Hebrews 11), we can take great comfort in the knowledge that they were not perfect and also doubted, at times, the promise God gave them of an heir. While I do not disagree that Abraham and Sarah were not perfect, a fresh reading of these passages this week has led me to believe that maybe we've passed too much judgment upon them because we have the hindsight that they were not blessed with having. Maybe we shouldn't think of Abraham as being led astray by his wife and should instead place ourselves in the culture and understand the desperation they may have felt.

In other words, maybe if we read this story of a husband and wife in the ancient Eastern context in which it occurred and also read it as if the whole thing is unfolding for the first time before our very eyes, we will be able to cut them some proverbial slack and see them for the huge pillars of faith they really are. Actually, maybe I'm the only one that has doubted Sarah's faith. I could just never reconcile how a woman who handed off her handmaid for sex with her husband and then later chased the woman away, could be seen as this exemplary model of faith.

Well, that is, I couldn't until I read the Genesis account again this week.

Attempting to put all of this into one post was proving to be a very long post. Come back for part 2, soon.

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!

"Yes, but what did he Do?

Today was another excellent session in the Beth Moore Believing God Bible study that I attend. She spoke primarily from Ephesians 1, which not coincidentally was the topic for our speaker during co-op last week. Last Friday, when I heard Michelle talk about learning to feel chosen and accepted, I shared again one of my favorite posts about just that... being chosen. Today Moore reinforced that I am also blessed, adopted, accepted, redeemed and forgiven. This internal work is obviously where God wants my undivided attention. I do not believe it can become any more obvious without a literal banner dropping from the sky.

Then during our small group time, my table chose to discuss Enoch. We don't know much about Enoch other than 'he walked with God and then was no more because, God took him.' One of the ladies in our group instinctively asked, "Yes...but what did he do?"

And once again, I was overcome with the awesomely awesome reality that I don't have to do anything. I said as much regarding Enoch and the lesson I am currently learning. We apparently don't have to do anything to walk with God. The woman who posed the question replied, "And isn't that beautiful?"

Why yes...yes it is.

Sad to See it Happen

Friday afternoon, I called my mom regarding a simple question. She said, "I guess you've had the TV on, right?" I hadn't. She proceeded to tell me about the school shooting that took place in Newtown, Connecticut. I literally felt sick to my stomach. This is a more recent experience for me. As God breaks my heart for the things that break His, I have come to feel almost nauseous when faced with great evil.

Unfortunately, the nausea continued as I began scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed.

After last Friday's events in Connecticut, social media naturally lit up with comment after comment. Some expressed grief, many expressed thoughts and prayers for the victims and community but too many waded into the fray of comments that just should not have been made. I was at first angered...now, I'm mostly sad.

By Friday evening, I considered complete abstinence from Facebook for a week or so...but I have hesitantly continued to read through posts regarding the shooting deaths. Whether you want guns or want them destroyed...want prayer in schools or think no mention of God should ever cross the threshold of a public education facility...want to blame evil on the violence on TV and video games, lack of appropriate parenting, lack of mental health treatment, lack of support for the parents that have children with mental health issues...etc, etc, etc. Can I just be maybe the one person who says, "This is not what needs to be shared during this time!"?

Can we stop grinding our axes and just remember that "every inclination in the human heart is evil" (Genesis 8:21)? Stop blaming one faction or another. Stop tearing apart the side that doesn't agree with you. Stop walking right into the camp of the enemy and allowing him to build walls that are increasingly higher and higher between those that call themselves Christians and those that don't.

What should we say? What should we share?

Love...pure and simple.

Love will cause you to cry with the victims and grieve for the offender too. Love will make you wish to 'gather them up like a hen with her chicks' under her wings.' (Luke 13:34) Love will help you be quick to listen to those you don't agree with, slow to speak the wrong word and possibly even slower to express anger and things at people you don't understand. (James 1:19). Love will give you a "garment of praise instead of despair." (Isaiah 61:3) And because of your hope-filled Love, you will be asked to "give a reason" (I Peter 3:15) which will bless you with an opportunity to once again...you guessed it...share Love!

There were a whole lot of things I've been wanting to say or reply and I even shared a couple of the more frustrating comments I saw with my husband. But I knew the best thing I could do was to hold off and wait for God's response...not mine! And this morning...I heard it...this song. I've actually heard it in my head a lot this weekend, but was thankful that God's Spirit gave it to me one more time this morning...just to make the point to me again.

What do we (I) need to say when evil seems to prevail and so many are seeking answers? Really the only thing I can say is the one and only thing that will matter in the end. What will be there in the end? Will it be guns or no guns, home school or public education, happy TV shows or violent ones, good or bad or no mental healthcare? No...the only thing that will be there in the end is "Oceans and oceans of Love and Love again."

I've shared this before, but although the video itself is not that great, the songs and words are truth. Listen to it and bask in His Love...that's right where He wants us anyway!

Being vs. Doing

Just the other day I had this thought: "Maybe the reason we as Jesus followers miss the mark of what He desires for us is because we're so busy doing instead of being." A few days later, I read some very similar thoughts in Repenting of Religion...he just says it a lot better than I can.

If you've been reading any of my recent posts (see "All We Need is...") you'll remember that the subtitle of this book is "Turning From Judgment to the Love of God". Gregory Boyd, the author, has spent many pages so far explaining how far we have fallen from God's perfect ideal for us. He also goes into a lot of detail discussing just exactly what lay at the heart of the Original Sin (see Genesis 2-3). You see, it wasn't just called the Tree of the Knowledge of Evil that stood in the middle of Eden. It was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Ever since that day, every single one of us humans have eaten from that fruit...every time we measure anyone...even ourselves by any measuring stick other than measuring by the Love of God.

With this sin (known as "The Fall" of mankind), came not only evil into this world, but also a sort of veil (interestingly, it consists of the exact same letters as evil!). We are told in I Corinthians 13 that we now see as if we're looking into a dim mirror. I've made numerous references on this blog to things such as "The glory of God is man fully alive" (Sara Groves song line) and Brennan Manning's observation that perhaps the greatest dichotomy in the church today is not between liberal and conservative, pro-life or pro-choice, but rather those that are awake and those that are asleep. Have you ever experienced the feeling of 'scales falling from your eyes', 'the clouds parting' and everything making sense? That's what I'm talking about. I've even said that it feels like I'm being re-wired...which is basically what He is doing.

And this week, I read the following and one more piece of the puzzle fell into place:

"It's important to notice that the serpent didn't promise Eve something she didn't already have. This too is an aspect of all that blocks love and thus constitutes sin. The serpent promised Eve that she could be "like God." Yet she and Adam were already made in the very image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26-27). The craftiness of the serpent is found in his cunning ability to make Eve think she had to become what she in fact already was. How else could he tempt a person who already had all she would ever need? The serpent convinced Eve that her life had to be found in doing rather than simple being. He convinced her to break fellowship with God in order to possess the very thing God had already given her for free: her being "the image and likeness of God."

"Had Eve remained in union with God, had she rejected the Accuser's lie about God, the serpent's promise that she could become like God would have been utterly vacuous. She would have remained in the peace of knowing that she already reflected God's image and was full because of the unsurpassable worth God continually poured into her. Going beyond the "No Trespassing' sign would not have seemed desirable to her.

"Only when she accepted the lie and forgot who she was did the promise of becoming like God take on any significance. Rejecting the truth that she was already in God's likeness, she blocked out the love that made her in his likeness. Then, instead of living life out of the fullness of who she already was, dependent upon God, Eve chose to try to become in God's likeness by acting out of her emptiness, independent of God. Her life, and the life of her descendants, would from that time on consist of futilely chasing what God had always intended to give us for free." (bold words, my emphasis)

It's lengthy, I know, but what I don't want you to miss is just a few lines up...the "fullness of who she already was (a being verb)" she gave up because she "chose to try to become" (to try is an action verb).

Could we agree that this pretty much sums up our culture? Just take a look around you...everyone striving to become. I even think of kids. When they are just "being" (sleeping, eating, reading, playing, working) there is peace, contentment, even joy. But when they start "doing"...grasping at something that will fill a void (power or being the "top dog"; greediness or lack of sharing; territorial possession or "that's mine" syndrome) that's when fighting, jealousy, and general nastiness ensue. Are we really anything more than just grown up kids?

And here's what my experience has taught me: In the past, when I was involved in too many things to count at church...they were good things and probably ministered to others. But when someone needed something "extra" from me (childcare, a meal, a listening friend, a need to give up "my" time) I dreaded it...even resented it at times because I had nothing left to give. I was too busy doing.

Then a few years ago, I felt led by the Holy Spirit to give almost everything up and to just start "being" His child. Those weren't my exact thoughts, but I know now that's what He was leading me to. My life may actually look like it's pretty boring to most. I'm sure it appears that I don't do much...I've even been told before that I'm a gifted person not using my gifts. But just this week I've had two opportunities to do rather than be (and both good things!)...a nursing home visit where we would have sung Christmas Carols and a chance to serve at Lifeline last night. But I felt led to pull out of both of these because it had already been an overwhelmingly busy week. I knew I could proceed and feel overtaxed, stressed and yet, still feel a sense of accomplishment in having served. But who has God asked me to be? Who is He leading me to become?

He's led me to a place where He wants me to be focused on single moms and their families and often that is a form of service that I can't schedule or plan. Over the last couple of weeks, that's meant some impromptu forms of service for which I wouldn't have the mental or physical energy if I was too busy "doing" these other good things.

Enough rambling! Maybe I just wanted to remind you (or more importantly, Holy Spirit wants to remind you!) that during this season...probably the busiest season of the year...in the midst of all of your doing...take some time to slow down and ask Him whom He already created you to be!

Mentioned in this post:

I've Taken a Few Days to Chew on This

...but I think it's time to process some more through writing...my favorite form of processing and analyzing (also spares my husband the verbal processing too!). If you don't mind a bit of a ramble that may follow a few rabbit trails...come along for the ride.

I make it sound so pleasurable and fun, don't I? Problem is, when Holy Spirit began whispering this to me on Sunday, I sort of put it on the back burner because this was a lot to swallow. But God is persistent and I'm so thankful He is. While this isn't a fully formed idea yet...and I don't think I'll ever completely reach the depth of what He's saying...no...what He's asking, this is a lesson I need to grasp and I need to grasp quickly and wholeheartedly.

Just look back over that last paragraph at all of the emphases. I told you this was a ride, didn't I?

Here goes!

Sunday, I finished marking the book of Galatians for the inductive Bible study that I'm doing on my own. In my Previous Post of the same name, I mentioned Paul's theme of works versus grace or Law versus faith in Jesus as the only way by which we are redeemed. If you're new to some of this lingo, the simplest way to think of redemption or to be redeemed is exactly what the dictionary says: "to buy or pay off; clear by payment". The death of Jesus the Messiah paid for me, you and everyone that has ever lived. It was a one-time-for-all purchase.

The word grace is a little trickier. There are a lot of definitions for this one, but the two applicable ones are these: "a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior" and "mercy; clemency; pardon". The reason I say this word is "trickier" is because this is the one word that I have seen trip up grown men and children alike. This is the word that our finite, limited human brains, truly cannot grasp. After all, why would the Creator of the universe, put on a lowly human form, come to Earth, take on all of the sin that ever did and ever will exist and die a criminal's death so that all we have to do is say that  we "believe" (remember, that means to "put our trust with" Him!) and then everything is washed away so now we can go live with Him forever in Heaven? Only He can answer that one. Then again, maybe we are making this message too simple? [Stay with me!]

Here's where I got stuck in Galatians: "Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ." (Galatians 6:12)

Now, I know most non-Jewish people in the Western world think of circumcision more as just something you do or have done because your doctor told you so, it's more hygienic or because that's just the accepted practice. So don't get hung up on the word circumcised. Please allow me a little leeway to try to bring this into the context of our churches in the American culture. Here's a few possibilities:
"Those who desire to make a good showing (to their church boards) (general superintendents) (missionary board) (church growth subcommittee) try to compel you to (wear certain clothing) (observe certain rules about appearance) (never drink alcohol) (quit smoking the minute you become a Christian) (badger your non-believing husband into coming to church with you) (knock on doors and pass out tracts with steps for salvation) (serve on 6 committees/boards/special programs) (never miss a day of church) (give "sacrificially" to a new multi-million dollar facility) so they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ."

Have I stepped on anyone else's toes besides mine yet? If you don't hate me now...keep reading!

I am thankful for an amazing God who doesn't just leave me hanging there!!! As I'm chewing on this for two days, He prompts a friend to return a book to me that I haven't had for awhile. He then prompts me on Monday to pick it up and start re-reading it (I think for about the fifth time now...it's that good!). Tuesday morning, in Radical by David Platt, here's what I read:

"The gospel reveals eternal realities about God that we would sometimes rather not face. We prefer to sit back, enjoy our cliches, and picture God as a Father who might help us, all the while ignoring God as a Judge who might damn us. Maybe this is why we fill our lives with the constant drivel of entertainment in our culture--and in our church. We are afraid that if we stop and really look at God in his Word, we might discover that He evokes greater awe and demands deeper worship than we are ready to give Him."

Yes, I wrote in the margin "Ouch!"

Platt goes on: "But this is just the point. We are not ready to give Him what He asks for because our hearts are set against Him. God's revelation in the gospel not only reveals who He is, but it also reveals who we are."

After I read through the next section entitled "Who We Really Are", I wrote this: "Warning! This is raw stuff". I wish I could reprint it all here...but to do so is most likely illegal and would therefore fly in the face of any credibility I'm attempting to have in regard to this topic. I'll attempt to summarize, but by no means can do justice to this message. There are some hard-hitting, yet Biblical realities that I'm not sure we're all ready to hear. Maybe the more accurate observation is that we can't hear them...because to listen to the true Jesus of the Bible is just as scandalous in our American churches today as it was over 2000 years ago in the Middle East. But these are some of the things Platt writes that had me in tears by the end of the section:

"We are each born with an evil, God-hating heart." (reference Genesis 8:21 and  Luke 11:13)

"Many people say, "Well, I have always loved God," but the reality is, no one has. We may have loved a god that we made up in our minds, but the God of the Bible, we hate."

"Everything in all creation responds in obedience to the Creator...until we get to you and me. We have the audacity to look God in the face and say, 'No.'"

"The gospel confronts us with the hopelessness of our sinful condition. But we don't like what we see of ourselves in the gospel so we shrink back from it. We live in a land of self-improvement. Certainly there are steps we can take to make ourselves better. So we modify what the gospel says about us." (emphasis mine)

"We are not evil, we think, and certainly not spiritually dead. Haven't you heard of the power of positive thinking? I can become a better me and experience my best life now. That's why God is there--to make that happen. My life is not going right, but God loves me and has a plan to fix my life. I simply need to follow certain steps, think certain things, and check off certain boxes, and then I am good."

I have to stop quoting before I get sued! But I desperately want to print more. As "in your face" as this is, this book is flying off of bookshelves, being studied and preached about in hundreds of congregations all over the country...can we assume that people are finally exasperatedly exhausted of our American version of  "do-it-yourself" religion?

Platt continues that our diagnosis and our conclusion to actually "do-it-yourself" fits in very nicely with a culture where self-sufficiency, self-esteem, self-confidence, self-discipline...self, self, self...are highly praised, rewarded and even exalted. Isn't this why the poor are looked down upon? After all, in America...we all have the same opportunities for education, working hard, living right and pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps so anyone can be successful if they just set their mind to it. If you believe that, then you're not going to like me very much when I tell you that's a bunch of hooey! Why?

Platt puts it best: "Meanwhile, the biblical gospel says, "You are an enemy of God, dead in your sin, and in your present state of rebellion, you are not even able to see that you need life, much less to cause yourself to come to life. Therefore, you are radically dependent on God to do something in your life that you could never do." (obviously, emphasis mine!)

Chew on this! Please!

• Do you see that that person who's only ever known abuse and neglect can't possibly get out of that awful relationship because they do not even see that they need life, much less deserve it?
• Do we fully grasp that the drug, alcohol, gossip. slander or sex addict can't possibly stop on their own no matter how many steps they complete without a God who reminds them that they are loved with a boundless love so they are worth giving up that addiction and letting Him satisfy all of the voids they're trying to fill.
• Do we "get" that the chronic welfare recipient doesn't understand that there is another way of life because not only were the educational and financial opportunities unavailable and welfare is all they know...but no one has ever introduced them to the God who says, "You are worth a price more valuable than any government program could ever offer you. You were worth my very life."
• And last, do we trust the Holy Spirit of the God who created everything and everyone to grow them in His time and in His way? Yes, they will stumble...as do we all. Yes, they will return to the comfort of what they know...as do we all. Yes, they may take steps more slowly than our agenda would allow...but growing at God's speed, instead of ours...is the only way they'll even make it to the finish line.

When we begin to grasp this, Platt writes, "Now we are getting to the beauty of the gospel."

I would add...Now we're getting to where there is true freedom in Christ...not some pasted on smile while you're dying inside kind of freedom...but the kind of freedom where you're so downright giddy, people wonder what you've been drinking...the kind of freedom that leaves you breathless when God disciplines (remember, it means simply "to teach") and brings you face-to-face with the ugliness and depravity of your heart and yet, lovingly He says, "C'mon Angela...let Me show you how to change this...you've been trying on your own long enough!"...the kind of freedom that leaves you standing (or sometimes sprawled out on the floor) in awe of a Creator that was nailed to a cross and drank the entire cup of God's wrath so that I can be weightless,  "soar on wings like eagles" and "run and not grow weary" (Isaiah 40:31) Isn't that a gospel that's worth becoming radical about?!

And here's where we come back to what He's asking. You see, if all we have to do is "believe" then is there really any cost? But Jesus said we have to take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 10:38) so He must have thought it was going to cost us something. That's why I said previously, "maybe we are making the gospel too easy". I guess, the gospel is easy because Jesus does all the work...but it will cost us everything. To teach anything less is not teaching the Truth of who Jesus is and what He demands of us. Now ask yourself, is that the kind of gospel we routinely hear in America today? Something else for you to chew on!

As if Platt's book weren't enough, today in Jesus Calling, I read: "This is the age of self-help. Bookstores abound with books about "taking care of number one,"making oneself the center of all things. The main goal of these methodologies is to become self-sufficient and confident. You, however, have been called to take a "road less traveled": continual dependence on Me. True confidence comes from knowing you are complete in My Presence. Everything you need has its counterpart in Me."

Do you think He's trying to remind me of something? I pray I say this humbly and it is received that way: this time...I don't think I'm the only one He's talking to.

What are you trying to fix yourself? What plans are you trying to make happen? What 5 year goal are you striving for that may never have been God's plan for you to begin with? What joy, love, hope, freedom, sanity and peace have you sacrificed because you've bought into this American lie that YOU are the master of your fate?

Yeah, I've had some people look at me funny when I say I have no "goals" for Boundless Minstries, or that I'm leaving a situation in God's hands so that the Holy Spirit can lead me in His perfect timing to say exactly what needs to be said. But the awareness that "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me," (yet another great Galatians verse, 2:20a) is worth everything to me...no matter how "Radical" I seem!

Amen!

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I Have a Confession...

I am a grumbler!

Now, to those of you that know me...this is no great revelation. But I am so thankful and grateful to a God who knows our flaws, reveals them to us and patiently waits for us to be confronted with His awesome Truth so we can get about the business of ridding our lives of these flaws that do not reflect Him.

Such was my morning today. Although I've known for years, if not decades, that this is one of my greatest flaws, I have often felt helpless to change this very deep-rooted issue. I mean it's so deep that it goes back three generations before me that I know of...possibly more. I've always known that being critical is one of my biggest hangups and that it can very easily manifest itself as depression, negativity, pessimism,  dissension, strife, gossip and anger. And while God has patiently and lovingly worked on each of these areas in my life, I became distinctly aware this morning just how pervasive my grumbling is. I even confessed to God that to cut this out of my life will be like losing a close relative. I know warped, right?

I kept thinking all of the nitpicking & fighting that my kids do has got to stop...and it does...but yesterday and today, I came face to face with how I am the root of this whole issue. My grumbling, my ranting, my negativity paints a picture for my family that they mold themselves into. And while I may be completely justified in most of my criticism, it makes everyone else in our family look through lenses of doubt, criticism and negativity...and that is not how God wants us to live.

So this was the revelation for today and why I believe Holy Spirit has brought me to the final crossroads on this issue. From this point forward, I cannot deny the Truth, I cannot pretend I do not know. No...today, I have to choose to walk in the Light of His Truth or stand in direct disobedience to Him (yes, sin!). And as I fervently prayed this morning, "Lord, I want to be a doer of the Word...not just a hearer. Give me a teachable spirit because I don't want to continue living this way."

In Jesus Calling, I read: "You have been on a long, uphill journey, and your energy is almost spent. Though you have faltered at times, you have not let go of My hand. I am pleased with your desire to stay close to Me. There is one thing, however, that displeases Me: your tendency to complain. You may talk to Me as much as you like about the difficulty of the path we are following. I understand better than anyone else the stresses and strains that have afflicted you. You can ventilate safely to Me, because talking with Me tempers your thoughts and helps you see things from My perspective.

Complaining to others is another matter altogether. It opens the door to deadly sins such as self-pity and rage. Whenever you are tempted to grumble, come to Me and talk it out. As you open up to Me, I will put My thoughts in your mind and My song in your heart." (I've underlined the portions that hit me square between the eyes.)

Yes...I do want to have His thoughts in my mind and His song in my heart! And I want my kids to quit grumbling...so it has to start with me, right? Right!

Just so neither I, nor anyone else can say that the passage above is merely a woman's rambling thoughts, I love that the author puts Scripture references on each page. Today's were exactly the ones with which I needed to be confronted. Jeremiah 31:25 "For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes." and Philippians 2:14-15 "Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world."

In my Bible, the Jeremiah passage has a cross reference to Jeremiah 31:12-14 which says God's bounty will make me radiant, my soul will have abundance and I can be satisfied with God's goodness. So each day, as I'm looking at what we have (or don't have), I need to talk to God about my concerns, frustrations, etc. and He "tempers your thoughts and helps you see things from My perspective." (Jesus Calling) From God's perspective, I have enough for today. Amen!

The Philippians passage had a cross reference to 1 Corinthians 10:10 which is referring to the Israelites and how their grumbling caused the destroyer to destroy them. Yikes! There have been days recently when I feel like our family is being destroyed by the grumbling and complaining. And where have they learned it? Who has set the standard? Yep...it's me!

And a direct reference to being a child of God is Ephesians 5:1, "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children..." To imitate God and demonstrate myself as His child means to give up the grumbling right? Of course! What is the result? “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; ¹⁵ nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

There it is. I've even experienced recently the pure shock at being confronted with another critical person at my tax prep classes. I came away from that experience realizing just how much God has changed me already. But now it's time to go even deeper...so that the ones who know me best and see me the most recognize the difference of the Holy Spirit in my life...particularly in the area of grumbling and complaining.

Now our church is all about making yourself accountable to someone when there's an area in your life where you want to grow and change. So today, I sat down with the four people who know me best and know my worst. These four have put up with a lot from me over the course of their young lives...and yet, they love me still. So who better to hold me accountable than my kids.

I realize I've set myself up to be corrected by my children...and I've asked them to do it in a kind, loving way...but even if they harshly reprimand me when I grumble, I pray that as I'm humbled by the reminder, I will remain thankful to a God who knows my every flaw and yet doesn't grumble against me. I pray that as Holy Spirit changes me,  my children will sense the change and the prevailing attitude of criticism to each other is healed. But most of all, I just pray that I become such a good imitator of God that no one doubts I am His child.