Cool....

Cool….. I have a new appreciation for it.

I have often thought about what it might have been like to have lived in The Garden.

Tending it would have been pleasant, before the ground was cursed, “…through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground…”(Gen. 3:18,19)

Life in The Garden was perfect in the beginning. Everything was provided and readily available…..everything except the fruit of that one tree, the one that brought knowledge of good AND evil. It was the only thing off limits.

It was a great life in The Garden, in the company of Creator God Himself. And it was cool…when He came to visit, it was cool.

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” (Genesis 3:8)

Cool of the day….humm. I haven’t felt that in quite some time !! Or cool of the night for that matter !

God has repeatedly provided protection from the heat of the sun.

He provided a shade vine for Jonah, even though Jonah had disobeyed. “…the LORD God sent a vine and made it grow up over Jonah. It gave him more shade for his head. It made him more comfortable. Jonah was very happy he had the vine.” (Jonah 4:6)

He provided protection from the sun beating down on a tribe of people traveling in a desert. “God spread a cloud to keep them cool through the day” (Ps. 105:39)

I have a house with air conditioning that keeps me about 20 degrees cooler than the temperature outside. I have plenty of water, enough even to water some of the flowers and plants I enjoy. He provided me a shade in a giant sweet gum tree in my back yard…

Even though I too disobey Him at times..…

I will to walk with Him in the cool of the day.

I will to walk with Him in the heat of the mid-day sun.

I purpose in my heart to walk with Him, right behind Him, in His steps.

Even and especially when it is not easy and not popular.

Cool or not…

Shade....

Shade… I have a new and deeper appreciation for it….

Never in my lifetime do I remember such intense heat. Maybe it’s been this hot and dry before….maybe I’m just old and soft now.

I have always loved sitting in the deep shade of the sweet gum tree in my back yard. I prune the limbs each year so that the limbs make an umbrella around where my swing and chairs sit. We have bird feeders and squirrel feeders, a bird bath…invitations to share our shade.

When the hot sun beats down with intense heat, we look for something to put between it and us. We look for something to make a shadow for us to stand in, away from the direct sun light.

When life beats down with it’s own intensity, we again look for relief and escape.
Where do you go?

“…….LORD, you are my God. I will honor you. I will praise your name. You have been perfectly faithful. You have done wonderful things. …..You have been a place to hide when storms came. You have been a shade from the heat of the sun….” (Isa. 25:1,4)

“I look up to the hills. Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD. He is the Maker of heaven and earth.
He won't let my foot slip. He who watches over me won't get tired.
In fact, he who watches over me won't get tired or go to sleep.
The LORD watches over me. The LORD is like a shade tree at my right hand.
The sun won't harm me during the day. The moon won't harm me during the night.
The LORD will keep me from every kind of harm. He will watch over my life.
The LORD will watch over my life no matter where I go, both now and forever.”1 (Ps. 121:2-8 personalized by me )

Think you’ve been left out? Is the heat on? Can you not find the comfort of shade from the intense circumstances of your life?

Maybe this phrase I left out of verse one is the key….….“ A song for those who go up to worship the LORD.”

Do you only want the shade? Or do you enjoy and value the Maker of it?

Do you seek His Face? Or only the blessing of His Hand?

“God is serious business, take him seriously; He's put the earth in place and it's not moving. So let heaven rejoice, let earth be jubilant, and pass the word among the nations, "GOD reigns!"(1Ch. 16:30,31 The Message)

“For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods.
(1 Ch. 16:25NIV)

Love....

Love…Is it a feeling? Is it an emotion? Can it be achieved? Or is it super-natural zap from a little red cupid arrow?

What does it mean to love?

I read a line in a fictional story about a real person, Bathsheba. Speaking of the husband her father had chosen for her, ‘…I will show him the respect and obedience he deserves. But love cannot be commanded.” (Rivers, Francine (2009-01-10). A Lineage of Grace (p. 316). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition. )

Love can not be commanded? Hummm….tell that to Jesus.


"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34)

The problem arises from our definition of the word. What do you consider love to BE?

Does it accompany physical attraction?

Jesus was NOT loved because of his physical attractiveness, regardless of how many pictures of a good looking man you see…..scripture is plain, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. (Isa. 53:2)

I fear that in our culture, we misuse and overuse the word love. We say it quickly. We use it easily. And we forget we even say it….and something so easily forgotten can not be love.

Disappointed....

Disappointed… You can’t be disappointed if you don’t have expectations.

I don’t know how you do that. How do you NOT have some sort of expectation?

I find that while trying to keep an opened mind, while not setting unrealistic expectations…I just end up having LOW expectations.

I suppose it’s better to be pleasantly surprised by having low expectations blown away…than it is to be sadly disappointed when high expectations are unmet.

I realize that I recently set some very low expectations.

I expected what I have experienced in the past. I expected that ‘same ole’ same ole’…..
What a pleasant surprise to have those expectations unmet !
What a joy to find that some ‘same ole’ things’ are not.

The apostle Paul had the dilemma as well. “I do admit that I have fears that when I come you'll disappoint me and I'll disappoint you, and in frustration with each other everything will fall to pieces-…(2Cor. 12:20 The Message)

I had a face-to-face meeting with a friend I‘d never met. I do admit that I had fears that when I came, I would disappoint him, and he would disappoint me…and that the friendship would fall to pieces….

I was tempted to opt out of the meeting.

I am so thankful that I did not.
I am so thankful that God’s people are one, regardless of the sign-out-front.
I am so thankful that my un-met friend now has skin on.

I am even thankful that God has shown me my sin in acting out of my own experience and passing judgment on others based solely on those experiences.

Giving...

Giving… I have a problem with it sometimes. The hardest thing is not deciding IF…..it is deciding what to give and who to give to.

I don’t consider myself stingy. I do struggle with my flesh and selfishness, yet I don’t think I am completely selfish. I know there is fault within me, and I pray “God, see what is in my heart. Know what is there. Put me to the test. Know what I'm thinking. See if there's anything in my life you don't like. Help me live in the way that is always right. (Ps. 139:24 NIrV)

Having spent quite some time this morning listening to some challenging messages about who Christians are and how they impact the culture they live in, I drove down a nearby street and was twice approached while at a stop light by people asking for money.

The accusing voice came. “so….are you going to give? You have a cross around your neck, may I remind you that Jesus said “Give to every man who asks you.” (Yes, He did say that, in John 6:30 and Rev. 12:10 speaks of the accuser.)

It is a dilemma.

I am thankful for the whole of scripture, and thankful for the teaching of Paul…

“For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."
We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.” (2Thes. 3:10)

There ARE people who need help.

Yet somehow, if a person can stand on a concrete sidewalk, beside lanes of hot asphalt with hundreds of cars going by, in the heat of a scorching Texas day,

…could they not be doing something besides asking for handouts? Seems to me like they are working awfully hard just to NOT work.

Face-to-face.....

Face-to-face…. I anticipate a face-to-face encounter.

In this age of technology, there are many people I call ‘friend’ with whom I have never had a face-to-face meeting. It is a concept I’ve wrestled with over and over. Do I ‘know’ these people? On the other hand, do I even ‘know’ the people I see and touch?

How do we come to ‘know’?
Do we need to ‘see’? Is seeing with our eyes the only way to ‘see’?

( If seeing with eyes is required, then blind people would ‘know’ absolutely no one! )

So….knowing someone has little to do with sight., perhaps even time and space. Relationships come in many ways, shapes, and forms.

As I anticipate this face-to-face meeting with a friend, I think about meeting Jesus face-to-face.

I ‘know’ Jesus. He is my Savior, and my very best friend. But I have never shook His Hand, never looked into His eyes. I ‘know’ Him thru the Words of scripture, and through the power of His Spirit. Our relationship is spiritual. It is genuine. It is real. And it’s the most treasured relationship I have…..

After this coming encounter with a friend, I will know him better. Our relationship will have a new facet….face to face.

How I anticipate a face-to-Face meeting with my Best Friend !! One day I will meet Him face-to-Face. One day, our relationship will be changed by a face-to-Face encounter. A physical encounter to enhance the spiritual relationship that exists now.


“ Now I see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then I shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” ( 1 Cor. 13:12 NIV personalized by me )

“ Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2 NIV)

Whether you know Him or not….you WILL meet Him face-to-Face. And you will bow…“all created beings in heaven and on earth--even those long ago dead and buried--will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father. (Phillipians 2:10 The Message )

Glory !!

Inoculation....

Inoculation…. The idea is to get just a little bit of it, enough to make you have a few symptoms, but not have the real thing…

I was inoculated for small pox when I was a child. I remember the needle, and I remember having a giant scab on my arm.
I was inoculated for flu a few years ago. I also remember that needle, and I remember that it made me feel so bad I decided not to do that again. Why be sick on purpose? (That may be unwise. The real flu can be deadly.)

What have you been inoculated for?

Have you been inoculated against sin? Or, have you been inoculated against the gospel of Christ?

It’s not an original thought. It is a concept I heard from an evangelist. I was a little taken back, but the point is very valid. Many people have been inoculated against the gospel of Christ by ‘religion’. They have had a small dose, enough to give them a few symptoms, but they don’t have the real thing.

Are you ‘going to church’ and getting a tiny little dose? Only to leave the building unchanged? "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud." (2 Peter 2:22)

Maybe you leave the building having swept away a little of the dirt in your life. Did you decide to stop some behavior that is sinful? But you have nothing in its place? Do you operate on your own willpower? Jesus warned….

"When a corrupting spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn't find anyone, it says, 'I'll go back to my old haunt.' On return, it finds the person swept and dusted, but vacant. It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits dirtier than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse than if he'd never gotten cleaned up in the first place." (Luke 11:24-26 The Message)

Operating on your own willpower, however strong it is, will fail. Eventually. Permanently. If you don’t have His Presence within you, you have no inoculation against sin. And sin WILL kill you. Eternally.

Praise God, I am inoculated…. against sin! But I had a dose of religion for many years, and it kept me from having the full blown relationship with Christ that I enjoy today.

Jesus, The Christ, came so I can be healed from the rampant disease of sin, the disease that kills.

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” ( Luke 9:24)

Thank You Jesus, I didn’t just get a few symptoms and live thru it.

I was sick, and died….in order to live!

And live eternally….in the Presence of Almighty God.

Reunion....

Reunion…. I attended one this evening with my husband. His 40th classmates gathered, remembering and reuniting…

Many weren’t really friends 40 years ago. They shared a classroom and teachers…walked down the same hallways, attended the same school functions and sporting events but never really knowing one another. Not really…

But as adults, we look back with different perspective. We see what we had in common all along….youth.

Some classmates were absent because of choice…simply choosing not to participate. Others just could not because of circumstance. Others still were absent because they are simply gone on. Whether by accident or illness, or even on purpose….

As young graduates, we leave high school and teenage years.. Then what? Life choices get harder and harder.

So it is with life on this earth. Receiving that diploma is only a beginning

And so it is with our life with Christ. Receiving Jesus Christ is a beginning…..


“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” (Col. 2:6-8)

As I sat looking out over a room full of middle aged people who received a high school diploma on the same night some 40 years ago, I thought about the years since I received Christ..

In both cases, mistakes have been made, lessons have been learned, lots of growing up and maturing have taken place, perspectives and priorities have been altered…..

I pray we continue to live, and that we continue to be built up in Him.

“….School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving….”(Col 2:7 The Message)


“Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other……. let the Word of Christ--the Message--have the run of the house….. Give it plenty of room in your lives…….let every detail in your lives--words, actions, whatever--be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way…”
(Col. 3:15-17 The Message)

Tonight's reunion was great. But there will be a greater reunion. One day....

Birthday...

Birthday… We count them. We celebrate…..

We have cake, give gifts, sing songs. We mark the occasion of time having passed.

Every one of the days I gave birth to my children is a day that I count and remember.

Today is a friend’s birthday. It is also the day her father is laying in a casket awaiting a different occasion tomorrow.

I am sad for her, sad for her loss. I am saddened that her birthday will have this shadow cast on it. But I am happy that she knew the love of her father and for the relationship she had with him.

Birth days are exciting. New babies arrive on birth days. Birthdays are fun. We party and feast on family and great food. They are days that we greet new life and recognize the passing of the years.

Funerals are of a different sort, yet for those who belong to Jesus, they are days we recognize the passing of time in this realm, and greet new life in the next.

We will all pass thru the veil from this realm to the next. Unless Jesus comes back first…and even then, “…..a mystery I'll probably never fully understand. We're not all going to die--but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes--it's over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we'll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal. (1 Cor. 15:51-53 The Message)

My friend’s father will have a funeral. I may have one too.

Or maybe He will come before then…..

Either way, I’m a winner.

Nip it....

Nip it… Barney Fife’s advice to Andy was always to “Nip it in the bud. Nip it! Nip it! Nip it!!!”

There is much wisdom in that, though Barney was always a bit excitable and had a tendency to over react….

I thought about Barney as I read Song of Songs this morning. (You may know the book as Song of Solomon…and I know, that’s hard to imagine Barney and that book of the Bible in the same thought!)

“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.” (Song of Songs 2:15)

Little foxes were a problem for vine keepers. They nipped at the tender vines bearing new fruit. Not only did they eat the fruit, they could destroy the vine in the process. They would also dig holes, damaging the roots….just a major menace.

So….the vine keepers wanted to ‘nip it in the bud’. They purposed to catch the foxes, even the babies, and do away with them before the problem was even birthed. (…I can just hear the mournful ‘awwww….’ of all the animal lovers reading this….)

There is much wisdom in this teaching. There is much to be gained from catching the foxes before they dig the holes and tear up the vines….before they strip away the new fruit being grown on the vine.

Whether it is in our churches, in our businesses, or in our personal relationships, we are wise to do away with little foxes. Little foxes are a problem for all of us.

We are wise to agree with Barney Fife and ‘Nip it in the bud. Nip it! Nip it! Nip it!!’

Commitment....

Commitment…. It is not warm and fuzzy.

Feelings are often warm and fuzzy. At least to begin with…..

But commitment is a far cry from feelings.. The Bible teaches that love and commitment should develop together.

“Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” “Don't stir up love. Don't wake it up until it's ready.” (Song of Songs 3:5 NIV and The Message)

We should not just act out of ‘feelings’. What we feel is not always true.

“A human heart is more dishonest than anything else. It can't be healed. Who can understand it? The LORD says, ‘I look deep down inside human hearts. I see what is in people's minds….” (Jer 17:9-10)


So often we discover that truth painfully. Having learned the hard way, we have picked forbidden fruit from our own ‘tree of knowledge of good and evil’. We chow down on it and have our eyes opened to the reality of evil. We look back on our mistakes and see that God’s way was right, and we were dreadfully wrong. Even though we ‘felt’ so sure.

And we bear the consequences….



God is Creator. He is The Designer. He is The Engineer. He drew up the plans and laid out the boundaries. Why is it we challenge His design?

Why are we so set against listening to Him? He wants so desperately to guide us. We are wise to follow His council.

Commitment and love must develop together. We should not arouse intimate relationships before there is a strong enough commitment to sustain the relationship.

Warm and fuzzy (....or hot and sweaty) won’t do it.

Legacy...

Legacy… Webster says ‘something left’.

The term came to mind as I stood at my grandmother’s grave. She lived a few days over 98 years. We were not close, and sadly, I know very little about her life, but she had to have seen a LOT of change in her lifetime. She outlived three children, one died as an infant, one as young adult, one in her 80s.

Only my father is left.

It makes me wonder just what kind of legacy I will leave. What footprint will I make? Who will wonder about the details of my life? Who will know them?

We all have our own story, our own issues, our own baggage….secrets, regrets, mistakes..

None of us live perfect lives. No one gets thru life without all that ‘ick’. “….we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us…” (Romans 3:23 The Message)

My grandmother made mistakes. Some of them I witnessed as a child and misunderstood…even judged her harshly for.

“You will be judged in the same way you judge others. You will be measured in the same way you measure others.” (Matthew 7:2) Those words are written in red. Words of my Lord Jesus.

I hear him whisper to me to be careful how I judge harshly the mistakes of others, for I too have a mountain of my own mistakes.

I want mercy. I want understanding and forgiveness.

I must extend the same to others who are no more deserving of those graces than I am.

Perhaps the things that I am so critical of are the very things that He needs to address in me.

Mentor...

Mentor… Ever have one? Ever BE one?

I was recently asked to share how God has worked in my business life through mentoring. My mind has been flooded with the mentors I have had in my own life. Some very good ones. Some however, taught me a lot from negative examples.

I must turn the focus inward. In mentoring others, have I shared and encouraged thru Godly examples fleshed out in my own life, or have others learned from me thru negative examples?

The negatives in my own past experience have made me very adament about some things. There are memories of how I was made to feel, and I want never to make someone else feel anything similar. So, I am not prone to making those mistakes. (I just make other ones. )

Mentoring is making disciples.

Jesus said, “Go…..make disciples….” (Matt. 28:19)

I have a charge to keep. “…teach them to obey…” (vs. 20)

I can do that in the ordinary moments of my day. If no other way than by my own actions.

Ouch. I don’t always.

Priest...

Priest… I am a priest. Seems strange to even type those words. Stranger to think of myself that way. But….

“…. God chose you to be his people. You are royal priests. You are a holy nation. You are a people who belong to God. All of this is so that you can sing his praises. He brought you out of darkness into his wonderful light. “(1 Peter 2:9)

In ages past, before Christ, there were rigid requirements about who was permitted to carry out the office of priest. The priest was the intermediary between sinful man and a holy God. Priests were Jews but only Jews from the family line of Levi, with other requirements to be met as well. Much ceremony and ritual was to be done before the intercession could occur.

The rituals of that time were teaching tools that reveal to us exactly what it meant for Jesus to bleed, suffer, and die. Payment is made. The wages of sin being death, His death… is MY substitute. I am permitted to live.

Now I can enter the holy of holies. Now I can enter the Throne Room of The Creator of the universe. With confidence. Boldly ! (So let us boldly approach the throne of grace. Hebrews 4:16)



The Body of Christ has a charge to keep. “…. he has given us the task of bringing others back to him through Christ.” (2Cor.5:18)

“God has trusted us with the message, that people may be brought back to Him.
So we are Christ's official messengers. It is as if God were making His appeal through us.”(2Cor. 5:19-20)

I come before Him reverently because He is God and He is King. (Hebrews 12:28-29)

I come boldly because Jesus is my Friend, and through His Holy Spirit, I have access to The Father. (John 15:15, Eph. 2:14-19)

I come believing because Jesus said “..you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matt. 21:22).

Not a blank check for my every whim, but submitting my will to an all-knowing and Almighty God, just as Jesus did when He prayed “…your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matt. 6:10)

And it is not just about me. “He wants everyone to be saved. He wants them to come to know the truth.”(1Tim.2:4)

Who will I meet on my path today that Jesus misses? Who will I see that may need Him so badly?

Lord, open my eyes and ears to be sensitive to others and to You as I carry out the business of my day.

Gettin' Ready....

Gettin' ready... I spend much less time gettin' ready these days. Once, it took hours. Now, I don't fret over it so much.

We get ready for lots of things. Some of it is exciting. Some, we dread. Sometimes we are equipped, sometimes we have to scour around to find the right stuff.

Getting ready for a trip.
Getting ready for the day.
Getting ready for an event.
Getting ready for something fun....or something not so much.

Children need help getting ready. At least if they are indeed really ready!

I helped a bride get ready today. She will wake up a wife for the first time in the morning. She has been getting ready for months.

I am being readied to be a bride myself. I'm gettin' ready. I have quit scouring around to find the right stuff to fix myself up. He has taken care of all that. He even sent me a Helper. (...this Helper doesn't do hair, but His help is way better!)

Jesus is coming soon. Better be gettin' ready folks!

Holy....

Holy…. X 3 = YAHWEH. An incredible equation.

“Holy, holy, holy….is The Lord Almighty. The whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 8:3)

The Self-Existant, Eternal One.
Jehovah, The Lord Almighty.
The Holy One of Israel.

This morning finished the study of Isaiah for the Bible Study Fellowship year.

It has been a year !

I’ve been stretched. Challenged. Disciplined. Reprimanded. And I’ve been loved and ministered to by the Holy One of heaven, thru the recorded oracle of the prophet Isaiah.

Ole’ Isaiah was a regular guy. Human to the core, just like me…. and you.

He could not know, as he wrote the words that are now divided into 66 chapters, that this blonde hairdresser would be reading them thousands of years later. He could not know how God’s call on his life, and his obedience to that call, would impact me…and so many others.

How thankful I am for servants like Isaiah.

I purpose to listen for God’s call on my life. I purpose to hear and answer.

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

…..and I said, "Here am I. Send me!" He said, "Go and tell this people…….” (Isaiah 6:8-9a)

What might He do with my meager life? What might He want to do thru yours?

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. “(Isaiah 1:18)

He invites. Even though He is holy and I am NOT…He invites…

“If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. “(Isaiah 1:19-20)

He invites, and He offers the best to His willing and obedient ones. We won’t be giving ANYthing up that will matter !!

Not short-changed, or missing out.

But….it’s our choice.

“This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. (Isaiah 30:15)

Turning back to Him…completely, without reserve, is where the sweet spot is.

But will you have none of it? It’s your choice…

“…..as for me ……I will serve the LORD." (Joshua 20:14 personalized by me)

Shelter....

Shelter…. The weather experts say today is a day to have a planned place to take shelter in what is supposedly a huge threat of tornadic activity.

I have a couple closets that come to mind. I’ve actually been in one of them before, when our youngest son was home.

I herded everyone into the bathroom of the salon once during a tornado warning. The kids thought it was fun. The mothers …not so much.

My husband has experienced a tornado….actually saw the roof leave the house. Me..? I’ve just seen pictures and heard stories.

I know in my head that preparing shelter is a good idea, and I have the knowledge about where the best suited places of the house or some public place might be. When the threat becomes real, I act on that knowledge and preparation.

All of it makes me think again about the Garden scene. God said don’t choose that fruit of knowledge…the knowledge of good AND evil.

Adam and Eve already knew good. They had daily fellowship with God. Up close and personal. But choosing to know evil, well…that messed the whole perfect scene up.

I don’t have the knowledge of tornados. But I believe they exist. I believe they can be dangerous. So…I choose to act on the information I have. I don’t need to wait for the experience of it. I take steps to be protected, and know that I am eternally secure even if one of them blows my life away.

So it is with sin.

When God says ‘….ah, Child of mine, don’t do that’….I accept that He says it for a reason. I don’t need the knowledge/experience of it. I take steps of obedience, steps that go away from it, never toward it.

And I know His promised protection from it and from it’s consequences.

“Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword….or flood or tornado?

No, in all these things I am more than conqueror through him who loved me. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus my Lord.
(Rom. 38:35-39 personalized by me)

I am eternally secure even if a tornado blows my life away.

Friend...

Friend… A companion. An associate. Someone you keep company with, have affection for. Simply someone we are not hostile to?

Have you counted them? Do you categorize them? Rate them?

Friends for different activities? Friends for fun, friends for sadness, friends when you need help?

What kind of friend are you?

Our ‘Friend Day’ recently at our congregation challenged me on this issue…the message delivered during the morning service, the whole concept of ‘friendship‘.

Jesus called the disciples His friends. “I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father…”(John 15:15 The Message)



“I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.”(John 15:16)

I am one of Jesus’ friends.

He has shared everything He knows from The Father with me. “I/we have the mind of Christ.” (1Cor.2:16)

What kind of friend will I be to Him? Will I bear fruit that will last?

And what kind of friend will I be to all those people I call ‘friend’? Will I share with THEM all The Father has made known to ME? Will I let THEM in on everything I’VE heard from Him?

What kind of friend am I if I don’t share Him?

He is enough. Sharing Him does not diminish Him for me. It is only multiplied.

“…..I will receive many times as much in THIS age, and in the age to come… eternal life."(Luke 18:30TNIV, personalized by me)

Purpose to be a true friend. A friend to Jesus, and to all those that He misses when He looks at His flock. A true friend to all those we so casually refer to as ‘friend’.

Sinful....

Sinful… An offender. Criminal. Guilty of an offense.

Scripture says that there is no one who is not guilty. “Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God's glory. “(Rom. 3:23 NIrV)

I don’t measure up to God. He is perfect. I am not.

I no longer try to hide that fact. No more do I try to fake it, pretend…put the mask on. Neither do I wallow in the guilt and shame.

Yet I don’t wear my sinfulness as a badge.

I have learned my enemy’s method of operation. He is an accuser. He is a liar.

And I have learned my Savior’s love and grace. His very coming to this world was a sacrifice, leaving the perfection of His place in that unknown realm we refer to as ‘heaven’ was surely a sacrifice. Stepping into the womb of a young girl, birthed, potty training, puberty, adolescence, rejection, cruel execution.

What sacrifice!

I will never attain right-ness. Never will I be able to perfect my life, my attitudes, my thoughts, or my actions.

I wear HIS right-ness. “…..I see that the job is too big for me, … it's something only God can do, and I trust him to do it--I could never do it for myself no matter how hard and long i worked--well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets me set right with God, by God. Sheer gift. (Rom. 4:5 The Message, personalized by me)

You may see me put on a cross. I may wear a Jesus-Girl shirt. But I will not make light of my sinfulness and insult my Savior who suffered so much to save me from the penalty of it.

Sinful? Yes. But I don’t want it tattooed on my body or stamped on my clothing.


Saved? Indeed so ! “When I received Christ, I….. put away my sinful nature…Not by my own human hands … Christ did it…”(Col. 2:11 personalized by me)

Saved. And at such great cost to Jesus.

Let us never make light of that cost, and let us never insult His effort on our behalf.

Let us wear His Name. Not our sinfulness.

Shouted....

Shouted… How do you feel about being shouted at?

I suppose it depends on the message of the shout. A shout-out ‘Hi!!’ from a friend compared to a shouted ‘Get out of my way!’ from a stranger… ?

Ever think about God shouting?


"Shout! A full-throated shout! Hold nothing back--a trumpet-blast shout! Tell my people what's wrong with their lives, face my family ……. with their sins! They're busy, busy, busy at worship, and love studying all about me. To all appearances they're a nation of right-living people-- law-abiding, God-honoring. They ask me, 'What's the right thing to do?' and love having me on their side. But…………” (Isaiah 58:1-2 The Message)

You drive your employees much too hard. v.3
You bicker and fight v.4
You aren’t sharing your food with the hungry,
You aren’t inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
You aren’t putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
You aren’t being available to your own families.v.7

Your hands are drenched in blood,
Your fingers dripping with guilt,
Your lips smeared with lies,
Your tongue swollen from muttering obscenities.
No one speaks up for the right,
No one deals fairly.
They trust in illusion,
They tell lies..(ch.59:3,4)

You fast, (religious activity)…..but at the same time you bicker and fight.
You fast, (religious activity)…but you swing a mean fist.
The kind of fasting (religious activity) you do won't get your prayers off the ground.
Do you think this is the kind of fast day (religious activity) I'm after: a day to show off humility? To put on a pious long face and parade around solemnly in black? (Isa. 58:4-5)


God shouted thru His prophet and servant Isaiah. And we would all do well to listen as He tells us what is wrong. We would be wise to examine our hearts, our attitudes, our intentions. I’ve heard His shout, and have been faced with His questions.

What is at the core of my religious activity?

Is it based on ritual?

Or is in based on an intimate relationship?

Does my religion have any effect on anyone but me? Does it go beyond my personal growth?

Or is it just all about me after all? (…which would in fact be idolatry…the worship of ME.)

The purpose of a shout is to get attention.

He got mine.

What about you?

Suddenly...

Suddenly…. Unexpected. Ever had a ‘suddenly’ moment?

The TV program is interrupted with a news flash….

The doctor says, ‘it’s a tumor’…

The phone rings, the news is bad….

Someone nearby collapses…

He/She says ‘I want out’…

Suddenly moments. Suddenly your perspective and your world is changed.

Suddenly, security is gone. And we are faced with what was in fact true all along…there is no security. We are incapable of securing anything.



“While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly…”
(1 Thes. 5:3)

“….If he comes suddenly…do not let him find you sleeping…” (Mark 13:36)


Don’t wait until your suddenly moment to think about Him. Don’t wait until a suddenly moment to pray, to consider what He has said to us, what He has done for us.

“…. I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD…”(Jer. 29:11-14)

Rejected...

Rejected…. Well, I was warned that I would be…

“….you will be hated.” (Matt. 24:9)


“Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name …….. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable.” ( Luke 6:22 The Message)

Speaking God’s truth is confrontational. It shines His Light into dark corners, and none of us like to see what hides in our corners.

Yet, we are called to speak His truth and share His Message…His Good News. We are sent. "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all. (Mark 16:15 The Message)

It is difficult.

But rejection can not stop us.

It didn’t stop Jesus.


“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. He was despised, and we esteemed Him not…..He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows.

He was pierced for MY transgressions,
He was crushed for MY iniquities
The punishment that brought ME peace was upon Him,

…..and by His wounds I am healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-5)

Worth...

Worth…. I was reminded this morning of the old hair color commercial where the woman says ‘I’m worth it!’…..

You remember the one…she’s bought this certain brand of hair color..(I guess it is more expensive than some of the others…) She’s colored her hair at home and it turned out great. (…which is not great for my job security!)

Then she declares that she’s ‘worth it’.

Just what is she worth? And who decides ? How do you measure that worth? Is it the price of the hair color? Does she decide what she’s worth? Is it measured in simple dollars and cents? (…then why is she not ‘worth’ a trip to the salon? Just wondering…)

It was a good marketing tactic. The slogan caught on and it’s still repeated when we want to justify something.

But are we worth anything? To whom? For what? And what causes us to be valued?

This could be joked about easily …I’m having to refrain from going there myself. Lots of cliché’s come to mind.

But I look seriously at myself and ask. ‘What of myself is of value’


“I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.” (Acts 20:24)


That He values me is beyond my comprehension.

And value He did…enough to leave heaven, enter the flesh of a human infant, be dismissed as an adult as unimportant, and executed on a trumped up charge in an illegal court.

All of it just to enter humanity to restore what was horribly wrong.

“Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”
(Ps. 145:3)

Strength...

Strength… Is it strong muscles? Physical power?

Is it emotional toughness? An ability to resist?

I’ve never had much physical strength, although I once thought I was pretty tough. The older I get, the more I realize my weakness, the more I come to understand the Source of any strength whatsoever. And I don’t have it.

Jesus said that His grace is all I need. He says that His power is strongest when I am weak. (2Cor. 12:9) What does that mean?

To me, it means that I can choose my own ‘strength’ or I can choose to lay that aside and trust His way. I can choose to stay away from the knowledge that He has forbidden. (..the knowledge of evil.)

I can depend on my human tendency to choose and act poorly, or I can choose to follow what He has said. Simply because He said so…

(By the way, His way sure doesn’t make sense sometimes, and is seldom what I ‘want’. It’s the enemy’s same Garden of Eden tactic…. take a ‘look’, then question God. )



“…the serpent said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'? ……..When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. " (Gen. 3:1,6)

Yes, God did really say….and if she had forgotten or not paid attention….she could have asked HIM for clarification.

Instead, she fell for the enemy’s twist on what God had said, and the tactic that encouraged her to doubt God’s motives.

Instead of simply doing what God said …simply because He had said it. Instead of trusting that He had a very good reason for His instruction.

You see, God is not mean and nasty. He doesn’t say stuff just to take the fun out of life. He has said what He has said for a single purpose. To protect me. And you.

To protect us from evil.
To protect us from choosing the knowledge of it…from experiencing it.

Once that happens, the consequences fall. And strength is not something we gain from it.

Wisdom. Yes.


We are so foolish to believe we are strong enough to dabble in what God has forbidden and come away unharmed. That is another devil’s lie.

Only God can repair, restore, redeem and produce good from our wrong choices.

Only God can clean up the mess we make and restore purity.

But He wants to.

Will you take your brokeness to Him?

Will you just trust what He says?

He is always and only ...good.

Perfect...

Perfect… Wouldn’t you love to be perfect? Have a perfect life?

What would it take for you personally? Less temper and more patience? Skinnier and prettier? Smarter? Richer? Well mannered children? Doting spouse?

Is it even feasible? Is it possible to attain?

I think not. Enough is never enough. People will always be humans who fail. There is only One Who will never fail. Only One Who provides security and sure foundation.

Jesus told this story: "The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop….
I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones…. and I'll say to myself, Self, you've done well! …. Take it easy and have the time of your life!'

But then… you die. And your barnful of goods--who gets it?'

"That's what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God."

Jesus continued, "Don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes …or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion.

There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.”

"Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch?

"…. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things.

Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Get yourselves a bank that can't go bankrupt, …The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
(Luke 12 asst. verses from The Message)



Again Jesus speaks….“These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on….work the words into your life…

But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss." (Luke 6:47-49 The Message)

Lord Jesus, thank You for chiseling away at me….for the perfecting work of Your Spirit.

I continue to be a work in progress.

Joined....

Joined… 37 years ago, the preacher said something about ‘what God has joined together…’

Joined. Connected. Fastened together.

Yep. That would be me and my man. I can’t fathom life without the extension of my self. After that ceremony 37 years ago, we were pronounced ‘joined in holy matrimony’. We now begin the 38th year of marriage.

But that ceremony isn’t what did it. The ceremony and following physical events had little to do with it. All of those things could not and would not have joined us together as we are today. But it was the beginning…

To our culture, I became his wife on that day, because of a legal document and ceremony.

To me, I became his wife on that day because of the choice I made to trust his love and commit myself to him.

I have joined few other things in my life.

I joined a sorority, for about a month. ( I was young and ignorant. )

I joined a network of pyramid sales, for about 3 months. ( I was young and ignorant )

I joined a gym, for a year. ( I had a son who wanted to work out…and the contract called for a year or I surely would have quit sooner! )

But God didn’t join me to those things. My checkbook joined me to them for the most part.

God did join me to my husband, and He did not do it through a legal document or a physical act. Only He can do that, only He can really join..…and it’s a pity that so many people don’t include Him and experience the power and influence of His Holy Spirit in their lives.

God has also joined me to Himself and to His children.

“There is one body and one Spirit………one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph. 4:4-6)


If you wear the Name of Jesus the Christ, our Father has joined me to you, together with our Savior, in His One Body. Not by some ceremony, not by some legal document, not by the power of some state….

But by the power of the cross.

“His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity ………… in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross.”(Eph. 2:15-16)

Retreat...

Retreat… I’m attending a ‘retreat‘.

Webster stays it’s an act of withdrawing oneself from a place. OK….I am withdrawing from the place of my routine life.

Webster also says its a state of privacy or seclusion from noise, bustle or company. Privacy? There’s supposed to be 3000+ people !

I’m not a fan of crowds. I have a bit of attention deficit so its hard for me to concentrate with so many people to distract me. I have sensitive ears so the noise is bothersome. I get cold usually. Whine whine…

But retreat I will. In the midst of the throng, I intend to retreat.

“You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me.”
(Ps. 119:114 The Message)



“ How blessed ….O GOD, …is the woman you instruct in your Word…providing a circle of quiet within the clamor….

Who stood up for me against the wicked? Who took my side against evil workers? If GOD hadn't been there for me, I never would have made it.

The minute I said, "I'm slipping, I'm falling," your love, GOD, took hold and held me fast.

When I was upset and beside myself, you calmed me down and cheered me up. …..

GOD became my hideout, God was my high mountain retreat…” (selected from Ps. 94:12-22 The Message)

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29:13)


He is my retreat and He can always be found when I seek Him with an undivided heart….

…..even in the middle of Dallas, Texas with the bustle and noise of 3000 other people.

Tolerate...

Tolerate… Some days I can tolerate more than others…wonder why that is?

There are days when things just don’t bother me much. Other days, those same things just drive me nuts. I could knock somebody’s head off !

Occasionally, it might be because I’m over-tired, didn’t sleep well…perhaps I’m not well, feel a little sickly.

Most often though, and even in those times, it’s because I’m not going to The Source of my strength for help for the day.

Like the manna that fell in the wilderness, (Ex.16) strength falls from heaven daily for me…I just have to pick it up. I have to feed on it.

There will never be a day that is impossible to tolerate….because there is One Who is ready and willing to bear the load, provide the way, supply the strength. He has gone to such great length to salvage His creation.

That would be ME.

And YOU.

There is always always a way to tolerate any situation or circumstance.

Because He CAN. And I am His.

Are you?

Bridges...

Bridges… We now have a bridge across our ditch. It’s not a deep ditch, but sometimes it stands in water. Sometimes it looks a little snake-y with all the leaves and such that gather there. Now I won’t have to wade or jump to cross.

God didn’t need to build bridges to cross over wet places. He caused the water to part and the bottom of the body of water to appear. Dry…not mushy and muddy. People just walked right thru. And snakes…well, he put them on their belly! (Gen. 3:14…wonder if they walked or flew before then…hummm…..)

Joshua 3 & 4 tells an amazing story of the water of a river piling up instead of running downstream. Exodus 14 tells another story of such an incidence. I encourage you to read them for yourself. Check to see if your Bible tells it like mine does.



No.. God didn’t need a bridge to get across something. He just made a way through. (After all…He IS God….He IS in charge….He DID create every single thing that is reality to us..)

It is you and me who need the bridge…a way to get back to Him…like it was in the beginning…in the garden.

I am not like God. You aren’t either. And no thing we do enables us to cross the gap that is between us and Him. We can’t un-do the sinful condition we are in. We can’t press thru it, can’t swim it, can’t stop it’s force.

I couldn’t roll back the waves of sin and guilt that engulfed me. I couldn’t manage to stop the rush of it, it just kept coming over me. No matter how hard I tried, and believe me I did try….it just kept happening. The more I identified sin, the more sin I saw in myself !

I am in good company…my brother Paul had the same issue.

“The law…. started out as an excellent piece of work. What happened, though, was that sin found a way to pervert the command into a temptation, making a piece of "forbidden fruit" out of it. …..The very command that was supposed to guide me into life was cleverly used to trip me up….

But the law code itself is God's good and common sense, each command sane and holy counsel.…. "Does that mean I can't even trust what is good [that is, the law]? Is good just as dangerous as evil?"

No again! Sin simply did what sin is so famous for doing: using the good as a cover to tempt me to do what would finally destroy me. …...

What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise.

So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary. But I need something more!

For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help!

I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it….. but I can't do it.
I decide to do good…. but I don't really do it.
I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway.
My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions.
Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
It happens so regularly that it's predictable.
The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up.

I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.

I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?” ( misc. Romans 7, The Message)

…Praise God, there’s been a bridge built to allow us to Passover this horrible problem we humans all have….


“The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.” (Romans 7:25 The Message)


Won’t you choose that path? It’s a glorious path !

Fallout...

Fallout… I remember as a child being taught in the classroom about protecting ourselves from nuclear ‘fallout’.

It was a big deal. The threat of nuclear war and all that meant was hard for a child to understand…I only understood fear.

We had tornado drills and fire drills. I had a little real life knowledge about those. I had in my mind that ‘fallout’ would be something like falling hot cinders, or falling debris.

As an adult, I understand more fully what the threat is about, this ‘nuclear fallout’.

As an adult, I understand the threat of ‘fallout’ of many kinds. The nuclear kind being the least.

I’m talking about the residual consequences of an action. The residual consequences of a nuclear accident or explosion is what the news is focused on today…the ‘fallout’ and threats to life. Will it reach me?

The residual consequences of a fallen world seldom has any focus on it, especially from the media. But it does reach me. And you. And every human ever to exist.

There is ‘fallout’ from the garden, and it’s still falling, and it’s still deadly.

What can we do to protect ourselves? Absolutely nothing. We need outside intervention.

And so He came. And He provides a way.

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.

God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.
Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; Anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it.

And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

"This is the crisis we're in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God.

Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won't come near it, fearing a painful exposure.

But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is." (John 3:16-21 The Message)

“For God loved the world SO much….that He gave His only Son….so that whoever would believe in HIM shall not perish…” (John 3:16NIV)

Power...

Power… Scientist have learned how to tap into a power they call ‘nuclear’. I marvel at how confident some of them are about being able to keep it harnessed even when the foundations beneath it are shaken.

Yes, I’m thinking of the Japanese situation at the power plant. A bunch of smart guys take only a tiny bit of what God has created, then use it in ways that produce huge amounts of energy. Dangerous energy….

Then when God’s earth quakes, (for whatever reason), the thing that was an asset becomes a huge danger.

“ God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it….“(Gen. 1:28) I know that the world God created was given for man to inhabit and fill. How well are we doing that?

I wonder if people don’t get a little over confident about handling God’s creation. (I think about being told as a child that I was getting too big for my britches…)

“They did not remember his power …”(Ps. 78:42)

Do we, like so many generations in the past, need to be reminded of His power? That He IS in fact in control, and not us?

There is absolutely no power that we wield that is not granted from Him, (John 19:11) no gift (James 1:17), no authority (Rom.13:1). It is all really His.

Tapping into God’s power sources is an intriguing thing to think about. Men do it in the physical realm all the time.

But how we fail in using the power that is available to us in the spiritual realm! There is so much power available to us thru the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit in every reborn child of God ! Think about it ! We have A Power Source who gives us HIS power…


“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline…” (2Tim. 1:7)

Power to be obedient.
Bold enough to take a stand for His truth.
Love beyond emotion.
Control over the natural sin infested impulses of this flesh.

Power and stamina to do what is hard, just because it is right…bringing visible glory to The God Who equips us.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being…”(Eph. 3:16)

Power to hang in there, knowing that it’s not about here and now, but filled with hope for a blissful eternity.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit…”(Rom. 15:13)

Power to tell about Who He is and what He has done.

“.. you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses..”(Acts 1:8)

I’d like to see a meltdown of His power in the Body of Christ. I’d like to see so much power unleashed within His people that the eyes of the entire world would be on Him….


…and not just a power plant in Japan.

Water....

Water… I drink it. I cook with it. I bathe in it. I sit and look out across lakes filled with it… It soothes me, cools me, cleanses me. I’ve never experienced it bringing devastation.

I find myself trying to comprehend the images of the power unleashed in the recent tsunami. Just a crack and shift in a small place under a body of water on this planet, and the power that is unleashed is hard to imagine.

“For I am the LORD your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD Almighty is his name.” Isaiah 51:15

Did God make the earth to quake? Did He send the tsunami wave?

He certainly has power to stop it. So, He obviously allowed it to happen.

I don’t accuse God, but neither will I explain away what He has power to stop.

We read the stories about the plagues that Egypt suffered and wonder how they could explain all that away, how they could refuse to submit to The God of all creation. But they did.

We read how the Hebrews walked thru a rolled back sea on dry land, escaping a pursuing enemy army, and we wonder how they could ever again doubt The God Who set them free. But they did.


I thank Him today for His promise… “Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." (Genesis 9:11)

My prayer is that somehow in this awful thing, our God will be revealed as the God He is….that all mankind will realize their absolute helplessness compared to the power He has at His disposal. I pray that in the heartbreak of this catastrophe, He will be found, and that He will restore and comfort.

Evangelist....

Evangelist..... TV preachers? Jimmy Swaggert? Billy Graham? Jeff Shreve? …..Whose face comes to mind at the term ‘evangelist’? ……


‘euaggelistēs’ is the original word that is translated as evangelist in our language. An evangelist has a full knowledge of the message of Christ and a passion to share that knowledge. Evangelists have the capability of explaining the mysteries of Christ, being enabled and empowered by the gifting of the Holy Spirit of God.


“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists…….For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ..” (Eph. 4:11-12)


It is a function, not an office.
A purpose, not a position.
A joy, not a job description.

No pay check to take to the bank….but it makes one richer than anyone on earth.

Ever.


It begins now and will never end…..and when shared, there is no dividing…only multiplied blessings!


“The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message“
(Col. 1:27b The Message)


Don’t miss an opportunity to be the evangelist on the spot. Don’t think that because you don’t have a title or a certain personality that you can’t do the work of an evangelist. Words may come, then again, words may not be needed. You may display the Word of God in action…the only Bible read by someone you see.

You may need to step out of your box and trust God to put words on your lips….for surely you know someone that needs to understand the message of Christ and come to understand the Good News of redemption…salvation from the curse of sin and death.

“….keep your eye on what you're doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God's servant.” (2 Tim. 4:5 the Message)

And that’s not Connie speaking to you…that is Brother Paul. I figure it’s worth listening to !

Pastoring....

Pastoring… according to a spiritual gift questionaire….that’s me.

From my particular religious heritage, I immediately think ‘preacher’. But is it…?


“….he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers….” (Eph. 4:11-12 )

‘Pastor’ is the Hebrew word ‘raah’. It is a verb. It means to tend, to feed, to be a special friend.

‘Poimen’ is the Greek word. It is a noun. It is the one who tends and cares for.

There is relationship involved in this thing called pastoring. It isn’t just a matter of throwing out a bale of hay, or strewing some corn. Neither is it a matter of preaching.

If in fact this is an enablement I have been given, I am commissioned to use it….

I am to ‘go’. We all are. (Matthew 16:15)

It is our purpose to make disciples. With whatever He has provided to each of us, whatever He has gifted to every believer, we are to use in kingdom building.


“….to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…” (Eph. 4:12)


Now….the next time I start preachin’…… ?? ….. you know why… J

Ache...

Ache… Ever have an ache that you just can’t describe? Not exactly pain…not exactly pressure…not exactly soreness…. But very uncomfortable….

My chest aches. Relax, it’s not my heart. Twice I’ve been thru the ER and all those tests to make sure.

It’s not a cough. It’s not heartburn. It’s not indigestion.

They just call it anxiety. (….whatever THAT is !)

So, I try to ignore it. Find something to occupy my mind….some activity. Sleep and hope it’s gone when I wake up…

This ache makes me think about that ‘God-sized hole’ that is in every human heart. Nothing can fill that space but Him. We try to fill it with ‘stuff’. We try all sorts of distractions so that we don’t think about it or feel it.

Nothing works really. We are deceived for a while. A new car. A new dress. A new person. The emptiness returns. The ache…..

We were created by a Creator Who designed us for a perfect world. We ache for it.

We were Created by an Eternal Being Who created us for eternal fellowship. We search for it.

All over our world, in every kingdom of man, the quest rages. Efforts to find perfection, fix what has gone terribly wrong with our world. Wars rage as we search for peace.



Ache…. We ache for something we can’t describe because it is completely other than we are. It does not exist within us. It will not be found any place.

We prolong and even intensify our ache by our own tendency to choose the knowledge of evil rather than trust that He is always good and only good.



“He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.
He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it.
He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness.
The pillars of the heavens quake, aghast at his rebuke.
By his power he churned up the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent……

And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him!
……Who then can understand the thunder of his power? (Job 26:7-14 )



Oh how I ache to understand and know Him more. One day….I will.

“Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1Cor. 13:12)

More "Happy"....

“…This poor man died, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. He called out, 'Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I'm in agony in this fire.'

"But Abraham said…….

'Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It's not like that here. Here he's consoled and you're tormented. (Luke 16:22-25 The Message)


This rich man probably considered himself happy.

Happiness we attain for ourselves can NOT be held on to.

Listen to Solomon’s advice: “Be happy……… let your heart give you joy ………… Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see….

….but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment..” (Ecc.11:9)

Whatever it is that defines that state of being ‘happy’, I purpose it to be pleasing to my Creator and ruling Force of my life.

If God isn’t happy….I certainly won’t be for very long. And most assuredly not for eternity.

Happy...

Happy… I was asked recently to define that. Just what does it mean to ‘be happy’?

Is ‘being happy’ connected to other people? Situations? Circumstances?

Is there a price tag attached? Or a location?

Is it an emotion? Or a state of mind?

Should we always BE ‘happy’?

Do we have some right to ‘be happy’?

What does it take so that we can in fact ‘be happy’?

There are dozens of scriptures that come to mind. A little searching turns up dozens more….too many to list, and certainly too many to brush aside.

In defining this thing called ‘happy’, I will begin by eliminating what it is NOT.

Renovation....

Renovation… We renovated our kitchen a few years ago. Boy….what a mess to live with that going on !! I’m sure glad it wasn’t like the renovation going on with in me….


“…put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”(Col. 3: 10)

The word renewed in that verse is anakainoo in the original language. It means to renew or renovate.

When we renovated our cabinets, all the doors were removed. I thought I was pretty organized in my kitchen cabinets. Until they took all the doors off. Man, what a mess.

Our Creator took all the doors off. Oh, it’s not that He can’t see what’s behind them…it’s me that needs to see the mess and allow Him to remove the clutter and renovate.

The kitchen is done. Cabinetry is beautiful.

The renovation within me is ongoing.

It is a work in progress.

Conformed...

Conformed...Scripture says I am being conformed, and it says I am not to be conformed…

So....Conform? Or not?

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romand 8:29)

I like the plain language of this passage from The Message. “ God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him”


Conformed = summorphos in the original language of scripture. It is a combination of ‘sun’ which gives a meaning of being soon, and ‘morphe’ which carries the idea of adjustment to shape and nature.

So…I’m being conformed. To become like Jesus Christ.

Then there’s this don’t thing….

“…be not conformed to this world..” (Romans 12:2)

For a very long time I thought it was up to me. I was to change and adjust my shape and nature. I was to become like Jesus. And I failed miserably.

Then, God changed the way I think. After exhausting myself in behavior modification and religious activity, screaming out to God “I can’t do this!!”…… He made my spirit to hear Him say….

“I know Child…. But I can.”

It is a work in progress.

Image....

Image….... “Do not set up an image for yourself..”

That is a directive from The Creator God recorded in Leviticus 26:1.

At one time, I thought I had that command aced. You’ll find no ‘graven images’ in my house. I don’t have ‘idols’….never ‘bow down and worship’ them.

Then He began speaking into my life and addressing my images. There were lots of them as it turned out….my own image being set up quite high.

I deal with image every day. Creating images is my job. Changing images, altering them, enhancing them. Yep….it’s what I do. Pays my bills.

There is nothing wrong with creating a better self image. In fact, I think God intends for us to care about how we look, to ourselves….and the image we project to other people.

But I wonder if the image I often see projected is indeed what it ’looks’ like it is. Some young women look like they might be paid regularly for some very personal services. I wonder if they are anything at all like what they ’look’ like.

Makes me pause to consider….what do I ‘look’ like? Am I what I ‘look’ like?

On the flip side of that, is the image I project what I really am? Or do I too ‘look’ like something I am not?

I’ve come to the realization that it doesn’t matter what I look like on the outside if the inside is marred. And marred it is. With sin. Thank You Lord Jesus for removing that stain and taking the consequence of it.

And thank You Creator God most of all, for changing me into the image of Your dear Son. (Romans 8:29)

I continue to be a work in progress.

Whole....

Whole… Webster says it means ‘all’. Not part, but the entire.

We are instructed to put on the ‘whole armor’ of God. (Eph. 6:11ff)


‘Panoply’ in classical Greek, is the full armor of a heavy-armed soldier. It is the word that is used by Paul here in his letter to the Ephesian Christians, teaching them truths about spiritual battles.

You can be assured that you are in spiritual battles. If you aren’t aware of a struggle, perhaps you’ve just surrendered. ???

Every choice, every decision, every attitude, every action…all have spiritual implications.

This morning, once again I am brought to this armor of God. He asks me which of these I have decided not to put on today. What part of the armor have I decided I don’t need?

Are the things that I complain about a result of not being properly protected? Am I intentionally putting on what He gives and USING it?


"God is strong, and he wants me strong. So I must take everything the Master has set out for me, well-made weapons of the best materials. And I must put them to use so I will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws my way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that I'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. I will be prepared, I’m up against far more than I can handle on my own. I will take all the help I can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting I'll still be on my feet." (Ephesians 6:10-13 The Message, personalized by me)


I purpose to inventory my armor, beginning as Paul did, with truth.

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist” (v.14)

Do I have that belt buckled on me? Is it encompassing me? All the way, my entire life, all situations, all realms? Is it HIS truth? Or my version of it? All of it, or just part.

Whole?

Part of truth is not sufficient. I must accept all of God’s revealed truth. And I must put that truth to use.

And, I must recognize what is truth about myself. It is often not pretty, it is always difficult.

Yet it is always safe to do so, with my Savior, the Lord of my life.

Alarm...

Alarm.. We woke up one night in the wee hours to our smoke detector going off. When that sounds, take heed...your house may be on fire.

Relax...we didn't have a fire, just need new batteries. But we got up and checked the house.

I wonder what alarms I do ignore? And what do I suffer that might be avoided if I'd just heed the warning?

In scripture, Jesus has issued a 'take heed...' many times.

Luke 17:3 issues a 'take heed' about forgiveness. "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother trespasses against you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him."

I am to recognize sin and confront it, but in Mark 4:24 He addresses how I measure..."Take heed...... With that measure which you measure, it shall be measured to you..."

He also reminds me of His advice about the mote in my brother's eye and the beam in mine. ("...why do you look on the splinter that is in your brother's eye, but do not consider the beam that is in your own eye?" Matt.7:3)

I could list dozens....dozen of 'take heed's and warnings. Alarms to be recognized.

Yet, even if we could hear all the alarms, even if we respond to every threat, we can never defeat sin and death.

We can not fix the problem of humanity. But we can live without feeling alarm.

"The peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus."(Phil.4:7) Yes, I take that personally. My heart and mind feels no alarm.



I'm hearing the old hymn 'Living By Faith' in my head....
♫♪♪♫•*•♫♪...♪♫•*•♫♪♪♫I'm living by faith, feel no alarm...♪♫•*•♫♪♪♫•*•♫♪.♪♫•*•

Respond...

Respond… When in a difficult situation, facing conflict or uncertainty, maybe even a threat…how do you respond? Or do you?…

Often I think we don’t. Instead of responding, we react. And there’s a big difference.

To react, according to Webster, is to resist the action of another body by an opposite force. To respond, is to answer; to reply.

I believe it is much easier to react than to respond. I also believe as followers of Christ, we are called not to react, but to respond.

Our mission is to imitate Jesus. We are to have taken off the “ old self with its practices
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. “(Col.3:10) That old WWJD has a lot of profound truth.

Let us purpose in our minds and hearts to respond in every thing …purposefully, for HIS purpose, led by the Holy Spirit, depending on Him to defend and protect us, trusting Him to supply all our needs and even bless us far beyond our needs. “God can do anything, you know--far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.”(Eph. 3:20 The Message)

We must remember, He does not work things out like we do. In my experience, it never ‘looks’ like He is answering or sometimes even paying attention!! And almost never within my time frame!! My task is simply to live in this moment, making RIGHT choices, behave as HIS child…in my now. And trust Him to work everything out. I believe that it will always be for my good.

“The moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. …. He knows us far better than we know ourselves…That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in Him. (Romans 8:26-29 The Message )


“But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way…(every word, deed, and response,) Christ is preached.(imitated WWJD) And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me (every difficult situation and hard response) will turn out for my deliverance.” (Phil. 1:18-19 The Message with personal application by me)

Wireless...

Wireless… It’s a fascinating concept. The little machine across the room from me can print out whatever I type on this machine, just by my pushing the ‘Print’ button.

No wires connecting it, it’s completely separated from the brain of this computer. How does that happen? How can information and data be transferred thru thin air?

Imagine all the data that’s floating around you right now. If you had a receiver to process each different one, it might fill up the room! The information is there, but it must have a proper receiver.

In the spiritual realm, God’s Spirit is present and is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…”(Eph.. 3:21)

We aren’t connected to Him by special lineage. We are Gentiles, not Jews, (but praise God that “ Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” Eph. 3:6)

We don’t get connected by doing some particular activity. “…not by works,”(Eph. 2:9)

We don’t SEE this connection. "No eye has seen….but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”(1Cor. 2:10)

He chooses us to receive. “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Thes. 5:9)

So the question is, “Will you?”

Will you be a receiver to re-present Jesus Christ?
Will you respond to His wireless request?
Will you let Him transform you, changing you so that you document and display the power of His saving grace?

I am not hardwired to God. But there is a definite wireless connection….

I don’t push the ‘print’ button and have Him do my bidding. He presses mine.

His desire is that my life duplicate the life of His dear Son.

The print job is in progress.

“And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Eph. 2:22)

Sliding...

sliding...dread driving on ice to work...don't like that feeling of sliding.

But I manage to do it often...in the sunshine. With my mouth.

I said I'd speak life with my mouth.


'If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall.'(1Co.10:13)


Using my tongue is like driving on ice..better slow it way down, think before every action, and be aware of everyone around you...

but I CAN use my brakes on my words. I just don't always……


I know I'm probably the only one with that problem.... :)

Fire...

fire..in weather like this, it is so comforting to hear it crackling from our Earth Stove.

But it can be so destructive.


My words are so often like that. I confess.

"The tongue is a small part of the body....consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark."(Jam.3:5) "The tongue has the power of life and dea...th"(Prov.18:21)


Today, I will speak life with my mouth.

Cold....

cold..anybody complaining about it?

Want to be hot? Nope...we complain about that too.

We want to be somewhere in the middle.

What about your spiritual heart? Is it cold or hot?

If it's somewhere in the middle, I urge you to the consider this..our God is a consuming fire( Dt.4:24) and it's one or the other...all or nothing...hot or cold. No lukewarm. (Rev.3:16)

Don't think to follow God somewhere in the middle.(Rev.3:16)

Connection....

Connection…

Isn’t it frustrating when you need to make a call, and your phone tells you ‘no service’ or ‘failed connection’?

The metal walls of the store you are in interfere with the signal, or the mountains are too high they cut off the signal all together, or you’re simply so far away from a tower, there is absolutely no signal at all. Been there?

Yep… Me too.

It’s especially frustrating when the call is vital, you need to get an important message thru to someone or you need help.

We are so accustomed to our easy communications, but they fail occasionally, and we are shocked and frustrated. Even scared sometimes.

Our communications are built around a system… towers, little tiny devices we call cell phones, and invisible things called digital signals. They all work together to keep us invisibly connected to each other.

Ever call God and feel like you’re got ‘no service’?

Ever thought you just didn’t know how to pray at all, that you just don’t have a contract with Him for ‘service’?

Ever pray about something and seeing no answer think you just failed to make a ‘connection’, that your prayers don’t reach His ears?

Sometimes in prayer time, I find myself NOT praying at all, but thinking about what I need from the grocery store tomorrow or some such thing…I call that a ‘dropped call’ …and I’m the one who dropped.

God does not fail.

And the truth is, He’s even interested in my grocery list !!


This is not a perfect analogy, but it gives us a reference point.

When we use a cell phone, we have to operate within the system. Our location is important.

When we want to communicate with God, our location is important.

We have to be praying WITHIN His will.

THAT is our main problem. We often talk to God about things strictly based on our perspective. What we desperately need is to see from HIS.


Jesus Himself deliberately chose to pray within The Father’s will. “..if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away…may Your will be done.’ (Matt.26:42)

He surely didn’t relish the idea of spikes being hammered thru His hands and feet, but He saw from The Father’s perspective. He saw the big picture, what was at stake overall.

He could save Himself from the circumstances...

.. or save every person throughout time.

He chose to save those who would choose to participate in His death, choosing that He be responsible for their penalty of sin, instead of them being responsible for their own sentence of death and separation from God.


‘..this is my prayer…that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best….’ (Phillipians 1:9)


This morning, I am again encouraged and filled afresh with love and adoration because of the words of Jesus as recorded by John in chapter 17.

I encourage you to read this chapter for yourself. Pay close attention to verse 20

...because if you believe in Him, Jesus personalized this for you.

Put your name in it…

He did.

Forecast...

Forecast… guess you’ve watched it, know that it will likely get snowy around here in a day or two. The stores will probably be packed soon. People will ‘stock up’ on things. We won’t want to run out of milk and eggs, or bread, or whatever tops your list of important items. We want to be prepared…...right ?…..

We will make all sorts of preparations, buy more groceries than we really need, fill the tanks with gas, bring the firewood in under shelter. After all, the prediction is for snow.

Propheteia=prediction in Greek, and nbula=prediction in Hebrew, the original languages of scripture.

Predictions.

Prophecy.

I wonder, do we pay more attention to the weather-man on television than we do to the One Who is Creator and Master over it all.

‘In the beginning, God created…’ (Gen.1:1) ‘ lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do His bidding..’(Psa. 148:8) ‘He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls down hail like pebbles. Who can withstand His icy blast?’ ( Ps. 147:16) ‘…the Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet…’ (Nahum 1:3) He changes the times and seasons. (Dan. 2:21)

This is the God we serve.

Give Him more consideration than the weatherman.

Give His forecast some serious thought.

He has gone to such great lengths to help us be prepared.

The book we call the Bible is full of predictions and advice. How long since you held one in your hand, how long since you asked Him to reveal the message it contains…and it does have relevant messages for each of us, every day.

Go ahead and stock up…...but hear the words of Jesus…

’Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths, corroded by rust, or stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe..’ (Matt. 6:19 The Message)

Harmony....

Harmony.... Someone asked what Southern Gospel music is... I immediately think of harmonies.

God created harmony. He created the instrument we call 'voice'. In singing, we use our voices in different ways, creating harmonies that can stir every emotion God made and placed within us.

Some voices sing the melody...the saprano, or lead. Some voices add other tones that harmonize, we call them alto, tenor, baritone, or bass. The lead may carry the melody, but it is not fully complete without the other parts.

The voice is an instrument, and we must learn our own particular voice, discover the function of it, identify it, explore its use...and train it.

The voice that is regularly used becomes more capable and sure...able to produce sounds that were not possible before. It is more dependable, less likely to squeak out off key or crack and make you want to hide, never to sing again!!!

There is other harmony as well...the harmony of His Body, the church."...the body is not made up of one part but of many'.(1Cor.12:14 )

Here too, we must learn and train....learn who we are in Him...learn what part of the melody is ours to sing..."..they form one body...So it is with Christ." (1Cor.12:12)

We must learn He has created in each of us, a part of the harmony...a place and purpose.

'..God arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be' (1Cor.12:18)

He did not leave you out.

'..There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord' (1Cor.12:5)
'..Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable" (1Cor.12:22)

You may not sing the lead...

but the song is not complete without your voice.....