In Jars of Clay

Vacation Bible School and the Washing of Feet

2009-06-19T13:54:00.002-04:00

John 13:5

"After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him."

For the past five years, I have taught preschool crafts during VBS at my church. I absolutely love it! I get to meet all of the preschoolers and get to know them just a little bit during the week. And I get to be messy with them!! When I say messy, I mean messy! We paint, and we glue. As you can imagine, it is a bit of a challenge to come up with crafts that are age-appropriate and that connect with the Biblical theme of the week. We end up making lots of crafts involving hand prints and foot prints.

The thing that I find so precious about footprints and hand prints is that they are as unique as people. And though they grow and change, they are still unique to their owner. This past week, I had the opportunity to see the body of Christ, or at least part of it, at work. We had between 60 and 65 preschoolers come through our craft room each day, and let me tell you, it took every adult involved to teach these children, though there were only four ladies with the title. Others were called helpers, and did they ever!! One of my children was in the preschool group, and I was amazed each day as he recounted the life of Peter. I mean he really learned! It wasn't just crowd control this week, but crowd control was so very important for the children to be able to learn all that they did.

A few "helpers" stand out in my mind. One lady had the sole responsibility of caring for a special needs child who had a tendency to escape. How often do parents of special needs children drop out of church because there are not any opportunities for their child? Without this lady, the teacher would have had to shift her focus to that child or worse, that child might not have been safe. Another lady (many of you know as Hadassah) took on the responsibilities of taking these children to the restroom, picking them up to wash hands, and even replacing shoes and socks when the children completed making their footprints. I don't even want to think about the chaos we might have had if she hadn't assumed that role!

Finally, we had a lady, who willingly and cheerfully washed every hand and every foot that we painted during the week. I did some math and that is roughly 124 feet and 248 hands. What is so precious to me, is that while it would seem that these children were herded in in huge numbers, each child had an individual encounter, each day, with this sweet woman. She loves Jesus and she loves His children, and while she washed their hands and feet, that love was so very obvious. One more thing that makes this so precious to me, is that this same sweet lady suffered from a childhood illness that kept her from learning to read or write. No doubt that there have been days in her life when she wondered about her purpose. I can not think of many things sweeter that watching her wash the feet and hands of Jesus' little children. What a special purpose she served this past week!

All of us were called to live as Christ, no matter who we are. We are uniquely special in our gifts and abilities and God wishes to use those gifts to further His kingdom. I am touched in the deepest place of my heart that He would use someone like me. And, I am humbled that my part was only a small one, in the big scheme of things. The body of Christ was truly at work. May I learn from Jesus' example and from the ones I saw this past week in Vacation Bible School!

In Memory...

2009-05-26T10:40:00.006-04:00

Philippians 3:20

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies, so that they will be like His glorious body."

I write this post for the glory of God and in loving memory of my husband's brother, who went to be with Jesus on May 27, 2008. What a year it has been, and as I look back and reflect, I am touched all over again by God's amazing grace!

Last May, the Sunday night before Memorial Day, my brother in law "BIL" was in an ATV accident. His body was completely broken. We were warned before we saw him, of his brokenness. It was bad! At some point, the next day, one of the ICU nurses, believed that we didn't have a grip on the gravity of his condition, so she took ,what looked like a long piece of receipt paper, and listed his injuries. Eventually, in the hours to come, we began to see that it was more a matter of when, than if he would die. As a family, we agreed to take turns sleeping, showering, etc...

Never before have I seen a person leave their earthly body, and to this day, it still takes my breath away. My husband and his sister and I were called from the waiting room late in the night, as it was about to "happen". BIL's body was beginning to fail. I stood on one side of the bed with a hand on his head, the other on his chest. My husband was calling the family, and his sister held BIL's hands. She and I knew many moments of panic as we felt him leaving, and our own powerlessness to stop him. I remember whispering to him to please just wait, for just a little longer. I begged God to touch my heart, to calm it and to give me a song that would soothe my anxiousness. My father, did just that. The song He sang to my heart: "My Redeemer". Over and over, He spoke the words, "My redeemer is faithful, and true. Everything He has said, He will do, every morning His mercies are new. My redeemer is faithful and true." And then He drew this picture on my heart. I'll try to describe it for you.

Remember the scene in the movie Forrest Gump? Jenny was yelling for Forrest to run and he tried, with his crippled, braced legs, to run. And indeed he did! He ran until the braces broke and fell to the ground. He ran from danger, he ran from infirmity, he ran from rejection and from all that held him back. But what was he running to? BIL's heart raced under my hand and God showed me that, like Forrest, he was running. And while I begged him to stay in his broken body, he continued to run. I don't believe he ever even heard me calling him back. He had seen Jesus. He heard Jesus, say to "come."

Redeemer- one who buys back, repurchases; rescues with a ransom

Isaiah 43:1

But now, this is what the Lord says- He who created you, O, Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."

BIL heard Jesus call him by his name and he ran. He ran right out of his lowly, broken body and he has been made like Christ. He is at home in heaven. All of us will leave our lowly bodies at some point. It is a medical and biblical certainty. The question is, will you hear your Heavenly Father say, "come"? You can.

John 3:16-17 says

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."

All of us, everyone in this world sins. Our sins make us slaves to death. Jesus is our ransom. He was perfect and He died for us. Do you believe that you sin? Do you believe that you deserve hell because of your sin? Do you believe that Jesus died for you? Do you believe that His death on the cross was and is enough to pay your ransom? Are you redeemed? I love you, my friends! I pray that the truth of God's love will touch your heart today.

Maryland Crab

2009-05-13T11:15:00.003-04:00

Matthew 5:6
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

I have missed posting lately as my life has been especially busy with "stuff". More about that later, but for now, it's crab, that I want to discuss!! If I seem weird, well I am, but I kinda can't help it. My mom is from Maryland, my dad is from California, I was born in England and brought to the states only to be raised in the south. Most summers as a child, my family traveled to Maryland to see relatives. Our excursion, however, always included the best of Baltimore: The Harbour, The Aquarium, The Science Center, Fort McHenry and the Orioles. But most importantly, our trips always included crabs-Maryland crabs, that is!

In Maryland, you eat the center, not the legs of the crab, because that is where all the meat is. And the crabs are covered in seasoning. It's a really big deal. You sit at a table covered in newspaper, with citronella candles all around. You get everything ready before you start; napkins, tools, a drink, everything. Because once you start, it gets messy, but you don't want to stop. Your hands get covered in Old Bay, and as you pull the shell off and expose the meat, the seasoning from your hands coats it. And you eat, and eat. It is a lengthy process, sometimes you get a big lump, but not always. Usually you get little bites along and along, and you don't really get overstuffed, because you are steadily working for the next bite, taking each morsel and savoring it. Do you see where I am going with this, yet?

Some people grill hamburgers and hot dogs to fill up on, and just eat one or two crabs. They either don't want to devote the time or patience to the process, or they just can't stand being messy for very long.

The other most popular way to eat Maryland crabs, is by going to a restaurant and ordering a lump crab cake. I have found myself sorely disappointed over the years, as I have tried many crab cakes that claim to be from Maryland, claim to be "real", and even boast of being "with real, lump crab meat". Here's the problem. In Maryland, the meat is fresh. It is rare to a season, and it is rich. Yes, someone else has done the work, and quite a bit of it, at that. The cakes are nothing but meat. There is some type of invisible, edible glue and maybe five bread crumbs holding it all together. There is no stuffing, no fluff. It is just rich meat, laboriously compiled, and expertly prepared. And only those who participate in crab picking feasts, can appreciate the delicacy of a real Maryland crab cake, for they know the time effort and dedication it took to make just one crab cake.

A friend of mine is flying to Maryland this weekend to receive a degree from a University there. She's never been, and I desperately want her to experience the whole "crab thing". It would just seem a waste if she went all the way there, and didn't get to. She would still think that the crab legs you get from the man with the yellow truck, or the stuffing cakes with a couple threads of "real lump crab" are good. She would still have no idea what she was missing. And I am so sure, that she would love the real thing, if she ever had it!

Lately, with all the "stuff" I've had consuming my days, I feel as if I have settled for filling up on burgers and hot dogs, while only sampling a bit of crab. Because walking with the Lord is a lengthy, involved, messy process, and it takes preparation. But when I commit to it, to seeking the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, the process is as good as the actual meat I consume. For along the way, I become focused, I experience the joy of the large lumps of meat, while being sustained by the smaller pieces. And I am spending some calories at the same time, so that I am not miserable. There is fellowship in the shared experience and encouragement in seeing others, as they come across those lumps of rich meat.

And Sundays, are like going to the restaurant for the crab cake. That is, if it is the real thing! I find that many churches serve a fluffy, stuffed service, with very little real meat. I am thrilled by God's provision in a church home, where each participant of the service has worked hard to serve the real thing. God's word, whether it is presented in music, sermon, prayer, offering, communion, or ministry, should always be rich and pure. I appreciate each aspect of the service, when I consider, the process it took to deliver it. Many people took time and effort to pick apart God's word. And then, with the help of God, they presented it for my consumption. The meat: Jesus body, broken and given for me.

Have I made you hungry for Maryland crab? That's not a bad thing, but I hope that today, you are hungry for God's rich word. And what's more, I hope that you long for the process of picking it apart and then feasting on it. Church is a wonderful part of God's plan. But if that was all you had, to nurture your spirit...you'd be missing all of the goodness of the process of walking with the Lord. May you hunger and thirst, today!!

Inheritance and Education

2009-02-24T17:51:00.004-05:00

Colossians 3:23-24

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

Psalm 127:3

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children are a reward from Him."

This particular post is meant, not to be a politically correct pat on the back, but to be an encouragement to parents for following the will of God in raising your children, particularly in the area of education. There are many options and God has one that is right for your child. So, what does inheritance have to do with education?

Immediately the story of the prodigal son comes to mind. I believe that the inheritance was given based on the love of a parent for his child, not based on the how deserving the child was. The inheritance was supposed to have come after the father died. As we all remember, the son asked for his inheritance early, and then he squandered it all, before coming home to his father, a broken and contrite man.

I think of the heritage we have as Christians, of the reward we will receive at the end of this life. I think of heaven and the promise, that it will one day be my home. My Father has already died and though I don't deserve heaven, my Father loved me and put it in His will for me. But before He hands it over, He means for me to live. I think of the two precious children God has given to me in this life. I am so very, very blessed. They are God's gift to me, regardless of what I choose to do with them. My inheritance is not just eternity but responsibility. I could squander the time I have with my children. I could waste the opportunities I have been given in them, and I would still be a Christian. I would still inherit eternity in Heaven.

But the question is whether or not I will return to my Father empty-handed. You see, what I do in this life does matter. Good works do matter. Many scriptures discuss doing good, to receive an eternal reward. Heaven has already been guaranteed for the Christian. But God poured His Holy Spirit into each Christian, and part of the fruit of the Spirit is "goodness". So just because we did not deserve our salvation or do anything to earn it, does not mean that God did not call us to do good works. He did!

He has called me to do good each day with the reward of my two children. He has called me to love and nurture, teach and train, encourage and correct. And being the complete God that He is, He also provided a manual to follow in raising them. They did, indeed, come with instructions! God's word (both written and implied) holds the answer to any parenting mystery I will ever face, AND it is perfect for my two children. Everything, even their education is addressed.

My husband and I believe very strongly that God instructed us to put our oldest child (the little one is too young) in a public school in our city. The decision was not an easy one for me, as I assumed His will would be very different. So I scoured the Bible looking for any proof that what God had whispered into my heart was true. My questions, one by one were answered. My fear dissolved and peace filled my heart.

Am I saying that public school is God's will for every child? Absolutely not! What I am saying, is that God calls us to work at raising our children as working for Him. That means that we have to start by asking Him what He wants us to do. Maybe His will is for us to home school our children. Maybe His will is for us to put our children in a christian school , or maybe His will is for us to enroll them in a public school. Whatever His will, He calls us to sacrifice. He calls us to stretch and grow. Whatever His will, you can be sure it will include love, instruction, correction and discipline. Whatever His will is for your children, you can be sure it is perfect.

God means for us to do our best for Him in what He has called us to do. I find that I can spend an amazing amount of time on my child's education, and I am not even his teacher. I can invest a great deal into relationships with his teachers, administrators, and classmates. I can invest in the quality of time I spend with him when he is at home. Because it is not about his education or even about how he turns out, but it is about working for the Lord in my roll as a mom. I pray that one day, when I enter into Heaven, what I have done "good" will include parenting my children with all my heart as unto the Lord. I pray that they will be the crown I lay at Jesus' feet.

What is your story?

Death is at Work in Me

2009-02-17T22:48:00.002-05:00

2 Corinthians 4:11

"For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that His life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you."

One of the tools God is using to teach me lately, is a Beth Moore Bible study that I participate in. Those of you who have been through her study on the Fruit of the Spirit- Living Beyond Yourself, will likely remember the video lesson on patience. It went something like this.

There are two kinds of patience. One concerns persevering in a difficult circumstance and is inspired by hope. The other, concerns being patient with difficult people and is motivated by mercy. The one that is a part of the Fruit of the Spirit is- you know it- the one dealing with people. We all have at least one tricky relationship, and you can bet mine has been put to the test lately. Because you see, I am alive, in that I have received God's gift of His son, Jesus, and I have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit-ALL OF IT!!! He has put patience within me, but it must be worked out.

How??? Well, one thing about the Holy Spirit is that we have need in Him because we were called to live this life, in this imperfect, flesh-loving body, in a way that brings glory to God. That is what we were called for. That is why we were saved.

Beth talked about having a relationship that just always seems to bring out the worst in us, and I can SO identify. The relationship I am speaking of is one that I can not avoid. It is necessary, and oh, how Satan uses it to remind me of what is still left of my "old, unsaved, mortal self". I can talk to this person and find a defensiveness and pride, that I thought had long ago been destroyed. I can feel the desire for vengeance and the temptation to hold a grudge. One conversation can consume so much of my mind that I can barely hear my Father's voice.

The good news? Having my sin masked by pleasant, easy relationships, does not keep it from existing. Yet, when it is revealed, when it comes up and out, God can deal with it. I don't know if that blesses you the way it does me, but the idea that along and along, God is changing me, not by taking me out of this sinful world, but by taking the sin out of me, whew!!! I just can't get over it!

One day, because of the presence of this person in my life, God will put to death, the sinful nature that is still very much a part of me. And just think, God may be bringing something to life in that person, at the very same time He is working death in me. Oh what a blessing it is to be a child of God, to have been called for the purpose of bringing Him glory, and to have been given all I need (through His Spirit), to do so.

Snobby about my Chocolate

2009-02-12T10:14:00.002-05:00

Isaiah 55:2

"Why spend money on what is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare."

Last week, I was incredibly busy. You know the kind of "busy" I am talking about. Each day I had several things scheduled back to back, for which, I had several lists. As I was checking through the lists, I had this feeling like I was forgetting something. Not that I could have squeezed in anything else, but at least I could have rescheduled,right? And sure enough, I did forget something on Tuesday. I was so frustrated, because, I really wanted to get everything done, and I wanted to please the Lord in the process. So, Tuesday night, I made a complete list of everything for the week, committed it to prayer, and asked God to help me to have wisdom and discernment, energy and a cheerful spirit for each day.

I went to bed, fully trusting that the days would go by in pleasant haste, and that I would be astounded by God's ability to accomplish so many things through me. I woke up around 3:00 a.m. with kidney stone pain and was up for the rest of the night. I was hurting so badly that I opted to take Aleeve, which makes me very groggy. Then some time around 6:30ish, I dozed and had these little weird "mini-dreams". The one that I woke up thinking about involved Starburst candy and its' point value in Weight Watchers. I joined a few years ago, and was very suprised to find that every little thing that goes into our bodies counts. And if you can only consume 20 points in a day, a handful of M&M's and a couple of Starburst hardly seem worth the points. After all, they don't leave much room for food with actual value. I learned to become quite the snob about what I consume. I just cannot be bothered with cheap chocolate!

As I went through Wednesday and the remainder of the week, I began to weigh each activity as worthy or not worthy of my time. I began to see that little indulgences, such as watching other people's drama on T.V. is a bit wasteful, when all around me there are people hurting, people I can actually help with a kind word or a card, a meal, or a listening ear. I began to see that having my garage spotless is a bit of a waste of my time, when my children are hurting and need some "Mommy time". I could go on and on, but you get the point. We have so many opportunities each day to do good things, and sometimes, we have to choose a couple and let the others go. Because there is nothing wrong with watching the Biggest Looser or cleaning the garage. Sometimes, it just isn't God's best for that day.

Peace in Provision

2009-01-07T14:29:00.002-05:00

Matthew 14:24, 32
(24)"but the boat was already a considerable distance form land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it."
(32)"And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down."

Matthew 14: 22-32 are verses that have penetrated my heart more than once and in many different circumstances, but this most recent time is the one I want to share today. For it was peace in God's provision that I prayed, and these are the verses that He lead me to. I find it interesting at times, that though I grew up with a strong knowledge of basic Bible stories, I am very deficient in the chronology of the events. And just now, as I was looking in my Bible to refer to these verses, I noticed that the section just previous, is the story of the five loaves and two fish. And the section, just before that, was when the disciples buried John the Baptist. All of this in chapter 14 of Matthew! I am so blown away by how even the sequence of events in history have purpose in my life. All of scripture has meaning and purpose, and even the order of the events recorded has meaning today.

My focus will still be on the part of chapter 14 when Jesus walked on water, but I will refer to the events of the entire chapter. I recommend reading it. I said in the last post, that I was going to tell you more about the illness I have experienced for the past several weeks. It started at the end of October when I had the mumps, then after one day of normalcy, I began to get sick again. For a week, I had symptoms that seemed like appendicitis or maybe a kidney stone, and I became concerned when I didn't get any better. Finally, one night, I became overwhelmed by the pain and the nagging feeling that it might be something requiring medical help. I hated to go to the hospital and pick up lots of germs, if it was just a kidney stone. I figured I could just pass it at home. Plus, the expense concerned me. In fact, that was the main reason for my hesitation. I asked a friend to pray for me to have wisdom about whether or not to go. She did pray with me and later called me back to say that, as she continued to pray on her own, she felt that God was telling her that I should go to the emergency room. She asked me a question that really gave me the courage to go. She asked, "If you had as much money as _________ (a friend with a very good income), would you go?" Then she reminded me that my Father in Heaven owns everything and that He would provide.

For as long as I can remember, I have had to trust God with my finances. At some point, I believed that a college degree would help me to provide for myself, but that was short lived. I became a "stay-home mom" and my husband took a job that pays him only commission. Over the years, many people have questioned our decisions, but God has confirmed time after time that we are doing what He called us to do and that He is our "reliable income".

I did go to the emergency room and learned that I had developed a bacterial infection from having the mumps, and that I had at least 25 kidney stones. Long story short, I went to a specialist, and he scheduled me for surgery to crush the two largest stones. The day before the surgery, after learning the cost, I became very frightened. For six weeks, I had hung on to the promise that My father, who loves me, would provide. I even stepped out in faith and went to a specialist, something I had asked God to provide for the past twelve years. And I marveled that,in my time of great need, He could provide a physician, new to town, amazing in his skill, and with an admirable bedside manner. So what in the mess made me take my eyes off of Jesus and look down at my circumstance? What made me doubt that a father, who could call me out during a storm, toward the refuge of His arms, and give me the ability to walk toward Him, would provide for a surgery bill?

Not what, but who. And he is the same "who" that caused Peter to look at the wind and doubt Jesus. Satan. What is interesting to me is that the wind was always there. Scripture does not say that the disciples were frightened by the wind, but by Jesus. They believed He was a ghost. But Peter, desperately wanted to believe it was indeed, Jesus. He wanted to believe so badly, that he was willing to risk death for Jesus to prove Himself. If Jesus was not who He said he was, Peter would have surely died. But if He was who He said He was..., Oh how Peter needed Him to be!

Verse 24 says that the boat was buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

Buffeted means to strike and comes from the Greek word: kolaphizo-of the base of kolazo; to curtail, to chastise (or reserve for infliction):-punish; to rap with the fist. Isn't that just what the disciples had been through that day? They had been through great tragedy and loss over John the Baptist and on the tail of that, came the miraculous, yet exhausting sermon on the mount and all that it entailed. And then the storm?!?

I have always been able to see myself in Peter. He is so passionate in his love for Jesus and yet, he is just so darn human! The guy had had enough! He kept the faith through so much and then, in an instant, he shifted his gaze, and began to sink. I can identify. It's not that Jesus hasn't proved Himself over and over. It is just that I am human. And Satan is as real as Jesus. And he strikes over and over. And if faith in Jesus is what sustains me in the storm, Satan will strike my faith.

Verse 32, says that when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.

When Jesus got into the middle of Peter's circumstance, it ceased to punish him. I found myself saying many times in the past year, "The hits just keep coming." My family experienced tragedy and loss and in spite of our grief, we had to continue facing life. Through it all, I clung to Jesus. But I am human. And it only took a surgery bill to make me doubt. I took my eyes off of Jesus, but He never took His eyes off of me. I cried out for Him to restore my faith and He gave me these verses. He climbed right into the source of my fear and made it stop beating me. He returned my peace-peace in His provision. Scripture shows us that He restored Peter's faith. He provided safety for Peter. He has provided a physician for me and daily, I witness His provision in my finances. He provided forgiveness when Peter doubted and failed, and He does the same for me, for all of us. Most of all, He provided for Peter's salvation and for yours and mine, through Jesus. If He never provided in this life, eternity would be more than enough. But He does provide for us here, as we walk this walk. To God be the glory!!!

And He shut my mouth up, TIGHT, TIGHT, TIGHT!!

2008-12-16T13:58:00.002-05:00

"He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity." -Proverbs 21:23

No, I have not given up on my walk with the Lord, or on blogging. I have been pretty sick since the end of October (more about that later), and it seems I have slept my life away for the past several weeks. God has been so faithful though, in using this time, (which I consider to be a great interruption and inconvenience) to teach me some things.

I had a minor surgery a week and a half ago, and something very funny happened. It may not seem funny to you unless I tell you a little bit about myself. For those of you who know me well, you will recall a time when I was very hurt by gossip. Thankfully, my Heavenly Father was gracious in using my pain as a reminder to me not to participate in any form of slander. Not that I am perfect. Far from it! In fact, I have found that there are countless opportunities each day, to either please or displease God with words. I know that I can sin in a heartbeat no matter my resolve, or past hurt. So, I have begun to pray that God would "shut my mouth up, TIGHT, TIGHT, TIGHT!" I got the idea from a song that I sang as a child about God shutting the mouths of the lions in the den with Daniel. I figure, He can do the same to me. And oh, how often it is necessary!

Gossiping is not the only calamity that pushes its' way through my lips though. Again, those of you who know me, know that I have the most frustrating ability to say the most stupid things in my attempt to bring someone a measure of comfort. For example; funerals. I have finally decided to just walk in, hug the grieving family member, and walk out. I dare not say a word!

So that brings me to my funny surgery. As I said, it was minor. It was supposed to be outpatient, and since I have had this type of surgery before, I really didn't anticipate any problems. So when I woke up speechless (literally), you can imagine that I was a bit confused, and scared. For several hours, my mouth did not work. My doctor believed that I may have suffered form a stroke, but after several tests and a night in the ICU, the neurologist determined that I had toxic encephalia caused by a reaction to either the anesthesia and/or pain medicine. From now on, my chart will be highlighted to indicate that medicine caused me to loose my speech, though I can't help but wonder...

I wonder, what the mess I was going to say in my groggy state that God refused to let me say. I wonder what calamity He kept me from. And whether or not He closed my mouth for that reason, I may never know. One thing I do know is that I will always remember His ability to do so. And I will forever be grateful for His sense of humor.

Hope-(Even Following Last Night's Election)-Part 2

2008-11-04T00:29:00.001-05:00

I am bursting! I have struggled so much with this second part of "HOPE", because there are so many scripture references, and I have been trying to condense it all . Well, I think I have put everything into a nutshell, but I must do so with the disclaimer, that there is nothing, absolutely nothing I can write in one post that can replace your own exploration of the Bible. And to try to condense it would only create a poor substitute for God's inspired word. So this is only a nutshell of what God is teaching me...nothing more. With that said, let's dig in.

**2 Chronicles 7:14 says, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. "

Let's focus on the fact that Christians are called. Called meaning beckoned and called meaning named-"CHRISTians". Jesus Christ beckoned us to Himself, and He put His glorious name on us!

The thing is, that in light of the recent election, we as Christians have a major responsibility. We can feel very outnumbered and downcast in a country that selected a leader who does not seem to uphold the name under which our country was founded. But as Christians, do we? I know that I have sat in front of my T.V. being entertained by the same sinful agenda that disgusts me about the majority of the American mindset. And that's just a start. Out of absolute fear and dread I have followed the instructions of this verse. Many of you have as well. But let's not stop now, when HOPE seems more frail than ever before.

**Psalm 43:3-4 says, "Send forth your light and truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, my joy and my delight.

God is the one that sends guidance and brings us to Himself. We could not draw to Him on our own, because our flesh had no awareness of our need and no desire to have it met. He brought us to Himself and this is the HOPE we have.

**Psalm 51:12 says, "Restore unto me the joy of your salvation (again, it is His to give) and grant a willing spirit to sustain me.

Though we do have HOPE, we will certainly need to be sustained during this next season, as our nation faces "change". The following verses clench it for me.

**Isaiah 40:28-31 says, "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding, no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who HOPE in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

This is not prophesy, so please do not read into it, but indulge me while I expand on a few facts I found about our national symbol: The bald eagle.
1.) The bald eagle got it's name, not because it is bald, but because it's head and the very tip of its' tail is white. (The parallel as I see it is of God, in His purity, being the beginning and the end.)
2.)The body of the bald eagle is dark brown. (The parallel to me is that this season of time, when we have turned from God as a nation, is full of darkness. There will be consequences. There will be sorrow.)
3.)The bald eagle was chosen because of its' rarity, and it is becoming extinct. However, provisions have been made to protect this bird and preserve it from extinction. (The parallel here is pretty obvious. As a christian people, we are becoming weak and greatly outnumbered. But God has made provision to strengthen and preserve us.)
4.)The wingspan of the bald eagle is 80 inches. (So, I know a guy that is 6'9" and I am trying to picture him stretched out sideways in the sky. Minus one inch, and that would be it. Pretty stinkin' powerful! Amazing actually!)

If that doesn't excite you or at least give you HOPE, consider the following verses.

**Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

**Isaiah 40:23 says, "He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing."

There are countless verses about hope and joy and peace. There are also, tons and tons of verses which instruct us in "doing good". Let us not give up Hope! Let us not grow weary! And let us not be conformed to the ways of this world! Take heart!!! God is in control-today, November 5, 2008, just as He always has been and always will be!

Answering "YES" and Accepting "NO"

2008-10-31T23:20:00.002-04:00

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

Hmmm...A while back, maybe a year and a half ago, I studied the book of Esther. It was life-changing for me and the verse that captured me was the second part of Esther 4:14, which says, "And who knows but that you have come to a royal position for such a time as this?" Mordecai was compelling Esther to risk her life by petitioning the king to spare the lives of the Jewish people. Seeing how she was Jewish herself, she could pretty much count on dying either way, but the opportunity to act was at hand, and act she did! And she was able to save her people by using the position that God put her in (or called her to).

Since then, I committed to say "yes" to God no matter what He asks of me, and I looked forward to how He might use me. I was a little surprised, when at first, He called me to some very unglamorous positions. Yet I learned to delight in saying "yes" even to the lowliest or simplest of calls. For He placed inside me a desire to please Him. Later, He called me to some bigger tasks, and though at times, I felt unequipped, unworthy, or just plain scared, the Holy Spirit provided me with the power to say "yes". And even better, God helped me to accomplish them!

Please do not think that I am boasting, because I know me, and no "yes" ever came from me. Unfortunately, in my journey of learning to give God my "yeses", I have become quite stubborn in accepting His "nos". You've got it! I have become mighty proud in thinking that God must want to use me for absolutely everything. Just because I can do all things through Him, doesn't mean that His plan is to accomplish all things through me.

Really, when you come right down to it, I am boasting. But not to you-just to myself. I have come to believe that there are certain things that I am good at and that come naturally to me. Therefore, God should always let me be the one to do them. Then, if there is something out of my character that He calls me to do, I will rely on Him to accomplish it through me. That's where I have been mistaken. Nothing, absolutely nothing, I ever do well comes from my own nature. God created me. He gave me certain talents and abilities, but I only ever do them, because He has made me willing and able.

This all slammed me in the face this week, when three times, He told me "no". Three things this week were very important to me, and being a planner, I had attended to every detail... or so I thought. Just after I published my last post on Monday night, my face began to hurt. Long story short, I woke up with the face of a hippopotamus and sure enough, I have the mumps. The mumps! Who gets the mumps? I am so sad, and my ego has taken a huge hit, because as it turns out, God still accomplished what He saw fit, without my contribution.

But the blessing in it all is this: By God teaching me this lesson, I have the opportunity to change. I have the opportunity to become more like Christ. I am taking on a new shape at this very moment. And though to look at my face, you might say that I resemble a very large lump of clay more than ever before, I actually feel lighter. It is as if some extra dirt has been removed, and oh, how I feel my Father's hand in me, sustaining me through this disappointment! I am more aware of who He is and what He has made of me. I am blessed to have the talents He has given me. I am even more blessed that He allows me (from time to time) to participate in things I am not normally good at. Most of all, I am blessed the He is still working on me. What's greater than any talent or any ability, is the promise of scripture that the Lord's purposes prevail. Thank God!!!

All About Attitude

2008-10-27T22:13:00.002-04:00

"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound in you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 4:7-8

Okay, this is not a post with a great amount of depth and the lesson that has been the theme of the past couple of weeks for me, is not a new one. Just one that I have pretty much been learning my entire life. And it is all about my attitude!!!

Have you ever been in a really good mood, then found yourself a bit grouchy and traced the change back to someones' bad attitude? If you have ever shopped at the nameless superstore near my house, I think you'll answer,"yes". Have you ever met someone who could just suck the fun right out of any situation? If you have ever shopped at that same superstore with me, I'm sure you'll answer "yes". I can not stand to shop at that place!!! I tell myself on the way in to be patient and kind, but somehow, I manage to loose all resolve by the time I leave.

I'll spare you all the different scenarios (lately) in which God has reminded me to have a cheerful attitude. The point is, that it is not in my nature. I am by nature a very negative person. "And God is able to make all grace abound in you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." The Holy Spirit in me is able to be gracious in all things, at all times! Whatever, I have been called by God to give, whether it be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control, I have it to give, and give cheerfully. Because I have the Holy Spirit living in me.

I basically know this, and I usually rely on the Holy Spirit in the big things. It's like I am aware of the importance of my investment of time or talent when I visit a sick person or take on a huge project, but not when I set out to accomplish ordinary, day to day things. And so, in trying to be gracious on my own, I fall miserably short.

Anything and everything that God has called me to do is an opportunity to invest (or sow) cheerfully. I'll have to remember to allow the Holy Spirit to live through me the next time I run to ...well, you know..., the superstore!

Forgiveness and Answered Prayer

2008-10-21T23:01:00.002-04:00

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It ALWAYS protects, ALWAYS trusts, ALWAYS hopes, ALWAYS perseveres. Love never fails..." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

I chose to save the second part of Hope, which I had planned to post today. For God has given me a sweet answer to a prayer that I wept to Him yesterday. To tell you of His answer, I must tell you a bit of my story.

I recently found myself wounded, betrayed and disappointed. I knew in my heart that forgiveness was mine to give through the Holy Spirit (it's a good thing, too, because I wouldn't have had it in myself). The thing I have learned about forgiveness is that sometimes it has to be given more than once for the same offense. And I don't mean the same offense committed again. I mean the same offense revisited in memories, and in future trust issues-those type things.

I have only ever struggled with forgiving memories in one other situation. It was several years ago and the "offender" was an acquaintance. Anyway, at the time and for some time after, I was devastated! To say that I was hurt would be a gross understatement, though all of that situation pales in comparison to the one I faced recently. That is the amazing thing about God's plan. Each part of it prepares us for the next. Nothing happens outside of His knowledge and provision.

What I learned from that situation that has helped me so much in this one, is found in the story of Joseph. You know the story. Joseph's brothers sell him into slavery because of anger and jealousy. Many years later, they are at his mercy and they apologize (mostly out of shame and fear)-Genesis 47. Then again in chapter 50 of Genesis, they apologize (out of shame and fear). Both times Joseph forgives them, but I love his words in v. 50:19- "...Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended it to harm me but God intended it for good..."

I remember the day I heard those words three years ago. I was studying THE PATRIARCHS and Beth Moore was teaching on video. It was as if she looked straight into my eyes and reached through the screen and held my heart in her hands. She went on to say that sometimes we wait so long for an apology and when we finally get it, we know that the offender has no clue about what their action cost us, and the apology doesn't make us feel the way we thought it would. But God knows what we suffer, and He cares. Not only that, but He has a plan!

So that brings me to the prayer that I wept to my Father yesterday afternoon. This most recent hurt, leaves me absolutely raw, because unlike the one which came from an acquaintance, this one came from a person I dearly love, a person I have a precious relationship with. And when I shared with the person how the offense had cost me, there was barely an acknowledgement, and no understanding. The apology was forced, and I am guessing that it came from a place of fear and shame.

God helped me to forgive then, and yesterday, as I felt fresh with hurt, I asked God to do it once more. I asked that His love (His AGAPE love) would erase the recorded wrong from my mind and heart. I also asked that His love would help me to always protect-because nothing good can come from exposing this sin; to always trust- because no relationship can grow without trust; to always hope-because I need the promise that my heart will heal; and to always persevere, because that is the way God loves us every time we mess up. He never fails!!!

My answer came today in the form of an acknowledgement, and a heartfelt apology-at almost the exact time that I had prayed yesterday. I do not gather that the person understands the depth of my hurt, but that isn't the point. The point is that I wanted to feel God's love and I wanted to be able to give it as well. He delivered a message of love through that apology and yes, once more He allowed me to love by receiving the apology and forgiving the offense.

God sometimes takes longer to deliver the apology we want as in the case of Joseph. And some apologies may not come in this lifetime. Rest assured though, nothing has happened to you that God does not know and care about. He hurts for you. And somehow, He will make something good from your pain. I pray desperately, that in sharing this, I will not spark the curiosity of those who know me, but that perhaps someone who is hurting from a similar situation will find peace and feel God's Agape love.

Hope-Part 1

2008-10-19T22:57:00.006-04:00

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." 1 Peter 3:15

A couple of weeks ago, our Sunday school teacher told the class that God had put it in her heart to try and prepare us for some difficulties that we as Christians in America may face in the future. She asked for us to give her some feedback, and I immediately (and foolishly) raised my hand to say that, there was some verse about giving a reason for our hope and that maybe that was something we could look into.

I do not mean to say that it was a foolish idea to explore and understand and be prepared with an explanation of hope in times of trouble. I just mean that I am guilty of knowing a part of a verse, never the reference, and only sometimes the context. So God, in His mercy, allowed the verse to come up later in the week during my homework time of a Beth Moore Bible study I am working on. I took note of the reference. Then, because I knew I would be writing a post about the verse, I looked into the text surrounding the verse.

This is what I found. First of all, I did not even realize that the first and the last part of the verse existed. I had only ever heard the middle part; Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. I have always assumed that this meant that as Christians, we are to always be ready to give our personal testimony of salvation to non-Christians. And that is true. But...

The book of 1 Peter was written by Peter as a letter of encouragement to believers who faced social and economic persecutions from the Romans, the Jews, and from their own families. Sound familiar? We, as Christians in America, may be facing some hard times. And the difficulties may come from many different sources. So, where is our hope? Let's look back at the very first part of this verse. But in your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. "But" in this verse follows a command to fear not. By setting apart Christ as Lord, we can do just that. Because, in setting apart Christ as Lord, we are taking our control (or lack of it), and our leaderships' control (or lack of it), out of the equation. GOD IS IN CONTROL! HE HAS A PLAN! HE MADE PROVISION FOR HIS PLAN THROUGH CHRIST JESUS! AND WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO LIVE OUT HIS PLAN BECAUSE OF THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

Now the next part of the verse, Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have...caught my attention because of the absolutes, "always" and "everyone". I think that if we pay attention to those words, they speak for themselves. There are no exceptions!!!

Finally, the last part is, But do this with gentleness and respect. There are no conditions on when we are to be prepared, or who we are to share with. The only conditions here, are in how we deliver our message of hope. I find myself feeling awfully self-righteous at times, when in reality, I have done absolutely nothing to secure hope for myself. It all goes back to God-God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

I will not elaborate in this post, but God has most certainly placed peace and hope in my heart. As a matter of fact, I am sort of anxious to see what lies ahead. Has God given you peace about the upcoming election, the economy, the war? I'd love to hear from you!

TREASURE

2008-10-16T17:48:00.003-04:00

2 Corinthians 4:7-9 "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed."

Treasure. According to The New Strong's Dictionary of Complete Bible Words, treasure (in the context of these verses) comes from the Greek word, thesauros, meaning a deposit, i.e.wealth:-treasure.

I came across these verses a couple of months ago. I think it was one of those mornings, where I just sort of flipped through my Bible, not really looking for anything in particular, but hoping for something profound. And the heading for the fourth chapter of 2 Corinthians seemed to bounce off the page. Now the idea that Christians are "clay", God is "the potter", and the process of life in this spinning world is the "wheel", is not especially profound. What was profound to me was the idea that the "treasure" is God's hand(s); not just shaping, but supporting, sustaining, and sometimes resisting.

Bear with me while I give you a little art lesson in pottery. I so loved the classes I took back in high school. It has been awhile, but I rather enjoyed refreshing my own memory! Okay. The very first step in throwing on the wheel, is to dress the part. Maybe God would wear a spotless, white robe for the occasion, but I rather like to imagine Him in some baggy coveralls. Anyway, then the potter chooses his piece of clay. The size and shape are sort of irrelevant, since, after all, it is just dirt. What makes it special is what the potter does with it. Now, the potter throws the clay on the wheel and begins to center it (let's think of that, as the moment when a person realizes that the Holy Spirit has been drawing him to Himself and accepts salvation through God's son, Jesus.) This step in pottery and in life is the most important. What follows though, is what thrills my heart!

Once the clay (or the person) is centered, the potter (God) inserts first, his thumbs and then his hand. The treasure!! When I think of a vessel on a potter's wheel, this is what I picture. And what makes it so neat, is that his other hand is on the outside of the vessel working in perfect unison, in perfect synchronization with the hand that is inside the vessel. Throughout the process of creating a vessel, the clay can take on many different shapes. You see the process is different for every vessel (every person). Certain pressure, certain events, certain elements of life affect the process. And without the "treasure" of the potter's hand in the vessel (in us), it would certainly be destroyed.

This past summer, I experienced a series of events, so hard, so perplexing, so humbling, and so devastating, that I can honestly say that I am not the same person I used to be. My "shape" is forever changed, and I believe that that is a wonderful thing! An amazing thing, in fact! That God can take such events and hold me from the inside out (and not just hold me, but continue to shape me), can only be explained as His all-surpassing power!!

So look back with me at the definition of treasure. God deposited Himself into me! He considered this lump of clay worthy of His investment-the wealth of Him! I am in awe! I am Pelos-a lump of clay!

Whatever it is that you face in your life, it has purpose. Either it is for the purpose of calling you to salvation or (if you have already received salvation), it is to continue to the process of sanctification-the state of purity. I pray that you are encouraged! I know I am! I would love to hear from you!