Christmas with the Family

With September 1^st comes excitement over cooler weather, hot spiced cider, and blowing brightly colored leaves.  Underlying all the reasons for fall exuberance, though, is the event that has colored my world since I was a child.  Cold weather means Christmas is on the way!

 

None of that has changed since I was a young girl.  What has changed however is the dark cloud that can accompany December 1^st.  Steve puts on his tender face and his armor and battens down the hatches.  Because he is about to be assaulted, beaten back, and challenged by the full range of emotions that are available to me as a female…sometimes many within only minutes!

 

Because, you see, my Christmas will never be the same as it was when my children were small.  There are two reasons for this.  Most important, they had the courage to grow up and go about their own lives, as it should be.  Second, even my Christmas as it was when they were small is not the Christmas I see in my mind’s eye.  I remember the quiet, peaceful couple of hours on Christmas Eve night but not the several frantic hours that day wrapping, cooking, stressing, and fuming.  I remember the sweet smiles but not the squabbling.  I remember the snow…once or twice.

 

Don't we all idealize the holidays?  A Thanksgiving table groaning with food and  a happy Norman Rockwell family beaming at one another.  Children dressed so perfectly and behaving so well that we know they left their rooms spotless.  Little ones running and playing, smiling and sharing.  Don’t get me wrong.  It happens…and, when it does, it is wonderful.  But as we get older, we never remember the work and the peacemaking required.

 

This year, as I eased my way into late fall, I began to pray earnestly that God would manage our holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I told Him I would do my best to completely turn it over to Him, letting Him take care of the plans and the details.  The only mood swings I’ve had, small glitches really, have been when I tried to take it back over and run it for Him.  

 

The “why” I’ll write about when I can find the right words.  But, I’ll tell you the result right now.  This Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons have been among the best I’ve ever had.  My level of joy and peace has been consistent, high, and humbling.  My Father has given me increased faith and grace to see things by a new perspective.  I can’t wait to tell you about it!

I'll Be Home for Christmas

No other Christmas song brings on bittersweet nostalgia and longing like “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”  It is often sung as a romantic ballad; but in my opinion only Josh Groban's recording has captured the reality of the 1943 song, as written from the perspective of a soldier serving overseas during World War II. 

 

My Pandora station can’t decide whether to thumbs up or thumbs down this song.  It feels like pure Christmas but, depending on my mood, it can pull me down to the depths.  And I realized, listening to it today, how very many groups of people it affects in so many different ways.  Listen and consider…

• The small children who think it’s a nice-enough song but don’t quite understand why it seems to make everyone so sad.
• The high school student who is just happy to be among family and friends and thinks the song is a fine song.
• The college student or young person away from home for the first time and either eagerly waiting for that flight home or yearning to be there.  They will find on arriving the beginning of that phenomenon that will follow them for the rest of their lives, especially if they are believers.  Everything may be exactly the same, but the feeling is not what they are anticipating.  It feels somehow homey and alien all at the same time.  They will realize that “home” is something they can no longer grasp.
• The young parents who listen with a strange mixture of contentment that, at last he’s singing about my own home; longing for a parent they cannot be with; or guilt for not making the trek to be there.
• The middle-aged parents with kids who are older and parents who come to their home instead.  This is the best one and you parents who are at this stage, relax and enjoy!  These are the good old days and things do not have to be perfect. 
• The empty nest parents whose kids are experiencing that strange feeling upon coming home that things are not as they remembered.  The parents who, for the first time, cannot for one reason or another be with their children.  (This group should probably just avoid the song altogether.)
• Those members of our armed forces serving who cannot be with their families.  For them, the longing is very real.
• Those who are 66.  I can speak concerning this group.  Because we can begin to imagine being at the throne of King Jesus on His birthday.  Suddenly all the other groups and concerns fade into the background and we begin to grasp perspective.
• Those who have lost loved ones who are believers during the past year.  May I encourage you with how God blessed me the Christmas after I lost my mom in October?  Instead of my “wishing her back here” with me, He encouraged me to picture her there.  I realized that she would be there in time for rehearsals for the Messiah.  Then it dawned on me that Handel might be directing it and that King Jesus Himself might be in the congregation!

So take comfort, encouragement, and excitement in this…those of you with loved ones who have gone before you, they are truly Home for the holidays!  Rejoice!  

2 Corinthians 5:5-8
Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Why Walk?

As I studied at my dining table this morning, I saw a crow land and spend a little time in my front yard.  A few seconds later, he caught my attention as he walked through the yard, across the street, and on down toward the end of the block.  I chuckled for a minute; but then it occurred to me.  Why on earth would you walk if you have wings?

How many times do I puzzle over something for a couple of hours and finally think to pray?    Usually God gives me a solution or at least a peace about whatever the issue is.  How often do we worry and fret over problems we couldn’t possibly solve?  Or other things that work themselves out and we look back and shake our heads over all that wasted energy?  We know the Bible tells us, Jesus tells us, over and over again not to worry.

But let’s look at the flip side, the positive piece.  If you remove something, another thing must take its place.  Pour a glass of water out and the glass will be filled with air.  Ever try digging a hole in very light and dry sand?  It just keeps refilling itself.  

If we make a decision not to worry, to trust God, we had best have something to back that up or the concern will just creep right back in.  I choose to live in the power that God provides through His Spirit and His Word.  Why would I walk on legs that tire when I can soar on wings like eagles?

1 Chronicles 29:11-13; Nehemiah 8:10; Isaiah 40:29-31
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.  Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.  Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name…Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength…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.

Relative Advice

This morning it’s about in-laws and parents...and advice.  Moses’ father-in-law to be more precise.  In Exodus 18.  Jethro, his father-in-law, had heard of everything that God had done for Moses and the Israelites.  He, along with Moses’ wife Zipporah and his two sons, came to visit Moses and Moses related everything that God had done for them, including all the hardship from which God had delivered them.

Jethro rejoiced and blessed God, offering sacrifices and eating with Moses, Aaron and all the elders of Israel.  On the next day Moses sat from morning until night judging the people and settling issues, making them aware of God’s laws.

Here’s where the story gets sticky.  Verse 17 is the one that brought me to a dead stop.  

“So Moses-father-in-law said to him, ‘The thing that you do is not good.’”  

Though this situation has a great ending, I’m not sure I would have gotten that far.  Because if anyone, particularly a close relative, were to come to me and say that, I’m afraid, while I might have a frozen smile on my face and the appearance of listening, my brain would be on the fast track.  I would be thinking of snide responses and then berating myself for not having the courage of delivery.  

Not only does God expect us to honor our parents, He did not put us on this earth to live in solitude, never accepting help or counsel.  Just before, in chapter 17, Joshua and his men defeated Amalek because Moses held the staff of God up.  When he let his arms drop, they began to lose.  Ever try to hold anything – hand weights, two cans of beans, two bags of ice, anything – in your raised hands for long?  But Aaron and Hur held Moses arms up for him.  We all need support from others and humility to react well to guidance.

Moses did listen to Jethro.  And he followed his very good advice and taught able men the laws and commands of God.  He made them rulers over small and large groups and he settled only the hard cases.  And his life was much easier for it.

If you have advice for me, bring it on!  I will try very hard to listen and give you a genuine smile of thanks.

Toadstools and Spanish Moss

August just lies down and stretches itself out over South Carolina.  Hot, always hot.  But sometimes very wet as well, as it was last week.  As a pluviofile (my new favorite word…means a lover of rain, someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days), I have been joyful indeed.

 

The hot, wet weather changes our landscape, making it greener and adding embellishments.  As I was leaving to go into town, I saw great fields and rings of toadstools filling the lawns of our community.  I call them toadstools; you can call them fairy seats if that makes them more appealing to you.  

 

And that’s the point.  When I have found them on my lawn in the past, I have gone after them with a vengeance and a shovel.  I would have called them nasty things.

 

 

But as I was driving out that morning, it struck me that they are quite beautiful.  Everything we see, smell, taste, touch, and hear is open to perception and interpretation.  And nowhere is that more obvious than in God’s creation.  Just ask one or two people how they feel about spiders or snakes.

 

When I was about seven, my daddy had to go to Ft. Polk, Louisiana for his work with the National Guard.  Hot, dusty Ft. Polk.  This was the fifties and I’m fairly sure our car had no air conditioning.  We found a park for our picnic on the way down.  It had lots of trees and looked cool and refreshing.  We unpacked our lunch.  

 

With a sandwich midway to my mouth, I looked around and up and noticed Spanish moss for the first time.  I finished my sandwich and drink in minutes.  I wanted out of there!  It looked spooky, eerie, and ghostly to me.  I had no affection for it whatsoever.  Here in South Carolina many years later, I will stop and pick it up off the road to take home and throw into my live oak.  Now I see it as silky, charming, and southern.  

 

How I perceive my world depends on how I feel about its Creator.  When I walk, I marvel at God’s good and perfect gifts.  And I thank my Creator God, Elohim.  Aside from Abba Father, I favor this name for God above the others.  The word in Hebrew has a masculine, plural ending and represents the Three in One.  All three persons of the Trinity – God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit – were present (and worked!) at the creation of the heavens and the earth.

 

My God made a world for me that reflects the facets of His nature…beautiful, breath-taking, creative, majestic, powerful, and whimsical.  When I value Him, I love my surroundings because He never tires of giving me gifts from nature.

 

Psalm 148:2-13

Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.

He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the LORD  from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail,  snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

Red Vines and Cropsies

Farm Heroes Saga stole my joy.  My morning had started the way my best mornings start.  When I take the time to spend some serious time with the Lord in the morning, in His Word and communicating with Him, my day is wrapped in peace and a layer of joy.  Small irritations and frustrations may diminish it a bit, but the underlying contentment stays pretty much intact.

 

The other day Steve was home and I had finished my quiet time.  I sat down to do dueling laptops with him.  I love that we can be in the same room and both pursue our own paths.  Mine on this particular day was Farm Heroes Saga.  I was literally killing time, vast quantities of it.  Those of you who know me well are familiar with my inclination toward online game addiction.  

 

I am playing one, Pearl’s Peril, a hidden objects game that tests my memory and only allows a few minutes of game play.  This works for me.  However, some games like Farm Heroes and Candy Crush let you play as long as you proceed to the next level.  I enjoy them so much I will go back and play old levels to try to improve my score.  All of this is fine!  Within reason. 

My friends also know my love for licorice…all kinds.  Give me Red Vines for strawberry, Switzer or Australian for black, and Twizzlers cherry peel-aparts.  I even like those garish neon fruit ones and the filled ones!  But once again, I tend to avoid them because I go overboard.  If you give me a bag of licorice, you will probably see me inhale half the bag before I put it down!  

 

It doesn’t matter whether I’ve wasted hours playing an online game or eaten half a bag of candy, the end result is pretty much the same.  I feel lousy!  My time (and my health!) should mean more than that.  

 

When I’ve padded my diet with more and more fast food and sugar, healthy food loses its charm.  And when my senses are dulled by hours of gaming that doesn’t even pretend to work my brain, my desire for reading, writing, or Bible study is gone.  And, pretty much, so is my joy.

Playing the What If Game

The details encourage me!  Occasionally, when I am digging in God’s Word, I discover a little nugget of gold, a clause or phrase that I have read so many times.  But then I will see it and remember that “the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)  It works for me, in this moment, at this place, every day!

 

Today the gold was hiding in the story of Joseph and his brothers when they were reunited in Egypt.  If you haven’t read it for a while, you can find it in Genesis 42-47.  After keeping the faith for years, coming to a position of great power, forgiving his brothers and acknowledging God’s place and control in everything that happened to him, Joseph reveals himself and his forgiveness to his brothers.  A happy reunion, many tears, and great feasting result. 

 

Joseph then sends his brothers back to Canaan to bring their father Jacob and their families and belongings again to Egypt to settle in the best of the land by Pharaoh’s orders, to be nourished and taken care of during the remaining five years of famine that will still come.

 

Joseph has very carefully explained to his brothers that God brought him to Egypt and that he has forgiven them completely.  He has prepared great material comfort for their trip home and the return and they are on their way.  But the payout comes in Genesis 45:24: “So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, ‘See that you do not become troubled along the way.’”  

 

I love this!  He was telling them not to get on the road and start overanalyzing and playing the what if game.  What if he has trapped us?  What if he plans to get us all to Egypt just to enslave us?  What if he didn’t really forgive us at all?

 

Do you ever do that?  How many times have I left Walmart and thought, “Why did that lady look at me that way?  Did I hurt her feelings?”  Or on the way home from church, “What did she mean by that?  Maybe she is mad at me.”  The list goes on and on… food to nourish dislike, jealousy, insecurity. 

 

Over analysis after the fact…the “what if game.”  Nobody wins and I am going to take it off my list of activities!

Sharks and My Martha Complex

It all began with a six-foot inflatable shark.  I can’t remember where I saw it – Facebook, Pinterest, some ad pop-up – but I was excited by the possibilities.  The thing flies!  Remote control!  And I imagined excited children shrieking and running through fellowship hall.  All right, there may have been some crying little ones but once their moms explained that it was harmless, they would join in the fun.

I started to consider the best time to launch this.  Unfortunately Vacation Bible School didn’t have an “Under the Sea” theme this year.  No baby showers coming up with an aquarium theme. And the price tag, about $27, was a bit steep for a one-time fun surprise; but it would be worth it.  Then there was the helium requirement…about $30 for a tank because I couldn’t see waltzing into Walmart and asking them to inflate my 72-inch shark, although it would’ve been great to see the reactions as I left the store.

 

 Somewhere between the discovery and my checkbook, my common sense kicked in.  And I realized that this was not really about the kids at all.  This was about my being seen as cool, as having been the one to make this great find and present it to everyone else.

 

My thoughts wandered.  How many times have I slaved over a fancy dessert, feverishly cleaned my house, or worked to get a presentation just right?  Why did I do it?  I’d like to believe I wanted to give enjoyment, make people feel at home in my house, whatever noble reason I came up with at the time.  Truth is I wanted to look good, to be perceived as smart or talented.  If I had been truly “loving my neighbor as myself”, I wouldn’t have had nearly the stress associated with the work!

 

Martha stood preparing (and most likely fuming) in the kitchen while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, listening, learning.  Finally she worked herself up enough steam to charge in and ask Jesus why he had not sent Mary in to help her.  True, she was concerned with feeding Jesus and the disciples; but Jesus could have pointed out to her that some of her hard work was no doubt rooted in pride.  He chose, however, to emphasize the positive instead (although an unfavorable comparison to her sister probably did not feel much like it to Martha).  

 

“But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.  She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’  ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’  (Luke 10:40-42)

 

When I do for others, caring more about their comfort and enjoyment than their perception of me, I realize that they are easier to please than some ideal that I try to achieve.  I relax and they are at ease.  So don’t expect to be amazed by a floating six-foot shark moving through the fellowship hall any time soon.  However, if you’d like to surprise me with one, I’ll gladly send you the information!

When I Keep Silent

Why is it that I equate praying with talking to God?  Why do I feel like it is my responsibility to not only “keep up my end of the conversation” but also to not give Him a chance to talk at all?  And yet, there are times when I do feel the need to talk and I do not have the words.

Yes, He longs to communicate with us and that’s why prayer is best done with the Word open.  Consistent, planned personal Bible study is the way that He says the most to us.  And He does use other believers to encourage us and to remind us of those passages that He wants us to remember.  And He does speak to us through His creation.  When we give Him the time…

But sometimes I feel the real need to do the talking and I cannot.  Often I have a real concern for a friend and I don’t even know why!  Or my family is heavy on my heart.  And my words either won’t come or don’t feel sufficient.  I know that the Holy Spirit is there speaking for me – “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.  For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”  (Romans 8:26)

Earlier this week, I was feeling so loved and so overwhelmed with God’s gracious goodness.  And I sat looking out my porch window trying to figure out how to express my deep thanks.  And nothing came!  I read Psalms, but even those verses did not seem to express what I wanted to say.  Then as I sat quietly, I heard the song of one bird.  As my ears adjusted and strained to hear, more bird songs joined the first one.  And I smiled as I realized that they were praising God.  So on that morning I listened and let them express for me what I so wanted God to know.

Psalm 69:34; 148:7-13
Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them…Praise the LORD  from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens

With Wonder

When I returned from a women’s conference where there was a big bookstore, of course I carried books!  One of them is a book of meditations by John Piper called “Taste and See.”  And when I saw that one is entitled, “The Great Work of God:  Rain”, I was certainly interested.  I do love a good, hard rain!  Or a soft, gentle one.

 

In this short essay, he meditates on Job 5:8-10,”But as for me, I would seek God, and I would place my cause before God; Who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.  He gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields.”  He asks the question, “Is rain a great and unsearchable wonder wrought by God?”

 

I tend to think that everything – sun rising, rivers rushing, my blood running – is not only accomplished by God, but is also easy for Him.  We talk about His working to keep the universe and our lives on track with His plan and I consider that I must have great faith because I believe He can do that without a problem.  And, of course, He can!  But here is why that is bad thinking…I lose my sense of wonder in the world.  It is not great faith but laziness that causes me to just accept that He does it all.  He is a working God and the miracle of creation and its maintenance never stops.

 

John Piper goes on to describe a farmer in the Near East whose fields are far from any lake or stream.  How will he water crops?  He won’t; but God can.  That water must come from the sky through an amazing process of water (144,735,360 pounds of it!) carried from the Mediterranean Sea (salt removed!) and dropped in droplets big enough to fall for a mile or so without evaporating on their way to the crops and yet small enough not to injure the plants.

 

When I take time to meditate and investigate the great wonder of God’s daily work, that’s when my faith is increased.  Let me not lose my sense of wonder!

 

Psalm 8:3-5

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?  You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

O Church Arise

Sixty-five is the age to be.  I stand by that.  Life has slowed a bit and stress comes in droplets rather than rivers.  I do not feel old; nor do I envy the young in any way.  But I do love them.  My age group of most comfort is 15-35.  Which is why I found great joy in being surrounded this past weekend by thousands of Word-hungry young women at the conference I attended.  Most of them were under 30; many of them were pregnant and some of them had little new babies with them.  

 

TGCW (The Gospel Coalition’s national conference for women) was a study-intensive, Word-rich environment and there was no “casual listening.”  We studied the book of Nehemiah, all 13 chapters, in one weekend with the help of speakers including Timothy and Kathy Keller, Don Carson and John Piper.  

 

There were no fancy swag bags, bright-colored T shirts or warm and fuzzy break-out sessions where we discussed our feelings.  There are wonderful women’s conferences where those are available; but this one was strictly about praising God with Keith and Kristyn Getty and then digging deep into God’s Word.

 

I experienced many emotional moments listening to over 4000 women praising God in song.  But I also watched in hope and amazement as young women leaned forward with interest and took notes during study sessions. 

 

I remind myself often, because I need to, that God is working a plan for our country and that He is in complete control.  I remind myself of Proverbs 21:1, “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”  But as I looked around me this weekend, I saw that He is moving in our youth.  These were not just women from the Bible belt…they came from all 50 states and many foreign countries.  The services were translated into 4 languages including French and Mandarin. 

 

Jesus continues to establish His kingdom in and through His church, in and through all ages. 

O church, arise and put your armor on; hear the call of Christ our captain;

For now the weak can say that they are strong in the strength that God has given.
With shield of faith and belt of truth we'll stand against the devil's lies;
An army bold whose battle cry is "Love!" reaching out to those in darkness.

Our call to war, to love the captive soul, but to rage against the captor;

And with the sword that makes the wounded whole we will fight with faith and valor.
When faced with trials on ev'ry side, we know the outcome is secure,
And Christ will have the prize for which He died—an inheritance of nations.

Come, see the cross where love and mercy meet, as the Son of God is stricken;

Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet, for the Conqueror has risen!
And as the stone is rolled away, and Christ emerges from the grave,
This vict'ry march continues till the day ev'ry eye and heart shall see Him.

So Spirit, come, put strength in ev'ry stride give grace for ev'ry hurdle,

That we may run with faith to win the prize of a servant good and faithful.
As saints of old still line the way, retelling triumphs of His grace,
We hear their calls and hunger for the day when, with Christ, we stand in glory.

"O Church, Arise", Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend

Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music

He Loves to Be Reminded

Sometimes I sit on my couch and plead with God to answer a request.  I forget to thank Him that He is in control and already has the answer.  But more importantly, I forget who He is. 

When I think of some of the most dramatic answers to prayer, especially in the Old Testament,  I think of the pleas of Abraham (Genesis 18:25), Moses (Exodus 33:13;  Numbers 14:11-23)  and, now, Nehemiah whom I’m studying.  I always thought it was a little presumptuous of these men who were so close to God to remind Him of His promises and His character and attributes.  Surely He doesn't need reminding! But God responds to those kinds of prayers!  How many Psalms tell of His mighty works and His love and compassion?  

In chapter 1 of Nehemiah, he is confronted with the truth of what has happened to God’s remnant and His city of Jerusalem.  Nehemiah is devastated and weeps and mourns, fasting and praying for days. 

His prayer is recorded in 1:4-11 and it contains these three elements:  he reminds God of His greatness (“the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments.”); he confesses sin for the nation of Israel and for himself and his house; and He reminds God of His promise (“Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.”)  In chapter two, God answers Nehemiah’s prayer by touching King Artaxerxes’ heart to let Nehemiah, a servant, go to inspect Jerusalem and begin plans to rebuild the city’s walls.

Do these kinds of prayers bring God glory?  Absolutely!  If someone asks  for advice about a situation they have pretty much given up on, the most effective thing we can do for them is to remind them of times they have persevered.  Those reminders accomplish two things:  they remember what they have done and who they are and they know that we remember, and that we know and care about them.  When we remind God of His promises and His greatness of character, He knows that we have been in His Word…we know what He has said and we are familiar with who He is.  This brings Him glory!

I Choose Joy (and Hope!)

I’m listening to my contemporary Christian station on Pandora this morning.  One of the songs reminded me of an ad for a Time Life series of contemporary Christian music.  Many of the crowd shots included masses of people with arms raised swaying back and forth.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’ve been in those crowds taken away by the moment of a really great band and really great praise.  And I do love to see arms raised in worship!  

 

But what bothers me is the media perception, or perhaps it’s just representation, of Christians. Because they always fall into one of two camps.  Either they shuffle around (or sometimes march aggressively) with a Bible in one hand, looking angry or unhappy.  Sometimes they’re in church singing slow, sad-sounding music.  These folks are usually in the older generation.  Or the younger are usually shown in that concert setting, arms raised, glassy-eyed, looking like they just drank the Kool-Aid.  Why is it that I have yet to find on regular tv or in “secular” movies someone who is Christian but is also intelligent, upbeat and funny?  Someone with hope and peace and the confidence measured with humility that comes from Jesus Christ?

 

Our Pastor has been giving us a series on “End Times Madness” and how we should react and live our lives as believers.  His point is that we tend to forget that Jesus Christ has already been crowned and reigns as King of Kings and Lord over ALL.  We look at the way the world is turning and operating and hunker down and wait for the worst.  We try to adapt our church programs, ministry and outreach to “fit in” with what will appeal to the current community environment. 

 

Why are we not living in outward allegiance to our true King?  Yes, the Word tells us we must submit to civil and government authority, such as does not ask us to act in an unbibilical manner.  But why can we not stand up, act with hope and joy and a sense of humor, for goodness sake!  Why can we not insinuate our own believers’ culture and Christian worldview?  And, definitely, let’s not keep perpetuating this myth about a dull heaven where we all sit around on clouds and feel like we’re supposed to be happier than we are!  It will be a New Earth where God will live with us!  And it will be amazing and the world needs to know this.  WE need to know this…because when we do, we will not be able to keep it to ourselves.  We will choose joy, and hope!

I've Read the Last Page

Most of you know I have just finished reading the Harry Potter books.  (I am a slow starter.)  I don’t mean casually reading them at intervals and waiting for the next one to come out.  Because they are already published, I had all of them at my disposal.  And I am retired.  So I dove into them completely – nonstop.  

 

Readers will understand that reading even one book immerses you into that world.  If the book is good, you live it for as long as you are reading.  So for a while now, I have been seeing my whole world through vivid Harry Potter glasses.  And now I’m watching the videos.

 

I’m about to read another imaginative, dark story called “Hollow City”, a follow-on to “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.”  These books are weird, wonderful and completely creepy.  And this is not really like me.  I will not watch scary movies.  (My children will tell you that Beetlejuice scared the wits out of me.)  For a while now, my hard-drawn line was “I will not read scary books or watch scary movies.”  I’m still holding part of it – I do not enjoy scary movies, except in the case of the Potter series because I’m simply curious to see what they’ve done with the books.

 

But a few days ago, a friend of mine shared a link to an article, “The Dark-Tinted, Truth-Filled Reading List We Owe Our Kids” [i] about the value of darkness and evil properly represented in books.  The timing was perfect considering my current reading list.

 

So today as I drove into town and looked into the woods with my Harry Potter eyes, I realized that I need this reminder that there is, indeed, a very real battle being fought against me and my faith and also on my behalf.  I need not be obsessed with the idea.  But I relish the comfort that comes in the understanding, the very real assurance that I have a Hero and He has already won.  He will slay the dragon in the end.

 

Ephesians 6:12; Romans 8:38-39

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms… 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 us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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[i] http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/january-february/dark-tinted-truth-filled-reading-list-our-kids-need.html?paging=off

Can I Get an E-Intervention?

Going through old email today.  I’m not what you’d call a pack rat.  I’m pretty willing to part with old papers, ticket stubs, receipts and paper hats.  I will donate old clothes (except for those two or three sets of smaller-sized ones in my closet waiting for the new me).  I can part with dishes, furniture, baskets and knickknacks.

But someone needs to take charge of my email.  And my digital pictures.  And my Word documents.  Someone needs to explain to me that even if I have them all neatly tucked away into an efficient (and  pretty massive, actually) filing system, several hundred emails is simply…well, hoarding.  

I have an inspirational folder; one for family and friend pictures (and these are just the email ones!); cute, fuzzy animals; family emails; friend emails, in which folder are several more friend folders.  You want to know whether you are important to me?  Don’t look at my speed dial.  Check for your friend folder in my email.

Detritus.  I have always loved the word and have tried to find an opportunity to work it into my everyday language.  One of the definitions listed was “flotsam and jetsam.”  Just under that was “Penny Jo Horn’s email.”  

I am working diligently to clean this mess out.  I am deleting with abandon; answering old emails; and filing those I just can’t let go.  The only way I feel like I can honestly let some of these go is to print them out and put them in notebooks.

And today an awful thought occurred.  So I went into my “Sent” folder to peer through my fingers.  3,341 emails.

It occurs to me that we are the first generation that will not only be leaving “stuff” for our kids to go through when we die.  We will be leaving thousands of emails, pictures, voice mails and texts and tweets.  Not to mention Facebook pages and posts.

So kids, I’ll make a deal with you.  I will make an effort to go through my stuff and keep it cleaned out if you will sneak into my house every couple of months or so and delete my email – all of it.  Otherwise, I’ll just be printing it off and you’ll have to go through several hundred notebooks.

What If the Ground Only LOOKS Dry?

Something Noah didn’t do caught my eye this morning.  I am reading about the flood and Noah’s ark.  I’m discovering much I missed before, even though I’ve read it time and again.

I’m a bad one to watch for “signs” from God.  I do pray and ask for guidance.  But like a child that goes rushing out the door before he gets his jacket on – or, it’s playoff season, like a football player that jumps offsides – I often ask and then sit nervously, one knee jumping up and down, waiting for His answer so I can move!  As soon as I see any activity remotely associated with my issue, I leap up and charge forward.  Waiting is not a concept that works well for me.

Noah followed God’s instructions to the letter, and they were not easy ones!  Having loaded his family and all the animals and the food for them all onto the ark, Noah waited through the rain.  (I must say, if I have to wait, I do love doing it in the rain – just not that much.)  Let’s look at the timeline.  The rains began in the 600^th year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the 17^th day (Genesis 7:11).  It rained for forty days.  But that's not the end of the water!  Verse 24, “And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.”  And the waters began to recede and the ark rested on Ararat.

On the first day of the 10^th month, the tops of the mountains became visible (8:5).  Noah waited…  Forty days later, he sent out the raven.  Seven days later, he sent out the dove.  There was still no resting place.  And at this point, I’m doing pretty well with understanding the waiting.  What else was Noah going to do?  A week later, he sent the dove out and it returned with an olive leaf in its beak.  So Noah knew that the waters had pretty well receded.  (It’s at this point that I’m beginning to get a little antsy to move.)

The next week he sent out the dove and it did not return.  So he knew there was dry land.  And yet, he waited!  For another whole month, he waited.  Finally in the 601^st year of his life, on the first day of the first month, he removed the covering of the ark and looked and the surface of the ground was dry.  It’s at this point, I’m pulling on my flipflops and running down the gangplank shouting for joy.  I have had my fill of rain!

But Noah still waits.  He doesn’t move until the 27^th day of the second month (8:14)!  What on earth?  Had he developed some crazy, strange attachment to the ark?  Why did he wait so long?  Verse 15, “THEN God spoke to Noah….”  He waited until he heard from the Lord before he moved.  

If I pray, why not believe all the way and just let God handle the situation on His own, in His way?  He doesn’t need my help.  How many times have I just gotten in the way or muddled the issue?  If I wait, He will answer.  If I ask, He will let me know when to move.  

Psalm 38:15; 33:18-22
I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God…But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.  We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.