Living Between the Bookends

“Love one another as I have loved you…Love one another.” John 15:12, 17

One of the last conversations Jesus had with His disciples was more of a love letter than a pep talk.  They were a band of misfits that Jesus had turned into family.  They were the ones He chose to do life with once His ministry began.  Through their days spent with Jesus they learned grace, forgiveness, patience, strength and power.  They laughed…they cried… they learned…they loved well because they were well loved.  Jesus began this passage with the command to love and ended this passage with the same command.

The bookends of love…what a life well lived to experience this kind of love.  As my eyes first opened to this world, they opened to love.  ‘We love you’ were the first words I am sure that my little ears heard as my eyes were trying to adjust to the new light of life.  My parents loved me well, and because of this love I have a picture of how I am to love.  My dad gave me exemplified love until the end.  His last words to me to close his earthly life were the same words to me to open my life… ‘I love you.’  The bookends of love…

Bookends are a funny thing…they allow the stability for what is in between.  They give the proper support for the valued contents to be propped up.  Bookends keep its contents from falling over, getting damaged or getting lost.  Bookends house what is important and showcase what is beautiful.  The bookends of love are no different.  Love should work for the benefit of others, and not just ourselves.  Our view of love should not be just what we can get from the world, but what we can give to the world.  Love protects, it props up another, and showcases the beauty of the other person when loved well.  Love does not demand its own way but seeks to live life in harmony with those God has chosen for us.  When we remain within the boundaries of the bookends of love…God’s love for us and our love for Him…we will be able to love well.

‘Love never ends…’  1 Co 13:8

He Who Prunes

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:2

I have always loved cutting grass…or at least…riding around on the lawnmower. Even since childhood, we have had great riding lawnmowers. And as I write this, one of my best friends is already smiling remembering when we ran it right into a gutter on the house around 11 years of age. I have great memories of hours cutting grass, and even now I love to stream music in my earbuds and ride. There have been many prayers of thanksgiving, and many prayers of petition as I bounced around on that mower. However, the enjoyment of the ride depends on how I prepare the lawn. There are very few branches to pick up during the spring and summer. But this time of year there are dead branches laying around everywhere. It is important to discard these, so they won’t interfere with the goal.

This is also a very important principle in Christian living. Our lives are like a tree planted in our own garden. The details of our lives spread out like beautiful branches under a blue sky of blessings. One branch unapologetically boasts of children and grandchildren. One branch displays the strength of my original family in which God placed me. The branch of my Christian walk is a branch that supports much opportunity for fruit, as well as a branch of vocation. The one thing that these branches have in common is the trunk in which they are rooted. Without the connection to God we will live a life apart from being fruitful. God sees the beautiful potential of each healthy branch, and identifies which branch is fruitless. He determines the branches that need cutting back for future glories…fruit in season. We must allow God to determine which branches interfere with the goal. As God goes around our garden, discarding dead lifeless branches, He pictures the future springs and summers of our lives. He wants us to believe that any branch not worthy of fruit is a branch that is not grafted into Him. When we finally realize that fruit is not the end goal, but a delightful result from being rooted in God, our lives will multiply more fruit that we could have imagined.

“…you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you.” Romans 11:18

Not Good Enough is my Name

“We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Luke 23:41

Growing up I was, and still am, completely in love with my group of friends.  There is not one of them that takes God’s blessings for granted.  No one in our group tries to live life without God in the center.  There are times when we build up one friend, while other times we are the one being built up.  We keep a daily group text going on, and prayers are lifted and petitioned within those texts.  There have been texts of heartbreak and celebrations, along with the silliness of a group of girls who really never grew up at heart.  But when I was a young teen along with that treasure trove of friends, came the wrestling of emotions, the jockeying of position, and the feelings of inadequacy…the ongoing drum beat of not feeling good enough.  I remember meeting my group of friends for dinner at Thanksgiving when I was around 49 years of age.  As I looked around the table, that little 14-year-old girl slipped into my seat filling my mind with all kinds of old falsehoods… ‘you are not funny enough…not smart enough…not liked enough…not anything enough.’  A few years later one of my friends met me for lunch, and we began reminiscing about that dinner.  It turns out that her little 14-year-old girl slipped into her seat also, lying to her about her ‘not good enough’ dilemma.

There was another person who felt the sting of not being good enough.  His realization came a little late…instead of dinner with friends it was a crucifixion with criminals.  But as he hung there mocking one of the crucified he suddenly heard this stranger praying for him.  He heard the whispers of a man who had never met him.  He heard the labored breathing of a stranger praying for God to forgive him.  And then, that must have been when it all made since.  He suddenly measured himself against Jesus, instead of the other criminal.  In that brief exchange he clearly saw himself hanging on the cross of not only ‘not-good-enough’ but ‘never will be.’  But Jesus met his eyes and gave him a promise of eternity.  That was the point then and it is the point now…because Jesus was great enough for all, being good enough will never be a requirement to get into heaven.

What we learn from this is that not being good enough is part of the plan.  If we were good enough to receive grace and the gift of eternity, like the criminal on the cross we would never look over to Jesus.  We would never admit that we lack what it takes to be ushered into our new home and walk out life with God and our loved ones.  It is that humble realization that because we are not good enough we must look to Him for our completion and to provide what we lack.

I don’t know about you, but I am glad that being good enough is not a prerequisite for my future.  We must look to the standard of Jesus to determine our value and our worth.  Otherwise, we will be measuring ourselves against the other criminal hanging on the cross.  When we finally get to the point where we see Jesus as our portion to fill in the gaps of our humanity we too will experience paradise.

“And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43

Laying Down our Palms

"They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting: ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King…’” John 12:14

Since childhood one of my favorite pictures is Jesus riding into Jerusalem with crowds of people laying down palm branches as they see His image approaching their village. They were shouting in excitement about the King finally coming! They had heard of Him, they had searched for Him and now it seemed the time had finally come for them to receive their King. What a great story…what a sweet picture…but many times pictures do not tell the whole story. What the picture doesn’t show is that as they thought He is coming to reign, He knew that was coming to die. The picture doesn't tell how long their hearts had awaited His appearance...how many nights they dreamed of His arrival...the real story of God completing what He started for humanity.

Now that I am an adult I can’t tell you how many prayer palms I have laid down in hopes of the arrival of Jesus. I can’t tell you how many times these eyes have scanned the landscape anticipating the King riding in and saving my village. I have hung on to those palms for dear life, because I don’t want to miss the moment that He appears, that He rescues, that He saves. On that beautiful day when the sun is bright, and the horizon is clear I will suddenly see an image. I will realize that with Him comes the fulfillment of promises He gave me long ago. I will shout ‘Blessed is He who comes…Blessed is the King!’

We all have prayer palms that we lay down in anticipation of Jesus being King. We pray desperately for Him to be King over our illness, removing it. We pray for Him to King over our unemployment, providing a job for us. We pray for Him to be King over our deep desires, fulfilling them. I’m so thankful that God keeps every one of His promises, and we can bank on the faithful fact that He is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do.

Don’t take your eyes off the horizon because your King is coming! There is a perfect day coming for you and for me when everything God has started in our lives will come to a beautiful fulfillment.  Blessed is the King!

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil 1:6

Trading Sunrises for Fig Leaves

“And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree…but do not eat from the tree…’” Gen 2:16

I wonder how many sunrises Adam witnessed before he found himself banished from the garden. I wonder how many hours he and Eve strolled through the beautiful trees awaiting the evening show of God’s handiwork. All they had to do was look as far as their eyes would take them. What were their dreams as they splashed their feet in one of the four rivers of Eden? The place was both overwhelming with beautiful fruit and hypnotizing with beauty. The blooms on the trees provided aromas never inhaled before. Their bare feet felt the moisture of the dew on the ground as they walked downs the path God laid out for them. Along with God’s beautiful blessing of that place, He made sure to give Adam and Eve the authority of the garden. He spoke those words that every heart chases after even today after thousands of years, ‘You are free…’ But God gave them ONE boundary in their freedom…ONE thing that was off limits…ONE thing that He asked of them. And that ONE thing was the jugular that the serpent went for, and in that one thing they traded sunrises for fig leaves.

Satan will always meet us in our blessings. He crawls in unsuspectingly camouflaged and tries to steal our gardens. One day we are watching sunrises and the next day we are sewing fig leaves. The ironic truth is that he gains freedom through our captivity, and a foothold in our lack. He tramples on our emotions when we are walking in grief or loneliness…He taunts us in our sadness when we are not getting what our heart desires…he is a thief and a coward for his prey is rarely the strong man or woman. I wonder if Eve was already lingering around the forbidden tree. I wonder if she got bored with the blessings God had given her. At what point did she begin wondering was God holding out on her. It seems to me that what happened to her happens to us. Our feet follow where our hearts lead…

And that is the dilemma of the garden…what is missing from our lives sits in the center of our desires. There is a safe distance we must keep from those things God has set boundaries for us. We cannot linger around the one thing we cannot have lest we meet the devil there. We must trust God when He says that we are free but believe Him when He sets those boundaries in place. The serpent would tell us that God is holding out…holding back…while God sets His sights on freedom for us. We must walk in the freedom of the Spirit, instead of the discontent of the flesh. God is still planting good and perfect trees in our gardens, and if there is one from which we cannot yet eat, it is because the juice of the fruit is not yet the sweetest. We must believe God for the great and perfect things He has planted in our gardens.

An Image in a Starbucks

'Then he appeared to James…’ 1 Corinthians 15:7

Two weeks after Beth died, I was going into Target to pick up a few things. Located inside the store is a Starbucks beside the produce. It was a very sunny morning, and something made me look over in Starbucks. Leaning up against the window with the bright sunshine at her back was the silhouette of a young woman whose stature and face looked just like Beth. As my eyes were adjusting to the figure, I could make out that she was smiling at me. The more I looked intently at her face, the more she looked at me with a smile that wouldn't stop. I started smiling back but knew in my heart it wasn’t her. Eventually I looked away, walking off with a sense of sadness but joy that I saw the incredible resemblance of my sister. I glanced back one last time to discover the empty window.

I cannot even wrap my head around the interaction of Jesus and his half-brother James once Jesus was raised from the dead. Their relationship had been shaky at best, since James did not hold the same views as his brother, and certainly never believed He was the awaited Messiah. But peeking into the window of Jesus and his siblings, the pane is dusty, and the curtains are drawn. The Bible remains silent on the young life of Jesus from age 12 to 30. The last mention of Him was being left behind at the Temple until we hear John the Baptist making way for Him in the desert as a 30-year-old man. At one point during the ministry it is written that His family showed up a house accusing Jesus of being crazy…maybe even being the black sheep of the family…the different one…the one creating havoc. “When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." Mark 3:21.

Then one day as James was walking out the aftermath of his half-brother’s death, Jesus was walking out His new-found resurrection. I can just bet that as He approached the back of James, His heart began to race. He was going to choose James to help spread the beautiful message of redemption and eternal life, despite the past. Jesus was looking forward in love instead of backwards in judgment.  James must have been stopped in his tracks when he heard Jesus call his name. There was no mistaking that voice…he had heard it over many years of dinners, on trips to Jerusalem, and among the trees of their boyhood home. As James turned around and met the eyes of Jesus, his world must have crashed down. I wonder if at that point, he realized that instead of his brother being the ‘black sheep’ of the family He was really the white Lamb of the world. The Lamb who laid down His life so that all of us could pick up ours.

These five words…'He appeared to James…' holds incredible hope for you and for me. Once we are in the family of Jesus it doesn’t matter how many times we have ignored or rejected Him. It doesn’t matter how long it took to notice Him or to invite Him into our fellowship. The sacrifice and love of Jesus has never been based on what we've done, but on what He did. Jesus is standing behind us, with His hand on our shoulder guiding…loving…reclaiming our position in His family. There is no sin greater than the love He has for us, and no mountain too high for Him to come and connect with us. I’m so grateful that Christ is not just an image in a Starbucks, but a resurrected Savior on an empty cross.

Under Covered Porches

“Jesus asked him, ‘Do you want to be well?’ The sick man answered, ‘Sir, there is no one to help me get into the pool when the water starts moving. While I am coming to the water, someone always gets in before me.’” John 5:6-8.

As Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem for a special Jewish feast he came upon a pool with 5 covered porches. Many sick people were lying on the porches beside the pool. Some were blind, some were crippled, and some were paralyzed. It was believed that sometimes an angel of the Lord came down to the pool and stirred up the water. After the angel stirred the water, the first person entering the pool would be healed. Jesus took this opportunity to approach a man who had obviously been crippled or paralyzed for most of his life. I find it interesting that Jesus didn’t say ‘Do you believe?’ but stated ‘Do you want to be well?’ How many times leading up to that conversation had he believed? How many disappointments had he experienced hoping for healing, only to see someone else receive it?

We all live under the weight of our own covered porches. We too are sick…heartsick from our circumstances that cripple our souls and paralyze our spirits. We too sometimes look to others to save us from our situation, but they are just as sick as we are from living in a fallen world. We look at the other invalids around the pool, recognizing their struggles. We feel forgotten as others ‘get into the water first’ receiving their healing instead of our freedom from trouble. It is easy to become resolved to our misery, accepting of our brokenness, or resentful in our sadness…paralytics…invalids…beggars.

So, Jesus’ question can sometimes penetrate our hearts like a dagger… ‘Do we really want to be well?’ Before we heal, we must decide that we can be whole again. Before we ask God to make us well, we must be willing to do our part. Jesus answered the man’s excuse with a command, ‘Pick up your mat and walk!’ We all recline on our own mat of circumstances. One mat might hold a woman who has lost her husband, while another mat might be a father who has let his children down. One mat displays a broken life from addiction and another one has a broken heart from rejection. So many mats… so many people who need healing. But the good news is that there is a pool of water that holds the power to heal every single person who really wants to heal…the Living Water. Jesus can heal any heartbreak and bring freedom to any part of our lives that have crippled us. We must decide that we want to be well, and then leave the rest up to our Father. The stirring from the Lord will not be in a pool of water but will be in the chambers of our heart. He is the only one who has the motivation of pure love, the promise to accomplish, and the power to fulfill our healing.

“The LORD rebuilds…he gathers together the outcasts…He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds…” Psalm 147:2-3

Our 'Even now' God

“But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." John 11:22.

She was a great sister and loved her brother Lazarus. As soon as he began to decline she and her sister Mary sent word to their teacher and friend, Jesus. They were a team of 4, their house being home base for Jesus whenever He was in the region. They had laughed together, dined together and watched Him perform miracle upon miracle. They knew of His power and the love He carried in His heart for their family. So, I imagine there was no doubt when they sent for Jesus to come and heal their brother. They had watched Him perform so many miracles, and in their mind, it was a given that He would save their loved one from death. Jesus received the message and His action was one that would shatter any heart. He waited two more days before going, and in that time Lazarus breathed his final breath. They extinguished the lamp that lay beside his bed, they pulled the door closed, and began the gut-wrenching duties of preparing for a funeral. The death was heart-breaking enough, but it was compounded with the realization that Jesus was able...but not willing.

What do we do with that? My sisters have walked this out as we watched our sister in the final days. We sent for Jesus, and it also seemed like He delayed. We were fully aware that He was able…but not willing. As scorched tears streamed down our faces, with hearts broken this had to be reconciled just like Martha and Mary. But never did my faith look up at God, as Beth laid lifeless and say, ‘But I know that even now…’ It never dawned on me to ask for God to raise her from the dead. But what I realized 2 short weeks later was that Jesus did not tarry…He did not delay. What He was able to do, He did! He just raised her on the other side. He took her wearied, sick body and healed it to complete perfection. Even then, He was answering our prayers…even then she was being touched by the hand of God…even then He was preparing a beautiful place for her to live out eternity…even then…

As I think about our ‘even then God’ I’m so encouraged that He never changes, and He is our ‘even now God.’ Even now He is that same God who calls us to come out of our graves. Even now He is arranging hearts to collide, jobs to be discovered, babies to be formed, prodigals to return, marriages to mend, broken hearts to be healed, and illnesses to be taken away. Even now He is working on my dreams and orchestrating the details of your desires. Even now He is parting the waters and giving sight to the blind. Even now you are on His mind and He will move heaven and earth for you and for me.

"What is sown is perishable...raised imperishable...sown in dishonor...raised in glory...sown in weakness...raised in power...sown a natural body...raised a spiritual body." 1 Co 15:43

Where Dirt Bikes Roam

“So, the LORD must wait for you to come to him, so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.” Isaiah 30:18

When our son Michael was a little boy, Bruce and I decided to give him what he most wanted for Christmas…a little dirt bike.  His best friend Sam Winget had one and they enjoyed riding around his family farm many days.  Bruce and I never committed to him that we would buy it, but it was front and center on his Christmas list with little else listed.  Once we decided to buy it for him, we wanted to do it right, so we made little clues all over the house for Michael the morning of Christmas.  Before that morning, he was constantly talking about if he was going to get it, when he might get it, and the exact one he wanted.  We were well-aware the dreams of his heart and the joy that lay ahead.  But, we were not willing to give it to him until Christmas morning, and we were determined to give it to him with our flare of mystery.  It was so hard keeping it from him, and when he would bring up the subject I would just have to be silent.  The joy that we saw expressed in his face, and the gratitude of his heart were even more satisfying than I ever imagined.  The gift was for him, but the joy was equally ours.

There are some things…some dreams…some deep desires…that are front and center on my list.  Like Michael, my list isn’t long, but the few things are intense.  They are things I constantly talk to God about wanting.  I’m sure I pester Him about the when, what and how of receiving them.  But in considering this today, a smile stretches across my face as that parent who was ‘in the know’ of when the desire would be fulfilled.  This is how I’m picturing God as my dreams are delayed.  He is up in Heaven smiling at Jesus as they go over the clues that I will discover over the next stretch of waiting.  They meticulously sync their heavenly calendars to make sure the proper time is inked in on a specific date.  They stay silent on it when I once again begin that conversation about that thing I so want.  But one day without my knowing, I will awake to find that the dream is now reality, and the desire has been lovingly placed in my hands.  And they will share in my joy, because they are the Ones who made it happen…and my part was to wait…believe…and receive.

Smiles don’t get any better than the one in this picture, and joy isn’t any sweeter than being the parent who makes it happen or the child who receives the dream.  Keep on dreaming, keep on believing and keep on smiling.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20

A Story Worth Writing

“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23

This morning I was considering Psalm 23, and had assumed it was a time when David was running for his life from King Saul. I pictured David crouching in a cave, keeping his ears peeled for soldiers with weapons. Fearfully he made his way to the opening of the cave, only briefly scanning the landscape and scurrying back to his hiding place. Boy, did my imagination carry me to the wrong place. When I experience a passage so familiar many times I check the commentaries to make it come to life again. It goes from flat ink to a landscape of imagination and intrigue. This particular chapter was written by a man who looked in the mirror and saw the wrinkles of life’s battles. It was penned by old hands, with a reflective heart. It was breathed onto the pages by a spiritually mature man who was looking over the landscape of his younger life. He was considering all the times that God comforted him, and provided for him. He was reminiscing about the ways and the where’s of God’s guidance and goodness. He was acknowledging that God allowed his enemies to pursue him, but they never overtook him. He then beautifully returns to the present time as an old man, having complete confidence in God’s continuing love and grace. He ends with his sights set on eternity.

What if we were invited to submit a new chapter of the Bible? Would we paint a beautiful picture like King David painted of humility, gratitude, acknowledgement of tough times, recognition of God’s mercy and grace, and hope for the future? Or would our entry into the Bible be another book of lamentations, a book where we kept score of every wrong done to us? Would it be a book that highlighted our hurts and our unanswered prayers instead of the tender grace that God gave to pull us through challenges? I’m grateful that God gave us books of lament and books of praise. It shows us how deceitful our hearts can be when dealing with our suffering. But even in the middle of the grumblings of Lamentations, the hand reaffirms what the heart deeply knows. ‘Lamentations invites us to meet God in the midst of our suffering and teaches us the language of prayer…It gives voice to our pain, reorients our focus to the faithfulness of God, and affirms that He alone has been our portion…While Lamentations is about pain, it is not a book without hope.’ She Reads Truth Bible Commentary, p. 1331.

So, as we look back over our lives, writing our own stories, we cannot forget to include the beautiful redemptive story that God has been writing in each of our lives amidst the pain and joys of life.

“Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!” Lamentations 3:21-23.

Traveling Abroad

“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16

When my son Michael was 14 he was invited to travel to many countries through a program called People to People. We spent about 6 months prior to the trip going to meetings, shopping for needed items, discussing challenges that might arise, and raising money for the trip. The day came when we had to separate for Michael to travel abroad. He was to be gone for 3 weeks, visiting many countries. He was to keep a daily journal of everything that he experienced, and document with pictures. Back then, there wasn’t the convenience of an international cell phone. There were phone cards that could be purchased before the trip, with pins to enter from a landline. Communication was sparse to say the least during his time abroad. For both of us each day seemed like weeks, and we both anticipated our reunion. I couldn’t wait to hear about his daily experiences. The calendar finally turned, and the day had come for us to be reunited. It was such a wonderful day and we both teared up when we saw each other. I made his favorite meal upon his return, and had balloons and flowers at home in the foyer. I knew what day he left, and I knew what day he would return. The reunion was as beautiful as I had anticipated. There is nothing like a parent and child reunion!

When God formed and created us, a calendar of entry and departure was also set in place. He made special preparations for each of us in planning for our trip abroad…our earthly temporal home. He was thoughtful in what family He placed us, and was loving in what part of world He planted us. Although communication while ‘abroad’ is sparse He sees us every minute of the day. Nothing filters into our lives without filtering through His hands. He knows the exact time and day we will come home, and prepares for our return. The vessel that brings us home might be tough or it might be peaceful, but the entry will be perfect. While we sit on this side experiencing pain and grief when our loved ones depart, they are welcomed in great celebration on the other side. We each have a day when the calendar turns, and our Father motions us home. Great preparations will have been made…flowers and balloons will be in the grand entrance...our favorite heavenly fare will be spread out on the family table…the most beautiful music every heard will echo through the garden…the most amazing views ever seen from anywhere in heaven. We won’t even remember how we got home, we will just know that we are finally there. We are just so glad to be back with our Father in His home, because living abroad never quite felt like home…and it was never meant to.

With so much sickness, sin and death on this temporal place I have gotten so much comfort from the fact that every single day was predetermined on my life’s calendar. No doctor, no treatment, no medicine can save when the Father calls us home. I know that even now He is up there preparing my favorite things. Even now, He is creating my spiritual covering and setting up my eternal home. He is the Parent of Perfection and we will all be amazed at our reunion.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3.

Remembering the Stars

“Then he asked them, ‘But who do you say I am?’ Peter replied, ‘You are the Messiah.’ Mark 8:29.

Kherington, my youngest grandchild has always been intrigued by my morning ritual. I grab my coffee, my Bible and my Bible Study and go into a private area of my home. About an hour later I emerge, and our time together begins. A few years ago, on Spring Break she came out on the porch of a condo we rented that overlooked the beautiful ocean. She tiptoed out there and sat quietly as the gentle breeze touched her face like a morning kiss. She has always respected my study time, and has always treated it with reverence. Later that day, we were in the car and she mentioned that sometimes she wondered where God was. She explained that she could not hear Him or see Him, so at times she wondered if He was really there. She went on to say that when she started feeling that way, she asked herself, ‘Who put the stars in the sky? Who made the beach? Who makes the car run?’ She went on to question more things, and at the end she said the answer to everything is God. I was blown away! That smart little 9-year-old girl is living out a principle that many of us need to remember. When we begin to doubt God, we must remind ourselves of His awesome power. We must remember that just because we cannot see Him or hear Him doesn’t mean He is not present. When we look around our world like she does, we must recognize His awesome works in our past to speak hope into our present.

Jesus asked Peter a couple thousand years ago, ‘But who do you say I am?’ He is still asking every one of us the same question. So, in the spirit of my granddaughter I will respond to this question of old. ‘I say that you are the One who forgave me, and pursued me. I say that you God are the one who snatches your children out of the hands of darkness. You, God, are the one who sees when our loved ones have experienced enough, and you whisk them home to Heaven. You are the One who comforts our hearts, and heals our heartache. You will be the One to answer my long-running deep desires that I carry in my heart. You alone will be the One who provides…who blesses…who restores…who redeems. You have been all of this in my past, and will be so much more in future.

'Who do you say He is?' This morning, I stand shoulder to shoulder with Peter and Kherington when I say to Him, ‘You are the Messiah!’ He is Father, Savior and Spirit all in One, and has authority over every living thing and the answer to every single question in our circumstances. So today whatever you face, remember the stars.

From Pasture to Pasture

“Jesus said… ‘Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep…If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and come in and go out and find pasture.’” John 10:9

When I was a little girl living in Burlington, my sister and I would roam the neighborhood stopping in at one friend’s house, or playing outside at another friend’s house. Some days in the summertime we might be gone most of the afternoon. But we always knew to keep our ears open for Mother’s call for dinner. Sometimes we heard that same call from another mother, and sometimes we knew it was a call for us to come eat. How did we know? Because out of all the voices echoing throughout the neighborhood, we recognized our Mother’s voice. We had been intimately known to her and she was known to us since birth. Through our community as family, we had grown to know her distinct voice through our fellowship together.

Jesus makes the same point when drawing a beautiful analogy about the sheep knowing the voice of their shepherd. As He explained this comparison, He goes deeper calling Himself the Gate. Back then sheep were kept in a roughly constructed circular rock wall with thorns on the top of the wall to keep wild animals out. There was no door or gate, so the shepherd laid down across the opening to sleep. Nothing could endanger his sheep without passing over the shepherd. What a beautiful picture of how Jesus laid down His life so that we might be saved and protected from the evil of this world. Darkness might aggravate us, but it can never harm us if we stay in the enclosed protection of the Shepherd. He determines our comings and our goings, knowing the perfect time to allow us to move. If we are kept in the same set of circumstances, it must be because He sees danger outside of the wall, or circumstances on the landscape that will affect us in ways contrary to His will. He guides us with tenderness, thoughtfulness and complete knowledge of what lays up ahead for each of us.

There is great comfort in staying enclosed in the beautiful rock-wall of His protection. There is confidence in recognizing His voice when He is ready to move us into another place of protection. Just like the shepherds with their sheep, He is tender towards us, protective over us, and loving in dealing with us. He is knowledgeable of when and where to move us. He is for us in everything we do, and everywhere we go. He moves us in and out of seasons, but leads us through them. I love that life is made up of seasons, and eventually we will move out into other pastures. Sheep are prone to wander and harm themselves, and so are we without the protection and counsel of the Lord.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8

Little Do We Know...

“When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar…But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven…’Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said…Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.” Ge 22:9-13

Abraham was called to one of the most heart wrenching calls that anyone could be called to experience. He was to sacrifice his son as an offering to God. It didn’t make sense…it didn’t seem right…but it was clear what God was asking of him. Little did he know that as he was walking up to that place of surrender, God was leading a ram right into a thick clump of bushes that entangled its horns. Abraham had to experience living in the tension of watching his son die, and the shock of realizing his son was going to live. Little did he know…

Mary who had watched her little boy play among the trees had to witness the brutal torture and murder of her son up on a tree. As she awoke the next morning with her heartbreaking duty in front of her of preparing his body with spices she wondered if she had the strength. When she arrived, Jesus was gone but the messengers of hope revealed he was not there. Little did she know as she was walking towards the tomb that held death, Jesus was walking around near her full of life. She had to live in the in-between of saying goodbye and hearing hello. Little did she know…

When I was a little girl being saturated with stories of how God loved me, and everything He did for me, I felt safe and wanted to live out right instead of wrong. But somewhere along the way, my pursuit of acceptance and image became idols, and I lost my way. As I was desperately trying to figure out ways to pay off secret bills, God was waiting for the right time to invade my heart. Little did I know that in 2006 I would finally open the Bible again, and it would begin opening me changing my life forever. Little did I know…

There are many areas in my life that are still unknown mysteries. I try to be patient…I try to be obedient…I try to be confident.  I ask…I seek…I knock. But when we see little activity in areas that have big decisions we tend to get discouraged. We see nothing happening on the horizon, but sometimes 'little do we believe’ that God is working relentlessly on our behalf. Little do I know when we will get work…little do I know when God will give us the wisdom we need in important decisions that face us. I’m sure there will be blessings and heartaches that are mine up ahead in 2018. Little do I know…

While we are living in the ‘slow middles’ of life, we can place complete trust in the God who knows everything. He can be trusted with every detail of our lives as we wait for His beautiful mysteries to be revealed.  What I do know is that our God still provides the ram, still brings the dead to life and still invades our hearts. 

"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.” De 29:29

God's To-Do List

“‘What can we do to perform the works of God?’ they asked. Jesus replied, ‘This is the work of God – that you believe in the one he has sent.’” John 6:26-27.

Well for a girl who loves to check items off her to-do list this passage is not one of my favorites. The people just wanted a list of to-dos to be accepted and favored…what is wrong with that? I love lists so much that I make a list of things to include on my list. I love checking things off so much that if something doesn’t make my list, but I accomplish it anyway I will write it down just to mark it off. I know…I’m a performance junkie and that is why God has given me a life time of things that have yet to get marked off my list…unanswered prayers and an unsettled heart.

Before February of 2006, my spiritual to-do list included serving at church, taking my family to church, tithing when it suited, praying empty repetitive prayers, etc. But once I began studying Scripture and carving out time for prayer in the mornings I realized that what was really required for acceptance and favor was a person, not a to-do item. When all I really wanted was to check something off, God showed me that the only thing required from Him was to believe Him…to believe that Jesus died for me…to believe that every promise God gave will be fulfilled…to believe that the heartbreaking things I have experienced were for my spiritual good. All I wanted to do was perform, and all He wanted from me was to believe Him for everything. It boils down to that for each of us.

We think that if we are good enough, serve enough, pray enough, or memorize Scripture enough that we will work ourselves into His favor. But spiritual check-lists do not bring holiness and certainly not fellowship. There is no easy way to accomplish righteousness but through a life of spiritual decisions we make. The only to-do list that I know is beneficial regarding my relationship with God is anchored in my belief to-do list. And out of that list a new list emerges...the things I need to do to become more Christ-like. My list is my Bible and on its pages, are my items to mark off one day. One item on a page is my belief that God will bring conclusion to 'an item' in due time. Another page boasts of my belief that He forgave me, so I should always forgive others. Hope filled pages of unfulfilled desires that beckon me to put ink to my belief for its fulfillment...I believe God will protect my children and grandchildren. I believe that He will work in the lives of my friends, showing up BIG for them. I believe that He will bring me and Bruce work in 2018. I believe that God is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do!

“Believing is the work. And that can be hard because we can’t measure belief. We can’t check belief off a to-do list. Belief can’t be seen or praised by those around us. Belief is in our hearts. Only God truly sees what we believe.” Finding I Am, Lysa TerKeurst, p. 35. I still make lists for the earthly things, but I hold my days and my accomplishments loosely because I am confident that God intends to direct my plans and my path for each day. Ironically, He has His own to-do list for me, and He will complete what He began the day I was born.

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Philippians 1:6.

All in the Family

“For wherever there is one who has been obedient to God, there is my brother--my sister..." Mark 3:35

Growing up as one of four girls had its challenges when trying to be your own personality. For my parents I am sure that life was hectic, and the responsibilities were enumerable. I fall into the second position of the birth order which also had its challenges. Becki, my older sister has always been very responsible and chose well in her decisions most of the time. Beth, my younger sister was the tomboy of the family, so Daddy got his ‘son.’ Benay, as the baby of the family, was carted around by all of us like a baby doll. I remember the first day of middle school when we got our assignments. I was assigned to a teacher to whom Becki had been assigned. The teacher was thrilled when she discovered I was her sister. It didn’t take many days before I heard those dreaded words… ‘You are nothing like your sister.’ I knew exactly what that meant. It meant that my actions were not living up to her expectations. It meant I was being silly when silly wasn’t on her agenda for the day. It meant I was talking over the one who should be talking over me. It meant my older sibling was a better example of how to be…how to act…how to navigate. I used to think the teachers were less than loving when they would say this. But looking back I know that they just wanted me to be the best version of myself…to live up to my potential…to grow and mature into a responsible adult.

We also have a beautiful older Brother who went before us in life. He faced many of the same problems we do, no doubt. He made perfect decisions every time. He too had siblings, a few who thought He was crazy once His ministry was in full force. But Jesus walked to the tune of heaven, not earth. He walked out the will of His Father, and because we follow Him we gain the full benefits that we would never be worthy enough to claim without His life. Considering the comparison, I know that God has given each of us a snapshot of Christ. The Teacher isn’t saying, ‘You are nothing like your Brother’ out of frustration or condemnation. Rather, God is saying that to know Him is to understand the walk of His Son. To please God is to transform our hearts into the heart of our Brother. God loved us enough to send His only child down into a cruel world to usher us up into a perfect kingdom.

As believers we have access to a large family, some on earth and some in Heaven. Christ did the work on the cross for us, and as we grow spiritually we develop attitudes like our Brother. I’m so grateful that God doesn’t have favorites, but He does give us a picture in Christ of how to be the best version of ourselves…our God-created version. Let us take our place in the family, and hold each other’s hands as we all mature in Christ.

When a Kiss is Truly a Kiss

“While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs…Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ and kissed Him.  And Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, do what you have come for.’” Matthew 26:47-50

There is not much written on the disciple, Judas Iscariot except the historical account of his betrayal of Jesus in the garden. But to understand how great the fall came through his betrayal of Jesus, we must understand his prior relationship with Jesus.   Jesus not only hand-picked Judas as one of his inner circle, but he made him treasurer of the group’s financial resources.  Judas not only traveled with Jesus, he studied under him for three years.  It is written in Scripture that on occasion Judas ‘helped himself to the money bag’ for his own gain.  Clearly, he had a weakness and a temptation greater than his loyalty to Jesus.  I gain a great deal of satisfaction and amusement when I think of all the secrecy, plotting and planning behind Jesus’ back.  Judas no doubt thought that his plan would not point the finger at him, since the identification would be made through a kiss.  But Jesus brought down pretense that day as His eyes met the eyes of the one who would betray Him in the garden.  ‘Friend, do what you have come to do.’ That was the signal of betrayal…outward loving affection with selfish inward motives.

Before we judge Judas, we must examine our own actions.  How many times have we said godly things with our mouths, only to hide things in our hearts?  How many prayers have we spoken only to use that same mouth to tear others down?  When our words or actions hurt and wound people we betray Jesus.  Plotting and planning with hidden motives will always plant that betraying kiss.   He has told us that what is done to others is done to Him.  (Matthew 25:45) Loving others well is not predicated with how well they love us.  Jesus gave us an example of complete forgiveness to those who have betrayed and hurt us.  Jesus had complete knowledge of what was in his heart, and what was about to happen.  He still considered Judas a friend, and no matter what we do He will continue to love us too. 

Our responsibility is to examine our walk and our talk, so that when we meet Jesus in the garden of our fellowship a kiss is truly a kiss.  He knows the heart that we bring to Him, and the true affection we have for Him.

Laying Down our Water Jar

“A woman of Samaria came to draw water… ‘Sir…you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep.  You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you?’  Then the woman left her water jar, went into the town and told the people.”  John 4:7, 11, 28

This story is very familiar to you I am sure.  It is the story of a woman who chose the hottest part of the day to fill her water jar, when the fewest people would be there.  This is the story of a woman who felt daily shame.  She had discarded four husbands already, and was living with the fifth man unmarried.  As she traveled to the well with the water jar on her head, I wonder what was going through her mind?  Did she have regrets?  Was she really in love with this man or was she just tired of trying?  Were there still dreams in her heart and hope in her soul?  I’ll bet her mind was a million miles away, just like our minds get overwhelmed when looking at our decisions in the rear-view mirror.  Did she feel shame when she realized that Jesus knew everything she had done?  But what happened next was the tender moments she shared with Jesus.  The beautiful exchange between two strangers who ended up connected as one.  The Samaritan woman who had lowered her water jar 1000 different days into the well finally drew water that lasted…water that sustained…water that was a continuous flow of nourishment.  That water was Jesus and she would never be the same.

I remember when one of my children was struggling emotionally, and was lowering the water jar into wells that were dangerous.  I lived in fear and heartbreak for many years.  I specifically remember choosing parts of the day to do errands when I believed the fewest people would be out and about.  I didn’t want to look in their eyes of judgment, sadness, concern or pity.  I only wanted to fill the jar, and quickly close myself up in my house.  But we were never meant to lock up our castles…to lower the gates of our kingdom.  Like the woman in our story, she had little faith in Jesus accomplishing what He said.  She pointed out that the well was deep, and He had nothing to draw with.  The truth is that we will always draw things that do not satisfy until we draw near to Jesus.  He knows everything we fill our jars with, and calls to us to lay it down.  He wants to be our full nourishment and desire, so He can do great things in and through us.

So, I ask you to consider what is in your water jar that never fully satisfies?  What would our lives really look like, if we lay them down and pick up the fullness of Christ?  What did she have to lose on that hot day in the desert, and what do we have to lose today?

Distracted By the Game

Little children, guard yourselves against idols.”  1 John 5:21

I never know what I am going to write about until I have time in prayer, and study my Bible.  Sometimes my topic emerges from my Study while other times God just drops a word or image into my mind.  This morning’s topic dropped out of nowhere like a sudden rainstorm that drenches on a flip-flop kind of day.  There is this beautiful passage of Scripture tucked at the end of 1 John that is describing how complete our lives are when we are in Christ.  It writes an eternal screenplay of the position we have in Him, and the infinite promises that are ours to claim.  And then suddenly, like an unwelcome guest at a perfect party, this little verse abruptly ends the Book of 1 John.  In considering this warning, I really believe that it is cautioning us against the very thing that can distract us from living out what is already ours as believers.

I remember when my son Michael was about 5 years old and we were sitting next to each other on the couch.  We were the only one’s home, and he had just gotten a Game Boy.  All he wanted to do was play that game, exhausting his thumbs and numbing his mind as most children that age.  As we sat there I got choked on something that went down my throat wrong and I couldn’t breathe.  I began making those horrible noises where it is obvious little breath is getting through.  I began to panic, and Michael continued playing the game.  Eventually I was able to take in small breaths and gain the composure I had so lost.  I still am so amused when I remember his statement to me as I was trying to recover.  He never looked up from his game, and with his thumbs madly pressing the buttons and said, ‘Mom, are you okay?’  We still laugh about that as a family.  He was so engrossed and distracted by the game that he almost missed out on what was going on around him.

Aren’t we just like that as we surround ourselves with the distractions of the world?  Aren’t we the little children being warned about allowing idols to control our attention?  We also exhaust our thumbs turning the pages of catalogs, and purchasing things we really don’t need.  We spend hours upon hours numbing on minds on social media, and obsessing on the lives of others.  We eat when we are not hungry, and we drink when we are dissatisfied.  We keep our attention solely focused on the news, and the national division in which we live.  Our children and grandchildren can become idols, and even our guilt can become an idol.   We barely lift our eyes up from our own interests, missing the needs of those around us.  We must guard ourselves against the idols we build for ourselves, otherwise we will miss out on the fullness on earth that we can have in Christ.  The only satisfaction we can find on earth lives in Heaven.  When we seek God with a spiritual hunger Heaven invades earth, and any lack we have God will provide.  Spiritual hunger is that craving that nothing on earth has the power to satisfy.  It is a craving for Who instead of what.  It is a desire to reconnect with God Himself instead of what He can do for us.  When we seek Him with the same passion we serve our self-made idols, we come in for the blessing of fullness.

‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ Matthew 6:33.