What I Have Escaped

Life Isn't Fair. Thank the Lord.

Many people get discouraged through events outside their control. They have sick parents or children or a spouse with dementia. Fires burn up their homes through no fault of their own. Although they wear masks and social distance, they contact COVID 19. Or they become victims in undeserved crime.

Not me. I can point to my actions in most of my problems. I don’t ask “Why me” when trouble happens. The why me is me.

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Romans 9:15

For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."

Matthew 7:14

For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

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The “why me” I ask is why did the God of the Universe include me in His kingdom? Why is my name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? Why should I spend my eternity in heaven when many will never know the abundance available for them if they accept the Lord Jesus Christ?

When He touched me and called me, I suffered from depression. He healed me. But he’s still scraping off the grunge that muddies my character. On my last day on earth, He will clean off the last as I soar toward eternity.

Life is not fair. Thank the Lord.

Forget shyness or wanting to escape confrontation. Can I bear to see others suffering without Jesus—people better than I? Yet destined to endure an eternity without Him? Or people who live through terrible childhoods to terrible lives to a terrible endless forever?

We must reach them. I once read a book (based on truth) of a criminal who, before Jesus, had no redeeming social value. He shot one man in the arms. The man never used them again.

After his salvation, he tried to discover his gift. He became a thug for Jesus. To carry out his calling, he dragged people to the park and tied them to trees. Then he made them swear they loved Jesus. His mentor hurried to correct his methods. He learned.

If only we could do that: gangs of us dragging our friends and family to the park—revival by tree. You’ll accept Jesus or else. I often feel that desperate.

But without that tool, how do I push stubborn friends through the narrow gate? Start with prayer. Then what? Raise them in the way they should go. But what if it’s too late to raise them? Pray more. Then what? Show them through my behavior. But I’m so imperfect. So I strive not to keep my good news to myself. And pray.

Dear Lord, WHY ME? Show me the way to show Your grace through my life. And give me opportunities to speak for You.

 

Find image at Unsplash

 

Jesus Weeps.

Jesus waited to go to Mary and Martha to call Lazarus out of the tomb. He trudged up their lane four days after Lazarus died.

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John 11:4

But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not meant for death, but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” 

John 11:33;35

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews with her also weeping, He was deeply moved and troubled. . . . Jesus wept.

Click John 11:4 to read the chapter in context.

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 He knew the outcome of that day, and that the miracle He planned showed the power and glory of God: and the wonderful joy prepared for all who stood by the tomb.

But when Mary grieved, He wept because He felt the pain of the sisters and the others who stood there. 

The Holy Spirit lives in His people. Our hurts are His hurts.

In this illustration by Thomas Blackshear, the man collapses, unable to go on. Jesus holds us up until we can stand on our own feet. Once again, It represented the grace of God. Jesus feels all the punishment we inflict on ourselves, and others inflict on us.

God must allow testing, for His glory; or our discipline, growth, and salvation, but He doesn’t do so thoughtlessly. Imagine your pain times the billions of people who suffer at this moment. Jesus carries it all.

In the old days, parents told their children as they spanked them, "This hurts me worse." But as the Lord allows necessary hardship in our lives, He suffers for us more than our parents. How great is our God. He knows the glorious miracles that await us in eternity through repentance. 

And the joys in our lifetimes.

Dear Lord, Thank You for Your love for us. Please let me remember that You suffer with me and that my suffering leads to joy.

 

Painting: Forgiven, Thomas Blackshear II, Also does Western Art, Gallery

Woe to Those Who Call Evil Good

Our nation stands at a crossroad.

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Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Acts 5:28-29 

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

Acts 5:42

And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and preaching the good news of Jesus as the Christ.

Click Acts 5:28-29 above  to read the chapter and see the verses in context

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Peter and the apostles risked their lives to tell the story of salvation after the crucifixion of Jesus. Jail didn’t stop them. In Acts 5:17-40. they stood before the Sadducees who warned the apostles not to speak of Jesus. After release, the apostles and the group continued to preach Jesus. Infuriated Sadducees planned to execute these men of God. An influential Pharisee named Gamaliel advised against it, so they flogged them and let them go.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, flogging means to beat someone with a rod or whip. The first definition applies here. The men suffered painful wounds. But no sooner had the group received the flogging than they continued their work, knocking on doors with their good news. Did they stagger from their pain?

America suffers different testing. We get in trouble for calling out sin. In the 50s and 60s a popular singer, Anita Bryant, fought the drive to make homosexuality respectable. Hollywood blackballed her. A spokesman for orange juice, the company removed her. No one stood up for her in a meaninful way.

Sixty-plus years later, a transgender man who called himself a woman complained of being offended by being called “he.” The offender apologised.

The LORD formed a boy in a woman’s womb. He became a man who wanted to be a woman, going through dangerous surgery. And now he wants us to honor his sin by adding our own. We must call him “her.” I'm sorry sir. It ain't gonna happen.

Society changes with breakneck speed. People lose their businesses and livelihood because they won’t take part in gay weddings. Thankfully the Supreme Court protects religious freedom, but not before the businesses bankrupt.

That confused man and those people defiling weddings don’t consider the offense they cause God. You don't offend God if you have any sense. Do we believe the pandemic happened by accident? Did 383,351 deaths in America take place for no reason? (Numbers as of January 14,2021)

The year 2020 shocked the world. Homosexuality and its outgrowth don't share all the blame. Shall we talk about abortion? I have divorce and other sinful failures in my past--once at least as a Christian. The LORD forgave me but the LORD forgave David and his baby still died.

We as Christians hurt the LORD with our "Tolerance." The Baptist church in our town does gay weddings. The Catholic Bishop put out a statement that the Catholic church plans to do them. Those churchs should now be ghost towns.

Another church in our town lost most of its congregation because it refused to do gay weddings. Why isn't it now a megachurch? Love sinners. Welcome them. But don't honor the sin.

I read on Facebook that the Korean government sentences Christians to prison to starve them to death. In Nigeria, terrorist groups kidnap Christian girls, rape them, and force them to live with their captors. The government allows this.

If we don’t stand against sin, we’ll graduate to worse persecution, soon joining the ranks of Korea and Nigeria in horror. 

We must obey God rather than man.

Dear Lord, please give Christians all over the world courage in the face of persecution. Please guide us to copy the apostles.

 

Painting: Bust of St. Peter by Anton van Dyck 1599-1641

Today's Fire-Belching Dragons

Everyone who reads Revelations has a unique interpretation, so I won’t add mine. But this ugly guy shows only one of seven heads from Revelations 12:3's Satan. We all agree his tongue is a raging fire.Today’s fire-eating dragons look different, but they ruin their surroundings just as quickly.

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James 3:6

And the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our body’s parts as that which defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.

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Isn’t it sad the way the Lord sugar coats everything? I felt His voice leaping off the page in James 3:12. We need not wonder what He means.

And, before I continue, I confess to times my mouth engages before my brain and something comes out that spoils my day. How could I say that?

So who is today’s fire-spewing dragon?

A sweet elderly lady sidles over beside you. She appeals for prayer for Rod and Sarah, “They’re thinking about divorce, you know.”

In government offices, no one gains access to sensitive information without “The Need to Know.” You need information to perform your work. So you go to the person in charge. After filling out papers, if that individual believes the information vital, you will see it. It’s understood you won’t share it.

They wouldn’t clear me to hear about Rod and Sarah. I didn’t know. And I don’t need to know. (Rod and Sarah: Not their real names).

A group of women sit around a table drinking coffee and discussing the behavior of the woman who didn’t come. It’s never “I so admire Caroline.” It’s “did you hear what Caroline did?” My mother went to such a group once or twice. She needed friends, not critics.

Today’s dragons verbally abuse spouses. Or their children. The well-dressed child, alias Judy, makes perfect grades—though never good enough. She brings her friends to her perfect home. The mother provides cookies and milk. But the child feels broken inside, full of self-loathing.

No one understands why Judy becomes belligerent in her teens. Her parents get a call from the hospital—drug overdose. She had everything. What happened?

The best teens show eye-rolling boredom at parents. It doesn’t mean you’ll get the call from the hospital. But how often do you say “well done?” At that age you may have trouble findng "well done" but there has to be something.

The dragon becomes a politician. Adolph Hitler swayed Germany with his speech until he convinced the populace that they must annihilate an entire group of people.

They’re schoolyard bullies going after a disabled  or ethnically different child. They can drive a vulnerable child to suicide.

I saw an autistic child who can’t speak, talking in his own language. Another child came along and made fun of the speech. He jabbered back. The autistic boy didn’t take offense. But I did. I let it go. If the autistic child wasn't upset, I didn't want to upset him. 

Children need to understand differences. I read an article in which a young baseball team let a disabled boy play with them and then gave up the win so the child could make a home run. He never forgot his triumph. He died the following summer. Children can learn to respect others.

God spoke the world into existence. Let’s not speak it into destruction. 

Dear Lord, please teach me to hear what I say before I say it. Let me be gracious.

 

Image from Clipart Library: No Artist listed

Sweatshirt Wisdom. Or, Small Ministries Matter.

I've never considered sweatshirt messages profound, but one caught me off guard and changed my thinking:

"I can do all things by a verse taken out of context." 

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Philipians 4:12

I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

Philipians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

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I prayed Philipians 4:13 daily, believing that I could leap tall buildings in a single bound through Christ. Glad I never tested that premise.

The offending sweatshirt and the offending message (and, yes, it offended me for a minute or two) prompted me to read the chapter. Click the top verse above to read the context. Paul mentions getting along in plenty and in little. He didn’t leap tall buildings in a single bound. Vipers bit him and enemies beat him. Some days, he didn’t eat. In fact, he thanked the Philippians for support. It’s obvious he wasn’t bragging about his superhuman accomplishments.

Instead, Paul says Christ carried him through every circumstance. He can’t pray away trouble outside the will of God. But he adjusted, through Christ, to life’s surprises with contentment.

Usually I consider context. And I will remember this. Read the chapter.

The second lesson from my misstep: small ministries matter. A sweatshirt? Come on.

The restaurant ministry

A group from the church met for lunch (before the pandemic). Our server carried more than her tray. She appeared near delivery: her baby weeks away. We sat talking when one member went to meet her as she walked toward us. He carried her tray to the table. The group discussed her pregnancy, asking her due date and other pleasant questions. She didn’t wear a wedding ring. We didn’t care.

The man mentioned the name of our church and invited her. Then we took an offering and gave her a nice tip. No one preached. They simply treated her as though she had value.

We need not give $100 dollar tips. We have to live. But a nice tip of 15-20% helps a single mom or hard-working student. The group can give $15 or $20 dollars for a $100 meal—possibly $3.00 each. And when you place your tip on a folded bulletin from your church, you do mission work.

Servers earn less than $5.00 an hour in my state. Laws need changing. That man or woman survives on tips. Want to give to the poor? That server with the tired eyes belongs to the working-class poor.

Too often when a server sees a group of people hold hands and say grace at their table, she or he expects, Oh no. No tip there. When we don’t tip or we scold the server, our witness for Jesus disappears. Poor service is poor service, but we can point it out with kindness. Do we want to explain to Jesus why we ignored such a simple chance to turn someone to Him? Or even turned someone away from Him?

We give to missions in foreign countries. We may slip a five to the homeless. Why not include those who strive to support their families with honest work?

A tract and a dollar.

In 2006, I wrote Escape from the Prison System. Finding the Narrow Door. It chronicled prisoner salvations. A young woman left prison to live on the streets, sharing drugs with her companion. One day, a man handed them a tract and a dollar. That evening, they read the tract from beginning to end, and Jesus saved her. One in 1000 people (if that) respond to a tract, but that one person matters to the Lord.

She found work and quit drugs, one less homeless person: one more win for society. Plus future children raised to know Christ.

So. Have you worn any good sweatshirts lately? Left a bulletin with $5.00 laying atop after a restaurant meal? Given someone a tract?

Small ministries matter.

Dear Lord, help me remember, everything I do reflects You.

 

Cartoon by John Cullen, nellucnhoj.tumblr.com

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Kicking the Shins of a Favored Child

Whenever we think we’re being mistreated because of our faith, we can remember that Jesus lost his life on earth because of envy

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Mark 15:9-10

Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.

John 15:18-19 

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 

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Once before my salvation, I visited the local Art in the Park art show. The artist painted planets hurtling across the canvas. I liked them. They looked professional and finished. But a visitor to the show asked the artist, “Where do you get your ideas?”

The artist answered, “The Lord gives them to me.”

Suddenly I didn’t enjoy the paintings so much. I have a degree in art and God never gave me a painting. I didn't serve God, but I felt like the rejected little girl watching the favored child. If I weren't in my thirties, I might have kicked the artist in the shins.

“Who does he think HE is that God gives him paintings?” 

“They aren’t THAT good.” 

“He’s such a big shot that God gives him paintings?”

Behold, jealousy (envy) at work. The artist did what God called us to do. He gave glory to God. Why didn’t I rush to get what he had? Instead, I took offense.

Years ago, Dr. Chuck Swindoll told a story of working in a job before he became a pastor.  His coworkers hated him. He worked too hard. The Lord wants us to honor our jobs by doing our best, but Dr. Swindoll raised the standard and outshone the other men.

We must do the right thing, but people won’t admire us for it. Whether they do is unimportant. It’s our job to give glory to God. But the world will take offense. 

Some Christians tread softly when telling others about Christ. We need not be obnoxious, but our listener may take offense, unless the harvest is ripe. Better to offend the listener than to offend our Lord who decreed that we tell them. If one person in a hundred responds to our message, the other ninety-nine don’t count (for now).

A salesman makes cold calls. He gets hung-up on and abused. But if every tenth person buys from him, the salesman becomes rich. He won’t remember the other nine.

And thirty years later, I remember the artist in the park as a man of God. 

Dear Lord: Please let me always do my best and give glory to You no matter who may hate me for it.

 

Image: "Beyond the Home Planet" by Lynette Cook. Gallery

Not the painting mentioned in the article

Happy New Year 2021

God called Jeremiah to prophesy from childhood. He risked his life to tell the unpopular truth of Jerusalem's destruction. The people deserted worship of God to worship the Idol Baal with the evil practices of that religion, such as sacrificing the children (sound familiar?). He often had to contradict the "ear-ticklers" who told the people what they wanted to hear. Then Jeremiah gave God's true word.

Jeremiah 29 tells of the surviving people carried to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah prophesies that in seventy years God will return them to Jerusalem. Those left in Jerusalem will suffer destruction.

God doesn't make the above prophesy to everyone. He iterates that the Jewish exiles will serve Him with all their heart, souls, minds, and strength (my translation). 

2020 brought trouble, including death in every nation. With all the passion we have, we long for the above prophecy to apply to us. Unlike many people, I don't believe 2020 ends on New Year's Eve. But if we as a nation return to the Almighty Creator, we will experience the promise above. Otherwise . . .

Dear Lord, forgive us our sins as individuals and as a nation. Let each person (me) love You with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength.

See you in 2021

 

Photo: David Brooke Martin, Gallery

The Ants Challenge the Mountain

Rosey Grier played football in the 1970s. A powerfully built man, he enjoyed needle craft and crocheting. He wrote books for male needlepointers.

An old joke goes:

Two men walked by him and saw him stitching a project.

The first man: "That isn’t masculine."

The second man: "You tell him."

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Job 40

Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.

Then Job answered the Lord and said,

“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I say in response to You?
I put my hand on my mouth.
I have spoken once, and I will not reply;
Or twice, and I will add nothing more.”

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Job wisely stopped speaking, and he never knew why he endured so much. The LORD continues Chapter 40 detailing His power.

The God of the Universe looms far bigger and more powerful than Mr. Grier. And yet in defiance the ants challenge the Mountain. We, ladies and gentlemen, are the ants. In the Book of Job, when Job asks Him why he must suffer so, he heard (we read) hour after hour of God’s sovereignty. If you click on the verse above, you will see what the LORD had to say.

The independent American asks “why” regarding everything. Some of us take pride in our contempt for authority. God ranks as one more authority figure to defy. Why do we believe we can wave our fists at God? Our puny little fists.

It’s foolish to question God. Cling to Him. Pray to Him. Trust in Him. And let Him reign over creation. Satan counted himself equal to the Almighty and found himself evicted from heaven, waiting for his eternal punishment.

Dear Lord: Please deliver me from anger and rebellion because things aren’t going my way. Let me accept Your will no matter how hard. And forgive me for asking why.

 

 

 

 

 

Blessed Among Women and a Sword through Her Soul

Luke 1:28 (KJV)

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Luke 2:35 (KJV)

(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

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This picture, Kissing the Face of God, by Morgan Weistling, shows my favorite painting of Mary and Jesus. A young mother—no halo of light; no light around the head of Jesus—who loves her baby: a real person.

Every time I hear someone dreaming of a white Christmas, I think of Mary. Please. No snow.

When Joseph received the notice of the long trip to pay his taxes, he must have worried. How could he make the trip more comfortable for Mary? Most of us haven’t ridden on a donkey. Maybe it’s preferable to other means of travel. Did Joseph create a chair or side-saddle to make the trip easier? But she suffered a painful bouncing trip no matter what. 

And then, on the verge of delivery, no one will rent them a room. Finally, an inn keeper offers them his stable. So she gives birth in a barn and lays her baby in a manger.

Nativity scenes picture a manger surrounded by animals. But I prefer to believe the pastor who said the innkeeper offered her an empty stable. He said they kept their stables spotless. Maybe the hay was new and covered in a soft throw. And, before long, the couple bought or rented a house where the Magi visited.

Thirty-three years later, still a young woman, she watched as they took her first-born son down from the cross, barely recognizable—a sword through Mary’s soul. We know she witnessed the crucifixion because Jesus gave her in to the care of the Apostle John from the cross.

Mary lived a good middle-class life in the care of Joseph. And knowing God used her so profoundly filled her with joy. But how could any woman endure that day at the cross?

When God promises a blessing, it likely will come with trouble. In Mary's case, God honored her after her death. Her life has shone for centuries. But she suffered pain and heartbreak during her time on earth. If God made a promise to you, and you don't see it happening, wait. It may not be in this lifetime.

Dear Lord. Thank You for sending the Christ as a little baby to live among us. And giving us Your Bible to tell. Thank you for the courageous young family You provided for Him.

 

Kissing the Face of God, by Morgan Weistling. Click artist name to visit his gallery. Old West artist

Help My Unbelief

Mark 9:23-24 

But Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” ²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”

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When the man asked Jesus to heal his son, he said “if you can.” Jesus corrected him. Faith must come before healing. The man recognized his doubt, so rather than pretend, he asked Jesus to strengthen his faltering faith.

Sometimes I pray prayers that others might find ridiculous. By practical standards, I ask the impossible. But all things are possible with God.

I’ve prayed for salvation for the family for so long; can it ever come to pass?  Am I the problem? So I repeat, “Lord I believe. Help my unbelief.” The Lord answers unnumbered prayers for me from small to large. I find the lost shoe in the strangest of places.

More dramatically, I took a job at Fort Leavenworth when I had no car and an eighty-five-mile round-trip commute. A bad year left me broke: I suffered an ovarian tumor the size of my son had he been twins. Insurance evaporated with a lost job. 

Desperate, with no job offers, and no answers, I spent an afternoon praying to a god I didn't know. That day, the LORD saved me.

Only the new faith the Lord gave me forced me to go to work the first day. Most people who commuted to work drove to Kansas City or Topeka—not Fort Leavenworth. 

As I shook hands with my new boss, he introduced me to Carol, the other new hire from my home town. She needed a paying rider. She couldn’t find a carpool.

He answers prayer in response to the troubled prayers of a human being. Because I accept my weakness and ask Him to strengthen the faith that He’s already given me, He hears.

We can pretend a perfect faith. But the LORD knows better. How much more honest to acknowledge that we need His help? 

Dear Lord, Never let me forget that You are my only hope, and when I ask for help to be who You want me to be, prayer, and all  of my life become stronger.

Did Elijah Return as John the Baptist?

I told my sister I planned to tackle this subject, and I heard her turn pale over the phone. She checked her reference book to determine what the scholars said. When she turned to Matthew 11:13-15, she said they skipped over those verses to Matthew 16.  Even the Bible scholars didn’t want to touch it. But I, intrepid farm kid that I am, forge ahead.

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2 Kings 2:11

And as they were walking along and talking, behold, a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and they separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.

Malachi 4:5-6

Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction

Matthew 11:13-15

For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Jesus speaking).

Luke 1:13-15 (read all in context)

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb.  And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.

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So here goes.

God took Elijah to heaven by whirlwind rather than death. Then Malachi predicted his return.

In John 1:21, John the Baptist denied that he came as Elijah, but would he know? Elijah’s sandals were big ones, and John may have felt inadequate to fill them. And Jesus doesn't tell us everything. John said he came to make straight the paths of the Lord. By ushering in Jesus did he prevent destruction?

Was Jesus our last chance? God demands justice. If, on the day of His crucifixion, Jesus had not said, “Nevertheless, not my will but thine,” why continue? 

John had the Holy Spirit in Elizabeth’s womb. Elijah had the Holy Spirit. Anywhere Elijah went, the Spirit also went. Only Jesus and John came to earth filled with God's Spirit. Ordinary believers receive the Holy Spirit through salvation.

Jesus tells us openly that Elijah returned as John the Baptist. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Some intelligent people swear that the verse is figurative. John the Baptist became the Elijah of his day. I believe in Elijah's literal return as John the Baptist.

Others more educated and intelligent believe Elijah will come back as one of the two prophets mentioned in Revelations. I hope not. Poor Elijah. Two lifetimes of hardship?

Dear Lord, Thank you for giving us your mysteries to ponder.

 

Painting by Harry Anderson, Illustrator 1943

Rude to Almighty God

Philipians 2:14

Do all things without complaining or arguments;

1 Thessalonians 5:18

in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:28

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

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“I’m sick of this pandemic. When will it end?”  

The pandemic causes suffering and permanent loss for many people. We might consider it disloyal to find good in it. But we can experience God's blessing.

Susan's retirement community ordered lock-down for the residents. In her seventies, she used the time to study for difficult Braille tests and earned a certificate. She will work as a Braille proofreader. She already talked to an organization who welcomes her. In addition, she looks forward to getting a transcribing certificate. 

Busy lives left little time for home owners to work on their homes Now they sparkle and shine. The new deck will offer pleasure long after the pandemic.

People required to work from home come to love it. Gas prices and long commutes end: not to mention a reduced clothing budget. They find a fresh permanent work style. And employers cut back on light bills and space.

“I can’t stand this weather.”

After a period of gloom, the sunshine fills us with joy. An old friend said, "It feels so good when it stops." He referred to hard times in general. But I wonder if people in Hawaii love the sun like a Kansan. Gratitude comes from hardship. We may appreciate a roof over our heads, but how much more if we have lived without one. Freezing days cut back on the bug population the next summer. Into each life some rain must fall. And maybe it falls for longer than we prefer. But how else do crops grow?

“I hate my hair.”

Actually, I don’t hate my hair.

I want to be Caleb, but I more often resemble the Israelites. They never saw the Promised Land because of their dissatisfaction. My blog The Power of a Just God details what they suffered. God saved them from tyrannical enforced labor, and they said they wanted to go back to it. Rude. Am I rude to my beloved God?

Are we closing the door to our own promised land with a negative spirit? The Lord wrote His statutes for our good. Besides giving offense to God, complaining discourages us. Hope is the opposite of complaint. Caleb saw possibilities, and he and Joshua alone from that generation entered the Promised Land.

Or we make jokes. I love to laugh. But does Jesus join in the laughter? How do I respond if I prepare food for a family dinner and they make fun of it? How does the Lord respond when we reject His creation or blessings?

Maybe our jokes should stay with the human condition.

 A little boy’s face shows fright.

Caption: All of us when our mom uses our whole name.

Negative spirits cause the complainer and everybody around him to feel immersed in a dark cloud.

Authors write books about making lists of our blessings.Women do this more often than men. But a man can practice looking for the positive. Then our friends won’t circle buildings to avoid us. And it motivates us. We sing while we work. We make plans and believe in them.

Dear Lord, Forgive me for complaining. Help me be Caleb.

Photo by Julias Udnitskaya

Click name to go to his gallery

Good or Evil: A Frightening Day

Monday Replay August 14, 2020

Romans 8:28 NIV

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

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On May 29, 2019, my hometown of Lawrence had its first tornado since 1982 (above). Sixty homes suffered damage. It caused seventeen injuries. Three people went to the hospital. Members of my church lost roofs and suffered other destruction. They waited in hotels or with their families until backed-up insurance companies repaired their homes. One man and his wife stayed in a hotel for a year.

A frightening day.

But Tom works construction and asked for prayer. His team didn’t have enough work to support them. The Sunday after the tornado, the Sunday school leader asked if Tom needed continued prayer. 

He waved his hands and said, “No. If you ask for rain, you better have an umbrella. The Lord gave me a tornado.” 

His crew worked fourteen-hour days for the duration.

None of us escape illness. Pain frightens me worse than death. But our illnesses give work to nurses, doctors, and hospital personnel. Real estate, architects, parking lot maintenance also earn their livelihoods from our gall bladder operations and worse.

A young girl gives birth and places her baby for adoption. A couple invites that baby into their lives. Her heartbreak provides a lifetime of joy for three people.

No one thinks a tornado is good. Tom meant no harm with his comment. But it illustrates how the Lord uses one man’s tragedy to move in the life of another. We only see life as it applies to us. God works with the whole.

A greedy man sold a Man's life for 30 pieces of silver. The Man’s friends felt a terrible grief. But after the most horrifying afternoon in history, the Man (Jesus) ascended to heaven and saved us from our sins.

Dear Lord, I know You see the whole while I see only a small part. Let me patiently wait on You.

Kansas Tornado May 29, 2019 appeared in Financial Times--Getty image

Jesus has Dinner with Friends

Luke 10:38-42

Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.  And she had a sister called Mary, who was also seated at the Lord’s feet, and was listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations;

John 15:15

No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Matthew 26:29

But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it with you, new, in My Father’s kingdom.”

vvvv

Jesus called us "friends." We see Him at dinner with friends throughout the Gospels. He joined Simon the Pharisee for dinner on one occasion (Mark 14:3-9).

And Martha, sister to Mary and Lazarus. served at least two meals to Jesus. He tells us in Matthew 26:29 (above) that those social occasions didn't end when He left us. 

Have you ever wondered what Martha served?

Come with me to crash one of those parties.

Jerusalem farmers, like the American Farmer, depended on the weather and prayer. Poor and rich ate plenty in the good years. People dried food for the fruitless years. They ate dried fish and fruits.

The houses had small rooms that sweltered in the summer, so she cooked in the courtyard or on the roof. Excavated houses from the period have hearths for cooking indoors in cooler weather.

I used two sources to research dinner. Women in the Bible  (link no longer active) covers everything in first century Jerusalem. I'm sorry this resource doesn't exist. It covered everything. 

Nazareth’s Village, in Nazareth, recreates meals from the first century. If you visit Nazareth, stop for dinner.

The site lists fire-baked flat bread, dips, olives and herbal tea as dinner with Martha. The creators of the site believe people didn’t drink wine often.

Other research says they drank a watered-down wine--usually eight parts water to one part wine. 

Jesus didn't overeat or drink too much, but He did eat and drink. Since they walked miles a day, He ate well to fuel His body. And he drank wine. In his first miracle, he made wine. I see a Man who enjoyed His food.

The guests dipped their bread in olives (see left).

Though Nazareth Village says they didn’t often eat meat, except for chicken, on this special occasion when Jesus sat in her home, Martha served lamb or goat. Women of the Bible describes meat cut in small pieces and marinated in garlic, herbs and wine.

Mystery solved. I wondered why meat cooked on such short notice wasn't raw. Martha used a cooking pit outside and a hearth when she cooked inside. The wine marinade also speeded cooking. The small pieces must have allowed for quick roasting.

Cows and goats provided plentiful milk so they ate goat cheese flavored with garlic and herbs.

She served dinner in the late afternoon or evening. Mid-day snacks for the group consisted of dried fruit and bread. Did he eat a few fried locusts? Tastes like chicken? No. They tasted similar to salty anchovies. Cooks removed the head and tail and fried them in butter. I understand why John the Baptist preferred honey with his.

A good hostess, Martha sent her guests out the next morning with bread and olives in their packs. Onions or fruit such as this pomegranate completed the package.

As I get older, I long to sit at Jesus' table, listening to Him tell us the mysteries of the universe. Will we be able to tear ourselves away?

Photos from Women of the Bible.

 

 

Dear Lord, Thank You for the Eternity You plan for us and Your wonderful provision on earth.

This post originally appeared on the site for my book, Beloved Prodigal

 

 

Now is the Day of Salvation

Luke 12:18-20

And I will say to ^[a]myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’

2 Corinthians 6:2 (NIV)

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Matthew 7:7-8

For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

vvvv

My brother-in-law, Don, planned his life. He hated owing money, but the day came when he wanted a home and he found spending on rent wasteful. A mortgage made better sense. But he not only had no debt, he had no credit rating. So he obtained a credit card and used it, paying it every month until he built up his credit. At that point, he and my sister bought a home. And he retired the credit card.

He worked at a pipe organ factory for years, saving his money. When his bank account allowed, he took the experience gained there and opened a business repairing pipe organs. Word spread. He spent part of each year going to churches all over Kansas to install and repair pipe organs.

He also painted landscapes, the real desire of his heart, spending whatever time possible at the easel. He planned to paint and build his talent in retirement. His family had a history of longevity. It never occurred to him he wouldn’t live into his old age. He died at fifty-five.

This example is not about a man who delayed his salvation. He lived a life of faith. It demonstrates the uncertainty of our time on earth. No one awakens in the morning thinking, “This is the day I get an illness that will end my life.” or “I feel like this will be the day I die” (except for the suicidal). I’m referring to those who want to live. We accept that we will die someday—far in the future.

We all have our images of heaven. Maybe Don's artwork hangs on the Lord’s refrigerator. But postponing a decision for salvation has more wide-ranging consequences. Eternity never ends.

Procrastination doesn’t seem like a huge sin. There’s always tomorrow. And why give up the “fun” you have in sin? Never to have the pleasure of a splitting hangover headache again? Among the other consequences of sin? What can salvation offer next to that? You’ll have time to “get religion” in old age when life nears its end.

God gives each person a time to accept His salvation (see 2 Corinthians 6:2 above). You can’t decide you’ll do it later. Maybe your time will slip by. Then, because of a moment of ignoring God’s call, your chance disappears.

Death comes in a moment. You make plans. You buy supplies for a dream you will fulfill in retirement. But one morning, you feel good. you walk along, enjoying the breeze, worrying about your bills. The next moment a car hits you (for example. That’s not a prophecy).

Of all the important decisions, this is the most critical. Make your appointment with the Lord. You’re not guaranteed old age.

And here’s a secret. Christianity isn’t boring. God gives joy, peace, and gratitude even during the pandemic.

Your next assignment? Seek and you will find. Billie Graham led converts in this prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.

Then buy a Bible. I like the New International Version or the New American Standard. Or Bible Gateway online is a good resource. Pray. Among other things, ask the Lord to lead you to a good church for you. Do you know a Christian that you respect? Ask to go to church with him. He will dance with joy, and pick you up the next Sunday.

Dear Lord, Thank you for the miracle of salvation, and that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

 

Photo by Anissa Belkheir

Jesus Misses His Ride

Monday Replay August 17, 2020

Luke 2:46

Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.

vvvv

Mary and Joseph traveled one day toward home after the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. Then they discovered Jesus wasn’t with the caravan.

After searching among the relatives and acquaintances, they couldn’t turn around fast enough.  

Mary and Joseph felt the fear of losing their child. Would they find him unhurt? Or had something terrible happened to Him? They turned back toward Jerusalem. After three more days of searching, they found Him at the feet of teachers. Four days after He disappeared, they discovered Him in the temple.  

Jesus, the twelve-year-old boy, loved His parents and didn’t intend to cause them trouble. But He sat enthralled in a synagogue listening to spiritual teachers, so engrossed He forgot all else—for four days—even that His family returned home without Him.

Many Christians launch a ministry with no preparation, believing God will do the work. Sometimes He does, as when He called Moses. Moses had on-the-job training. But more often God requires hard work over years. Patience can grow thin. When can I start my ministry?

So you begin the ministry you believe came from God. You KNOW God will give you the answers, money, and everything you need as you go. And you fail. Did you misunderstand God’s call? 

Maybe the next step means to regroup and start again. No one will ever find my first book anywhere. I made every mistake. Now it’s an embarrassing memory.

Jesus didn’t begin His ministry until thirty, and it lasted for three years. His twelve-year-old adventure in the synagogue only shows His zeal in preparing for that ministry. Jesus instinctively had knowledge far beyond ours. He knew He was the Christ, and He spent hours in prayer discerning the Father’s will. But He still respected spiritual training.

As always, Jesus set the standard.  The Lord won’t do all the work, though He will walk you through every step.  

Dear Lord, Please give me patience to wait on You and learn. 

 

Jesus Speaks to the Learned Pharasees

Painting available at

Lord's Art

No artist listed

The Wrath of Satan

1 Peter 5:8

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Job 1:6-12 

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not reach out and put your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

Luke 22:31-32

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift you men like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith will not fail; and you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

vvvv

Satan fell from heaven because he, a created being, believed himself equal to the God of the Universe. What a shock to hurtle toward the earth when the LORD cast him out. Evil incarnate, now he’s evil with a purpose. Get God’s people. Frightening. Peter refers to him as our adversary. Think of the worst thing you ever experienced. The devil manufactured that.

But when he wanted to bring Job down, he went among the sons of God into God’s chamber. The LORD pointed to Job as one of His favored children. And the devil convinced the LORD to allow him to destroy Job’s faith. “He will curse you to your face.” The LORD gave him his way for His purposes.

Then he ruined Job’s property and killed his children. But Job stayed faithful to God. So Satan went back to the Father and demanded to infect Job’s body. And Job grew sores. In addition, Job had the “comfort” of the three worst friends in history. Finally, God restored Job.

Later, Jesus warned Simon Peter that Satan demanded to ruin Jesus’ followers, but Jesus prayed for them.

There’s a pattern here. The devil can’t touch God’s followers without first asking the LORD. He can demand, but he can’t act without permission, and the Father limits the extent of the devil’s power.

I’ve seen miracles that began with terrible illness, addictions, and financial ruin. But the Lord used those situations to show His love and mercy through healing. And to bring people to salvation.

Did Satan gloat on the day the Christ died on the cross? He won. He killed the Son of God. Supposedly the devil knows the Bible, but he missed that part, prophesied through the Tanakh (Jewish Bible). I’ve noted in another post that it contained 300 or 400 prophesies of the resurrection of Christ. Satan lost his power for eternity.

So what can we do to stay out of the clutches of the personification of evil, a liar incapable of any good, and malevolence only the creator of hate might muster?

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Immerse ourselves in the word of God and pray. Make no move unless we talk it over with the Lord. When evil happens, and believe me it will, cling to God with every bit of strength we have. When we feel his presence, “resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

But what of our friends and family who haven’t accepted the Lord? What is the answer for them? You can guess my answer. Us. And fervent prayer. Pray for their safety and for their salvation. We are their only protection.

Dear Lord: Everything on earth is in Your hands, including Satan. I trust You to protect me and get me through.

 

 

The Unbridled Heart

Jeremiah 17:9-10

The heart is deceitful beyond all else and is desperately sick. Who can understand it?

vvvv

Desperately sick—a powerful statement.

Daily, you’ll hear the voices of TV haranguing you to follow your heart. Follow your dream. Do what you feel is right. Follow your instincts.

In the 60s people chanted “If it feels good do it.” Look where that got us. Unbridled everything. Self-control lost its appeal.

Every adulterous affair, every addiction, every bank robbery, and even every murder, started because someone followed their desires. Greed and selfishness rule the uncontrolled heart. 

If a would-be adulterer sat down with a tablet and wrote how his act affected his wife, his children, his finances in the divorce, discarding denial (but I’ll get away with it. She will never know) then he couldn’t go through with it.

If the would-be other woman gave thought to the marriage and the pain of the wife, empathy will eliminate temptation. Only the selfish heart allows them to go through with it. But no one thinks of consequences. In that moment, it’s just “I want, and I’m all that matters.”

If you dream of killing the president back up and start over. Even insanity follows its dream.

Sin disparaged by the Bible becomes “It doesn’t mean me.” Why doesn’t it mean you? The spoiled child in you says “because I want to do it.”

A dream can be a beautiful future. We’re off to save the world. But unless it’s bathed in prayer and follows the Bible (no. Do not kill that abortion doctor) it will destroy your life and the lives of others. We save ourselves heartache with prayer, reading the Bible and time. After six months on your knees,, if you want to go to the mission field, then follow your dream.

But six months later, you look at your married co-worker and see nothing but a married co-worker. You wonder why you lusted. What did I ever see in that ridiculous mustache?

Dear Lord, protect me from following my heart. Lead me to follow You instead.

Joseph Ran

Monday Replay August 10, 2020

Romans 13:14

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

Genesis 39-42

“How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” 

She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.

vvvv

Joseph ran to escape temptation. Potiphar’s wife lured him in to her bedchamber, only to watch him bound out, leaving his cloak in her hand. "How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” he cried to the ?lady?. As a result, he went to prison for twelve years (estimate). 

The woman he scorned lied about him. But loyalty and God’s will mattered more to Joseph than the years in prison. And God rewarded him. The warden favored him by placing him over the other prisoners. And then he became Pharaoh's second-in-command after release. 

Billy Graham had a rule later referred to as the Billy Graham rule. He never allowed himself to be alone with a woman, including in elevators. Well-known pastors have landed on the front page of national newspapers because they didn’t follow his example, their witness and careers ruined. Billy Graham recognized potential trouble. Not to mention that his rule protected him from the lies of those eager to hurt a famous Christian.

Following Joseph’s example, the best way to beat sin is to avoid it. Run if you must. Throw the chocolate cake (or in my case meatloaf) or bottle of whiskey out the window. Don’t allow your best friend’s husband in your house alone with you.

An abstinent alcoholic might keep a bottle around to commemorate his victory, to show it won’t entice him. Not a good idea. We do ourselves a favor to acknowledge weaknesses. Make no provision for sin. 

AA requires you to not only avoid your habit, but to stay away from the people with whom you once practiced it.

We must take our sin seriously, Leave the cloak on the bedpost if necessary.

Dear Lord, as I struggle with a life-time problem with food, please let me keep eating triggers far from me. And let me therefore conquer my sin. 

 

Painting: Guido Reni Joseph and Potiphar's wife 1631 Baroque

Heroes of Forgiveness

Matthew 18: 21-35 (Click here to read the section in context)

Matthew 18:21-22

Then Peter came up and said to Him, “Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I still forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times" (70 x 7 in the King James version).

Matthew 18:32-33

Then summoning him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’

vvvv

My co-worker, Harry, cut me off in traffic as we both returned from lunch. I nearly hit him. Then he slammed the door in my face as we entered the conference room. He apologized, but I know he did it on purpose. I’m so angry I don’t know why the boss called the meeting.

I slip out the door and go back to my cubicle. I remember the Bible says I have to forgive Harry so I hop over to Bible Gateway on the internet and pull up two versions—King James and New American Standard. The NASB says I have to forgive him seventy seven times. King James says forgive him seventy times seven times. So I take a sticky note, put his name at the top and make two marks. When I get to the 490th time, I plan to never speak to him again.

But wait.

How many times did the Lord forgive me yesterday? How many minutes in a day?

Head bowed, I tear up the note and take Harry a cup of coffee with the two packets of creamer he likes. We talk about the meeting. He probably saved me from getting fired since I missed the meeting, wrapped in my thoughts.

Most likely, I didn’t offend the Lord every minute of the day (I hope), but He forgave me over 490 times in my life—or this month?

Heroes of Forgiveness

A pastor forgave the boy who shot and killed his son. He befriended him and brought him to the Lord.

Persecuted Christians in other nations tell their abusers about Jesus. Jailers let one man out of prison because he brought so many people to the Lord—including some jailers.

Elisabeth Elliot went back to Ecuador and ministered to the tribe that killed her husband.

A young woman, raped, tortured, and left for dead, (the rapist—sixteen years old—shot himself at the scene) searched out the reason a man does such despicable evil. She discovered it happened because of childhood sexual abuse. 

She studied childhood counseling and works with children taken from abusive homes. The television program that told this story didn’t credit Jesus, but I believe she will stand near His throne in eternity.

A man who hates African Americans for no other reason than their skin color, went to a black church and shot and killed  members. Surviving members stood in the courtroom and forgave him.

These people are my heroes and examples.

In truth, the Lord isn't setting 490 times as the cutoff place. Jesus used that number as an example to forgive endlessly.

Note. If someone continually and deliberately hurts you, forgive him or her, but eliminate them from your life. The Lord loves you. He doesn't condone unnecessary punishment.

If someone hurt you so badly once that you can’t forget, you may have to forgive them mentally 490 times. When you hear the ugly voice of Satan feeding your anger, cut the thought off. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7. 

Dear Lord: Please let me remember these examples when anger starts to rise.

 

Disclaimer: Harry is fiction, but plausible. I hate for people to pull out in front of me.

http://loongjohn.com/html/holcountdown.html Java Script

"Take This Cup From Me"

Mark 14:34-36

And He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began praying that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”

Luke 22:44

And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

vvvv

Frightened, Jesus went with his disciples, Peter, James, and John to pray on the day of Preparation and the day of His crucifixion. Passover fell the next day. Man and God, Man won out this day. The flesh waited to suffer in ways man had not suffered before. Jesus didn’t look forward to what He foresaw. He begged, his sweat dripping in droplets of blood, that the Father would take this terrible sacrifice away from Him. This was not an example for the world, but real, fervent prayer.

Early Church History believes blood literally fell to the ground in a condition known as hematidrosis. In rare instances, others had suffered this condition under extreme agitation. 

He saved all humanity with the last line He spoke in prayer, “yet not what I will but what You will.”

And then He went to meet His captors to take our punishment in perfect peace. He spoke calmly, even thinking of those watching. He replaced an ear to a guard who came for Him. At one point, He provided for His mother, giving her into the care of John.

This is a powerful moment in the world's history. We can conclude all kinds of messages from it. But what does it tell us about prayer?

No Matter How Much I Want Something, I Must Put the Will of God over Mine.

It’s hard. I want that job or ministry so much. David wanted to build God’s temple. Instead, the LORD told him that Solomon would build it. (1 Chronicles 28:6) David yielded without fuss. Was he disappointed? No one saw disappointment.

I Prayed Fervently and With Belief.

I huddled with others as the Lord directed. “Where two or more have gathered in my name. . . .” I’ve done everything the Bible says. The desire of my heart honors the Lord.

And the Lord refused me.

Why?

1.  Sometimes it’s none of our business. God said “no.” Like our parents said, “Because I said so.” God is sovereign. Remember Job?

2. God’s greater plan takes precedence. Where would we be if Christ had not conceded to the Father?

3. Because It’s wrong for us. We can’t look around the corner and guess that the ministry, job, person, doesn’t fit our skills or personalities.

4. God’s disciplining. After all those years of faithfulness, Moses didn’t see the promised land. I suspect he quickly saw the final promised land, but God didn’t allow him to go in with the people he led because of a moment of weakness. (Numbers 20:8-12)

I see answered prayer in my favor every day. But for the times when I don’t, God help me accept whatever He has for me. Including pain and suffering. Jesus did set an example that day.

Dear Lord: Please lead me to accept Your will over mine even when I don't like it.

 

Picture is wallpaper. When I try to include the link, it puts in the picture again. Free for anyone to use. Look  for it under Christian wallpaper.

The Day I Almost Killed My Mother

Psalm 139: 13-16

For You created my innermost parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well. . . .

vvvv

On January 23, 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York passed a law allowing abortion up to birth.

On February 25, 2019, the Washington Post reported that doctors can refuse to care for a baby who survives abortion. Shortly thereafter, in New York, it became law that a doctor who treats a baby who survives abortion faces prosecution. The babies starve to death. Starvation hurts. Infanticide became legal in the blink of an eye.

I visited my parents on a pleasant Sunday afternoon many years ago. An article in our local paper a few days prior haunted me. It described third-trimester abortion and included a diagram of the procedure. Back then, even Liberals saw the evil in killing a living baby.

Mom didn’t follow the news, but she mentioned late-term abortions. She asked what happened to the baby. So I outlined the procedure as the newspaper described it.

My mother turned white. Not pale. White. She clutched the sides of her armchair and repeated, “No.   No.   No.”

Alarmed, my father and I half rose to call 911. Was she going into shock? I’m not kidding. This happened.

What could I say to my mother? “They don’t do them often.” What an unsatisfactory answer. Once in history is once too often. 

In a minute or two, Mom’s color came back, and we didn’t discuss it further.

My mother died at 92 of natural causes. I didn’t kill her. Whether she ever dared read the news again, or ask about current events, I don’t know. I didn’t volunteer items from the daily paper to her.

Halfway between then and now, the nation watched a video explaining the methods of Planned Parenthood. The nation saw doctors butchering aborted babies for their parts and calling it “fun.” Our taxes still pay Planned Parenthood.

Someone made a movie called “Dead Men Walking.” I never saw it, but surely these doctors were the “heroes” of that film.

Though I understood the evil of abortion, I still spoke calmly. Mom mirrored the depth of the atrocity.

Abortion is always the wrong decision, but when you find yourself pregnant and alone, desperation sets in and you might make a poor decision. But why wait until just before birth to abort? You felt the baby move.

God loves the women who chose this path, and His forgiveness waits.

But we as a nation, must repent.

Dear Lord, Please lead our nation back to compassion. Be God of America.

 

I don't have a source of the photo. It isn't my mother

 

When the Holy Spirit Calls Your Name

Proverbs 19:2

Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,
And one who hurries ^[a]his footsteps ^[b]errs.

Proverbs 24:14

Know that wisdom is the same for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a ^[a]future,
And your hope will not be cut off.

vvvv

The voice of God comes through desire, or an insistent belief we’re called, or both. But when we hear the voice of God, it’s time to investigate it. So we pursue the judgment of others who tell us the truth.

If I imagine I’m called to astonish the world with my voice, but I can’t sing, someone needs to tell me I sound like a cat in pain. (Although a few men and women made that work).

Then we pray and wait to hear from God. We seek supernatural intelligence.

David yearned to erect a temple to God, but the LORD told him, no, that He chose Solomon to build His house. 1 Chronicles 17:4

God doesn’t always make it simple. So, trusting in the peace you feel and the guidance you’ve received, you take a careful step forward—and fall on your face.

Franklin Graham went before a large crowd to preach. He thought God wanted him to follow Billy’s footsteps. So he held his first service. At the end, he gave the altar call. Not one person came forward. After watching his dad, Billy, call hundreds of people to salvation everywhere he appeared, Franklin felt humiliated.

But the Lord didn’t let him rest. He believed he did the will of God, and he kept trying. Imagine walking out on that stage the second time. Franklin Graham now leads Samaritan’s Purse and preaches. He wants to bring souls to Christ by whatever means possible.

If you believe you heard from God, trust that instinct.

If so, you need practical wisdom. We owe God our best, and that includes learning our business. Jesus set the example. He started His ministry at thirty. But the Bible shows Him in the temple at twelve, so passionate to learn He forgot to catch the caravan home.

Missionaries train for years. Pastors study in seminary. Doctors spend ten years learning their trade. Maybe you read everything you can find on the subject. You sit in conferences by experts in your field. You talk to counselors.

But it takes so long. Impatience wants immediate answers. We hurry. We step out before God’s time. Then we hang our heads and wonder why He didn’t bless what He called us to do. So we quit.

Moses believed God wanted him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, but after he killed the Egyptian, he fled to the hills, his ministry in shambles, and tended sheep until he reached eighty. He resigned himself. They lived longer than, but at eighty you’re planning your retirement. And then one quiet day, God visited Moses in a burning bush, and called him to become head shepherd to the biggest flock imaginable.

If you hear God’s voice, you don’t want to offend Him by throwing up your hands. Convinced of your mission, you start over. And give the Lord your best—while you wait.

Dear Lord, Let us trust You to direct our paths, no matter how long we wait.

 

Image from Max Pixel

 

 

God's Love Letter--How One Woman Reads it.

2 Timothy3:16-17

 All Scripture is ^[a]inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for ^[b]training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

vvvv

This post is for those new to the Bible.

I'm not the only ???expert??? on this. Please add your improvements in comments. You don't need to join Typepad. Just skip that part.

As a beginner at Christianity, I read the Bible from beginning to end, Genesis through Revelations. Mistake. I bought a One Year Bible, but it confused me. Jesus didn’t change the information in the old testament, but He clarified parts of it.

As an example, I read in the Old Testament that if you make a vow, you must keep it. Old testament people killed because of thoughtless vows. They considered breaking a vow worse than murder.

I made vows and failed  to keep them time after time. So I repented, but then I promised something else. Then when studying the New Testament, Jesus solved the problem with one sentence. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil. (Matthew 5:37) Simple. Don’t make vows. Now I don’t even sign pledge cards.

Later, I bought a packet of lined sticky notes that resemble a notebook page. The page adheres to the inside back cover of my Bible. I write the chapter and verse I finished. Then, when the last verse of Revelations goes on the list, I go back to the first verse of Matthew and re-start.

Before my devotions, I ask the Lord for wisdom. The Bible can drive you down a confusing path if God’s not standing at your shoulder.

I study the New Testament every day and arrange the rest of the Bible among three days—one day Proverbs, the next day Psalms, and the final, the Old Testament.

Coming to Christ, I had never eaten a spiritual square meal, and the Bible was my food. I spent every spare moment reading it. I went through the Old Testament and then through it again. Whether I retained it ??

Now, after thirty-five years, this approach takes a long time to get through the Old Testament. Right now I’m at the beginning of Daniel. It will finish up the year and go to mid-2021.

Proverbs go quickly, and Psalms does also, except for the long ones like Psalm 119. Those I divide into smaller readings.  But every book in the Old Testament could be a Bible in itself. I haven’t solved how to get through faster, though many Sunday School classes teach the Old Testament.

Time-travel back to 1985. Knowing what I know now, I’d tackle the book of John several times, then the New Testament two or three times before I ventured in to the rest of it.

This isn't necessarily the best method. It's just my method. One piece of advice, though. Don't start at the beginning. You’re blessed if you find someone to disciple you. Many churches will assign you someone to help if you ask. Our Associate Pastor took that job, but I didn’t meet him until many years later.

Some Christians mark up their Bibles. For me, that doesn’t work. Once I mark it up, it’s unreadable. Then it has to be replaced. Many Bible study guides let you fill the workbook with their blessings—a wonderful source if it helps you to learn by answering workbook questions.

I have my first red Bible. In church, I sometimes waved it over my head. It’s a wreck. I read it to death. I felt so honored when I had to replace it because it showed the devotion I have for the Lord. But later Bibles get tender care. Some people have embroidered, hand-made Bible covers. I admit to some jealousy. But mine travels in the cardboard box in which it came. Dropping my drink, or dropping the Bible doesn't hurt it.

I love the Bible--the LORD’s love letter.

Dear Lord, Thank you for plentiful Bibles in the United States. Please furnish them to Christians in other countries. And thank You that You gave me a thirst to read them.

 

Image from YorkNewLife.Org.

Eavesdropping on God "In The Beginning"

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Genesis 1:26 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

Zechariah 9:9

Behold, your king is coming to you; he is just and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

vvvv

When I first read the Bible, I passed over what didn’t compute in my thinking. John 1:1 fits that category. How could ink on paper or a spoken word become human?

But one Sunday morning a wave of insight washed over me.

As a new Christian, I read John 1:1 without understanding. But one morning, the pastor of the Free Methodist Church (1986-88) remarked, “the Word simply means prophesy.” Lightbulb over my head.

In the beginning was the Word. When God formed the earth, He beheld every minute of every day thereafter to the end of Revelations.

And the Word was with God. Genesis 1:26 (verse above) eavesdrops on God referring to Himself as “us.” The Father didn’t stand there alone. The complete Godhead; Father, Son. and Holy Spirit created our universe. Jesus (the Word) was with God.

And the Word was God. Jesus affirmed His divinity by fulfilling every Old Testament prophesy. I tried to investigate how many prophesies foretold Jesus. No one knows, but Rapture Ready lists the number as over 400. Josh McDowell Ministries lists over 300.

Scholars can’t confirm the figure.

First, Jesus knew every prophecy, and then He fulfilled them. No one has ever said, “Oh yeah? He forgot this one.”

A favorite prophesy, Matthew 21, tells the story of Jesus riding on the donkey. Sunday School teachers teach this appealing story often.

First prophesied in Zechariah 9:9. (Verse quoted at top)

Not only did Jesus ride on a donkey, others arranged the way for Him. Jesus told the disciples to find the donkey that someone had arranged for him. Children gathered with palm branches. Did someone instruct them? Did they understand they fulfilled prophesy?

If you doubt the deity of Jesus, the First Chapter of John leaves no doubt. Jesus is God and the Son of God.

Dear Lord: Thank You for coming to earth to save us for all eternity. And thank You for the Bible, full of all wisdom.

 

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