September 13, 2017
I've been camping out on Micah 6:8 recently. You may know it already. If not, well, you're in for a treat! Perhaps you remember me saying the book of James is a great measuring stick for where you are in your faith journey? And that holds true. Count Micah 6:8 as another measuring stick passage.
"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8, NIV
Have you ever said, "I just don't know what God wants me to do in this situation"? Maybe you've said it more like this, "I wish there was a verse that told me what I need to do right now." There are a lot of verses that leave us scratching our heads. Many that require us to decipher symbolism. This verse falls in the category of those that are straight to the point and pretty clear.
So... how are you (we) doing? Take a few moments in prayer and quietly and sincerely ask God to help you know what areas may need some growth in your life. Have we acted justly? How are we doing in loving mercy? (Are we showing it? Are we graciously receiving it? Do we love mercy when it is shown to those with whom we are at odds?) Are we walking humbly? That word humbly could also be translated "prudently." I say let's do both! Let's be humble AND wise.
When we act justly, love mercy and walk humbly (and wisely), the details of our situations start falling into their proper places and life gets a little less foggy. God's advice works and I am so thankful He offers the help of his Holy Spirit to help us live out that advice!
September 6, 2017
Autumn in the morning.Summer in the afternoon. When the seasons change, there is rarely a nice, neat and immediate transition. Often, we find ourselves experiencing more than one season at once. At our house that may mean the kids wear jackets in the morning while waiting for the bus. Then those same jackets get forgotten at school because by3:00 PM, they are no longer needed. And once the kids get home, after riding 20 minutes on a hot bus, they are grumbling at me for making them wear long pants that day.
What a metaphor for life, huh? Are you experiencing more than one season of life? Are you in a season of transition? Did you prepare for one season, only to find yourself in another? Is your season a steady season of chaos? Or maybe you are in a season of calm and peace right now and are able to relax for a time and can comfort those who are in hard seasons. Those times of peace are also important for us because we regain strength for the next season!
Because one thing's for sure, seasons change. Two scriptures came to mind while I was contemplating all of this. I am so thankful we serve a Lord who never changes. Hebrews 13:8 is one verse reminding us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." And the second verse I thought of when thinking of chaos and change is one that I have found myself returning to often for over 20 years as seasons have changed or ganged up on me all at once. It's a little verse, a power nugget of truth, tucked away in the middle of Colossians chapter 1. Verse 17 says, 'He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
Friend, whatever season or seasons you are experiencing, please look to Jesus. His peace, consistency and strength will sustain you. Seek refuge in prayer and the Word to protect you from the elements.Reach out to his body (the church), it will help to steady you. The seasons change beyond our control, but we serve a Lord who loves us with the deepest kind of love and who has never and will never lose control of the seasons. Praise the Lord!
August 30, 2017
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit,
joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews4:12
I often wear a t-Shirt that says "I'm Living Proof" (it's from a Beth Moore conference I once attended) and the Bible verse it references is Hebrews4:12. I don't think there is a time I have slipped that shirt over my head without thinking about what it is I'm claiming. In essence I am saying the difference God's word has made in my life proves that His word is alive and active. So one should be able to look at my life and know that His word is living and active. That's convicting and thought provoking stuff that gives me pause.
I recently ran across a story in a book that also gave me pause. It also launched me into my own investigation. I am finishing up a book called Deeper Waters by Denise J. Hughes that has brought new life to my personal Bible study habits. In it she talks about a time she asked a group of college students, "Why is the Bible boring?" She tells about how no one would answer. When she changed her question to "Why do some people think the Bible is boring?' she started getting responses. (After all, who wants to admit that they personally find the Bible, or at least parts of the Bible, boring?) I decided to pose the same question to both our American Heritage Girls troop (ages 6-18) and then to the High School Jam class (ages 13-18). And across the board, it boiled down to 2-3 reasons: 1) It seems outdated. 2) Genealogies are "just awful." 3) Don't like to read.
Would our "adult" answers be much different? I doubt it. So let me lay this challenge out to us. If we believe Scripture to be true, then we agree that it's very much alive and active. If the Bible has become boring to you or if your prayer life needs a boost of energy and excitement, try this in your next prayer time: open your Bible. The Bible is alive and active.... andinteractive. Let's interact with it even as we pray through our concerns and praises listed here. If you've never prayed through the Scriptures before, it may seem different at first, but it doesn't take long to get in a flow. Psalms is a good place to start, but any Scripture can be prayed through. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as read. He'll prompt you to pause and pray. He'll bring requests and praises to mind that relate to what you're reading. And then you can turn around and pray those right back to God. And then read some more and just keep going until you've read and prayed through your selected passage. You'll soon discover that you are not reading some literary masterpiece by a dead author or speaking requests out into the air, hoping they'll make their way to heaven. You will find that you are having a real live conversation with the Living Word of God. You will bless the Lord. You will be blessed by the Lord. Your Bible reading will be exciting and your prayer life will pack more punch.
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,
the glory of the one and only Son,who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John1:14
August 23, 2017
You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. Nehemiah 9:6 NIV
The theme at Lake Springfield Christian Assembly for summer camp this past summer was. "Wonder." There are three definitions from Webster's dictionary that describe what comes to mind when I think of wonder. 1) rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one's experience. 2) a feeling of doubt or uncertainty. 3) The quality of exciting amazed admiration.
Were you filled with wonderon Mondayduring the rare solar eclipse? I confess that I was late to get excited about it. But the closer the event got, the more my excitement grew. Around11:00 AMI secured a pair of proper solar glasses from our local library, literally minutes before the moon began hiding the sun's light. There are a billion spiritual analogies one could make in regard to an eclipse. But why use an analogy when the reality of the wonder of it all can get a very strong point across?
The point? In rare unity, millions of people had their eyes turned towards the heavenson Mondayand marveled at God's handiwork. I was parked out in my front yard when through social media, I learned that there was a neighbor around the corner who didn't have the proper eye protection and was trying to view the event through her cell phone. I told her to hurry on over (the maximum of totality for our area was about to happen). And within minutes, I found myself standing with a fellow neighborhood mom, gazing up into the sky. I'm not gifted with evangelism, but I could not help but wonder aloud about how cool God is. I honestly don't yet know where she stands with Christ, but in the four years that we've lived here, I can say that I have never shared in a moment quite like that one with a neighbor. We stood inches apart, shared the glasses back and forth and shared in the wonder of the moment. Acknowledging God's supreme part in the event just seemed like the natural response.
I was reminded by another friend that it's sad that not everyone recognizes God as the source of the wonderful event. And I share her sadness. But also freshly recognize the opportunity for us believers to marvel and wonder beside our neighbors (and even strangers) at the majestic, artistic and intrinsic nature of our Creator. The next time we're in the path of a solar eclipse won't be for seven years. Between then and now, perhaps we can be more purposeful about gathering with whomever God puts around us and pointing out the wonder of not only what He does, but who He is! Andin seven years, should the Lord tarry that long, let's make a big deal of Creator behind the creation and declare his glory!
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1 NIV
August 16, 2017
"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." (Galatians 6:9 NAS)
Our oldest, Jordan, is playing trumpet for the first time this year. Over the last week and a half, she has had her first 2 practices. I am excited for her as she learns something new. I am hopeful she finds that it suits her well and brings her and others joy as she plays.
The first week was rough. She acquired a brand new (new to her) shiny trumpet and was only allowed to take the mouthpiece out of her case for the whole first week. She had to "play” only the mouthpiece for 10 minutes a day. Have you heard a trumpet mouthpiece without the horn attached? Imagine a duck that is aware that it is soon to be someone's dinner. The sound that it would make is probably pretty close to what we heard all week! It wasn't the sound the household endured that was the most painful though. Jordan found it to be the most painful not to be able to pick up that shiny new trumpet. But I was proud to see she listened to her instructor and 1) played the very unglamorous mouthpiece faithfully and 2) that she left the trumpet in the case.
Is God asking you to play just the mouthpiece right now, when you already know you are supposed to play the trumpet? Consider the importance of the process that he is taking you through. Trust him to take you from mouthpiece playing to trumpet playing. Trust God's timing and process and in the end you will find your perfect seat in God's orchestra.
*Oh and yesterday, Jordan learned how to apply valve oil to her horn and care for her new instrument. (Still not a glamorous task, but necessary for the trumpet to sound the way it is supposed to!) You will be happy to know that at the very end of practice, she was allowed to play a few notes on her new trumpet.