Striving for More

I don’t know about you, but every new year I become even more introspective, thinking of all God wants me to be.  This, in turn, makes me see how far I am from where I desire to be.  And unfortunately, this can morph into guilt over those marks I missed last year rather than a new start. That is the enemy in my head. He will use anything to get a foothold in my thoughts.  So, no matter how badly I missed the mark last year, I must remember this one thing. God loves me exactly as I am, not how I want to be. Yes, He wants me to desire more, to strive for the best. He placed that desire in my heart. But he will never love me more if I attain it and he will never love me less if I fail.  So I will continue to strive from a standpoint of a cherished child who can never disappoint, who can never suffer rejection due to failure. 

Location, Location, Location

This is my take-away today on Hebrews 11 which is commonly called the Hall of Faith.  

Faith in God is a process that starts with the first step of believing God exists. That is a major step for some of us.

Hebrews 11:6 NIV[6] And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Then you must believe he rewards those who seek him. At this point you will start to ask questions about God.  You may look for answers at church, from a trusted friend, in prayer, or in the Bible.  As you begin to enquire about God, he will show you more truths to believe about him. He is so complex that this unfolding of God’s attributes will never end. As you believe more about Him, you will change. Your beliefs about God will become more evident daily as you become more full of faith.  

There are many people listed in Hebrews 11 who lived their lives by faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Moses’ parents, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barack, Samson, Japheth, David, Samuel and the Prophets.  None of them was perfect. Many wouldn’t even be accepted in some churches today due to their lifestyle, but each was seeking God in faith. 

Hebrews 11:13-16 NIV[13] All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. [14] People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. [15] If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. [16] Instead, they were longing for a better country---a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

So remember, if you are living a life of faith, you will begin living life as a foreigner here on earth, in your country, in your town.  You do not belong to this world, but to the next.  I have heard it expressed the following way. Life is permanent.  None will die.  It is only a matter of location. 

This life on earth goes by quickly then life in the next location begins.  So as a faithful follower of Christ, we are to live our lives looking expectantly to the next.  From what I hear, it will be grand! 

Image by Ales Krivec from Pixabay

Truth

Cells of a common water plant under a microscope

My absolute favorite part of teaching science was teaching 6th grade students to use a microscope. Soon after this they could discover for themselves the microscopic functioning parts of a living plant cell and the microscopic zoo in a drop of pond water. Experiencing their excitement over these eye opening discoveries was beautiful. In case you didn't get to experience this, here is a video of pond water through a microscope.

As a science teacher, I have had the privilege of learning some of the astonishing details of the makeup of living things and Earth’s precise ‘Goldilocks’ location in this vast universe. It takes a much bigger stretch of the imagination to think that this amazing detail was made possible by some cosmic accident than to accept the fact that there is a Divine Designer. The truth is that there is a God who created this universe, solar system, earth, and every living thing in it. 

It is also a fact that God, in an act of love, sent his Son in the form of a human to this Earth over two thousand years ago. There is irrefutable evidence that Jesus walked on this earth, lived among humans, taught, and performed miracles while here.  There is irrefutable evidence that He was killed by being crucified in an agonizing and humiliating death on a cross.  His body was buried and after three days, he was seen alive, walking, talking and eating. And over a course of forty days after his death, it is documented that he was seen by well over 500 eye witnesses.  This is a feat that only God himself could engineer. To this day, as hard as they try, no one can disprove this fact. 

The purpose of God sending his son here was a mercy mission to give us a way out of our certain failure and destruction. 

John 3:16-18 ESV 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 

He gave us the choice to accept or reject this grace. I have chosen to accept his mercy and now there is evidence in my daily life of his presence in me through the Holy Spirit. Without him, I am misguided, timid, incredibly selfish and self-centered, suffering from every malady inherent to a selfish lifestyle. Now, when I choose to listen to Him, he gives me divine power over this selfishness, as well as love for others and self-discipline to boldly pursue him in my life. So my daily walk before and after following him is evidence to me that the Holy Spirit is in my life now.  

This is the evidence and the truth. But don’t just take my word for it. You can search it for yourself. Please test God, the Bible and Jesus. Then you can chose to accept it or deny it based on fact, not hearsay.

Love and Laws

When I was growing up, we had an active youth group in our church led by a dynamic youth director. He opened our eyes to the scripture, one of which was 1 Corinthians 13. 45 years later, you will find that the kids in that youth group are still actively following Christ. I lost track of this youth director for 40 years, until I stumbled on an article about his son. Apparently, his son grew up to be a powerful legislator in Missouri. However, the power went to his head and he was caught in an embarrassing escapade and lost everything; his job and his family. The story goes on to talk about how his father, my old youth director, instead of hiding in embarrassment, reached out to his son and led him back to his Christianity. This fallen representative now professes publicly his love for his Father God. It was the act of love and forgiveness of an earthly father that led him back to his Heavenly Father.

I remember when I first understood 1Corinthians 13, the love chapter in the Bible. It was life changing. It was the first time I realized that God the Father, Christ Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit had an attribute more important than any other. It was the most powerful characteristic that ruled all the others. It simplified things for the simple-minded yet it was as complex and far reaching as the universe. This was THE ONE THING.

Unfortunately, since then, familiarity has stolen the beauty of the love chapter. It has made it trite and something to be read only at weddings. The enemy seems to have done his best on this beautiful chapter in the Bible. If you have not read it in a while, read it as if it was the first time you have ever heard it. Think of all the times you have seen this hold true. Think of the loving father in the prodigal son parable that demonstrates this power of love so clearly.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8,13 NIV
[1] If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. [3] If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. [4] Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. [5] It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [6] Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [7] It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. [8] Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. [13] And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

One thing I know about the life of Jesus was that he accomplished what he intended to do. I don’t believe he looked back and said “Oh, I wish I had done such and so." I believe his life was lived to make the biggest impact for all generations. And you don’t have to study the Gospels very long to know that Jesus battled against the Pharisees and Sadducees frequently. I also believe this was no accident, but a well planned move by the all-knowing Son of God. Why did he spend so much time pointing out the error of being a rule follower? Maybe it was because he knew something about sin and the pitfalls of humanity. Maybe because rule-following often serves as an antithesis for love. I believe he spent so much time addressing this sin because he knew the unparalleled power rule-following has to overtake our lives and turn our eyes away from God while looking to ourselves for our own salvation.

Jesus statement about the Law is this.

Matthew 5:17 NIV
[17] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

The definition of 'fulfilled' is 'satisfied or brought to completion'. The laws were fulfilled, satisfied, brought to completion, in Him.

Here is Paul’s take on life in Christ.

Galatians 2:19-20 NIV
[19] “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. [20] I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

It is no surprise that in the early church, rule-following was one of the first issues to rear its head in church debates. Originally, before Christ, one of the rules for being a faithful male Jew was to become circumcised. It was an act based on the law from Abraham and his sons. It continued on in the Hebrew nation from there. In New Testament times, Jewish Christians, who knew the scriptures well, believed that Gentiles must be circumcised to be a Christian. This was based on Jewish society norms and the laws in the Old Testament scriptures. Yet, as Paul pointed out, to do this as a requirement to be a Christian was wrong. He argued that God’s loving act of grace through the shedding of Jesus’ blood had replaced the rule-following pathway to God. The old way of following laws was gone and the new way was through belief in Christ.

Galatians 5:6 ESV[6] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

This makes me wonder what church debates are still raging today due to applying biblical laws and society norms that no longer should govern us. You could take two sides of any church issue that is based on the law and cultural expectations and fill it into Galatians 5:6. For in Christ Jesus neither ______________ nor _____________ counts for anything, but only faith working through love. Forgive the silliness of this, but let’s try it out. For in Christ Jesus neither ‘singing from the hymnal with a pipe organ’ nor ‘singing from a monitor with a rock band’ counts for anything, but only faith working through love. See? Now it’s your turn. You try it. Pick two sides of any debated church issue. Faith working through love trumps it all!

The Bible has so many things to say about how we should act. Should we take them all at a simplistic face value or should love of God and fellow man be a governing hierarchy over it all? Following are the words of Jesus.

Matthew 22:34-40 ESV[34] But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. [35] And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. [36] "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" [37] And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. [38] This is the great and first commandment. [39] And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [40] On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

So the Law and the Prophets depend on loving God with all of your heart. That is the way my Bible reads. Living a life of love fulfills the law. I don’t believe this way of thinking is too complicated for us to practice because I have noticed that the people who practice this best are little children and those with special needs. They accept everyone as they are, no questions asked, no unfulfilled expectations, just loving acceptance.

Lord help me see the ways I miss this and help me to make choices that express my life through your love.

Does God Like Football?

Courtesy AyD Photography

Does God like football? Undoubtedly, this is the most ‘Texas’ question of all time. Does He like sports? For that matter, does He like competition in any form? Well yes, I think He likes competition when it teaches his lessons in a way that no preacher could voice. I believe God uses whatever means necessary to communicate and teach us about him. When the players learn obedience, patience, perseverance, discipline and servitude in the form of teamwork, it is all about His values and not the world’s.

One of the first things we were told when we moved to this little Texas town was that this town was not a ‘football town’. And after 11 years, we've seen more L’s than W’s, confirming this declaration. Year after year, we have watched as our little team rung up more personal fouls than touchdowns. We have seen coaches come and go and we have seen parents move their kids away to an adjacent winning school in hopes of better results. However, slowly, the tables have turned.

Normally when our team was down, the penalties were relentless in play after play. Several years

ago, I noticed an attitude change in the coaching leadership and staff. It was no longer about the wins and losses, but about the kids and sportsmanship. For me, one of the first evidences of this attitude change came on a particular night early this season when we were behind on homecoming and the coaches, and consequently the team, kept their composure and focus. I realized that our team had turned the corner when we came back from behind in the second half of that game.

I believe football is a gift from God, but anything can be made an idol, and for the most part, sports have that place in the USA. Many times I see parents forfeiting their child’s spiritual development in exchange for non-stop games and practices. This is the very definition of idolatry. And idolatry is the big ‘numero uno’ sin against God. This is when we forget who is in charge. 

In my small town, I have unexpectedly been able to see the good side of sports again. Funny how I couldn’t see it until the wins started rolling in. These kids get to see coaches who have many of the qualities of our Father in heaven. And for some, that is the only good father-figure they will ever know. 

Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV [28] Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. [29] He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. [30] Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; [31] but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Perception Is Not Reality

‘Perception is reality’ is a common saying, but have you ever stopped to think about this? Is it possible that my opinions, thoughts and understanding on any given topic are not reality? This can be a disturbing thought. Yet, if I never stop and consider this, it is more likely to be true!  If you have ever known someone who thinks too highly of himself, you know what I am talking about. This person has a closed mind to any new information. Here is a parable that Jesus told about a Pharisee who thought he knew it all.  

Luke 18:10-14 ESV[10] "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. [11] The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. [12] I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' [13] But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

In this parable, notice that the Pharisee perceived himself as better than others and boldly looked at the God of all creation, while the tax collector understood his shortcomings and took a posture of humility when approaching God. The second man had a grasp on reality. This humble stance was not because he was a tax collector, but because he was human. 

Humility begins when I accept the idea that I could be wrong or have something to learn, realizing that my own understanding is limited. The moment that I become open to the realization that I could be wrong about something, is the moment I get real. This is the pathway to becoming teachable. We can only learn something new if we realize we don’t know it all.  We, as humans, must admit to ourselves that we don’t know much about (fill in the blank)________________. 

I find it interesting that the parable above is followed by this story.

Luke 18:15-17 ESV[15] Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. [16] But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. [17] Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

Have you ever taught a child anything?  It is rewarding because they learn quickly.  When you teach a small child, you can see change. But teaching adults is an exercise in patience.  Little children accept the fact that they don’t know much and this is why they learn at such an accelerated rate. They are amazed by how much they have to learn and can’t wait to know more.

What if we approached our adult life like a child, waiting expectantly for the next new thing we could learn, absorbing new information like a sponge?  What if we asked God for a childlike attitude toward life? What if we approached God like this?  Then maybe our perception would be closer to our reality.  

Lord please open my mind. May I see myself as a child with so much to learn. May I approach you with awe and wonder.  

Image by Free Photos from Pixabay

God Provides

Sometimes my husband and I get into silly banter about who grew up poorest. He will talk about how he ate Spam or the food from dented cans and I will counter with saying my family was so poor that we thought only rich people got to eat Spam. Truth be told, neither of us missed a meal. God always provided.  

The following story of God's provision in my life comes to mind from reading in 1 Kings 17 about how the Prophet Elijah finds a widow who is gathering sticks for kindling to bake bread from the remains of her flour. He proceeds to ask her to cook him up some bread from her rationed stash of flour she has left at home. And she does!  She shares out of her poverty and her life is blessed by God. It seems that God's provision was multiplied by her willingness to share. 

There was a short time in my life when I did experience poverty. This is my story of God's provision in that time. I was raised to give ten percent of my earnings to my church, off the top. This started  as a small child with my allowance. So, in 1985, at the age of 26, I came to a time in my life where I didn’t have enough and continued this practice anyway, knowing it was God who took care of me and my girls and not my first-year teacher’s salary. It was not easy. I searched the couch cushions on more than one occasion, hoping to find enough change for a gallon of milk. And once, unbeknownst to me, one of my monthly paychecks got lost on the way to be deposited. This caused my checks for everything from rent to utilities to bounce accumulating extra fees! There were trials for sure. God did not dump cash from the sky. However, he did provide what I needed, when I needed it, teaching me some very important life lessons on the way.  

One of the lessons he showed me was the beauty of His provision through the generosity of the people around me. In the tiny West Texas town of Olton, in which I worked as a high school biology teacher, people became aware of my need. It began with a sweet couple from my nearby college town who helped me moved into my new home with my 6-year-old daughter and new baby girl on a cold, rainy winter day. My new rental house was my first peek at God's provision at a bargain of $350 a month, and was so new, it smelled like fresh cut wood. 

Over time, people seemed to come out of the woodwork to help me. My landlord rescued me when my heater pilot light went out and in the summer, a church member let me borrow a mower. My church saw my need and asked if they could help by paying my monthly school loan bill. The secretary at the school where I worked put $40 in my Christmas card. Friends often invited me and my girls over to dinner. My students threw a surprise birthday party for me. The elementary school counselor counseled and loved my 6-year-old who missed her daddy. And being selected to be the flower girl at homecoming, she started to realize that life goes on without her daddy. The head of department where I worked kept me laughing with his dry sense of humor and in those stressful times when my girls got sick, he let me keep my daughter on his office couch while I taught. 

Not one of those acts of kindness was solicited. There was no reason to publish my need in social media posts or a GoFundMe page. Many of these necessities were met before I realized the need. The people of Olton were listening to God and being obedient. Generosity required that those people paid attention to God and to other's needs around them. They were unselfish, big-hearted, watchful and helpful, acting as God’s hands and feet. Generosity took on many forms and the smallest act of kindness was significant in my life. Thankfully, this season of my life was short, but I will never forget their generosity and what God taught me.  

Have A Great Day

Recently, through a series of sermons and Bible readings on bravery, it has been shown to me that a great day is not a day without battles, but a day fighting the battles placed before me through God’s power. This is the brave life. This was an epiphany to me and even though I knew better, I somehow expected those days of following Christ to be peaceful. Now I see why there is so much talk of weaponry and strategy in the Bible.  If we are not battling, we are not living bravely.  And as Christians, we are called to be brave.  

However, the battles are not against groups of people and nations, like the world. One of my favorite Bible passages says it best. 

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV [3] For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. [4] The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. [5] We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Instead, I have found that many times I am fighting myself and my own selfish desires while I am fighting the evil of this world. For those who serve behind the lines, our battle is not visible or splashy.  It may look more like picking up one foot and putting it in front of the other while every fiber of our being wants to quit. Some people are given the front line battles like teaching, law enforcement, health care, advocating for the homeless, helping the children on the border, rescuing victims of human trafficking, and the list goes on.  However, most of us must battle daily against the hang ups and habits in our own life while showing up everyday for our job and quietly giving it all. This is done in spite of the lack of rewards. This takes bravery.

I have seen and read about many Christians who fought the battles placed in their hearts by God. There are many examples from the Bible. Esther, Abraham, Moses, Peter, Paul, John, Deborah, Rahab, Joseph and Daniel all are examples of bravery in action. I draw strength by reading their stories, placing myself in their place. 

Sometimes we are called to bravely advocate for a single acquaintance even when, so often, those who are on the receiving end will later turn on this support. This is when we realize the fight is not fought for kudos from those around us but as a passionate obedience to our Savior. 

What is your battle?  I’ll bet you fight several daily if you listen to the desires the Holy Spirit placed in your heart.  They are Holy.  Don’t give up or give in. Keep your chin up and know you are commissioned by the great high God.  It is a privilege to be His brave child. Remember, a great day is not a day without battles.

Poison

This blog is not intended to give the impression that my life is all smooth and perfect. My life in Christ is messy. It is not a beautiful linear pathway to heaven. Today’s blog speaks of my most recent struggle in which there have been many days where I do not listen to God. It speaks of my humanity and flaws. Honestly, I have found life in Christ to be full of difficulties. It most certainly is not the easy road.

In July I felt convicted to break a personal bad habit. To help break my bad habit, I added the memorization of scripture into my quiet time. And to keep myself accountable, I daily assessed the success of the previous day. At first, I saw positive changes and was encouraged. Then stress entered from stage left and it was not long before failures turned to the harsh voices from my past. These voices started gaining a new grip on my mind. These voices had the ability to raise memories from the bottom of the ocean of my thoughts. They demeaned and accused and left me in tears. They attacked when I least suspected it and when I was most vulnerable. And as the calendar rolls into September, my bad habit is not conquered and these critical voices are a distraction and a thorn in my side. 

Occasionally, this evil retreats leaving nothing but beautiful blue skies and the precious voice of my Savior telling me how he loves me. Then, without warning, they march in and siege my mind once again. Yes, there are names for this issue. Just throw it in the pile with all the other labels. Naming it does not help. It is my gift from the heartless Enemy. That slimy lizard loves to pull this crap! But you know what? He is not as powerful as my God. And I know that my God will march in and kick that name-calling bully in the tail. When? I don’t know. That is faith talking and not my reality. My reality is survival mode.

Then this happened. This song was placed in my path. Here it is.

Sound of Surviving by Nichole Nordeman

I am reminded that only a life of bravery and challenge experiences failure and that I was never promised an easy life with no hardship; even if the hardship is dealing with myself. I am reminded to be brave. Sometimes the bravest thing I can do is to keep on keeping on. So here I am blogging, working and striving to break my personal chains.

Psalm 25:3-5 ESV[3] Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. [4] Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. [5] Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

My prayer today is that I will listen for Your voice, Lord. Please quiet my demons. I will not give up hope. You are on your way to rescue me. You always do. You are my hero.

Campfires

There is something special about staring into a campfire surrounded by friends and family.  I can’t think of anything I like more on this planet. To me, this is heaven on Earth. 

Have you ever seriously thought about what heaven will be like? And I don’t mean that silly cloud stuff of cartoon world. I mean heaven located on this renewed, refreshed, pristine planet Earth, when heaven is as real as our backyard. We are told there will be a notable absence of dissension, stress, disease, pollution and death. I imagine heaven to be a lot of hanging around campfires in our lawn chairs, eating s'mores, our dogs and cats peacefully by our side, swapping stories with old friends, new friends and family. Then we will find a renewed understanding between us all.  

Think about all the people you will get to meet and their untold stories...the disciples, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus, Nicodemus, and Lazarus. They will tell us what it was really like to buddy with the Savior while being stalked by all forms of evil. According to John, precious little even made it to our Bible. I want to know all the details! John states at the end of his book in the bible: 

John 21:25 NIV
[25] Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

Someday we will hear every story and understand all we seek to understand here and now. I believe it is good for us to stop and think about what heaven will be like. It brings peace to the soul.

1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV
[12] For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

I can only imagine.  

I Can Only Imagine

Stories

Don’t you wish you could learn things the easy way?  I believe that is why we have stories.  Stories allow us to learn from someone else’s painful experiences.  And true stories are the best!  I have a friend who, before telling any story, prefaces it with “This is a true story”.  

Stories come in all flavors.  Some stories are of love, some adventure, some mysterious, and some are too amazing to believe but you hope that they are true.  Some give hope, some despair, some shine a light and some show us a piece of a world hidden from our eyes before the story.  I have heard it said that life is a story and that all teaching should be done by stories.  It is true that we humans relate best to stories and seek them out in books and movies.  Great comedians are simply story tellers who show us life through a new lens.  

Today I want to share a story with you.  It is one of my favorite stories and was written by a man named Luke about a man named Paul.  Paul spent the majority of his life traveling about, spreading the Good News that Jesus, the Son of God, lived, died and was resurrected. Paul's life story was a miracle and we get to meet him someday! I have questions for him. This story of Paul goes from humor to tragedy to joy. I chose The Message translation and removed the verse numbers that can sometimes distract from a good story. Enjoy. 

Acts 16:16-40 MSG
One day, on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl ran into us. She was a psychic and, with her fortunetelling, made a lot of money for the people who owned her. She started following Paul around, calling everyone’s attention to us by yelling out, “These men are working for the Most High God. They’re laying out the road of salvation for you!” She did this for a number of days until Paul, finally fed up with her, turned and commanded the spirit that possessed her, “Out! In the name of Jesus Christ, get out of her!” And it was gone, just like that.

When her owners saw that their lucrative little business was suddenly bankrupt, they went after Paul and Silas, roughed them up and dragged them into the market square. Then the police arrested them and pulled them into a court with the accusation, “These men are disturbing the peace—dangerous Jewish agitators subverting our Roman law and order.” By this time the crowd had turned into a restless mob out for blood.

The judges went along with the mob, had Paul and Silas’s clothes ripped off and ordered a public beating. After beating them black-and-blue, they threw them into jail, telling the jailkeeper to put them under heavy guard so there would be no chance of escape. He did just that—threw them into the maximum security cell in the jail and clamped leg irons on them.

Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn’t believe their ears. Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose.

Startled from sleep, the jailer saw all the doors swinging loose on their hinges. Assuming that all the prisoners had escaped, he pulled out his sword and was about to do himself in, figuring he was as good as dead anyway, when Paul stopped him: “Don’t do that! We’re all still here! Nobody’s run away!”

The jailer got a torch and ran inside. Badly shaken, he collapsed in front of Paul and Silas. He led them out of the jail and asked, “Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved, to really live?” They said, “Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you’ll live as you were meant to live—and everyone in your house included!”

They went on to spell out in detail the story of the Master—the entire family got in on this part. They never did get to bed that night. The jailer made them feel at home, dressed their wounds, and then—he couldn’t wait till morning!—was baptized, he and everyone in his family. There in his home, he had food set out for a festive meal. It was a night to remember: He and his entire family had put their trust in God; everyone in the house was in on the celebration.

At daybreak, the court judges sent officers with the instructions, “Release these men.” The jailer gave Paul the message, “The judges sent word that you’re free to go on your way. Congratulations! Go in peace!”

But Paul wouldn’t budge. He told the officers, “They beat us up in public and threw us in jail, Roman citizens in good standing! And now they want to get us out of the way on the sly without anyone knowing? Nothing doing! If they want us out of here, let them come themselves and lead us out in broad daylight.”

When the officers reported this, the judges panicked. They had no idea that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. They hurried over and apologized, personally escorted them from the jail, and then asked them if they wouldn’t please leave the city. Walking out of the jail, Paul and Silas went straight to Lydia’s house, saw their friends again, encouraged them in the faith, and only then went on their way.

Want to read more amazing stories like this?  You know where this one came from.  Lucky for us, there are many different versions to choose from.  Find one that you like and enjoy.

The Most Overlooked Story

David and Goliath, Daniel and the lion's den, Joseph and the coat of many colors, Adam and Eve in the garden, Abraham and Isaac, John the Baptist baptizing Jesus, Noah building the ark, The Ten Commandments, Zacchaeus climbing the tree, and the journeys of the Apostle Paul are all engraved in my mind.  For each, I visualize that Sunday School poster on the wall.  But I have no recollection of that poster of Nehemiah building the wall. It is the overlooked story that I will retell in this blog.

Nehemiah is in the Old Testament right between Ezra and Esther.  I have read it before but until this last week I have been fuzzy on the story.  As a part of my morning reading, I have seen Nehemiah's relevance in a new light. I see that it gives very practical instruction on living out our faith in a world that is divided. The story begins in a time period after the Israelites have lost it all: their family members, their city, and their temple. This happened because they lost their desire for following God. Nehemiah is a Jewish survivor who lives outside of Jerusalem. He is a cupbearer to the current ruling king.  He is concerned about the fellow survivors who are still in Jerusalem so he seeks out a report about them.  This is the report Nehemiah receives in his own words.

Nehemiah 1:3-4 New International Version (NIV)

They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

Can you see his God-given passion? His next reaction was to pray and fast over this matter. On behalf of the Israelites, he begged for forgiveness for their betrayal of God. God put in Nehemiah's heart a passion to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, a huge task for a guy who was a nobody in the current ruling system. However, he boldly went to the pagan king who he served and asked for permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and the king granted his request! This set off immediate resistance in the form of two men in power named Sanballat and Tobiah who, for whatever reasons, did not want the Israelites to rebuild the Jerusalem wall.

While Nehemiah was rallying the Israelites to rebuild the wall, the angry Sanballat and Tobiah were drumming up the resistance by plotting inside infiltration of the workers with lies and deception, and physical assault.  Wherever the workers turned, they were attacked by some method.  But the Israelites responded in this way.

Nehemiah 4:15-18 New International Version (NIV)
When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work. From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. 

Over and over again in the book of Nehemiah, they suffered both covert and overt attacks.  However, the Israelites continued to work with constant vigilance, sometimes with half of their work crew on guard while the other half continued the building.  They never let up their guard, always carrying a weapon with them even on the way to the water fountain.  In a subsequent attempt to stop the building, Sanballat sent a message to Nehemiah about Jews plotting to revolt.  Nehemiah's response was this.

Nehemiah 6:8-9 New International Version (NIV)
I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.” They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

In yet another attempted to stop the building of the wall, messages were sent to Nehemiah of a plot to kill him.  Nehemiah's response was not to run away or hide but to realize that the messengers were sent by the enemy and not God.  Finally, the wall was finished and the enemies and surrounding nations lost their self-confidence because they realized that this work had been done by God.  

What an amazing story!  Retelling it moves me yet again. This story is so much like what we endure today.  Anytime there is an undertaking by passionate Christ-focused people, the enemy is there attacking in covert and overt ways.  Being in public education for 35 years, I see this vividly in the work that is done there.  I know many Christian educators who, like Nehemiah's crew, continue to do their job with passion while holding a weapon (sometimes literally) in the other hand.  There are powerful 'Sanballats' out there who, for whatever reason, want public education to fail.  I could name some of them, but I won't.

Public education is often attacked by ridiculous rules and regulations, lack of funding, ridicule, lies and deception. And we are seeing assault with physical weapons far too often.  Consequently, some educators are being trained to carry weapons. Yet while guarding against the enemy with their weapons, wisdom and voting rights, they continue to do their job to reach children. Why? They were given this task by God and they know God will see them through. 

Thank you Lord, for the victories we have had as educators.  We know it is all You.  Like Nehemiah, may we first seek you and second, be wise and vigilant. 

A memorial to educators who have given the ultimate sacrifice to their profession and students.
Picture by Jbaldwi1

All scripture references are from New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

God vs. Genie

I’ll bet you can name three or four incidences where you have lost relationships over misunderstandings.  This is so tragic, especially when friends or acquaintances never learn the truth in spite of your efforts to straighten things out.  This unnecessary loss...this craziness...is what drives me nuts in this life!  I spend way too much brain power trying to figure how to show people my truth. This is where the enemy gets his hooks in me. It was while worrying, mulling, and fretting over a particular instance where misunderstandings led to lost relationships that I read this passage.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV

[3] For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. [4] The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. [5] We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

I have read this passage many times before but today it pointed to something new.  This was the gem that I discovered. I am wasting my battles on a war that is insignificant. Our divine appointment is to demolish those mindsets that set themselves up against God, not against ourselves or our own reputation. Our battles in this life should be about helping people understand God for who he is.  So how about demolishing every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God? That IS what matters! So please play along with me in this blog as I follow God’s word to me.

When I began thinking about it, there are so many false things people believe about God, too many to mention. I will address one misunderstanding and call it God vs. Genie. By the name, you probably know where I’m going with this. A little known fact about me is that I have seen every episode of I Dream of Jeannie at least once. If you were not so fortunate, let me tell you about Jeannie.  It started with an unsuspecting astronaut who, in his space travels, stumbled across a beautiful bottle.  Of course this was the bottle of a real live beautiful bombshell genie named Jeannie.  The very kind astronaut who possessed quite a bit of integrity, decided to keep her but as a secret part of his life.  Gradually, the integrity of the astronaut deteriorated as he learned to depend on Jeannie's skills.  And worse yet, he sometimes forgot to let her out of the bottle except when he got into a jam.  Of course in the end, love overcame and they got married in the last season.  Then there was Dallas... But I regress.

So many times we treat God as a genie.  Oh yeah, we would deny this but think about the way we treat our relationship with God. We pray for something we want badly and if we get it, we attend church that Sunday and maybe even sing a little louder and wave a hand. This is us, mistaking our precious Savior for Aladdin's big blue Genie.  Tell me you have never used God when you were in a tight spot, then when things were good, you place him on a shelf to forget him until the next jam. Oh how we miss the point!  

What makes the idea of a Genie so appealing is that I am in control. He does what I tell him whether he likes it or not. But realize that the Genie is my slave and there is no relationship between us. It is an idol of my creation. Yes, I am in control but do I know what tomorrow brings? Neither does my genie. He is limited by my own vision. His protection is restricted to my awareness. He can only protect me from what I see coming. The more I depend on his magic, the more impatient and self centered I become.  He teaches me nothing. With him, knowledge is a one way street. Stick with the genie-god and I will never grow and mature. 

How do I go about letting God out of my Genie bottle and quit treating him like a forgotten bread machine I got for Christmas?  Jesus addressed this to his disciples in Matthew 16:24.  He said, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me". So this means to surrender your rights to control your life daily. 

What can I expect if I let God out of the genie bottle of my making? First and most importantly, He will be in control, not me. I cooperate with him in his plan. I am his child. He is my loving Father. He protects me and He knows what is coming. He works in ways I never imagined because his knowledge is not limited. He knows my heart better than I know myself. I get to have a relationship with him. He lets me learn the hard way. He is not pushy or manipulative. He does not control me past the point I am willing to allow. He teaches me. I will not be stuck in my ways. I get to grow, change and make a difference. He is patient with me. He has rewards for me.  He knows no boundaries or end. He existed before me and is eternal. And unlike a Genie, He is real and He loves me. 

Oh Lord, please forgive me for treating you this way.  I want you to be in control, not me. I surrender all.

Learning the Hard Way

Once upon a time many centuries ago there was a group of people who were singled out to be blessed by God.  They did nothing to earn this honor, they were just chosen to be blessed.  There was one big stipulation for this special group; that they follow only the One True God and not any other fake gods.  Sometimes they pulled this off and amazing timely rescues came to them. (Read Genesis and Exodus.) Then they began listening to other people among them who created and worshiped the fake gods. They neglected their relationship with God and gradually, they drifted away from the God who loved and blessed them so.  

God patiently sent them messenger after messenger to warn them what would happen if they continued to turn away from him. They not only didn’t listen to the messengers, but often persecuted them. They had the gift of free choice and they chose to worship the gods that they could create and control. It wasn’t long until, just as predicted by the messengers, this group lost everything to invaders. Many lost their lives, some were persecuted by the foreigners and some were taken captive.  Their beautiful place of worship dedicated to the One True God was raided and destroyed. During this time period, their Holy city was occupied and claimed by different invaders. After years of persecution and loss, God’s people came to regret their betrayal. 

Ezekiel 6:13 NIV

[13] And they will know that I am the Lord, when their people lie slain among their idols around their altars, on every high hill and on all the mountaintops, under every spreading tree and every leafy oak---places where they offered fragrant incense to all their idols.

This may seem like a harsh lesson, but I did not go into the depths of their depravity or the lengths God took to try to warn them. Humanity is stubborn, and most often, both individually and as a group, we learn the hard way. A small remaining group of this nation saw their error in worshiping idols and turned back to the God who they betrayed. 

This is where the point of my story begins. The foreign King at that time, Cyrus, made the decision to rebuild the temple for this remnant of survivors who decided once again to worship God. Not only did he allow the rebuilding of the temple, he returned the booty that was taken from them many years prior.  King Cyrus did not do this because he believed in God.  In fact, he acted like he revered every god. He liked to cover his bases so he tried to appease them all. As the story goes, the process of rebuilding the Temple took many years and evil men tried to stop it but still God’s will prevailed. 

Ezra 6:14 NIV

[14] So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.

This story showed how God worked through non-believing leaders to carry out his plan. While reading this story on the 4th of July, it occurred to me that we Christians in the USA get worried about electing a non-believer to a position of power.  Honestly, I have often voted based solely on the religious persuasion of a candidate and not on his ability to lead or his position on the issues.  I did not research, I voted with my “gut”. But I was wrong. I forgot that God is in control and he is capable of using anyone to accomplish his will. 

So since God is in control should we do anything about our leaders?  I cannot find anywhere in the Bible that lazy, mindless dependence is promoted.  Time after time God gives his people the ability and they have the choice whether to use it. So yes, I believe we as Christians are expected to act justly. (See Micah 6:8) Here are some points to consider. 

1. In the USA we are given a unique privilege to have a say in our leadership. It is a gift, so we should be wise with it. My New International Version of the Bible contains 187 verses referring to wisdom. God has always expected us to choose wisdom. We are not born wise, we must learn.  And that takes effort. We should do some work to research our future leaders, and not just from one point of view. We need to seek information from reliable sources with an open mind. 
2. And as a friend of mine pointed out in a tweet recently, don’t get entertainment confused with factual information. Today’s cable and network news is created to captivate and hold an audience hostage. To hold our attention, they must create drama rather than telling the factual truth that may be a little dry and boring.  That is how they make money. I have found some written news organizations to be more reliable sources of information because they do not appeal to our drama addictions.
3. Take your right to vote seriously. Voting is power. If you have never voted before and are nervous about it, find a buddy to go with you to the polls. 
4. Pray for your leaders especially if they are not doing what you like.  They will answer to God whether they like it or not.  And remember, like King Cyrus, God uses all, (D) and (R), to accomplish his purpose. 
5. Now that you have done your part, relax and trust God to do his thing even if you can’t see it.