When I read the Bible, I will frequently gloss over odd names and places, figuring that the significance would be obscure to me. But recently, while reading in Amos, my curiosity was piqued when I saw a reference to Bethel, Beersheeba, and Gilgal. "Hmmm. I know what happened in Bethel; I wonder about those other two places." So I looked them up.
Bethel was the place Abram built an altar and worshipped God when He promised to make Abram's decendants too many to count. Beersheeba was where Abram's son, Isaac, built an altar and worshipped God when He promised Isaac that He would be faithful to His promise to Abram (Abraham). Gilgal is where Joshua built an altar of 12 stones from the Jordan river when God caused the water to stop flowing so that the Israelites could cross over into Canaan on dry ground. These places are icons in the Israelites' history- places they would go to remember the great faithfulness of their God and to worship Him.
The passage in Amos was chapter 5 verses 4-6: Seek me and live; do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile and Bethel will be reduced to nothing. Seek the Lord and live.
Because I know that other passages in Amos are dealing with empty acts of worship that anger and repulse our God (Amos 5:21-27), I know that here, He's saying, in effect, that traveling to our "holy places of worship" for the mere sake of doing so, without truly seeking His face, an intimate relationship with him, is worthless. There is no power in empty acts; the power to live is found only in seeking God and a relationship with Him!
"So what does this have to do with marriage," you say? Well, in my The Politically Incorrect Wife book, they encourage wives to act how they want to feel and reassure them that eventually the feelings will follow- a behavior referred to in 12 step programs as "Fake it 'Til You Make it", I'm told. I understand that this philosphy has worked wonders for some people and I guess that's fine. It's just that I believe that this kind of empty behavior can anger a spouse just as it angers God. I want to caution wives that if you follow this line of thinking that your heart has to really be in it- it depends completely on your motive. If the acts have to be done without the feeling, it has to be because you desperately want the feelings! If the behaviors or empty actions are performed out of a belief that "all he (or He) needs is my action here (i.e.: an escort to the door in the morning, a welcome home kiss, obligatory participation in sex, OR attendence at church, cursory "and bless so-and-so" intercession, mouthing the words to a Vineyard song while wondering where the lady in front of me got her sweater...) then the behaviors are detrimental and will lead only to death. God says "seek me and live". Seek is an action verb. Take action with a goal in mind. Search high and low. Pursue. That's what God wants.... and I believe that's what your spouse wants.
That's just what I'm thinking, but I could be wrong.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Monday, January 30, 2006
Marriage Workshop
I'm reading a book for a bible study at church called The Politically Incorrect Wife. It's encouraging me to realize my true "job description" as a wife and trying to help wives fix marriages fraught with selfishness.
I think it's fairly safe to say that God looks at our relationship with him much like a marriage. In his word he refers to his people as his bride, his beloved, and his adulterous wife. I have often looked at my relationship with him and wondered if it looked enough like a marriage to please him. I sure love him a lot- I ought to be pretty safe, right?
But something Oswald said the other day caused me to look at it from another angle; "Am I kind to God or am I only expecting him to be kind to me?"
Kind to God?!? What on earth does that look like? Only expecting him to be kind to me?!? Yikes! This is sounding a little too much like an earthly marriage- the kind of earthly marriage that someone needs to write a book about how to fix!
I must admit that my own marriage as well as my relationship with God have been plagued with self-centeredness. I have frequently put him last because I know he's faithful, loving, forgiving, loves me, and will "understand". I've frequently expected him to automatically understand everything about me simply because of who he is and then to act accordingly (without me ever uttering a word!) I've expected him to give and give and give because he wants to (because he loves me) and honestly expect just my left-overs in return. He's to supply all my physical and emotional needs because I understand that it's him that completes me.
Which him am I referring to? It doesn't much matter- I seem to treat them the same! How broken hearted I am to see that my earthly marriage and my relationship to God are way too similar in their shortcomings and not similar enough in their virtues! Paul reminds me that if I act on this sorrow, it will lead to repentance which leads to salvation with no regrets (2 Corinthians 7:10).
I am in a season of life in which I have taken a fresh concern for my marriage. I am beginning to understand (and attempt to correct)the ill effects of years and years of self-centered behavior. Could it be that as God reveals to me the failings in my marriage relationship, He has really been trying to get me to see the failings in my relationship with Him? I believe that He has shown me this parallel to draw me back to him in a fresh, exciting way. In a way that makes my heart skip a beat, that thrills me, that makes me think only of Him and of ways I might please Him. It is good to belong to Him.
I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert...Come back, wandering children!...I, yes, I am your true husband. I'll pick you out one by one...and bring you to Zion!
Jeremiah 2:2 & 3:14
I think it's fairly safe to say that God looks at our relationship with him much like a marriage. In his word he refers to his people as his bride, his beloved, and his adulterous wife. I have often looked at my relationship with him and wondered if it looked enough like a marriage to please him. I sure love him a lot- I ought to be pretty safe, right?
But something Oswald said the other day caused me to look at it from another angle; "Am I kind to God or am I only expecting him to be kind to me?"
Kind to God?!? What on earth does that look like? Only expecting him to be kind to me?!? Yikes! This is sounding a little too much like an earthly marriage- the kind of earthly marriage that someone needs to write a book about how to fix!
I must admit that my own marriage as well as my relationship with God have been plagued with self-centeredness. I have frequently put him last because I know he's faithful, loving, forgiving, loves me, and will "understand". I've frequently expected him to automatically understand everything about me simply because of who he is and then to act accordingly (without me ever uttering a word!) I've expected him to give and give and give because he wants to (because he loves me) and honestly expect just my left-overs in return. He's to supply all my physical and emotional needs because I understand that it's him that completes me.
Which him am I referring to? It doesn't much matter- I seem to treat them the same! How broken hearted I am to see that my earthly marriage and my relationship to God are way too similar in their shortcomings and not similar enough in their virtues! Paul reminds me that if I act on this sorrow, it will lead to repentance which leads to salvation with no regrets (2 Corinthians 7:10).
I am in a season of life in which I have taken a fresh concern for my marriage. I am beginning to understand (and attempt to correct)the ill effects of years and years of self-centered behavior. Could it be that as God reveals to me the failings in my marriage relationship, He has really been trying to get me to see the failings in my relationship with Him? I believe that He has shown me this parallel to draw me back to him in a fresh, exciting way. In a way that makes my heart skip a beat, that thrills me, that makes me think only of Him and of ways I might please Him. It is good to belong to Him.
I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert...Come back, wandering children!...I, yes, I am your true husband. I'll pick you out one by one...and bring you to Zion!
Jeremiah 2:2 & 3:14
Friday, January 27, 2006
Enough Already!
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew 6:34
Not usually a big fan of the KJV, even though I like Shakespeare. But today, no one else said it better. Other versions talk about "trouble" and "hardship"- each day having enough of it's own. But some days, it's not just "trouble" or "hardship"- some days it's EVIL and if I even begin to think about how much tomorrow might hold, I get pretty defeated!
But instead I focus on Christ as the victor. Wearing my entire suit of armor, I stand firm in my faith (Isaiah 7:9) believing that He can and will accomplish all He says He will and can do (Isaiah 55:11), first and foremost being that He will defeat Satan (Revelation 20:10). Trusting Him, knowing that if I do, I will see His glory (John 11:40). My God is faithful. He can be trusted to save me and my loved ones for His own glory. Praise Him!
For You, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods. Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for He guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked!
Psalm 97:9-10
Matthew 6:34
Not usually a big fan of the KJV, even though I like Shakespeare. But today, no one else said it better. Other versions talk about "trouble" and "hardship"- each day having enough of it's own. But some days, it's not just "trouble" or "hardship"- some days it's EVIL and if I even begin to think about how much tomorrow might hold, I get pretty defeated!
But instead I focus on Christ as the victor. Wearing my entire suit of armor, I stand firm in my faith (Isaiah 7:9) believing that He can and will accomplish all He says He will and can do (Isaiah 55:11), first and foremost being that He will defeat Satan (Revelation 20:10). Trusting Him, knowing that if I do, I will see His glory (John 11:40). My God is faithful. He can be trusted to save me and my loved ones for His own glory. Praise Him!
For You, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods. Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for He guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked!
Psalm 97:9-10
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Knock Knock...
Since I've been under the weather, I've had a little more time than usual to ponder Oswald. He's been talking about hearing "the Call of God" like Jack London heard The Call of the Wild. I find this thought intriguing.
I have a friend who clearly hears the "call of the sea" because she lived much of her life on an island. John Eldredge obviously hears a call from the desert. But because I have limited-to-no experiences with these places, I hear no distinct call from them. But the mountains- now that's a different story. Often in my husband's posts you can sense the power that the mountains hold on us as a family. He was raised there- those mountains are part of who he is. My parents and grandparents- back who knows how many generations- were raised there and so I have that thread in me as well. The mountains speak loudly to us- it's not an audible voice- it's a tugging, a claiming, that we belong to them, that there is where we will find home, peace, wholeness. In his childish wisdom, Will once said that when we leave there, part of us stays behind. So when we leave again, we are less complete than when we came!
Now to consider that we each have the same thread in us- all of us- that is God. There is a calling to Him, a tugging, a claiming, pulling us toward Him, struggling to be there with Him. When we leave it haunts us, calling us back. When we're there, there is peace and wholeness.
We don't all have the same experiences here on earth- we don't all have a call to the sea or to the mountains. But everyone one of us has God in us- He breathed his life into us- each one. This is something we can be certain of! We can speak with confidence to those we meet along the way and know that they will understand this call because we are all made in His image. To those who have yet to meet Him on a personal level it may seem strange, but I am convinced that they will know that this call to wholeness and peace exists.
They just don't know it's God that's calling.
Revelation 3:20
I have a friend who clearly hears the "call of the sea" because she lived much of her life on an island. John Eldredge obviously hears a call from the desert. But because I have limited-to-no experiences with these places, I hear no distinct call from them. But the mountains- now that's a different story. Often in my husband's posts you can sense the power that the mountains hold on us as a family. He was raised there- those mountains are part of who he is. My parents and grandparents- back who knows how many generations- were raised there and so I have that thread in me as well. The mountains speak loudly to us- it's not an audible voice- it's a tugging, a claiming, that we belong to them, that there is where we will find home, peace, wholeness. In his childish wisdom, Will once said that when we leave there, part of us stays behind. So when we leave again, we are less complete than when we came!
Now to consider that we each have the same thread in us- all of us- that is God. There is a calling to Him, a tugging, a claiming, pulling us toward Him, struggling to be there with Him. When we leave it haunts us, calling us back. When we're there, there is peace and wholeness.
We don't all have the same experiences here on earth- we don't all have a call to the sea or to the mountains. But everyone one of us has God in us- He breathed his life into us- each one. This is something we can be certain of! We can speak with confidence to those we meet along the way and know that they will understand this call because we are all made in His image. To those who have yet to meet Him on a personal level it may seem strange, but I am convinced that they will know that this call to wholeness and peace exists.
They just don't know it's God that's calling.
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20
Monday, January 16, 2006
no blue ribbon at the state fair but...
i might be famous.
i caught the flu before anyone else in Richland County.
nine people in Lexington County beat me.
bummer.
i caught the flu before anyone else in Richland County.
nine people in Lexington County beat me.
bummer.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Mostly Dead or Completely Alive?
Do you ever feel like Westley, in The Princess Bride, when he lies on Miracle Max's table and is declared "mostly dead" as opposed to "all dead"? I do.
Paul says in Romans 6:4 that we are "buried with Christ through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life". But we must be completely dead before we can be raised to life. If there is any of our old sin nature left in us, we can't be raised up to new life because we were never "all dead". But every now and then, that tiny bit of me that's keeping the old me "slightly alive" will raise its head and let out a surprising mumble that's confusing to me and those who live with me.
You know, being dead isn't like being pregnant- you know what I mean- you can't be almost pregnant or a little bit pregnant- you either are or you're not. However, after years of working in an intensive care unit, I know, for I have seen, that there is something called "mostly dead" and "slightly alive" and it's a very unattractive place to be. And it's not a place that very many people can hang out in for very long. And it usually has a bad outcome.
I don't want to be in a "mostly dead" or "slightly alive" place. Let me fully dead, completely dead, so that I can be made completely alive in Christ. A much better place to be.
Paul says in Romans 6:4 that we are "buried with Christ through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life". But we must be completely dead before we can be raised to life. If there is any of our old sin nature left in us, we can't be raised up to new life because we were never "all dead". But every now and then, that tiny bit of me that's keeping the old me "slightly alive" will raise its head and let out a surprising mumble that's confusing to me and those who live with me.
You know, being dead isn't like being pregnant- you know what I mean- you can't be almost pregnant or a little bit pregnant- you either are or you're not. However, after years of working in an intensive care unit, I know, for I have seen, that there is something called "mostly dead" and "slightly alive" and it's a very unattractive place to be. And it's not a place that very many people can hang out in for very long. And it usually has a bad outcome.
I don't want to be in a "mostly dead" or "slightly alive" place. Let me fully dead, completely dead, so that I can be made completely alive in Christ. A much better place to be.
Friday, January 13, 2006
What's in a Name?
I learned something intriguing the other day in my Oswald. You know Mary Magdalene- everyone knows about her- how she was one of Jesus' followers and how she went to the tomb with spices on Sunday after Jesus was crucified. Every one of the gospels, including John, mention her. But did you know that Luke mentions two other women by name that were followers of Jesus? Joanna and Susanna. And did you know that Joanna was the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herods' household?
These women didn't just follow Jesus; they helped support Jesus and his disciples- "out of their own means"! (Luke 8:3) Now, I would assume that Joanna's husband, Cuza, was a fairly wealthy man, being the manager of a king's household and surely Joanna reaped some benefit from being Cuza's wife. I don't know how Joanna came about her "own means" (and The Message says their means were "considerable") but I think it's interesting that she and her husband were on opposite sides. Jesus said that he had come to bring division- I imagine there were some heated discussions in that household!
We don't know anything else about Joanna. She's never mentioned again, other than being a supporter of Jesus and being present at the tomb on Easter morning (Luke 24:10). I imagine she wasn't very welcome in Herod's palace. She probably gave up quite a bit to be a follower and supporter of her husband's boss' enemy. But what a reward- to be present when the angels told them Jesus was not dead!
Joanna is an example of a working woman who used her means wisely- invested them in kingdom business. She, like Martha's sister, Mary, had her priorities in the right place. She made a very difficult decision that probably brought discord to her marriage and most likely removed her from a comfortable way of life. But she is recorded in a favorable light for all of us "modern" women to read about. I wish we knew more about her but this is all we get to know for now: her faithfulness and her name.
These women didn't just follow Jesus; they helped support Jesus and his disciples- "out of their own means"! (Luke 8:3) Now, I would assume that Joanna's husband, Cuza, was a fairly wealthy man, being the manager of a king's household and surely Joanna reaped some benefit from being Cuza's wife. I don't know how Joanna came about her "own means" (and The Message says their means were "considerable") but I think it's interesting that she and her husband were on opposite sides. Jesus said that he had come to bring division- I imagine there were some heated discussions in that household!
We don't know anything else about Joanna. She's never mentioned again, other than being a supporter of Jesus and being present at the tomb on Easter morning (Luke 24:10). I imagine she wasn't very welcome in Herod's palace. She probably gave up quite a bit to be a follower and supporter of her husband's boss' enemy. But what a reward- to be present when the angels told them Jesus was not dead!
Joanna is an example of a working woman who used her means wisely- invested them in kingdom business. She, like Martha's sister, Mary, had her priorities in the right place. She made a very difficult decision that probably brought discord to her marriage and most likely removed her from a comfortable way of life. But she is recorded in a favorable light for all of us "modern" women to read about. I wish we knew more about her but this is all we get to know for now: her faithfulness and her name.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Remain
I remember when I was training my dog to "stay" I would hold my hand up in front of her face and repeat the word "stay" over and over. As long as she heard me saying, "stay, stay, stay" as I backed away, she would stay. But as soon as I dropped my hand or stopped saying, "stay" she would get up. It was as if it were more difficult, or even impossible, for her to stay if I didn't keep telling her to stay.
In the first 10 verses of John, chapter 15, Jesus uses the word "remain" 11 times. That's more than once per verse! (Don't cringe, Rod...yes, I counted!). We are to remain in him and he will remain in us. We must remain in the vine. We will not bear fruit unless we remain in the vine. Over and over again, the command to "remain". Could it be because it is difficult to "remain" if we are not told to do so over and over again?
Eventually my dog learned to stay for longer periods of time but she always did better with more than one reminder to "stay". She never needed to know why I wanted her to stay, just that I wanted her to. Jesus, on the other hand, lets us know clearly why we need to "remain". He is the source of love, the conduit to bring us love and life directly from the Father. Without remaining in him, we are without life, useless. Yet he realizes that it is hard for us to "remain".
I want to keep that reminder in front of me all the time- that picture of Jesus holding up his nail scarred hands encouraging me to "stay". It's good to know he's willing to tell me more than once.
In the first 10 verses of John, chapter 15, Jesus uses the word "remain" 11 times. That's more than once per verse! (Don't cringe, Rod...yes, I counted!). We are to remain in him and he will remain in us. We must remain in the vine. We will not bear fruit unless we remain in the vine. Over and over again, the command to "remain". Could it be because it is difficult to "remain" if we are not told to do so over and over again?
Eventually my dog learned to stay for longer periods of time but she always did better with more than one reminder to "stay". She never needed to know why I wanted her to stay, just that I wanted her to. Jesus, on the other hand, lets us know clearly why we need to "remain". He is the source of love, the conduit to bring us love and life directly from the Father. Without remaining in him, we are without life, useless. Yet he realizes that it is hard for us to "remain".
I want to keep that reminder in front of me all the time- that picture of Jesus holding up his nail scarred hands encouraging me to "stay". It's good to know he's willing to tell me more than once.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Returning to (and Staying in) Bethel
Oswald was about camping today. Well, not really; He talked about "pitching our tents" or really, disciplining ourselves into staying in a place where we can worship without the hinderences of life as we know it.
Really, my life is pretty hectic. One look at my calendar and most people freak. And mine, compared to some of my friends, is nothing! Yesterday, for example, I picked up one child from band at 4:30, with another child in tow and we spirited away to violin lessons. Dropped the first one home after a quick trip to the auto parts store and back to pick up the kid at violin. Rush back home and shove some supper in everyone's faces and take a bunch back down the road. One to piano lessons, the other to dance, and Daddy to the gym. Go back, pick up the piano player, pick up the dancer, take them home, back to the gym, pick up Daddy. Rod apologized over and over for my life! It's no big deal though- it's just what I do. (Ususally I do all this after a hectic day at work!) But find time to worship in there? Getouttahere!
When we camp it's a whole other story though. The last time we went camping, I never left the campsite except to travel to the out house! There, in the quiet, there are no hinderences to worship.
God wants us, like Abram, to pitch our tent between the world and him; in an intentional place where worship is possible. Where the distractions of our busy lives don't interfere. This doesn't happen without effort. We have to create it. It might mean changing our schedule, or for me, changing my job. For some, it might be as easy as getting up earlier. But it's an intentional effort- a discipline.
In Genesis 12:10-20, Abram left his pitched tent and traveled to Egypt. There, worries and worldliness overcame him. He became very wealthy but he came to that wealth through a lie- telling Pharoh that Sarai was his sister, not his wife. Pharoh fell for the beautiful Sarai and "treated Abram well for her sake". And although he got to keep his riches, he and Sarai were pretty much dishonorably kicked out of Egypt for the deception.
This is where the worries of our world take us when we leave our altars of Bethel; our tents pitched in a place of worship between God and the world. Abram was disgraced and had disgraced his wife. Humbled, do you know where he went? Back to Bethel. Back to the place he had first built an altar and worshipped God. And do you know what God did? God took Abram by the hand and showed him the beautiful land he would give to his decendants. When Abram returned to Bethel, God showed him the blessings He had in store for him. He showed Abram how He would be the supplier of all Abram's needs- not Pharoh.
So when we return to our Bethels, don't you think that He'll do the same for us?
Really, my life is pretty hectic. One look at my calendar and most people freak. And mine, compared to some of my friends, is nothing! Yesterday, for example, I picked up one child from band at 4:30, with another child in tow and we spirited away to violin lessons. Dropped the first one home after a quick trip to the auto parts store and back to pick up the kid at violin. Rush back home and shove some supper in everyone's faces and take a bunch back down the road. One to piano lessons, the other to dance, and Daddy to the gym. Go back, pick up the piano player, pick up the dancer, take them home, back to the gym, pick up Daddy. Rod apologized over and over for my life! It's no big deal though- it's just what I do. (Ususally I do all this after a hectic day at work!) But find time to worship in there? Getouttahere!
When we camp it's a whole other story though. The last time we went camping, I never left the campsite except to travel to the out house! There, in the quiet, there are no hinderences to worship.
God wants us, like Abram, to pitch our tent between the world and him; in an intentional place where worship is possible. Where the distractions of our busy lives don't interfere. This doesn't happen without effort. We have to create it. It might mean changing our schedule, or for me, changing my job. For some, it might be as easy as getting up earlier. But it's an intentional effort- a discipline.
In Genesis 12:10-20, Abram left his pitched tent and traveled to Egypt. There, worries and worldliness overcame him. He became very wealthy but he came to that wealth through a lie- telling Pharoh that Sarai was his sister, not his wife. Pharoh fell for the beautiful Sarai and "treated Abram well for her sake". And although he got to keep his riches, he and Sarai were pretty much dishonorably kicked out of Egypt for the deception.
This is where the worries of our world take us when we leave our altars of Bethel; our tents pitched in a place of worship between God and the world. Abram was disgraced and had disgraced his wife. Humbled, do you know where he went? Back to Bethel. Back to the place he had first built an altar and worshipped God. And do you know what God did? God took Abram by the hand and showed him the beautiful land he would give to his decendants. When Abram returned to Bethel, God showed him the blessings He had in store for him. He showed Abram how He would be the supplier of all Abram's needs- not Pharoh.
So when we return to our Bethels, don't you think that He'll do the same for us?
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Counting Days
The past two days I have been looking at Psalm 90; a psalm written by Moses. This really isn't one of my favorite Psalms. When I turned to it to study it, I found there was nothing hi-lited in it (which is fairly unusual for the Psalms in my Bible!) It looked kind of neglected and forlorn with no color!
The psalm talks about the eternalness of God, the brevity of our lives, the wrath of God for our sin, and his mercy available to us. And in all of this, I found something I wanted to hi-lite. It's verse 12: Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
I want a heart of wisdom. I long for wisdom. And Moses says here that it may be gained by first realizing how brief our lives are. As I look back on 2005 and take account of my days, I realize just how fast that life is breezing by: from earliest memories til today it has seemed like nothing more than a breath. (Just look at how fast the kids have grown- it blows you away!) And what do I have to show for it so far? Is it enough that if God would claim my life today that I would be satisfied?
Oh, no! I am not satisfied! There is so much growing to be done. There is so much about my Creator and Savior that I don't know! And realizing that I have passed the 1/2 way mark that Moses states in verse 10 puts a little pressure on! There are only so many days of my life yet to be lived. There were only 365 extremely brief days in 2005. There is no guarentee that 2006 will have that many or that they will be even as long as the ones in 2005! There is much to be accomplished. Much wisdom to be gained.
So I will start 2006 with a knowledge of my finiteness. I resolve to count my days. I will pray with Moses that I will be surprised by God's love every morning that it will cause me to dance with joy! (verse 14, The Message) I will ask, like Moses, that God's beauty and favor will rest upon me and confirm, affirm, and establish the work that I do (verse 17). May 2006 be a profitable year for us all!
The psalm talks about the eternalness of God, the brevity of our lives, the wrath of God for our sin, and his mercy available to us. And in all of this, I found something I wanted to hi-lite. It's verse 12: Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
I want a heart of wisdom. I long for wisdom. And Moses says here that it may be gained by first realizing how brief our lives are. As I look back on 2005 and take account of my days, I realize just how fast that life is breezing by: from earliest memories til today it has seemed like nothing more than a breath. (Just look at how fast the kids have grown- it blows you away!) And what do I have to show for it so far? Is it enough that if God would claim my life today that I would be satisfied?
Oh, no! I am not satisfied! There is so much growing to be done. There is so much about my Creator and Savior that I don't know! And realizing that I have passed the 1/2 way mark that Moses states in verse 10 puts a little pressure on! There are only so many days of my life yet to be lived. There were only 365 extremely brief days in 2005. There is no guarentee that 2006 will have that many or that they will be even as long as the ones in 2005! There is much to be accomplished. Much wisdom to be gained.
So I will start 2006 with a knowledge of my finiteness. I resolve to count my days. I will pray with Moses that I will be surprised by God's love every morning that it will cause me to dance with joy! (verse 14, The Message) I will ask, like Moses, that God's beauty and favor will rest upon me and confirm, affirm, and establish the work that I do (verse 17). May 2006 be a profitable year for us all!
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Rainprints
Today was the last day of 2005, a very difficult year for me. As I was running on the beach this morning, it started to rain. Not a sprinkle. Not a down pour. Not a drizzle or mist. A brief, very intentional rain, leaving clearly defined "rain prints" in the sand. A cold, cleansing rain.
Intentional, cold, and steady enough to wash away dust & pain
Brief enough to not wash away the memories or the distinct imprints of the drops
Imprints left as memories of past mistakes that have been washed, healed, cleansed by a faithful Father.
And the wind blew.
Intentional, cold, and steady enough to wash away dust & pain
Brief enough to not wash away the memories or the distinct imprints of the drops
Imprints left as memories of past mistakes that have been washed, healed, cleansed by a faithful Father.
And the wind blew.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Party Preparation
The presents are bought (well, most of them)
And all neatly wrapped (well some of them)
The cookies are baked (except for the ones I mixed up, put in the fridge and forgot about)
Cards are mailed; it's a fact! (well, ONE card got mailed...the rest are still in the process of being addressed)
The tree's decorated (Actually, we got 2 trees this year and only one is decorated so far)
The creche on the hearth (Thanks to Molly)
I'm ready for Christmas
At least in my heart!
Jesus, thank you that all I have to do to be ready for the real meaning of Christmas is to be still and know you. How ironic that our preparations for your birthday celebration are exactly the opposite of being still. Today I will be still and I will know that YOU are God.
-amen
And all neatly wrapped (well some of them)
The cookies are baked (except for the ones I mixed up, put in the fridge and forgot about)
Cards are mailed; it's a fact! (well, ONE card got mailed...the rest are still in the process of being addressed)
The tree's decorated (Actually, we got 2 trees this year and only one is decorated so far)
The creche on the hearth (Thanks to Molly)
I'm ready for Christmas
At least in my heart!
Jesus, thank you that all I have to do to be ready for the real meaning of Christmas is to be still and know you. How ironic that our preparations for your birthday celebration are exactly the opposite of being still. Today I will be still and I will know that YOU are God.
-amen
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Forgiveness vs. forgiveness
I like forgiving people. It makes me feel really good. I know that forgiveness isn't easy for everyone. You frequently hear about people struggling because they can't forgive someone. It binds them in a kind of slavery. They are filled with bitterness and pain. There is no blessing in their lives. People recognize this. They talk about it. This is not a new concept! But for me the hard part isn't giving it- it's accepting it. And even harder? Accepting it from myself.
Now let's talk about this. If I refuse to forgive myself for something,I live under the condemnation and guilt associated with that unforgiveness. In this behavior, I am placing a higher priority on my self forgiveness than on God's forgiveness. Mine is more desirable and more important than his. And guess what? That doesn't settle too well with God. There are several reasons that this doesn't set well with him. First and foremost might just be the amount of suffering he had to endure to accomplish that forgiveness for me.
In Hebrews 9:22, we are reminded that without a blood sacrifice, there is no forgiveness of sin. And when I reject God's forgiveness in lieu of my own I am asked to show evidence of the blood sacrifice. Exactly where is it, Allison? Don't have it? Empty handed? You bet... and a little humbled. And being humbled is a good thing. If I am going to learn from my sins and repent and "sin no more", I must know the way that I am to walk. In Psalm 25, David declares that God guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. God cannot teach me if I am prideful and only he can release my feet from this snare of prideful unforgiveness (Ps. 25:15)
Another reason that this preferential treatment of my forgiveness over God's doesn't settle well with him is because of why he chose to forgive in the first place. God forgives "for his name's sake". It's who he is. It's his very nature. Forgiveness is to be equated with his name (Daniel 9:19). When I refuse his forgiveness in preference of my own, I discredit his name! For Pete's sake! Who on earth would want a God whose forgiveness is so feeble that it holds no power over my own? Is this truely how I see God? Do I believe him to be so weak that my ability to forgive holds more power than his own? By accepting God's forgiveness, I can live a life that shines before unbelievers and shows them that God's way is the One True Way, the One True Life. By refusing his forgiveness, I am trashing not only his name but my witness as well. I am disrespecting Jesus' command that I shine for him so that others will be drawn to him.
Yet another reason that my unforgiveness doesn't settle well with God is found in Matthew 6:14-15. If I don't forgive someone (myself included), then God will not forgive me! Wait a minute! How can this be? But I didn't say it; Jesus did! And not just once, either. Even in our Lord's prayer Jesus teaches us to pray that we should be forgiven as we forgive others. Jesus also tells the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:21-35. I've always destested this servant! How could he be so unmerciful after he was forgiven of so much! How could he turn around and treat his fellow servant like that! But here I'm finding that I am that unmerciful servant! God has forgiven me of sins too many to be mentioned. It's an unfathomable amount. But I hold unforgiveness over my head for one particular sin- one measurable instance and in doing so, prevent the blessings of God's forgiveness in my own life. According to Psalm 32:1-2, people who are forgiven are blessed. So I can only assume that in being unforgiven, I have stolen my own blessings.
So it takes humility for me to accept God's forgiveness in preference of my own. It takes me placing my pride and my unforgiveness on the altar. They are ugly things to place there but I'd rather them there than on me! And when they are lifted off of me, I can shine like that lamp on the lampstand. And this time I'm not going to let Satan (or me) blow it out!
Now let's talk about this. If I refuse to forgive myself for something,I live under the condemnation and guilt associated with that unforgiveness. In this behavior, I am placing a higher priority on my self forgiveness than on God's forgiveness. Mine is more desirable and more important than his. And guess what? That doesn't settle too well with God. There are several reasons that this doesn't set well with him. First and foremost might just be the amount of suffering he had to endure to accomplish that forgiveness for me.
In Hebrews 9:22, we are reminded that without a blood sacrifice, there is no forgiveness of sin. And when I reject God's forgiveness in lieu of my own I am asked to show evidence of the blood sacrifice. Exactly where is it, Allison? Don't have it? Empty handed? You bet... and a little humbled. And being humbled is a good thing. If I am going to learn from my sins and repent and "sin no more", I must know the way that I am to walk. In Psalm 25, David declares that God guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. God cannot teach me if I am prideful and only he can release my feet from this snare of prideful unforgiveness (Ps. 25:15)
Another reason that this preferential treatment of my forgiveness over God's doesn't settle well with him is because of why he chose to forgive in the first place. God forgives "for his name's sake". It's who he is. It's his very nature. Forgiveness is to be equated with his name (Daniel 9:19). When I refuse his forgiveness in preference of my own, I discredit his name! For Pete's sake! Who on earth would want a God whose forgiveness is so feeble that it holds no power over my own? Is this truely how I see God? Do I believe him to be so weak that my ability to forgive holds more power than his own? By accepting God's forgiveness, I can live a life that shines before unbelievers and shows them that God's way is the One True Way, the One True Life. By refusing his forgiveness, I am trashing not only his name but my witness as well. I am disrespecting Jesus' command that I shine for him so that others will be drawn to him.
Yet another reason that my unforgiveness doesn't settle well with God is found in Matthew 6:14-15. If I don't forgive someone (myself included), then God will not forgive me! Wait a minute! How can this be? But I didn't say it; Jesus did! And not just once, either. Even in our Lord's prayer Jesus teaches us to pray that we should be forgiven as we forgive others. Jesus also tells the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:21-35. I've always destested this servant! How could he be so unmerciful after he was forgiven of so much! How could he turn around and treat his fellow servant like that! But here I'm finding that I am that unmerciful servant! God has forgiven me of sins too many to be mentioned. It's an unfathomable amount. But I hold unforgiveness over my head for one particular sin- one measurable instance and in doing so, prevent the blessings of God's forgiveness in my own life. According to Psalm 32:1-2, people who are forgiven are blessed. So I can only assume that in being unforgiven, I have stolen my own blessings.
So it takes humility for me to accept God's forgiveness in preference of my own. It takes me placing my pride and my unforgiveness on the altar. They are ugly things to place there but I'd rather them there than on me! And when they are lifted off of me, I can shine like that lamp on the lampstand. And this time I'm not going to let Satan (or me) blow it out!
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Sunrises and Such
I only have a minute but I've been thinking about this all day so hopefully I can get it right the first time!
Rod has been talking about a Eugene Peterson book called Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places for quite some time now. I haven't read it (yet) but I have been blessed by Rod reading it! One of the things he's taught me has been how God chose to teach us about himself. It is in creation that He placed us because this is the way He wants us to know him. We get life, this earth, His creation all for the purpose of learning who He is. There are so many songs out there that talk about us "not belonging here" and wishing our time here away--only to get to the other side- that's our goal. But that is just not what God had in mind. He had in mind that we would live life NOW and abundantly! There is purpose to our life. It's not an accident. Our world was not created by accident and it will not end by accident. An accidental life (for me) just doesn't seem worth living!
With all this in mind, I was so blessed the other morning as I drove our middle son to school and witnessed the most beautiful sunrise that I have ever seen! Now those of you who know me know that I'm not much of a morning person so you might think that me seeing any sunrise is a miracle! But when I was kid, I had a morning paper route and I saw more than the average number of sunrises for a kid. Anyway, it was just such a wonderful thing to look at that gorgeous artwork in the sky, feel God's smile, and know that He was just being there, all obvious and everything, just so I could know Him better.
My son, Will, is quite an artist. Seeing his quirky little drawings gives you a peek into his soul. It lets you see a part of him you could never know any other way. Seeing that sunrise and pondering the Artist behind it was the same way. Seeing the joy he must hold in his heart at the sight of a fresh day for each of us. A new opportunity for someone to know him better. Seeing the passion in the wild pinks and flame oranges. Knowing how passionately he pursues each of us. Seeing how he used all of his palette- knowing how detail-oriented he must be. How he must see even little me and desire that I enjoy him whole heartedly. What an inspiration for all of us, to reach back to him with the power and beauty and passion that he reaches out for us.
Will said, "Wow, Mom, I wish I could draw as well as God!" And I thought, "so do I, Will...so do I."
Rod has been talking about a Eugene Peterson book called Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places for quite some time now. I haven't read it (yet) but I have been blessed by Rod reading it! One of the things he's taught me has been how God chose to teach us about himself. It is in creation that He placed us because this is the way He wants us to know him. We get life, this earth, His creation all for the purpose of learning who He is. There are so many songs out there that talk about us "not belonging here" and wishing our time here away--only to get to the other side- that's our goal. But that is just not what God had in mind. He had in mind that we would live life NOW and abundantly! There is purpose to our life. It's not an accident. Our world was not created by accident and it will not end by accident. An accidental life (for me) just doesn't seem worth living!
With all this in mind, I was so blessed the other morning as I drove our middle son to school and witnessed the most beautiful sunrise that I have ever seen! Now those of you who know me know that I'm not much of a morning person so you might think that me seeing any sunrise is a miracle! But when I was kid, I had a morning paper route and I saw more than the average number of sunrises for a kid. Anyway, it was just such a wonderful thing to look at that gorgeous artwork in the sky, feel God's smile, and know that He was just being there, all obvious and everything, just so I could know Him better.
My son, Will, is quite an artist. Seeing his quirky little drawings gives you a peek into his soul. It lets you see a part of him you could never know any other way. Seeing that sunrise and pondering the Artist behind it was the same way. Seeing the joy he must hold in his heart at the sight of a fresh day for each of us. A new opportunity for someone to know him better. Seeing the passion in the wild pinks and flame oranges. Knowing how passionately he pursues each of us. Seeing how he used all of his palette- knowing how detail-oriented he must be. How he must see even little me and desire that I enjoy him whole heartedly. What an inspiration for all of us, to reach back to him with the power and beauty and passion that he reaches out for us.
Will said, "Wow, Mom, I wish I could draw as well as God!" And I thought, "so do I, Will...so do I."
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
And Their Number Multiplied Daily
I got a comment immediately when I posted last night. It was a curious comment and I was a little puzzled by it. I had a pretty good idea what it meant, so, just to investigate, I followed the link back to the commenter's blog site. Although you could do the same, I don't recommend that you do!
I guess I'm just glad that there are more Christians talking about this kind of stuff on blogger and other such sites. I'm glad we can be iron sharpening iron. I'm glad we can encourage each other, lift each other up in our virtual community, and make unbelievers question. Even if it's only to question why on earth we Christians waste our time talking about this stupid stuff. Some people waste their time with their heads in toilets. I prefer to use mine in other ways. And as I do, I only pray that someone else like §å®å[¦]*&*TreeNaH comes along and stays long enough to see a little light.
I guess I'm just glad that there are more Christians talking about this kind of stuff on blogger and other such sites. I'm glad we can be iron sharpening iron. I'm glad we can encourage each other, lift each other up in our virtual community, and make unbelievers question. Even if it's only to question why on earth we Christians waste our time talking about this stupid stuff. Some people waste their time with their heads in toilets. I prefer to use mine in other ways. And as I do, I only pray that someone else like §å®å[¦]*&*TreeNaH comes along and stays long enough to see a little light.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Smelling Sin
I'm attempting to write this post now for the third time. Mostly it's just because I don't have time to think. But because of the pervasiveness of the subject, I find that I'm actually thinking about it all the time. So here goes the exercise of organizing my thoughts.
The subject is sin. "Oh no! Not again!" I hear you all say! Yes, again. This time it's triggered by a little book I'm reading called The Smell of Sin and the Fresh Air of Grace by Don Everts. The title intrigued me and it really is a little book so it didn't intimidate me!
I've wondered for years why I don't seem to know beforehand that I'm going to sin. The "big sins" like stealing and murdering... I mean... sure I would know I was about sin if I were about to engage in something like that but I don't do things like that so the whole issue is a little more cloudy for me. It seems that I sin and then I realize what I've done and then I kick myself for not seeing it beforehand so I could have prevented it. It's so totally defeating to me. But after studying this little book I've come up with a couple of reasons that I think this might happen.
After I sin and see the results of my selfish behavior, I am always sad, remorseful and occasionally repentant. It's at these times I cry out, "If only I had known what this action would have led to then I would have never done it!" But the curious thing is why didn't I see the potential repercussions of my sin? Most likely, it's because my behavior is so often focused only on me and seldom on others. (Ouch... that hurt!) But it's true, I must admit. I am frequently careless with my actions because I believe sin to be an annoyance, a silly rule that got broken, a failed attempt to walk a line that, to me, doesn't seem to have a purpose. My decision on whether or not to sin just doesn't seem to be extremely serious. I see it more as an inconvenience, a slip up, or even a struggle. But not a life or death situation.
Jesus didn't see sin this way. In all three of the synoptic gospels, Jesus says that it would be better for someone to have a millstone tied around their neck and be thrown into the sea than to cause someone else to sin (Matt. 18:6, Mark 9:42, & Luke 17:2). He also says it would be better to saw off your foot, pluck out your eye, or cut off your hand than to sin. Geesh! Why'd he take this stuff so seriously? I mean, we all fail; we all make mistakes! Come on! But that may just be his whole point.
We are all failures. Every last one of us. And the price for that is, according Jesus, "eternal fire". So if every last one of us took Jesus at his word, every last one of us would be at the bottom of Lake Murray (insert your own local body of water) with a cinder block tied around our necks. And then where would we be? No one to subdue the earth as God commanded; His beautiful creation destroyed by their own hands; the fellowship He created us for ablated. Jesus saw the hopelessness of this entire situation. He knew where we were headed. And he came to stop it once and for all. The problem is, we just don't see the problem!
Satan in all his cleverness has made sure that we see our sins as minor trifles, mere annoyances, minimal inconveniences. Most of us aren't murderers and can do fairly well (we think) with keeping those big 10 rules. But the problem is that the first time we think or behave selfishly, we've broken the first one and so whether or not we've ever murdered anyone becomes a mute point. But Satan makes sure that we don't see it that way. He covers our sins over with a pastel mist, breathing into our selfish hearts sentiments like, "Well, she deserved that" and "It really wasn't as bad as all that" and "It wouldn't have been fair to me if it had turned out the way it was headed!". And when you have pastel sins instead of blood red ones, there is really very little need for a Savior.
I believe Jesus. I believe He knew what He was doing when He allowed himself to be nailed to the cross. And if I believe all that, then I have to believe that sin is, as Jesus says, a life or death situation. It's serious. It's important, important enough for Him to suffer an agonizing, torture for me to be able to escape it. I look on the cross and I see a loving Father that understands the significance of my sin infinitely more than I do. And then I realize that my sin is not a mere inconvenience or minor annoyance. It's a slap in the face to a loving parent that sacrificed himself for me. It's like spitting in my mother's face when she greets me at the door with the scent of a holiday meal wafting from the kitchen where she has been toiling away in love. We have to understand what our sin is like, how it smells before we can take seriously its effects. I have to spiritually "blow my nose" so I can get rid of these satanic lies and learn to recognize the smell of sin. And once I know its stench it will be a lot easier to avoid.
Tissue and Nasonex anyone?
The subject is sin. "Oh no! Not again!" I hear you all say! Yes, again. This time it's triggered by a little book I'm reading called The Smell of Sin and the Fresh Air of Grace by Don Everts. The title intrigued me and it really is a little book so it didn't intimidate me!
I've wondered for years why I don't seem to know beforehand that I'm going to sin. The "big sins" like stealing and murdering... I mean... sure I would know I was about sin if I were about to engage in something like that but I don't do things like that so the whole issue is a little more cloudy for me. It seems that I sin and then I realize what I've done and then I kick myself for not seeing it beforehand so I could have prevented it. It's so totally defeating to me. But after studying this little book I've come up with a couple of reasons that I think this might happen.
After I sin and see the results of my selfish behavior, I am always sad, remorseful and occasionally repentant. It's at these times I cry out, "If only I had known what this action would have led to then I would have never done it!" But the curious thing is why didn't I see the potential repercussions of my sin? Most likely, it's because my behavior is so often focused only on me and seldom on others. (Ouch... that hurt!) But it's true, I must admit. I am frequently careless with my actions because I believe sin to be an annoyance, a silly rule that got broken, a failed attempt to walk a line that, to me, doesn't seem to have a purpose. My decision on whether or not to sin just doesn't seem to be extremely serious. I see it more as an inconvenience, a slip up, or even a struggle. But not a life or death situation.
Jesus didn't see sin this way. In all three of the synoptic gospels, Jesus says that it would be better for someone to have a millstone tied around their neck and be thrown into the sea than to cause someone else to sin (Matt. 18:6, Mark 9:42, & Luke 17:2). He also says it would be better to saw off your foot, pluck out your eye, or cut off your hand than to sin. Geesh! Why'd he take this stuff so seriously? I mean, we all fail; we all make mistakes! Come on! But that may just be his whole point.
We are all failures. Every last one of us. And the price for that is, according Jesus, "eternal fire". So if every last one of us took Jesus at his word, every last one of us would be at the bottom of Lake Murray (insert your own local body of water) with a cinder block tied around our necks. And then where would we be? No one to subdue the earth as God commanded; His beautiful creation destroyed by their own hands; the fellowship He created us for ablated. Jesus saw the hopelessness of this entire situation. He knew where we were headed. And he came to stop it once and for all. The problem is, we just don't see the problem!
Satan in all his cleverness has made sure that we see our sins as minor trifles, mere annoyances, minimal inconveniences. Most of us aren't murderers and can do fairly well (we think) with keeping those big 10 rules. But the problem is that the first time we think or behave selfishly, we've broken the first one and so whether or not we've ever murdered anyone becomes a mute point. But Satan makes sure that we don't see it that way. He covers our sins over with a pastel mist, breathing into our selfish hearts sentiments like, "Well, she deserved that" and "It really wasn't as bad as all that" and "It wouldn't have been fair to me if it had turned out the way it was headed!". And when you have pastel sins instead of blood red ones, there is really very little need for a Savior.
I believe Jesus. I believe He knew what He was doing when He allowed himself to be nailed to the cross. And if I believe all that, then I have to believe that sin is, as Jesus says, a life or death situation. It's serious. It's important, important enough for Him to suffer an agonizing, torture for me to be able to escape it. I look on the cross and I see a loving Father that understands the significance of my sin infinitely more than I do. And then I realize that my sin is not a mere inconvenience or minor annoyance. It's a slap in the face to a loving parent that sacrificed himself for me. It's like spitting in my mother's face when she greets me at the door with the scent of a holiday meal wafting from the kitchen where she has been toiling away in love. We have to understand what our sin is like, how it smells before we can take seriously its effects. I have to spiritually "blow my nose" so I can get rid of these satanic lies and learn to recognize the smell of sin. And once I know its stench it will be a lot easier to avoid.
Tissue and Nasonex anyone?
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
In Pursuit of Perfection
On Decemeber 1st I wrote about how disappointed I am in myself that I continually sin. On December 2nd, Oswald writes about what I'm supposed to do with that. How does he do that?
He instructs (as my wise husband has done so often) that it is a snare (a trap set by Satan himself) that I pursue "the manifestations of God in my life" rather than a relationship with God. It's what Rod calls the "trap of morality". I work and work and work at having the fruit of the Spirit. I strive to be sinless, to never make any mistake, to never hurt anyone's feelings, be late, or irresponsible. It's a call to an impossible life; it's a call to death. Exactly the opposite of the life Christ called me to.
To me, this translates that the impossible to acheive human perfection is not and should not be my goal. Instead, my goal must be a communion with God that is so close, so transparent, that all anyone who looks on it sees is God. Not only does that sound do-able but I long for it. I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. (Again, really, really thankful for Paul! -Philippians 3:12)
He instructs (as my wise husband has done so often) that it is a snare (a trap set by Satan himself) that I pursue "the manifestations of God in my life" rather than a relationship with God. It's what Rod calls the "trap of morality". I work and work and work at having the fruit of the Spirit. I strive to be sinless, to never make any mistake, to never hurt anyone's feelings, be late, or irresponsible. It's a call to an impossible life; it's a call to death. Exactly the opposite of the life Christ called me to.
Christian perfection is not, and never can be, human perfection. Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship to God which shows itself amid the irrelevancies of human life.-Oswald Chambers
To me, this translates that the impossible to acheive human perfection is not and should not be my goal. Instead, my goal must be a communion with God that is so close, so transparent, that all anyone who looks on it sees is God. Not only does that sound do-able but I long for it. I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. (Again, really, really thankful for Paul! -Philippians 3:12)
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Body Part du Jour
If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into enternal fire
-Jesus
I can't do it. I fell asleep last night contemplating it and have sat at the table this morning trying to figure out how I could be brave enough to cut out my tongue. But unfortunately, the more I think about it, it would be my tongue today, my hand another day and my feet the day after that. What about my brain? What happens when it's time to cut that off?
And then I realized something (Ok, this isn't really the first time I've realized this-just the first time I've blogged it). It's not my tongue or my hands or my feet that cause me to sin. It's my nature. Jesus understood this. He knew I'd eventually get to the place where I'd realize how hopeless all this chopping off of body parts is. This is where I crucify my nature on the cross of Calvary- but that seems to be more nice, neat, Christianese for something I can't do. I think it would be easier to cut out my tongue.
I can't stop sinning. I've tried. I keep trying. I keep failing. I sound like Paul. I've been here with him before. So I know where to start reading. Romans 8:1.
Thanks, Paul. I needed that.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Escapee
You should see the beautiful view I have out my kitchen window. The sky is my favorite color of blue- it's a clear, crisp, sophisticated blue- cold but beautiful. And the leaves are red, orange, yellow, brown, and there's still some green out there. There aren't very many birds today...I don't know what they're doing. But I found our bird, Harvie, sitting in the dining room today. No idea how she got out of her cage. Maybe she wanted to go outside and fly in that beautiful view- she has to look at it all day from inside the house- from inside her cage. Maybe there's a bird gathering going on outside somewhere that she caught wind of and maybe she was trying to go- some kind of bird world cup or something. I put her back in her cage. She seemed ok with it.
I wish I was.
I wish I was.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Have a Yourself a Generic Little Christmas
Tonight we had the pure parental pleasure of watching our daughter sing in a children's choir for the Governor's Carolighting. What a beautiful experience for her. She even had an ETV camera zoom in really close! The service was beautiful, the music exceptional. It was an inspiring way to launch into the Christmas season.... until the Governor started speaking.
We are fortunate in our state to have a "Christian" governor. He acknowledged at the start of his speech that Christmas truly belongs to the Christians. How sad when he had to continue on struggling to find pertinence for those who "do not hold to the Christian origins of the season". He decided that Christmas offers two positive opportunities for "non-Christians".
First of all, according to our governor, Christmas provides an opportunity for people to practice traditions and experience "togetherness". He related warm memories of his mother reading T'was the Night Before Christmas to him and his siblings. Next, he offered that non-christians could experience a new appreciation for others through gift giving and cited the example of a self-absorbed teen who ponders what his little brother might truly like for Christmas.
How sad that we offer to others a false "meaning" of Christmas during this sacred season in attempt to include them without imposing our "beliefs" on them. How sad that others can only know a portion of the joy we experience as Christians through the true meaning of Christmas. How wonderful that others could experience a full, guilt-free, abundant life in communion with the One true God of the universe, if only we would stop trying to not offend them. What if this Christmas we offered everyone on our gift list Jesus. It just might be the very best Christmas ever!
We are fortunate in our state to have a "Christian" governor. He acknowledged at the start of his speech that Christmas truly belongs to the Christians. How sad when he had to continue on struggling to find pertinence for those who "do not hold to the Christian origins of the season". He decided that Christmas offers two positive opportunities for "non-Christians".
First of all, according to our governor, Christmas provides an opportunity for people to practice traditions and experience "togetherness". He related warm memories of his mother reading T'was the Night Before Christmas to him and his siblings. Next, he offered that non-christians could experience a new appreciation for others through gift giving and cited the example of a self-absorbed teen who ponders what his little brother might truly like for Christmas.
How sad that we offer to others a false "meaning" of Christmas during this sacred season in attempt to include them without imposing our "beliefs" on them. How sad that others can only know a portion of the joy we experience as Christians through the true meaning of Christmas. How wonderful that others could experience a full, guilt-free, abundant life in communion with the One true God of the universe, if only we would stop trying to not offend them. What if this Christmas we offered everyone on our gift list Jesus. It just might be the very best Christmas ever!
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