Image by Gilles Gonthier (CCL)

A squirrel tried to commit suicide under my car on the way to church this week.  He crossed the opposite lane successfully then looked confused as he tried to decide whether to cross into my lane.  There were several cars on my side getting ready to land right on top of him — myself included.  He stopped, looked behind himself, then proceeded to retreat to the safety of his origin.

Suddenly, he turned on a dime and darted right in front of me.  Panicked, I swerved and tried to miss him because I love the little creatures.  I think I was successful but there were other cars behind me.  I still don’t know his fate.  I don’t like to think about it.

This little story caused me to think:  How often do we run out in the middle of the road and wonder why we were almost run over?  We see where we’ve been.  Sometimes we can look ahead and predict the the outcomes of our choice – but not always.  Often we know better than to proceed into murky and dark waters but we foolishly choose to do it anyway.  We can clearly see the danger ahead but something inside our little brains tells us not to care.

The thing is:  We can’t hide out either.  We have to take risks….chances…opportunities.  Life has so much to offer us.  It has so much to teach us.  Life, with all of its hazards, is an amazing gift from God.

Image by Gilles Gonthier (CCL)

There’s a balance to be struck somewhere in the middle.  Maybe we should look before we leap.  Maybe we should consider consequences before we forge ahead into the unknown.  Perhaps we should consult our Creator before we do something that might contradict His will for our lives.

That’s the big one. Do we often consider God’s will for our lives before we leap?  My guess is that it’s usually an after-thought for many of us.

I’m not saying it’s easy to control our impulsive desires, but it’s the sensible thing to do.  God gave us a brain — we should use it.  I believe God wants us to enjoy the beauty of what He has given us, but I also believe He wants us to keep Himself at the forefront of all that we do.

Do we?

Ignorance Is No Excuse

Serenity on Lake Irwin

In his book “The Soul’s Quest for God” R.C. Sproul  says, “Spiritual discernment is neither a new revelation nor an understanding that takes place in a vacuum.  Christianity is not an esoteric religion attainable only by an elite group who alone are privy to divine truth.  The revelation of the Lord of Glory takes place in the open sphere of history.  It is not a secret thing “done in a corner.”  No one exposed to the biblical testimony can justly claim ignorance as an excuse for ignorance.  Though God displayed patience toward ignorance for a time, there was a limit, a terminal point to his forbearance.  Once God fully and finally demonstrated the identity of His Son by raising him from the dead, his forbearance ended.”

Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Act 17:29 – 31

This generation likes to use excuses.  That includes this particular Christian generation.  For every downfallen and backslidden Christian there is an excuse:

• “If God had wanted me know more about Him, He would have taught me through the Holy Spirit so I could automatically know all about Him.
• I shouldn’t have to study the Bible so deeply.
• I don’t have time.
• I know all I need to know because the pastor tells me all I need to know.
• I know the basics; it’s enough for me.
• Those people have too much head knowledge and not enough heart knowledge.
• It’s all about the love, baby.  That’s all I need – God’s love.”
• If we don’t become culturally relevant, people won’t come to church.

I ran into a local pastor at the grocery store today who is starting a new church in our area. We had an interesting discussion about what the church should be about — should it merely love its people or should it teach its people? Because he had a dysfunctional childhood, he was clinging to the love. Because I long and hunger to understand God — because I’ve been in seeker churches that fail to teach and have watched hundreds leave because their souls are dissatisfied and still hungry — I love strong teaching. My childhood had its own share of dysfunctionality, but that drives me even more to study because my parents didn’t teach me.

In reality, it’s not one or the either – it’s both and more. The church must embrace both love and teaching but it cannot sacrifice one for the other, which is a common occurrence within the realm of Christendom today. The church must provide solid community for its believers. They must share the sacraments together and support each other through the moments of daily existence, as Christ has commanded us. The church must serve the poor and those in need locally and around the world.

Some will find this next statement controversial, but I think this one thing has sorely been overlooked in our contemporary churches. Having bought into the seeker mentality for awhile, I now believe the church is for Christians, not seekers. Seekers are welcome into our worship services, but it is the body of Christ that gathers together to worship. Non-believers don’t worship. By losing this focus, the church has become disjointed, in my humble opinion. It’s even sadder.  How many times have any of you seen non-Christians function in leadership roles in the church. Sadly, I’ve seen it often. I’ve even seen a Mormon woman lead a Bible study/small group at our large seeker church in town (the one I left).

Too often today, one or more of these essentials is absent in the church, (or perhaps one aspect is overemphasized at the cost of another) sending out a false message and representation of the gospel to a watching world. That’s particularly troubling when we know that the soul of a Christian longs for God. It searches high and low to know the things of God. Of all places, the church should be a place to find understand, love and a brotherhood of saints well established and thriving because the things of God are put first – not the things of man. There is a witness involved. There is integrity to maintain — the integrity of God’s Word and the integrity of accurately representing Christ to a fallen world.  We cannot claim ignorance.

If I were to grade the contemporary church and present it with a report card, I’m afraid it wouldn’t want to show its grade to its Father.  I wouldn’t allow the church to blame their failure on ignorance.  If I could leave one thought to the next generation of the church — I would tell them that church doesn’t have to be so complex. It doesn’t have to have the latest and greatest ideology, technology nor cutting edge leadership protocols. In making our churches so ideological and edgy we have lost sight of the core. It can be so much more simple.

Quite frankly, I think people would rather choose to come to church to rest in the Word of the Lord, surrounded by the common love of His people, than they would choose to run feverishly from this committee to the next — going to this conference or that one — trying to figure out how to increase church numbers with some marvelous 45 second video — marketing the next latest pop book to the church congregation — making sure the count-down clock is exactly on time so the service starts with a bang.

Seriously – did every church in the country need to teach The Purpose Driven Life? Wouldn’t the Word of God been more than sufficient and indeed more desirable for God’s people to hear? I would tell them — let’s make the church real, tangible and faithful to the Word of God. Allow the people of God to rest when they enter into community at church. Generations are all the same. Your generation is no different than mine. We all want to know God.  It’s a fact that if the church were doing its job, I wouldn’t have to spend so much time online listening to teachers who do take God’s Word seriously.  I would be able to find it in my own community.  But I hunger — and I thirst.

Sproul is right. The contemporary church cannot declare its ignorance. It knows better. Likewise, as Sproul commented, each of us cannot declare ignorance to be the cause of our ignorance.  I can think of a few other things that are the cause of it. Laziness. Pride. Selfishness. Idolatry. Self. Worldliness. Sin. It’s a long list.

But that’s topic for another day. And there is a future hope that doesn’t let me dwell on it too much.

I also have hope for the younger generation.  I just heard an amazing gospel-driven message by a recent WTS graduate visiting at a small church in our town.  Honestly, it’s the first time in a very long time that I’ve heard the Word of God delivered so powerfully by someone so young.  Maybe you would enjoy it as well.

Pushing and Shoving

This last month has been entertaining in our valley.    It’s the fall elk rutting season and our valley is chock full of elk.  We spend many restful hours watching the elk interact with each other.   It’s amusing to watch a bull elk try to sneak up on a female, then observe the flip of her muzzle upward into the air as she turns and prances away from his advancing clutches.

The strongest males in the bunch engage often in powerful battles for the hearts and affection of the ladies.  I’ve seen a few of them keep their antlers forcefully locked together for hours on end.   They push and shove — clash and clank — all to no avail because the ladies ignore them.  Yet, they continue as if their very lives depended on it.  Eventually, one bull will turn and run.  That’s not good enough for the victor.  He pursues the fallen and downcast guy, intent on using his mighty antlers to pierce the flesh of the defeated one.

Well, as nature has it, the strongest elk will win.  He will get to possess most of the ladies while the other bulls sneak in an advance or two, hoping it goes unnoticed by the victorious bully.  Such is life.

This reality mirrors human activity fairly well.  People push and shove to get ahead of others.  Some are stronger and more persistent and will usually win — that is, if we define winning by the world’s definition.  I rather think that for these individuals it’s not so much the winning that really matters.  It’s the ‘being noticed’ that matters.

From the dawn of creation, man has wanted to be thought of as special and important, so important in fact, that man often tells his internal self that the world simply could not go on without them.  Man has, since the dawn of time, deeply desired to be noticed and appreciated.  Perhaps I shall go further and state that man’s deepest desire is to be revered by the world around him. Why?  It’s our nature.

Isn’t this the very thing that happened before creation?  Didn’t Satan fall because he wanted to be revered?  In Isaiah 14:12-15 we read:

“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High. ’

Elk eating my garden - the fruit of my labor

Satan wanted to sit on God’s throne.   He wanted to be revered and worshiped.  In the deepest recesses of his heart, he wanted to make himself like God the Father.   The Most High Father of everything.  However, the created cannot usurp the power of the Creator.

In one article I read about Satan, it described him as God’s original worship leader.  Jeff Miller says: “Full of wisdom and beauty, Satan grew jealous of the attention that God received.”  Ezekiel 28: 11-17 tells us that:

Thus says the Lord God: “You were the signet of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone was your covering,
sardius, topaz, and diamond,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle;
and crafted in gold were your settings
and your engravings.
On the day that you were created
they were prepared.
You were an anointed guardian cherub.
I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;
in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created,
till unrighteousness was found in you.
In the abundance of your trade
you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub,
from the midst of the stones of fire.
Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.

A herd mentality

That’s a mouthful but it’s important to understand.  Satan shouldn’t scare us.    Ezekiel tells us that God has already destroyed Satan. Satan was blameless until unrighteous thoughts filled his heart, causing him to sin.  Christians know that the result of sin is destruction.  In this case, pride caused the wisdom of Satan to become corrupt.  Pride is an ugly thing.

There is good news, however.   Sproul reminds us that Jesus was sent for a reason.  God sent Him to right the wrong and fix the heart.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus! That seems to conflict with what we hear today in Christian circles.  How many times have you heard your Christian friend say that Satan is the ruler of this world?  I find it reassuring to understand that Jesus is the king of this earth right now.  Satan may be in our world working overtime to manipulate and coerce, but his every effort is under the scrutiny of a king who has been given authority by the Father to rule.

Sproul goes on to tell us that, “His kingdom is invisible, and not everybody acknowledges it. People are giving more allegiance to the prince of darkness than to the Prince of Peace, but that is an act of usurpation on the part of Satan. His power is restricted, limited, and temporal. What has happened briefly is this: The power and authority of Satan has been dealt a fatal blow by Christ. The Cross, the Incarnation, the Resurrection, and the Ascension tremendously weakened any power or authority that Satan enjoyed, but it didn’t annihilate him. That will come later, when Christ completes his work of redemption with the consummation of his kingdom. All things will be brought into captivity to him, and every knee will bow to him, including the fallen angels, who will bow in submission to his authority.”

We must daily remind ourselves that nothing is to receive glory except God.  God emphasizes to us in Isaiah 48:11 that He will not give His glory to another.

If we know this, how then should we live?  We can either live the “notice me” life of Satan — we can join the herd mentality of the world, pushing and shoving until everyone is injured, wrestling till our inward strength fails — or we can rest in being a servant of God.  The irony is this:  God created us for His glory!  Isaiah 43:5-7 is a strong reminder of this.

Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you.
I will say to the north, Give up,
and to the south, Do not withhold;
bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the end of the earth,
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

Think about that for awhile.  Can you rest as a created child of God’s glory? Can you put aside your human desire to be noticed and simply rest in the Hand of the One who created you?

What We Can Learn From Our Dogs

We recently got a new puppy – a beautiful Australian Shepherd male puppy.  He was the runt of the litter.  We named him ‘Howard.’  The name just seems to suit him somehow.

Howard is a red merle Aussie; copper and white all swirled together in a beautiful mosaic of pure puppy pleasure.  He has two big, beautiful, blue eyes that pierce right into your heart.

I’d like to share something that the breeder gave to us when we purchased Howard.  It’s entitled:  What We Can Learn From Our Dogs.

Now, if you were my mother, you would answer, “Dogs don’t teach you a thing.  They are a bother.”

I, on the other hand, would disagree.  Dogs can teach us a lot.  They can teach us how to love unconditionally and completely.  How many humans do that?  Hmm?

Dogs can protect and treasure us.  Dogs give us a way to demonstrate our love tangibly and without premeditation.  I mean, when you look at Howard’s picture, doesn’t’ your heart just melt?  I have a feeling it lowers our blood pressure, too.  Loving our dogs gives us a way to express our love and appreciation to God, who created such a warm, fuzzy puppy face to caress.

Simply said, dogs are simple.  They think simply.  Things just are.  Life simply exists.  No need to over-analyze nor presume.  I rather think we can learn a lot from our dogs if it’s only that we need to simplify our lives and enjoy the process of ‘being.’

Here’s the list she gave me:

** When a loved one comes home, always run to greet them.

** Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

** Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

** Practice obedience.

** Take naps.

** Stretch before rising.

** Run, romp and play daily.

** Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

** Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

** On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

** On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

** When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

** No matter how often you’re scolded, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout.  Run right back and make friends.

** Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

** Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.

** Stop when you have had enough.

** Be loyal.

** Never pretend to be something you’re not.

** When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

Our wonderful Charlie loves his new buddy.  They play together and sleep together.  Charlie has taught him all the ropes in no time at all. In fact, Howard could very well have been named Mini-Me because he looks like Charlie’s miniature clone.

I am so thankful for Howard’s wonderful and careful breeder.  They made it simple for us to love and choose Howard.  The ropes we had to jump over were low to the ground and balanced.  I am thankful to their sensibility and carefulness.   In the past, we’ve tried to find a puppy to bring into our home (which is an excellent dog home, I might add), but were turned back by the plethora of hurdles we had to scale and the judgment calls about our character we had to survive in order to bring their pup into our loving home.

I certainly want a breeder to be careful where their place their puppies.  No doubt about that.  But I’ve seen some excesses this past year.  Howard’s breeder used common sense and her puppies received wonderful homes.  I know many people choose rescue dogs for their homes for this very reason — the frustration of dealing with unreasonable breeders –  but we couldn’t adopt a rescue dog due to the nature of my business.  I have children in my home constantly and must have a dog I can completely trust in that environment.

When I think about all of the dogs that need rescuing – rescuing from bad owners and bad breeders – my heart sinks.  Sometimes, not always, the damage is beyond repair for some of these precious dogs. They certainly haven’t deserved that kind of treatment.  I am thankful to those who have the ability to rescue them from their misery.

Dogs love so completely that they give their entire heart to you at a moment’s notice.  It’s only fair that we return the favor, don’t you think?

Howard and Charlie

Unbelievers Don’t Seek God

OK, this is a hard one.  Even though it’s biblical, many contemporary Christians don’t understand this very real theological truth.

No unbeliever ever seeks God. What, you say?  How can that be!?  Isn’t that why we have seeker-friendly churches?  So that unbelievers can seek God?

What misconceptions we foster because we choose to be negligent of God’s Word!  R. C. Sproul says in his book, Knowing Scripture: “Here then is the real problem of our negligence.  We fail in our duty to study God’s Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work.  Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion.  Our problem is that we are lazy.”

Our slothfulness causes lots of problems.  Isn’t that a great word?  Slothfulness.  Our slothfulness (laziness), among other things, has caused us to believe inaccuracies and then declare them to be personal, falsely-declared self truths — things which, in fact, are not truths at all.  Our laziness has caused us to make poor choices and led us down rabbit trails that have no eternal destination.

In Romans 3:10-11 we are told,  “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. In our human, earthly, un-regenerated state, none of us would seek God.  It’s simply not in our nature to do so.

Yes, here it comes again – another Sproul quote from his book, The Soul’s Quest for God.  I’m sorry!  (Not really).  Sproul has taught me so much.  His clear cut teaching has meant a lot to me as I’ve grown to know God better and I’ve been reading a lot of him lately.  Here’s what Sproul says: “Fallen humans are not by nature seekers after God.  We are fugitives from God, fully intent upon escaping from him.”

Sproul goes on to relate that Saint Thomas Aquinas gave an answer to this preponderance.  Aquinas explained that the unbeliever desperately seeks happiness, peace of mind, meaning and significance in life, relief from guilt and a host of other things we link inseparably with God.  These are mere benefits of God.  That, however, doesn’t mean we are seeking God.

What Sproul and Aquinas are saying is that our heart desires to run from God.   We don’t necessarily want to be caught.  We seek the benefits that God offers us but without all the hassle of really knowing Him.  Since it is not our nature to seek God, until regeneration takes place, our hearts cannot understand a Holy God nor do we desire to understand Him.

Yet God desires that his people would worship Him in spirit and truth.  God desires that we grow in the knowledge of Him.  He desires that we mature and do not remain spiritual infants. God seeks such people to worship Him.  Authentic worship studies the Word of God in order to know the true God.

Psalm 119:1-12 is another beautiful example of the importance of knowing God’s Word:

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.
Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.
I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes!

Notice in this Psalm that there is a correlation between seeking and knowing God’s word.  Seeking with one’s whole heart.  The two co-exist.  Those who love God want to know more about Him — the real Him.  Those who love God are the real seekers.

Also notice in this Psalm that the writer intensely desires to follow God, but he is not saying that he is successful at doing so.  He is merely trying to say that his human heart desires to follow the statues of God to the best of his sinful nature.   Most of us know that we do fail — and will fail.  That includes Christians.  We can be thankful that God forgives our  failed meanderings when we confess them to Him and ask forgiveness in the areas that we fail.  He is compassionate towards our plight.

It is the Christian who seeks God.  When we find Him, it is only the beginning of our journey.  In order to understand God, we must be motivated to study His word so we have an accurate portrayal of Him.  In order to seek God, we must love him.  Solomon reminds us of this in Song of Solomon 3:2, “I will seek him whom my soul loves.”

Lord, help me to love you so much that my heart desires to know you deeply.  Help me to desire the substance of the Word you have provided for me.  Help me to thirst for you.

We Actually Think God Doesn’t Know

Many of you who read this blog know that I’m passionate about a ministry called Compassion International.  So passionate, in fact, that I volunteer for them.  I live and breathe to find just one more sponsor who will rise up and declare that they will love that one special child who is still waiting for a sponsor.  Why?  Because I have personally seen the impact our four sponsored children have had on my life.

I bet you thought I was going to say — because I have personally seen the impact I have had on my four sponsored children.  That’s what I thought in the beginning.  How easily I get it backwards!

Yesterday at church I was trying to explain to a couple how God had worked in my life through sponsorship.  I could see they wanted to sponsor but they just didn’t get it.  They had a million excuses why they shouldn’t — and they talked themselves right out of sponsorship even when I could see they really wanted to sponsor.  They ignored the clear prompting of God in their hearts to respond.  In reconciliation, I prefer to think of it as hope deferred.  God can be persistent

As a volunteer, sometimes this frustrates me.   People see the genuine need — they have more than enough money — and they choose to walk away from a child who really needs them.

God has had to teach me some hard lessons through my volunteerism.  He’s had to chastise me when I feel anger and disappointment welling up inside of me because of the selfishness I see in others (and if I’m honest, in myself.)  When I see someone pick up a packet and then walk away, it’s easy for me to judge others when I know I shouldn’t make conclusions about unfinished journeys.

The fact is, it’s easy for me to think that God needs my help when in reality, He doesn’t my help at all.  While I’m a mere vessel for offering opportunity to others– while I’m His hands and feet serving the children– only He inspires.  Only He convicts.  Only He can connect a child to a sponsor.

One of our sponsored children, Witness

How do I know this?  Because God has told me that even the tiniest sparrow doesn’t fall without the our Father knowing about it.  I know this because Ephesians 1 tells me that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ and chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world — that He and only He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of HIS will.  How amazing is that?

Still, I inwardly rebel.  I see people living double lives. They say they want to serve but ignore a real and tangible way to rescue a hurting child.  I judge people’s motives and have no right to do so.

I watch as people, including myself, hide things from God — as if they could.   We actually think God doesn’t know our hearts.  I watch as people ignore clearly taught words in the Bible.  Words which ask us to do something.  I’m compassionate to a point, but since I’m a black and white person, I sometimes let it get the best of me.

How can people ignore James 1:27 or Psalm 112?  God has been clear about poverty in the Bible.  He has been clear about the need to help children.  To ignore these mandates, in my opinion, means that a person is ignoring God.  We say and believe that God is a just God.  We say He died for our sins.  We say He loves us.  We believe that He provides justice for those in need and yet we ignore that He asks us to be His hands and feet.

We convince ourselves that God doesn’t see this dark side of us.  We actually think God doesn’t know what we are doing (or not doing).  We choose what we want to do instead of choosing to love the things that God has asked us to do.

Ephesians 2:8-10 is an amazing passage.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

It’s amazing enough in itself that we are saved!  We are saved only by the grace of God through our faith in Him.  Not only that, our salvation is a gift to us!  One day, we will live in eternity with the Father!  How amazing is that?

Our sponsored child, Amani, with his family

But here’s the kicker.  Here’s the part we often ignore.  We are created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared for us to do — before we were even created! God wants us to walk in this path.  He wants us to do the things He has prepared for us to do. Our good works won’t save us.  God has already done that for us.  But He has a little request of us.  He asks us to help those in genuine need.

These things aren’t unknown to us.  They aren’t things we esoterically divine for ourselves to do.  They are spelled out for us.   Zechariah 7:9-10 tells us not to oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner or the poor.  How simple is that?

If we truly understand with a grateful heart that God, in His infinite mercy towards us, saved US, then why can’t we do something as simple as saving a child?   Compassion International makes it so easy.

And the irony?  The blessing is yours.  It shouldn’t be — but I can almost guarantee it will be.  How beautiful is that?  God loved us so much that He not only saved us, but created us to be His hands and feet and in the process, He blesses us.  Amazing.  Simply and utterly amazing.

After it’s all said and done, we must remain faithful and trust that God, in His sovereignty, has a plan for each and every child — and for every sponsor.

It Could Have Been Me

I’ve been really sick this week.  I mean – really sick.  There is a gastrointestinal bug going around and it has hit me hard.  (I know, it’s more than you need to know….)  When you lie in bed long enough, your brain is your only source of entertainment because your body really can’t do anything more than it is doing at the moment.

As I doubled over with massive stomach cramps, I could not help but think about a little girl who at this very moment is lying in makeshift dirt bed….doubled over in pain because her tiny tummy hurts so badly that she tries to use her own arms to surround herself in comfort.  She is suffering from dysentery or malaria.  No one has really given her a diagnosis.  This dirty, blessed street child is hurting.

I had the ability to drag myself into my car and take myself to the Urgent Care Center to get some relief from my symptoms.  She did not have this option.  There are no clinics near by nor medicines available for girls like her.  Even if there were a clinic, there is no money to be used on her pain.

So she takes the pain in stride because this is life for her.

I lost 10  pounds during my illness.  She hasn’t a pound to spare – I have a plethora.

This isn’t the first time she’s experienced pain.  She is used to stomach pain because hunger is her constant companion.  What little she can scavenge from the streets has to make do until she can find the next morsel of sustenance.

I went to my pantry, pulled out a box of jello and made something to soothe my tummy.  Jello costs pennies.  Not a big deal to me.

But a huge deal to her.

The great sadness is that it doesn’t have to be this way.  There is a way to help but so many advantaged people fail to see that they can share their blessings.  They worry they don’t have enough.  Rest assured – you have enough!    We are blessed with health care, cars, food, medicine, education, homes, clean water and more.  We aren’t entitled to them but we have been given them.  We have enough.

Can we not share?  Even just a little bit…..for her?

I am hyper-conscious at this painful moment that it could have been me on that street.  But for the grace of God, I could be wearing her shoes and could be shivering in that dirt bed instead of her.   But here I lie –inside a warm, cozy home in a soft, cushy bed as I wait for my ailment to pass, knowing with confidence that I will survive this illness. I have hope.

She lies there in the heat of her fever and wonders if this will be the time that finally takes her life.   She’s wondered this in the past.  And the fact is, exposed to the outside elements while her little body is under such duress, her chances for survival diminish greatly.  She doesn’t have even a shredded blanket to cover her bare, cold feet.  She has no hope.

Am I responsible?  Yes.  We are all responsible.  I don’t want our hearts to ignore this message as is our tendency.  Out of sight — out of mind.  I pray this verbal painting of a hurting little girl will stay with you for a very long time until it haunts your conscience into submission and action.  You have enough.  You should help.  I have enough.  I must help. It’s not optional.

She is worth saving.  She is valuable.  She could be a part of your family if you would adopt her into your heart.  It’s easy.  Here’s how to help.

Grandmama’s Hiking Boots

We just got back from a few glorious days in Crested Butte, Colorado.  We stayed in a solar cabin on Lake Irwin far from the maddening, saddening atmosphere of political decline and media over-stimulation that seems to prevail in every strand of the atmosphere we breathe — choking our minds — suffocating our thoughts.

The cabin is located several miles west of Crested Butte deep in an alpine forest.  Crested Butte, once a hard-working mining town, is now a liberal, eco-friendly, conservative-bashing town where stop signs are located at every intersection so the bicyclists can pass undeterred — and where car mileage dips at every stop sign.  We didn’t let this alter-culture deter us, however.  Crested Butte has some of the most beautiful scenery in our state to experience and we wanted to be right in the middle of it!

We shared our cabin with our daughter’s in-laws, who  brought up 3 ATVs.  Early the next morning following our arrival, we straddled our ATVs and embarked high up into the land beyond timberline to enjoy all that God has gifted to us in His creation.  In no time at all we were at the top of the world looking down upon the clouds.

The irony of our delight is that the residents of Crested Butte hate ATVs.  They believe that people like us destroy the environment when in fact, it is irresponsible people who destroy the environment.  ATVs, horses, dogs, bicycles and the like can all be used responsibly.   They can also be used irresponsibly.  We use them responsibly – but that didn’t stop the glares from the hikers we left in our dust.

What many young, eco-liberals do not understand is that ATVs are a gift to those of us who are creeping up in age.  I like to call them Grandmama’s hiking boots.  The gift of an advanced society is that life does not have to be so difficult — it doesn’t have to be so painful.

I do understand, though.  We used to be just like them.  We used to hike our socks off and do so in record time.  Sadly, we aren’t that spry anymore!  ATVs allow us to get up into the clouds quicker and with less pain for our aging, arthritic joints.

Younger members of our society would be well-advised to consider this as they push for more and more legislation banning the use of vehicles or animals (like horses) which help us experience our great land.  One day, they will be like us.  When you are 25, you never think you will be 55 or 65  but it arrives sooner than you will ever imagine!

Sadly, many liberals have the notion that all conservatives act irresponsibly to the environment.  Not true!  We are conservatives and eco-minded!  We are strong advocates for treating our environment gently and with respect.  We recycle with the best of them.  We are careful how we drive our ATVs.  We clean up our trash and pack it out.   How I detest that we are all lumped into one big category.  How I loathe that as a conservative, I am called ugly names out of ignorance and arrogance.

When this happens, I simply have to pick up the book that puts it all into perspective.   In this book, Jude reminds his listeners that people blaspheme and condemn others because they simply do not understand.  While Jude is speaking specifically about those in olden days who made wrong judgments and pronounced lies about early Christians, the concept remains the same.  People judge wrongly because they do not see truth accurately.  Jude 1:10 tells us:

But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.

The thing is, these people are destroyed by their ability to forsake honest reasoning.  Jude calls their minds “unreasoning minds.”  They use human, sinful instincts to try to understand what has been veiled from their eyes.  I don’t doubt that they sincerely believe their erroneous thinking but that does not change the fact that their understanding is flawed and fractured.

Until we understand life from God’s perspective, our understanding will always be in error.  That concept holds true for every aspect of human life.  The Creator gave us life — He defines life — He is life!

For those of us injured by those who selfishly chart their own path, we would do well to remember 1 Peter 2:15-17.

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.  Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.  Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God.

It’s not important that we are hurt by their spiteful accusations.  It is, however, important to recognize that we are to live above their criticism.  We answer to a higher power.  We answer to God Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth. We would do well for ourselves to remember the Nicene Creed which was written long before arrogant and selfish individuals staked claim upon our society.

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness

A good friend in my Bible Study referred to this poem during one of our discussions.  I thought it prudent, at this time in our history, to share it with my friends.

‘On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness’

The tusks which clashed in mighty brawls
Of mastodons, are billiard balls.

The sword of Charlemagne the Just
Is Ferric Oxide, known as rust.

The grizzly bear, whose potent hug,
Was feared by all, is now a rug.

Great Caesar’s bust is on the shelf,
And I don’t feel so well myself.

— Arthur Guiterman

History repeats itself.  Nothing new is under the sun.

1Corinthians 2:5-9 ……that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.  None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”–

Photo by Lauren (Creative Commons Attribution License)

Compassion

As someone who has a heart for those in need, it is hard to ignore the recurring theme of compassion in the Bible.  I’m not just talking about the fact that we should be a compassionate people.  I’m speaking of the fact that God has, throughout scripture, had compassion and mercy on us — His people — even when they continue to be a sinful people.  It’s an interesting thread to study — to see how God had compassion on some people and not on others.  How can this be?  Is God not a fair God?

Right before God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, God had a revealing discussion with him.  In Exodus 33:19 God told Moses, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” In verse 17 of that chapter, God told Moses that he had found favor in God’s sight.  He reminded Moses that He knew Moses by name…. that their relationship was very personal and deeply connected.  God chose to have mercy on Moses.

Compassion and mercy isn’t just an Old Testament concept.   Jesus had compassion for those in the crowd who listened to his teaching.  He had compassion on those who had true need:  the widows and orphans of the world.  He saw that His people were helpless – like a sheep without a shepherd.  He alone could be their shepherd.  Out of deep compassion, He offered mercy to those who followed Him.

After Jesus, the apostles continued to show compassion and mercy to others, although of an earthly and human sort.  Paul doesn’t fail to remind believers, however, that God is the only one who can offer them the rich mercy of salvation.  Exodus 33:19 is quoted in Romans 9:15 and reads, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” God did not change from Old Testament to New.

Paul, in the magnificent and enlightening book of Romans, is discussing what some view as an injustice on God’s part.  In this chapter, the subject of election is discussed — a subject which grieves the hearts of Arminians and comforts the hearts of Calvinists.

The thing is – it’s an important concept to understand.  In Romans 9, Paul reminds his listeners that all of those who have believed and followed the teachings of Jesus are now counted as the offspring of Abraham.  That was a bit offensive to the Hebrews people who were listening, as you might imagine.

Somewhere along the line, the Hebrew people had forgotten that God had loved Jacob, but had hated Esau.  The crowd must have been leaning towards Paul in anticipation as he said in verse 14, “Does that mean there is injustice on the part of God?  Absolutely not!”

It’s difficult to understand, based on human reasoning and emotion, how God could chose some and not others.  Verse 16 tells us that it does not depend on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy on some and not on others.

That’s why I’ve been pondering the mercy and compassion of God lately.  That’s why I have been reminding myself that God, in His sovereign mercy chose some of us and did not choose others of us.  Even that was merciful – that God did not choose some.  How, you say?  I can’t answer that — but scripture says His choice was merciful.  Do I believe the Word of God?

Does a potter have no right to create and mold the clay?  Suppose, just suppose that God desired to show his wrath in order to make known his power.  Suppose that He patiently endured “us” — we, who are vessels of wrath prepared for destruction.  What if God, in order to make known the riches of his glory, (for us, the vessels of mercy prepared beforehand for glory) called some not only from the Jews but from the Gentiles?

We get distracted from this truth when we try to figure out who is who — who is chosen and who is not.  We should not do this.   Romans 10:6-7 tells us not to wonder about who will go to heaven and who will go down into the abyss. Our inclination to control the yeas and neas gets us into trouble.

Righteousness, based on faith, tells us that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  Because our heart believes, we are justified.  Because our mouths have confessed our sin, we are saved.

Yet Chapter 10 reminds us that faith comes from hearing the word of Christ….not a facsimile  of the word of Christ…..not an analogy of the words of Christ…but the words of Christ.

Summarizing, Psalm 103 reminds us that just as a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.  As a people who fear God — as a people who love God and respect His entirety, should we not become a compassionate people?  (Always remembering that our compassion is not of our own doing, but flows through the hand of God.)

Psalm 103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word,  obeying the voice of his word!
21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!
22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Image by Robert Nunnally (Creative Commons Attribution License)