Naming

¹⁹ Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.-Genesis 2:19


I really am being blessed by the book One Thousand Gifts and I can't give author Ann Voskamp enough credit for the devotions that have flowed from it and through my hands onto this blog.


Yesterday I read about "naming."  Many of us have been in the situation of having ourselves or a loved one experiencing symptoms of something seriously wrong but all the medical tests come back negative.  The diagnosis, no matter how severe, is always a relief... because we have an name.  We know what we are fighting.


Naming has been important in creation ever since God gave Adam the job of naming the animals.  When God himself gave names to his children (changing Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, Saul to Paul, etc.)  it:

...reveals the very essence of a thing, or rather its essence as God’s gift. To name a thing is to manifest the meaning and value God gave it, to know it as coming from God and to know its place and function within the cosmos created by God. To name a thing, in other words, is to bless God for it and in it. * 

As I add to my "blessings list," it brings a reality to the gift as I name it that I otherwise might have missed. It changes my attitude.  It gives me a general feeling of gratitude for everything... not only what I have just named.  It blesses my day.


I am learning just how powerful names really are.  We must be very careful about how we name others.  When we name someone "loser" or "complainer" or anything negative, we are actually reinforcing that characteristic upon them at least in our own mind.  Even this naming must change us ourselves, but not for the better.  


We must take care to make sure all of our naming is done in a positive, uplifting way... with gratitude.


*Voskamp, Ann (2010-12-28). One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are (p. 53). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. 


Thank you Father for the privilege and responsibility of naming.  May we do it only with love and gratitude for all you have given us.  Amen.


Joys:  sweetness of an orange; the smell of the conditioner my hairdresser uses; the easy availability of good music

Serving

²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant - Matthew 20:25-26


It's human nature to want the place of honor... to want to be the boss rather than the worker... the officer instead of the private... the master rather than the servant.  But once again, Jesus turns human nature upside down.  He wants us to want the opposite.  It just doesn't make sense that serving would be enjoyable.


But ask anyone who does it on a regular basis... it's almost addictive.  What joy it especially is to serve those who don't expect to be served... the homeless, the poverty stricken, the imprisoned.... or MOMS!  Busy moms are used to serving, but put them on a Via de Cristo weekend where their every need is met and at first they are very uncomfortable with being served.  They just aren't used to it.  But after a while they are smiling and relaxed.  It is such a joy to be part of the reason they are smiling and relaxed... just by bringing them a cup of coffee or making their bed in the morning.


If only it were easier to bring these weekend servant hearts out into the real world.  The minute we come down from the mountaintop, most of us get sucked right back into the "real" world of competition and struggle.  What would the world be like if we LET our co-worker have that big promotion we would otherwise compete for?  What if we gave our next raise to someone who needed it a little more?  We could make the lives of those whose job it is to serve us easier by bagging our own groceries for the cashier or stacking our plates for the waitress.


Be a servant today for someone who least expects it.  The bigger the service, the greater the joy... I guarantee it!


Lord Jesus,
Help us to serve as you served - with humbleness of heart and a deep love for others.  Amen.


Joys:  watching a video of my 7-month-old nephew learning to swim and loving it!; Kevin volunteering to get my car inspected for me; keeping a blessings list.

Faith Expressed Through Love

⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. -Galatians 5:6


I love Christ's Church.  It is the believers gathered in faith to worship God, encourage one another in our Christian walk, study the scriptures and learn how to apply it to our daily lives and reach out to others who don't yet know of God's saving love.  But like any other institution run by man, it is imperfect and in our quest to make it perfect we corrupt it even more.


We humans seem to have a need for black and white rules.  You either must be circumcised or not.  You either must be baptized as an infant or you must wait until some arbitrarily selected age.  You must gather to worship on Sunday or you must gather to worship on Saturday.


Rules are important, especially in the light of seeing how far we fall from being able to keep them all.  But they are not black and white.  We are all individuals and our actions and beliefs need to be judged on an individual basis that looks at our whole experience and genetic make-up and influences.  Only God can judge each of us that perfectly.


What is most important is what St. Paul tells us:  The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.  Our churches each have so much theology, dogma, statements and rules all made by humans.  Much of it is good stuff, but the problem is that because we are all so different, we interpret things differently and all that black and white becomes so gray.  So we argue, blame and judge one another.


If we simply focus on the one thing that counts... faith expressing itself through love, we will find that all that other stuff will simply take care of itself.  We don't judge others so harshly when we are focused on just loving them.


Lord, 
Help us to love you and one another above all else.  Amen.


Joys:  Fun, fun, fun rally day picnic!; teaching Sunday school to preschoolers; a great weekend.

List of Blessings

⁶ Surely you have granted him unending blessings    and made him glad with the joy of your presence. Psalm 21:6


It's been a week of beginnings.  School started.  I know a couple of little ones who started kindergarten this week.  Kevin stared his senior year at UNC-C (I am so proud =) ).  Daniel started the night shift as a police officer for the Charlotte light rail.  Richard is starting the night shift tomorrow at his Timken job (until he is reassigned for deployment in October/November).  I start teaching Sunday school for the preschoolers next week. 


It's been a wonderful summer, but it's time to get back into a live-a-day routine.  Routine is good for me.  As I get older, if it's not part of my routine, I will quite likely forget it!  Devotion writing has become a routine.  I have been doing it for about 12 years now.  I take breaks when vacation takes me away from an internet connection or I might miss a day here and there because I am running late or just can't think of a thing to write about.  And in the last couple of years I have decided to take Sundays off from writing.  But for the most part, I have written a devotion every day for over 12 years.  It is indeed a routine.


The book 1000 Gifts has inspired me to begin a new routine.  I have started a list of things I am thankful for.  I put it on an app on my Droid phone so I know I will have the list with me everywhere I go.  Each time I feel thankful for even the smallest thing, I add it to my list.  It is a numbered list and I have to wonder  what number I will be up to by the end of a week!


It has really helped me to focus on the positive things in life.  I am beginning to see more of what I have rather than what I want.  It is shrinking away that little "devil of greed" that lives in each one of us and whispers in our ear, "More!  You want more!"  I am actually beginning to be overcome with how much I have... not simply material things, but friends, family, freedoms, and free things like wildflowers and summer breezes.  


I hope my new routine continues for years as my devotions have.  I can only imagine that I will have a list of over 100,000 gifts or more as I continue.


Father,
Thank you.  For everything.  Amen.


Joys:  Numbering my blessings; A lazy Saturday morning; Going to get Cecelia a little later today

Entitlement To Gratitude

Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude.- Colossians 4:2


I'm running a little late today with my devotion.  Friday mornings are hard since I have to be at reunion by 7:30.  Sometimes the ideas just don't come when I feel rushed.  But I've been thinking about part of our discussion at reunion this morning and thought I'd take a few minutes from my work day to do my devotion.


One of my reunion sisters (Janice) is a dental hygienist and she was privileged to serve last week in Charlotte as part of a group of dental professionals who gave their time to provide free dental work to those who could not afford it.  She talked about how humble and grateful so many of the people were, but that there were also many who were actually rude and demanding and about the sense of entitlement she felt from that group.


Unfortunately there are many people that have been trapped in the cycle of poverty and welfare for generations who, because they really know no other way, have grown up with this sense of entitlement... that the world somehow owes it to them to take care of them.  As a church employee, I too, often see this attitude in people coming to our doors for help when we cannot do all they want us to do.


But it is not only the poverty-stricken that have this attitude.  I think to a certain extent many of us who have grown up more privileged also have a sense of entitlement in a different way.  We may think our job security should be the responsibility of our employers rather than the result of our own work.  We may think we are entitled to loans and credit cards even when we can't afford to pay them back... and many people even believe they are entitled to choose NOT to pay them back when they find they have gotten in too deep by filing bankruptcy.    


But I think the present times are awakening each of us to our own sense of entitlement.  We are beginning to see that just because we want it doesn't mean that we should - or even can - have it.  We are becoming more thankful for our jobs even in the midst of the daily aggravations it might bring.  We are beginning to understand that we could very well be standing in line for food stamps or even looking for a bed in the homeless shelter ourselves if things get much worse.


Is our sense of entitlement beginning to turn completely around into a sense of gratitude?  If the current economic condition does nothing else for our country, this change of attitude would be more than enough.  Once again, God is taking a bad thing and working his good through it.


Father,
Help us to not need to be in a desperate situation before we become grateful for what we once saw as an entitlement.  Amen.


Joys:  Good reunion group discussion; answered prayers; the weekend

Miracles from Thanksgiving

⁴ For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving-1 Timothy 4:4


Yesterday some friends and I took supper to our friend Donna who is just home from the hospital after some pretty harsh surgery.  We stayed to visit for a while and then prayed with her.  I was really impressed by Donna's prayer of thanksgiving for *all* that had happened, including the bad stuff, because (in her words), "You will make good come from it."


It takes a lot of courage to thank God even for the bad stuff.  And it takes a lot of faith to trust that God will indeed work his good through it all.


I'm learning quite a bit from the book 1000 Gifts, by Ann Voskamp.  Miracles, it seems, spring from a truly thankful heart.  Think of it... what did Jesus do before he fed the 4,000?  He broke the bread and *gave thanks*(Matthew 14:19).  What did Jesus do before he rose Lazarus from the dead?  He *gave thanks* that God heard his prayer (John 11:41).  What did Jesus do the night before his crucifixion that lead to the greatest miracle of all?  He gave thanks by giving us the Eucharist which is derived from words that mean "thanksgiving," "joy," and "grace."


Maybe it is in those times when we can truly give thanks... even for the bad things... that we are most likely to experience miracles.  If this is the case, then Donna can indeed expect a miracle.


Father,
Help us to be truly thankful for all things, even those things that seem bad to us.  Give us the faith to know that even through the bad things, you will work your good and miracles will abound.


Joys:  My granddaughter on my lap as I write this... talk about thankful!; a surprise gift of encouragement in the mail from my sister; spending time with Donna

Daily Spiritual Challenge

¹ Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. ² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.- 1 Peter 2:1-3


Over the past couple of months I have been participating in the "Daily Challenge" from MeYouHealth.  If you aren't familiar with it, MeYouHealth is a company that creates applications and challenges that promote healthy living.  They encourage you to make small changes for the better every day that promote good physical and emotional health.  Each day they send you an email with a simple challenge for that day.  Some that I have done are:  "Add a green leafy vegetable to one of your meals today."  "Switch your usual snack for a piece of food."  They often have simple stretching exercises as the challenge.  Some of the emotional health challenges have included things like "smile at three different people today" or "tell someone a knock-knock joke" or "hang some new artwork in your home or office."  


You don't have to continue any of these things.  They are one-day challenges.  But sometimes you find something that really makes a difference and you want to continue it.  Soon it becomes part of a healthier life for you.  One thing I have really noticed is that it keeps me thinking all day long about making better choices.  So even if I haven't continued any of the daily challenges, I have been thinking more about my physical and emotional health, which makes me stop and rethink my daily choices.  This by itself is a change for the better in my life.


Wouldn't it be great if we could have these same small daily challenges for our spiritual lives?  We could get an email each day that challenged us to maybe:  

1. Read the first chapter of the Book of John
2. Take 5 minutes to thank God for the blessings in your life
3. Find your favorite praise song on a CD, Ipod or YouTube and sing along with it
4. Ask someone today how you can pray for them, and then do it.

Wow... how would that change your spiritual health?  It really is getting me thinking... perhaps I will prepare a Spiritual Challenge for Lent 2012 for the church FaceBook page... any takers?

Father,

With so much talk these days about our physical and emotional health, help us to not forget about the importance of our spiritual health.  Let us all take on that daily challenge for our own  life.  Amen.

Joys: Trying to make better daily choice and seeing it pay off; continued gorgeous weather... making some plans to get out in it; having Richard at home

The Woman at the Well

²⁵ The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” ²⁶ Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” -John 4:25-26

One of my most favorite Gospel stories is the Woman at the Well.  Many years ago I did a monologue on her for Lent and my study of her for that monologue brought me to love her.  What baggage she brought to her impromptu coversation with Jesus!

A lot of this baggage is just guessing, and I'm guessing she didn't have a real happy childhood.  I'm guessing she never really felt good enough and her parents probably contributed to that feeling.  I'm guessing she didn't have a lot of friends... it's hard to like someone when it is clear they don't like themselves.  The only way she could feel accepted was through "friendship" with boys and then relationships with men.

But she was smart.  And she was spiritual.  That much is clear because of the questions she had for Jesus and the observations she made to his comments.

I love the fact that Jesus first revealed his identity and purpose to a woman... and to a Samaritan woman at that.  But I am awed by the fact that he chose this woman --- this woman who needed to feel accepted just for who she was... who needed to feel loved, not for what she could give, but simply because she existed.  This woman who had so much more to offer than trekking to the well for water for her live-in boyfriend.  This woman who probably didn't even realize herself what she had to offer.

She brought her community to come see Love first-hand.  She invited her friends and neighbors to Christ.

That's our job too.

Lord,

Thank you for this wonderful story from your life.  Help us to treat one another with the same respect and love even if we don't think they have anything to offer.  Amen.

Joys:  Getting to be there for someone yesterday; getting ready to go for my mountain hike this morning; great weather.

"Kick" the Bucket List

⁴ For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵ because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.-1 Timothy 4:4-5

In Pastor Chad's sermon yesterday he referenced a book called 1000 Gifts, by Ann Voskamp.  It interested me enough to look it up on Amazon which interested me enough to read the first chapter which totally sold me.  This is from Amazon's product description of the book:

Forget the bucket lists that have us escaping our everyday lives for exotic experiences. 'How,' Ann wondered, 'do we find joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties? What does the Christ-life really look like when your days are gritty, long---and sometimes even dark? How is God even here?' In One Thousand Gifts, Ann invites you to embrace everyday blessings and embark on the transformative spiritual discipline of chronicling God's gifts. It's only in this expressing of gratitude for the life we already have, we discover the life we've always wanted ... a life we can take, give thanks for, and break for others. We come to feel and know the impossible right down in our bones: we are wildly loved --- by God. Let Ann's beautiful, heart-aching stories of the everyday give you a way of seeing that opens your eyes to ordinary amazing grace, a way of being present to God that makes you deeply happy, and a way of living that is finally fully alive. Come live the best dare of all!

I just loved the reference to the "bucket lists" that has become so popular in our present culture.  Don't get me wrong, I think bucket lists are fun and have a short list of my own.  But those lists appeal to our "wanna, needa, gotta have more" mentality.  They remind us of what we don't have or haven't had the opportunity or courage to do.  They make us forget to be grateful for what we do have.


In the first chapter of 1000 Gifts, Ann explains:

From all of our beginnings, we keep reliving the Garden story.  Satan, he wanted more.  More power, more glory.  Ultimately, in his essence, Satan is an ingrate.  And he sinks his venom into the heart of Eden.  Satan’s sin becomes the first sin of all humanity;  the sin of ingratitude.  Adam and Eve are, simply, painfully, ungrateful for what God gave.  Isn’t that the catalyst of all my sins?  Our fall was, has always been, and always will, that we aren’t satisfied in God and what He gives.  We hunger for something more, something other.

I have decided that each day I am going to make my list of blessings... each day, because there is so much to be thankful for in one day that the list will be so long that I will need to start fresh each day.  

Oh,  and I'm deleting my bucket list.

Father,

Make my heart truly grateful for the blessings of today.  Amen.

Joys:  Waking up healthy this morning; a vehicle of which I can be fairly certain will start and get me where I need to go today; a job I truly love; Richard being home and having a job to go to in his "in between military orders" time... and the list continues...

They're Not Fair, You See

 ³⁹ Jesus said,“For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” -John 9:39

The word "Pharisee" sure brings a negative response in Christian circles.  Even a children's song says, "I don't want to be a Pharisee, 'cause they're not fair, you see; I just want to be a sheep."  Jesus WAS always taking them to task, though.  They were "rule" people and they were protective of their religious beliefs.  Jesus did not fit into the confines of who they understood that the Messiah would be.

 

Guess what.  We all carry around a little Pharisee within ourselves... some more than others.  Most of us have been brought up to believe certain things about Jesus and about our faith by parents and church leaders that have also been brought up to believe such things.  The problems come when we insist on keeping God in that little box made out of the traditions of men.  We start to think that anyone who doesn't believe exactly the way we do, or anyone that even suggests a different way of looking at our faith, are heretics.

 

The Pharisees were sure they had it all figured out.  Jesus showed them otherwise... and even then most of them would not accept it.  Neither should we be so sure we have it all figured out.  Each time we call someone who thinks outside the box a heretic, we drive another nail into the flesh of Christ who was himself crucified for being a "heretic."

 

I believe Jesus has plans to come that will suprise the "Pharisee" out of each and every one of us.

 

Lord Jesus,

No matter what we have been taught by tradition, help us keep our hearts open to the new things you have to teach us about yourself.  Amen.

 

Joys:  Saturday; little miracles; Richard coming home tomorrow

We Have Seen the Father

 ⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
 ⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? -John 14:8-9


If we want to know what God is like, Jesus said to look at him.  Lately in my poking around the internet looking for good thoughts to blog about, I have been reading a lot of comments about the wrath of God.  Things like, "Yes, God is love, but don't forget about God's wrath."


And so I look to Jesus to see what God's wrath is like.  Apparently God gets angry when the "religious" people make it difficult for others to find their way to him.  Jesus overturned the money changers' tables and told off the Pharisees for making the rules too hard to follow.  He had harsh words for those who didn't make room for the paraplegic to come to him and his friends had to bring him through the roof.  He even chastised his own disciples for trying to keep the children away from him.


Jesus' wrath could be harsh, but his discipline was always corrective.  He didn't see someone doing an injustice and strike the wrongdoer blind or lame or dead.  His "wrath" was focused on bringing people back to him, never on eliminating them from his love.  And if we have seen the Son, we have seen the Father.


If we look at some of the Old Testament books that talk about God's wrath, we might find a very different view of it.  But dig deeper.  Read it in context of how we can now see the Father in view of the Son.  It is a redemptive wrath.  And in every context I can think of, God's "wrath" is really nothing more than God saying, "Okay, then, THY will be done."


After warning us time and time again through prophets and his own law about what will happen to society when we turn our backs on Him and follow our own lusts, and we continue to ignore those warnings, of course our societies will crumble!  God does not need to shoot down lightning bolts of war and famine and banishment.  We do it to ourselves.  


I can think of nothing more terrifying than God leaving us to ourselves and saying, "Okay, then, THY will be done."


Father,
We have seen you in the face of your Son and know that you are loving, forgiving and only want the best for us.  Help us to follow your ways so that we can live according to your will instead of our own destructive will.  Amen.


Joys: Reunion group this morning; the joy of my young neighbor over the gift of some used books; Friday

An Insidious Enemy

 ² That's what those who have been set free by the Lord should say.       He set them free from the power of the enemy.- Psalm 107:2


Donna has cancer.  There... I said it.  I'm so tired of friends and family falling victim to this awful disease that has almost become an entity unto itself in our society.  It is the enemy we fear as we make our choices each day of what to eat, drink, or use.  It lurks in our food, our medications, our makeup and lotions and even in the sunshine of our vacations.  And sometimes it doesn't even need to be hiding in something we put into our bodies... it just appears out of nowhere.  What an insidious enemy!


Immediately after hearing the diagnosis, one of Donna's friends from her small group at church (who, by the way, has been there and done that and bought the T-shirt) arranged for a prayer service for Donna's healing. What a joy to see a couple of dozen people gather for her!  I think most of us were there not only to support Donna, but to find support for ourselves as we prepared to be there for her in the long-run.  


What do people do without a support system like this?  How can people manage without Jesus with skin on being there to help them along the way?  How do they go on without the knowledge that so many people are lifting them up in prayer?


At Holy Cross we are very blessed to have many small groups where we are able to form strong bonds with other members of our church.  These small groups, in turn, strengthen our whole church.  And when a member falls ALL are ready to come to aid of the fallen and pick them up.  And what a miracle that God always places us among people who have experienced what we are about to go through, so that they may bring a little light to the dark path that lies before us.  


I would bet that Donna could physically feel our prayers for her last night.  As we prayed we felt the unmistakable presence of the Holy Spirit.  We felt love in our hearts for our sister in need.  We felt the sense of hope that only He can bring.


Holy God,
Thank you for the hope you bring.  Thank you for medical research that is working hard to bring about a way to vanquish this enemy forever.  Guide them and lead them to the answers we need.  I pray that you will bring healing to Donna.  Amen.


Joys:  The power of prayer; people who have "been there and done that" and are there to share with those beginning the journey; cancer research

Up to the Mountain to Pray

 ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.-Matthew 14:23


Richard is in California for two weeks, so my usual hiking buddy was not available.  So I set out to South Mountain by myself yesterday.  I went a little earlier than usual.  The temps were in the upper 70's, the humidity was low, the sun was shining and there was almost no one else at the park when I arrived.  What a great day for a hike!


I am an introvert at heart, so I have no problem being by myself... I actually look forward to alone time.  But as I got into my hike, I realized how long it has been since I have been truly alone with my thoughts and with my God.


Our lives are so filled with others, even when we think we are alone.  Cell phones, television, internet, IPODs, or just even the mindless games we play on the computer all vie for our thoughts and time every moment of every day.  Even our solitary drives to work are usually filled with some kind of prattle coming from the radio and dealing with the traffic and noise.  


Are we afraid to really be alone?  Do we fear being without distractions?


It was SO quiet on my walk.  I listened for the sounds around me... birds, cicadas, the bubble and splash of the creek below, the occasional crackle of limbs and bushes as some forest animal moved nearby... spoiled only by the sound of the occasional aircraft overhead.  I was completely unplugged and by myself.  And... I was in the midst of God's creation.  It was breathtaking.  And as I walked I had this sense of it not simply being me IN God's creation, but it was me as PART OF God's creation.  I experienced a kind of loss of my sense of self as I blended into the whole picture.


It was a wonderful time with God.  I highly recommend taking 30-60 minutes each day to completely unplug.  We can't really connect with God until we can find ourselves.


Creator God,
Thank you for special time with you in the beauty of your creation.  Help me to remember to put down the computer and cell phone and turn off the television for a little while each day.  Amen.


Joys:  Hiking by myself; relaxing morning; 4 more days until Richard gets home


*please pray for my friend Donna who is having a hysterectomy today.

Foreigners

¹¹ Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.-Colossians 3:11


For the last few months we've been getting weekly bulletin inserts at church called "Taking Faith Home."  They consist of daily bible readings, suggested prayers for the week, discussions, devotion ideas and ideas for serving and bringing new rituals and traditions into the home.  It is truly a wonderful tool and I have been trying to make a habit of taking them home and using them all week, but... well... you know how hard it is to form new good habits.


But I happened to remember this morning that I have one in my purse, so I decided to look over it.  What a wonderful theme for this week!... foreigners in the faith.  In the daily readings we find Jesus healing foreigners, the healing of Naaman in the Old Testament, the door being open to Gentiles in the book of Acts, and Psalm 87 which is about foreigners praising God.


I appreciate this theme because in my life I have often been a stranger or foreigner.  Born in Canada, I moved to South Florida when I was 10.  It was difficult adjusting to the speaking accent and way of life of new people in a new home.  After marriage, I traveled a little with Richard in the military and was often a stranger in a new town looking for work.  


Finally, we settled in Lincolnton, North Carolina.  If you've ever moved into a small town from somewhere else, you know that you are always, no matter how long you live there, a little bit of a foreigner.  It's not that people are unfriendly and friends are definitely fully accepting; but when conversation turns to "the good old days" or "whatever happened to so-and-so from high school" there is a real feeling of disconnection and being a foreigner.


How comforting the invitation of Jesus is!  None of us are foreigners in his sight!  He accepts even my accent that is a confusing cluster of Canadian, Floridian and North Carolinian tones.  He doesn't care that I didn't grow up knowing him, but rejoices that I know him now and makes no distinction from me, a late-comer, from the one who knew him from their mother's knee.


It is in Christ that each of us has our one true home.


Lord Jesus,
Thank you for your invitation that is open to every person on earth.  Amen.


Joys:  Using my lunch to walk the walking trail at the hospital; milder weather; remembering to use my "Taking Faith Home" insert.

Born of a Woman

⁴ But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption as children. ⁶ Because you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. -Galatians 4:4-7


Science has come a long way in "birthin' babies"... fertilization can take place outside the womb and the eggs replaced or even placed in another woman's womb.  Families are so very complicated these days... single parents, blended families, adoptive families, foster parents, grandparents as parents, even same-sex parents.


But for all of modern science and our creative definitions and re-definitions of "family," one thing remains true... we are ALL born of a woman.  It is the one thing that unites us as "human."  And this is what unites us with Jesus Christ.  He was "born of a woman" and therefore fully human even as he is fully God.


This, beyond all else sustains me in my faith.  Knowing that God can relate to me on a human level... knowing that he loves his children enough to have walked among us in the flesh... and then hearing him teach human to human.  And I know he was human, because "he was born of a woman."


Lord Jesus,
We thank and praise you for humbling yourself to take on human flesh.  May we cherish your teachings, as they are from one who has experienced being human, but having the heart and mind of God almighty.  Amen


Joys:  Enjoying some sappy "chick flix" while Richard is away; watching how easily pre-schoolers make friends with one another; being by-passed by a scary looking storm

How to Read the Bible

²⁹ Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. - Matthew 22:29


I want to share this video by theologian and author, N.T. Wright.  It is a beautiful description of how we should read the Bible:  http://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2011/08/n-t-wright-on-the-whole-sweep-of-scripture/ .


I've read through the Bible 3 or 4 times in my life, and I couldn't agree more with this man.  It's not about a few memorized verses.  It's not about being able to "prove" your own theology and beliefs from a few choice scripture passages.  It's about God providing perfection for his children, them making a mess of it and finally turning to God for help.  God, then, lovingly and with grace abounding lifts his children up and uses our mess for the good of his kingdom.


Time and time again we see it in the scriptures:  Perfection - sin - repentance - forgiveness - grace... yes... even in the Old Testament.  You see, God did not change between scriptures, but once we met him in the flesh of Jesus Christ, our perception of him changed.  We can see that the "wrath" of God so vivid in the Old Testament is really only the consequences of our own sin.  We might see the present state of our country as God punishing us, but isn't it really the result of years of excessive greed and idolatry?


It is good to open the Bible even for a little chunk at a time, but it is amazing to sit and read and really absorb the story of God's relationship with his people.


Father,
As a country we have messed up yet again.  Turn our hearts in repentance toward you.  Help us to fix this mess and live in relationship with you.  Amen.


Joys:  Time with friends; a great movie (The Help); a day with Cecelia today.

Just Do It

 ³ but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"

 ⁴ The king said to me, "What is it you want?"
      Then I prayed to the God of heaven, ⁵ and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."  -Nehemiah 1:3-5

Nehemiah had a passion.  He saw the need for the walls of Jerusalem to be rebuilt and while others griped and complained and placed blame Nehemiah did something about it.

A passion for ministry starts with seeing the need.  Some folks in Lincolnton saw a need for shelter for the homeless and instead of sitting at home telling their families that “something ought to be done!” they went out and formed Hesed House of Hope.  A few years ago someone was grieved because we had no organized prayer ministry at Holy Cross… instead of pointing fingers at the church leadership, she got a group together and S.T.A.R. ministry was formed.

What is your “something ought to be done” issue?  Maybe it is your call to ministry.  Pray about it.  When God gives you the “okay” (and he probably will) find some like-minded people and you will find a passionate, vibrant ministry to lead.  Don’t wait until you have enough people or enough funds or enough time… if God gives you a ministry he will equip you for it.  Don’t hand it over to a “leader.”  God gives all of us leadership abilities for those things for which he has given us a passion.  If you believe it “ought to be done” then like Jeremiah… just do it.

Father,

Keep us from turning our passions into gripes and criticisms of others.  Help us to understand that when we see a need and feel passionate about it, it is probably you knocking on our hearts.  Open our hearts to your guidance.  Amen.

Joys:  working with Rickie yesterday... I've missed her while she was on vacation; lunch with friends; Friday already!

Loving the More Fortunate

 ³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. -John 13:34


My thoughts go back to a quote Pastor Chad used in a sermon some time ago:


In his book The Magnificent Defeat, Frederick Buechner says that “The love for equals is a human thing — of friend for friend, brother for brother. It is to love what is loving and lovely. The world smiles.

“The love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing — the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. This is compassion, and it touches the heart of the world.

“The love for the more fortunate is a rare thing — to love those who succeed where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the love of the poor for the rich, of the black man for the white man. The world is always bewildered by its saints.

“And then there is the love for the enemy — love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. The tortured’s love for the torturer.

This is God’s love. It conquers the world."


The first example is easy for anybody.  We all love those who love us... our family our friends.  The second example is pretty easy for most Christians and anyone with a social conscience.  But it starts getting a little harder with the next example.


It can be really hard to love those who have succeeded where we fail... those who have a beautiful home already paid for; those who have jobs that fulfill them and make use of their talents; those who have kids that seem to just do everything right; those who just seem to rise to the top in every situation.  Have you ever noticed that these seem to be the most gossiped about people?  We want to find the cracks in their armor.  We want a peek behind the closed doors.  We want to know that they sometimes fail too.


And yes, you can be certain their are cracks and failures and things they have hidden.  But what is that to us who are called to love?  If can give unconditional love to those who are poor, sick or in prison, why should we put the condition of "full disclosure" on those who seem to have it all? 


Even as I write this, I want to say that we should love them because they probably have pain they don't show.  But why should compassion be the precursor of our love?  Why can't we just love for the sake of love?  If a person was indeed perfect and had a perfect life, would that make them less deserving of unconditional love?


Rejoice today with someone more fortunate than you... and really, really love them.


Lord,
Help us to love *everyone* with your love.  Amen.


Joys:  good medical reports for a couple of friends; my own good medical report... my doctor has taken me off of my diabetes medicine; remembering my mom on her birthday as she celebrates in heaven

Enough Faith

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”-Matthew 17:20


Have you ever read Bible stories like the one about Peter walking on the water or about Jesus telling us we can move mountains and feel guilty about not having enough faith to do these things? Time and again we hear stories about needing to have "enough faith" to do something.   So we try to harder to believe.  We try to push doubt from our mind.  And still, the mountains don't move and our feet still sink.


But we've also been taught that it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can have any faith at all.    Really?  Then how are we supposed to conjure up more faith if the size of our faith is not up to us in the first place?  But remember, Jesus said that it takes only a mustard seed-sized faith to move a mountain.  So it really has nothing to do with *how much* faith we have.


No, it is not the *amount* of faith that matters at all, but *in whom* we have placed that faith.  Our perceived failures happen when that faith is placed in ourselves... when we believe that *I* should be able to walk on water or *I* should be able to move the mountain.  God working through us is the only way we are able to surpass our own expectations and limits.  It is not our faith that allows us to walk on water, but our faith in God that allows him to hold us up in that impossible situation.


Think of the times you have walked on water or moved a mountain in your life.  Was it really you?  Or was it God working through you?  If you had not faith that God would do it, would it have happened?


Mustard seed faith is all you need, as long as it is directed upward, not inward.


Lord Jesus,
Though my faith is small, help me to directed it always toward you so that you can work in big ways through me.  Amen.


Joys:  Nicer weather; relaxing day off; sleeping in

Don't Be Afraid

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” -Luke 12:6-7 NIV


Sometimes it's hard to imagine a really personal God who cares for each one of us like a favored child.  It's hard to imagine it's true when we are facing a cancer diagnosis.  It's hard to imagine it's true when one's spouse of 20 years walks out the door for good.  It's hard to imagine it's true when we outlive one of our children.  It's hard to imagine it's true when we lose our source of income.


That's when we need verse 7 from this passage... "Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."  We will suffer.  That is a given.  But we need not be afraid.  Our God IS INDEED a personal God.  He is right there with us through the cancer diagnosis and the divorce and the job loss and even the loss of a child. He walks with us through the grief and scariness, telling us that dancing will come again.


Every now and then the dancing doesn't come in this life, but the next.  But I think one of the underlying messages of this passage is that our life on earth is brief, and although there will be suffering, we can look forward to eternal dancing.  No matter what we suffer now, it will all be all right in the end... no, it will be better than all right, it will be "all-perfect."


God's "don't be afraid" is him saying, "Hold on just a little while longer!  Persevere!  Grow in my love!  It all works out great in the end!"


Lord,
I thank you that I don't have to fear anything this world has to offer.  But when I do succumb to fear, hold my hand and walk me through it.  Amen.


Joys:  Prayer with friends; a much needed couple days away from work; coffee and devotion time

Praying With Others

Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.  The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.- James 5:16

There is something so special about praying for someone WITH that someone.  And there is something so special about being the someone being prayed for.  I am privileged to belong to a church that does this on a regular basis.  If someone is in need of prayer, a couple (or several) people will gather, place hands on that person and pray aloud.

Yesterday, a couple of us prayed with a friend who is concerned about an up-coming doctor's appointment.  We could feel God's power flowing around us and whether or not she receives the kind of healing that our human understanding hopes for, we know God heard our prayers and I think our friend was able to put some of her worries in Christ's hands.

Praying with and for others is healing on so many levels!  It creates an intimacy between those praying, and there just is not enough intimacy between people anymore... even in our churches.  

It reassures us of the sovereignty, love and grace of God, simply because we know - as scripture reminds us - is that where two or  three are gathered, Christ is in our midst.  And we FEEL that presence... sometimes with a soft, tingly sensation within us and sometimes in an almost heart-pounding powerful way. 

It reminds us that prayer IS powerful and effective.  We feel the power as we pray.  Sometimes the effectiveness is immediately apparent and sometimes it is not until the crisis works itself to the end that we see God's "yes" to our heart's real prayer of God's good and perfect will for our friend.

If you don't do this kind of prayer very often, the next time someone asks you to pray for them... do it right then and there WITH them.  I promise you, you will be so blessed!

Father,

You have given us this incredible privilege to communicate with you anywhere and anytime with anybody.  Help us to make full use of it.  Help us to overcome our prayer shyness and just do it.  Amen.

Joys:  Special prayer with friends; baby Reid's baptism; light traffic taking Richard to the airport this morning.

Authentic Christian Love

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!-2 Corinthians 5:16-17


How would you feel if your spouse told you that they love you because they HAVE TO?  What if your parents said, "God said I must love my children, and that is why I love you."  What if your children only "honored" you because it is in the Ten Commandments?  It just wouldn't feel like the real thing, would it? 


And yet Christians go around all the time saying, "Well, being a Christian, I HAVE to love even him." Or ... "I should hate the sin, but love the sinner." I think that is just another way of saying I HAVE to love someone I don't really want to love.  It's like trying to legislate morality... it can't be done.


Authentic Christian love, like morality cannot be instilled in us through law... God's or man's.  This love we are SUPPOSED to feel for everyone can only be transformed into authentic love through the transformation that comes to all of those who daily live as Christ's disciples.  It comes through daily prayer, worship, study and action.  We cannot have authentic Christian love in our hearts simply by attending church once a week.


It is the "supposed to love" Christians that are labeled "judgmental" and "hypocritical."  It is the "authentic love" Christians that turn the world upside down and truly win people to Christ.  If we only had more "authentic love" Christians!  Think of what the world might be today!  Think of the problems that could be solved in this very scary economy!  Think of how the world might begin to view Christianity!... not as hypocritical, self-righteous judges, but as the hands, feet and lips of a loving Savior.


Don't HAVE to love your neighbor... LOVE your neighbor.  Not with feelings, but with action.


Lord Jesus,
You don't love us because you HAVE to, you love us because you just do... with everything you are.  Help us to love you and one another with that kind of pure, authentic love.  Amen.


Joys:  A nice, quiet morning with nothing to rush off to; watching yesterday's torrential rainfall... there is something so soothing about it (at least between the lightning strikes!); spending a little extra time with Daniel yesterday.