Posts Tagged with joy

Fall Faith

Psalms
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Fall is beautiful. We have scenes in our minds of leaves turning the color of amber and sunlight then being gently cradled by the breeze as they waft down and wait to be raked into delightful piles for children to jump in.

Fall is actually rather violent. Trees literally cut off their own leaves in the fall in order to survive winter. By the time the rain and the wind are knocking leaves down the tree is well and truly done with them.

The trees stand naked through the winter, sad sentinels of loss. Metabolism slows and it may appear that nothing is happening, but under the surface prep work is being done for the Spring. The tree stores up energy and nutrients, holding its breath, waiting to burst forth with new growth when the time is right.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.
Psalm 37:3-6, 23-24

Does the tree spend fall desperately try to hang on to those leaves? Does the tree spend winter worrying if the new leaves are coming? Does it bemoan its own nakedness? Does it wait anxiously? Of course not. It’s a tree. But in the Fall seasons of our lives we do all these things and more. We forget that there is a season for everything.

I’m recognizing a change of season in my own life right now. The Lord is showing me the leaves that I must cut off. He is inviting me into a time of quiet, slow metabolism. He is asking me to get soul naked and take a good look at my hard bark. He is also promising me new leaves and fruit in the spring.

“Chelle,“ you say, “you’re speaking in riddles! What are you talking about girl?”

I’m talking about this blog and my calling to share God’s word and encouragement with you my friends. This past year on the blog has been an amazing journey of faith for me. It’s been abundant fruit. It’s been Summer faith. It’s been God showing me that I can be disciplined. That I can (by a miracle of the Holy Spirit) get up early every morning and write. That I can hear his voice every day.

But now it’s time for Fall faith. It’s time to slow down. Time to let go. To cut it off. The blog will still be here, like the pile of leaves for the kids to play in. I may still post every now and then throughout the Fall and Winter, but my energy has to move away from the leaves you see here.

I’ll be spending Fall and Winter just studying and writing. I have plans, Lord willing, to launch some new things in the Spring. If I try to keep up posting here too I will be spread too thin and none if it will be done well.

Some of you are subscribed to my Blog Newsletter. Thank you so much! You have no idea what that has meant to me. I really do appreciate it. I plan to still send monthly emails with updates on my progress and possibly even previews of what I’m working on. If you don’t receive my newsletter yet I invite you to subscribe. My mailing list will be the first to know about the new things I’m working on.

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
I have fled to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
on level ground!
Psalm 143:8-10

Are you coming into a “Fall” season in your life? Does it feel like life is falling apart around you? Are you having to let go of something you love? I just want to encourage you that it is all part of the work God is doing in your life. Take the quiet season, with your branches stripped bare, and sink your roots deep into the word while you reach your arms to heaven in praise and worship Him. Trust that he is working in you now for fruit in a future season.



Full Grown Youth

Psalms
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This week I asked my boys if  they were a fruit tree what kind of fruit tree would they be? “Dragonfruit!” said my 13 (almost 14) year old, and “Banana!” said my 10 year old. Exotic kids. And surprising answers that matched them perfectly. One unique, different, unusual, and the other practical, helpful and consistent.

The children are moving up in the world. This week the older boy got “promoted” from 8th grade to “Freshman!” The younger boy finished 4th grade and has one year left of Elementary School. Where have my babies gone? I spent a lot of time this week praying for my boys and the future God has for them. Not just that they would be good and obedient, though some days my prayers are like that. But rather that they would know and trust Him the way I do. Scratch that… I pray that they would know and trust Him better than I do.

May our sons in their youth
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars
cut for the structure of a palace;
Psalm 144:12

I came across this little set of verses in the Psalms one day a month or so ago and it really struck a chord with me. What a bold prayer. It gave me a little heart check. It made me stop and ask myself “what do I pray for my kids?” As a worried mom I often just white knuckle my way with prayers like “let them be good, and not screw up their lives and not get on drugs and not find porn on the internet and not have sex till they’re married.” (No pressure kids…)

This Psalm gives us a hint of what God wants for our children and what he desires us to pray for them. In many places the bible speaks highly of the faith of children. Our kids can be mature believers in Christ but it’s the same process we go through. Growing like plants, which we’ll look at today, and cut into shape like pillars, which we’ll learn about in the next post.

It takes three things to bring a seedling to fruit bearing maturity. Roots in the water, leaves in the light and air, and pruning. So many verses compare believers to plants. Let’s look at a couple of them in light of our kids.

Roots in the Water – The Word

Scripture compares itself to water. It washes us, quenches our thirst, nourishes us. God provided miracle water for the children of Israel in the desert then Jesus offered himself to us as living water. We are baptised in water as an outward symbol of faith in Jesus.

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3

Science tells us the human body is up to 75% water and when we don’t drink enough we dehydrate. If the dehydration is bad enough our body systems start shutting down and eventually we die. It is the most necessary element for life.

Our children depend on us for physical food and water, which we happily provide for them a few times every day. We are called as parents to minister to our children’s spiritual needs as well. We must be nourishing our children with the water of the word every day. For little ones this could be simply reading a small story out of an illustrated children’s bible. When our kids were little our favorite was “The Jesus Storybook Bible” by Sally Lloyd-Jones.

Now that my kids are older my 13 year old reads the bible to me and our 10 year old during our morning drive to school. We’ve read through and memorized a few different Psalms and we’re currently reading the Gospel of John. Just a few verses a day is enough to open up amazing discussions about the Gospel, who God is and what he has done for us. It helps us tie scripture to our daily lives and activities. This is how we root our kids in the Gospel for a lifetime of loving God and loving others.

Of course we haven’t always done this perfectly. We work full time and have a lot of things going on like I’m sure you all do. When kids are very little it’s hard to make the bible a priority. I remember days as a young mom when I was lucky to get a shower and a hot meal, much less a few minutes in the word. If this is your season with very little kids and babies give yourself some grace. The Holy Spirit knows your heart. Throw on some praise music. Pray for small opportunities to work the word into your lives and then be ready to pounce when you see one.

Leaves in the Sun and Air – Prayer

We don’t just listen to God. He loves us so much he actually listens to us. The leaves of trees don’t only take in sunlight but they breathe like we do. They filter out carbon dioxide and release life giving oxygen into the atmosphere. Prayer is like breathing with God. In the same way Jesus taught his disciples to pray, and the disciples taught the churches to pray, we ought to be teaching our children to pray.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

Modeling this kind of daily prayer with our kids teaches them about their relationship with God. Kids can rejoice in our savior. Kids can show gratitude for God’s many blessings. Kids grow in compassion by asking God to help hurting people. Kids can trust God to take care of them. Kids can have the peace of God guard their hearts (emotions) and minds (thoughts).

Pruning – Hardship

I hate to see my kids sick or suffering. And if someone is messing with them… look out! But in reality, if we want to see the fruit of the Spirit in our kids lives we have to help them understand hardship and how we handle it.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit… I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing…  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”  John 15: 1, 2, 5, 7-11

The truth is, life isn’t fair. I believe our job is to protect our youngest ones from harm and suffering, but as they grow we must teach them how to obey the rules for their own good. We don’t let our kids play in the street or eat ice cream for every meal. We don’t make a baby change his own diaper, but we eventually teach him to clean up after himself.

This submission to pruning is something we model to our kids. When you are seeking God’s will in prayer invite your kids into it. If they are old enough to pray they are old enough to help us pray for God’s wisdom in our lives as parents. They will see how we seek the Lord in our own hard times for guidance, wisdom, patience and provision. As they see God answering prayer in our lives they will connect with God in powerful ways. They understand more than we give them credit for.

I hope this has encouraged you to pray bold new prayers for your kids. Next time we’ll look at the second half of the verse and learn what it means to be a corner pillar cut for a palace.



Meltdown

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“Without enough water, the fuel rods get so hot that they melt. If they begin to melt the nuclear reactor core and the steel containment vessel, and release radiation into the environment, nuclear meltdown occurs.” (Phys.org)

So every four or five years I have a total identity crisis. This happened last week in the form of an emotional meltdown that took my by surprise. The stress and depression was too much to bear and I got to a very dark place inside.

I get the feeling I’m not who I’m supposed to be, not who I was meant to be and I’m definitely not who I intended to be…

For as long as I can remember (since like 2nd grade) I wanted to be an English teacher. I love poetry, prose, mystery, horror, essay, romance, fantasy, grammar, technical poetry, classics, biography, song lyrics, articles, letters, speeches…

And if not a teacher then maybe a writer or journalist, writing fiction or news.

And if not any of that then maybe an editor, helping others to tell their stories well.

What do I have to show for the last 22 years? The things I made in my early days as a home decor seamstress are falling to tatters by now I imagine. Either that or they’ve been replaced by new things in more current trends of style and color. I just don’t care about that stuff anymore.

And of course I’ve got no one to blame but myself. The choices I made. I could have finished high school. I could have stayed at home. I could have given my baby away. I could have stayed in college, for as long as it took, even part time. I wanted it, but not bad enough apparently.

Professionally, I don’t want to be where I am now. I feel trapped and powerless. But of course we’ve got both proverbial and literal bills to pay and mouths to feed.

With this blog I’ve cracked the shell and started writing again, but right now it feels aimless. I feel like it’s what God has called me to do, but week after week I see so few people interested or impacted by it. I feel like I’m firing arrows in the dark and constantly missing the mark.

There’s a line from a Supertones song that describes this feeling perfectly… “Who I am is in between what I want to be and what I am.”

I want to be strong but I am weak. I want to be influential for the Gospel but I feel like a squeaking mouse. I’m trying so hard to encourage other people with the things I need encouragement in, but at the end of the day I’m exhausted, just like you.

I don’t know if I should put my blog on hold so I can focus on the devotional I want to write or try to fight through and do both. I love the daily prayer journal I get to write but I want to do more, devote more time, make it even more specific and encouraging. My brain feels fried. My heart aches. Meltdown.

I suppose just because I have a gifting and a passion doesn’t necessarily mean it’s my calling. Maybe that’s my biggest fear.

I can’t imagine another 5 or 10 years of things continuing the way they are. Something’s gotta give. Something’s gonna break. I have a sinking suspicion it will be me. I already feel the first cracks.

I am grateful for the jobs I have, professional seamstress, as well as sales associate at a retail fabric store. I love my husband and children, they are the bright spots. They are my safe haven.

I’m sure this is all a case of “the grass is greener.” As I listen wistfully to friends of mine that are teachers I hear their struggles too. They strive daily to make a difference in kids lives. Sometimes they succeed but I hear the despair that underlies their own daily grind.

I listen to podcasts by bloggers and authors that seem to be living the life I want, and I hear that it takes hard work and dedication. I’m not afraid of hard work and dedication. But I’m afraid at the end of the day that no one will be listening. I’ll turn out be the tree, falling in the forest, making a bunch of noise but with no one around to hear.

I know God has me where I am for a reason. I know it takes time to build something new. I know I am sowing seeds for the future. I don’t know exactly what that future is at this point. I know I need to be patient and keep walking this valley. I know it won’t keep on like this forever. Things will change. Eventually…

I’m praying for patience, perseverance, faithfulness, and open eyes. The enemy wants to trap me in fear that leads to inaction. I won’t let him. The enemy wants me to hide in shame. I don’t have time for that kind of self consciousness, there’s work to do. Kingdom work.

My meltdown was last Thursday and I wrote the bulk of this then with no intention to publish it. Mostly I was just pouring my heart out to God and trying to coax the fears into the light where I could get a good look at their ugly mugs.

Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I’ve already got my “big girl” pants on. I didn’t post all this to make you feel sorry for me. I just want to be authentic and truthful, we all have bad days.

Last Thursday was wretched, but by God’s providence I came home to my husband, who loves me and cares when my heart is hurting. And that night we went to our church community group, a safe place, where my friends encouraged and prayed for me. As we are studying Joy it’s of course the thing we are all being tested in right now.

As I prayed this week in the fallout from that meltdown I was asking, “Daddy, what do you want me to do?”  And God, being ever loving and always faithful, responded to me with such tenderness. I read my Bible like normal, I listened to a few sermon podcasts, and God’s clear word to me was, “Don’t give up. Don’t despair. I am with you. I’m going to give you everything you need. Don’t stop praying. Don’t stop asking. Don’t let anything dilute the things I have put in your heart.”

Thanks for reading my little rant. I would really love to hear from you. Do you feel like you’ve found your calling?



Genesis 6 – In Wells, Clouds and Rainbows

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A Year in the Life

How has the last year been for you? Anything significant happen? Any certain trial, illness, injury, or maybe something to rejoice over, marriage, baby, healing, reconciliation? A lot can happen in a year. Coming up on the end of the school year always makes me feel like the year is flying by far too fast. Soon it will be Christmas…

In the past year I’ve been to 3 weddings, 4 baby showers, and 2 funerals. I’ve nursed my kids through a dozen colds, a broken foot, and attended half a dozen of their music performances… And in between all those joys and sorrows is daily life, family, work, church, all while holding on to Jesus’ hand and knowing that when the floods come he’s holding me up.

Noah was 600 years old when the flood began and spent a total of 370 days in the ark. (Gen 7:6-19) The flood itself lasted only 150 days, but the process of the waters subsiding took another 220 days.

Where Did All the Water Go?

In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. Gen 8:13-14

God put all that water back where it needed to be. He brought it out later, whenever he wanted to use it to show himself as the ultimate provider of life’s most necessary resource. Like when Moses brought water from the rock in the wilderness (Ex 17:6), or when He showed Hagar the well in the desert to save Ishmael. (Gen 21:19) It all came from the flood, running off into the depths and being brought forth when needed.

The 220 days it took the water to recede shows us that there is a process beyond surviving the storm. Some things are healed in an instant. Mostly it takes time to heal from the deep things. Grief takes time, wounds take time, bitterness takes time, destruction takes time.

Later, as the water makes it’s cycles in the clouds, God promises the rains as a blessing.

“But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven, a land that the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.
And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full.” Deuteronomy 11:11-15

From Ark to Altar

As we face trials in our lives we often get discouraged and just wish things would go back to the way they were before. But it doesn’t work that way. We live with the fallout, consequences, and changes that come from trials and sin. Even if we’re not guilty, the sins done against us change us. We start to let go of hope and cling to bitterness.

I wonder if Noah became bitter or impatient with how long it took the earth to dry out. I wonder if he regretted obeying God. It doesn’t seem like it. What was Noah’s response at the end of the flood? One of the first things Noah did was build an altar and offer a sacrifice to God.

So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”
Gen 8:18-22

When it seems like every earthly comfort is taken away, is your first response worship? For me sometimes it is, but often it is not. I want to build altars of worship, instead of trying to rebuild and hold onto the idols God is trying to break down in my life.

What are the trials in our lives for? What does God mean to accomplish? His glory. His worship. The proof of His promises. To produce patience. To move us from Christian infancy to Christian maturity (Heb 5:11-14). It’s why James could say,

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

It’s how we move from complaining to thankfulness, from anxiety to rest, from the lust of the flesh to a desire for holiness, from coveting to generosity, and from selfish distraction to humble devotion to Jesus.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

The flood radically changed the earth and left a mere 8 people and a boatload of critters standing at the end of it. It was a new beginning for Noah, his family, and creation itself with God’s beautiful covenant hung across heaven. A rainbow. A promise from God to never again flood the whole earth to destroy all flesh. (Gen 9:8-17) The funny thing about rainbows is, they require precipitation and sunlight at the same time. If our lives were perfect and storm free, start to finish, how would we ever see our need for God or the beautiful rainbows he wants to show us?

Further Reading

All you ever wanted to know about rainbows



Genesis 6 Part 1 – Impending Doom

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     For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor 12:10

Recently I have prayed and cried with various dear friends going through some radically difficult circumstances. They are being affected by other people’s sin in faith shaking kinds of ways. As we look at the account of Noah we’ll see just how grieved God was by all that sin in the hearts of people on the earth. Then we’ll get a picture of how God help us in times of trouble. Finally we’ll see that there is a way to suffer well so that Christ is glorified and we are strengthened.

Impending Doom

  The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. These are the generations of Noah.
    Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
    Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.
    Genesis 6:5-14

My heart is breaking for my friends as they suffer in difficult circumstances… Can you imagine how grieved God’s heart is to see all the hurt among all the people all the time? In Noah’s day it was crazy bad! But God chose Noah and his family, to rescue them. He set them apart, called them to do His work and then hid them away while His wrath was poured out and the wickedness of mankind was judged. When we are hurting our tendency is to hide from God, but the secret to survival and strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other is to hide in God.

Help is on the Way

   For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell…  if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly… and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked… then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. 2 Peter 2:4-10 (paraphrased, emphasis mine)

Noah watched society boiling over with wickedness, for possible as many as 120 years, while he build the arc. Are you watching some part of your life fall apart right before your eyes? Are you in pain every day? Are you watching people that are supposed to love and care for each other implode with selfishness? What if it never changes? What if you die before that person ever repents and does the right thing? What if you are never healed this side of heaven?

It is such a comfort to know that God knows how to rescue us. Do you believe it? If not, why not? Maybe there is some misinformation about God you’ve been believing instead. If God has already gotten ahold of your spirit and rescued you from utter judgment don’t you think He will be with you in the storm you’re in now?

Get in the Ark

  By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. Hebrews 11:7

My hope and prayer is that by faith my friends, knowing the flood is coming, will stand firm in their faith in the Gospel, climb in the ark of God’s arms of comfort and mercy and love, and for the sake of the glory of Christ be content with hardship, because when they are weak, then they are strong. 

   In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. Gen 7:11, Gen 17-18

We might feel like God doesn’t love us when the flood comes, but that is a lie of the enemy. You were chosen in Him before the foundations of the world, He will bear you up in an ark and rescue you. You will be in the flood, but as a beloved child of the Most High God, you have nothing to fear.

Psalm 32:6-7 offers great encouragement:

Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

Jesus is the ark. And you are not alone there. Just like Noah had his family, hopefully you have a community of gospel friends that God has been building into your life… you didn’t know you would need them, but He did. If you don’t have a network of friends who will help you fight for your faith, do all you can to plug in at church, get in a small bible study or prayer group. Noah wasn’t alone, and neither are you. The fountains of the deep are bursting forth, the flood is coming… but so is rescue. Don’t hide from the Lord, instead hide in the Lord.

I hope this has been encouraging for you. If you are suffering and in need of prayer you can email me or be bold and share in the comments. If you have a friend suffering pass this along to encourage them. Tell them you love them and are praying for them. It’s part of what the Church is for. As always, thanks for reading.



John 5 Part 2 – Scandalous

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Jesus had a great habit of intentionally upsetting the status quo. The Jewish Sabbath started out in the deserts of Egypt as a much needed day of rest for the weary Jewish nation that had been delivered from the enslaving clutches of Pharaoh. As time went on and the temple sacrificial system was established the Sabbath was a time for the Jews to reflect on their sin and God’s provision to cover those sins by the blood of bulls, goats and lambs. By the time Jesus walked the earth the Sabbath had become a day of rule keeping. Don’t do this, and don’t do that. So instead of celebrating the lame man’s healing on the Sabbath, the Jews cling tighter to their rules and persecute Jesus, who came to be the ultimate Sabbath Lamb.

Who Do We Have Here?

First we have Jesus. And Jesus is always first. Last time we well established that he came seeking this man, like a lost sheep, to heal him.

Next we have the invalid man. We don’t know how old he was, but we are told in verse 5 that he was there for 38 years. Verse 4 (in some manuscripts) tell us that the people by the pool were “waiting for the moving of the water; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred the water: whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had.”

Then we have “the Jews.” This referred to the hardcore Jewish religious leaders, a.k.a. Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes, that were opposing Jesus in those days. They have very strong beliefs about their religion and the Sabbath rules. Their pride and legalism constantly blinded them to the truth of who Jesus was.

Breaking the Rules

And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.
Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” (John 5:9-12)

This poor guy, just finally after 38 years of laying down, helpless, having to beg everyone else to do everything for him, stands up, picks up his bed, and walks… and gets pulled over for speeding!

Sabbath was a day of rest for the Jews, part of their covenant with God. They took it very seriously. God gave them one rule about it…

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20:8-11

The Jews were so bent on not breaking the Sabbath that they defined “work” with a list of their own rules in their own terms. The Talmud contains 39 categories of activity prohibited on the Sabbath. Even in current times they have so many systems in place to keep from breaking their own Sabbath rules, like elevators that stop at every floor so they don’t have to “work” by pushing a button. Despite continued modern observance of Sabbath rules, many have lost sight of the original purpose, a day to rest and trust in the Lord.

Sin no More

“Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” John 5:13-14

Maybe it was this man’s sin that originally landed him on that mat for 38 years. Is a “sin no more” lifestyle even possible in our modern day? I honestly can’t even drive on the freeway without sinning. Here’s a couple of encouraging scriptures about this.

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:1-4

That’s the amazing part of the Good News! 1 Cor 6:11 says,

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

It is from a position of security in the love of Christ, knowing that he has already cleansed us, that we can overcome the persistent sins in our lives.

Sabbath Scandal

“The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.” John 5:15-16

The Sabbath they accused him of breaking was actually fulfilled by him. Colossians 2:16-17 tells us

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

So how does Jesus answer these accusations from the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath?

“But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” John 5:17-18

After 38 years of rest Jesus’ words to the invalid were a call to trust that led to freedom. Sabbath rest is all about trusting that God is sovereign and will provide all we need as we rest in Him. Jesus is our Sabbath, so we can stop “working” at being so good, like the pharisees and just be in Christ.

Who are we in this miracle account? The lame man, waiting for a touch from Jesus? Healed and whole, walking in freedom? The religious rules lawyers that look down our noses in anger and people who don’t worship God exactly the way we do? Pray today and ask God to show you where there might be a tendency toward legalism in your heart, then confess and spend some time thanking Jesus for fulfilling all of the law that you couldn’t.

As always, thank you for reading. Share this with someone you know needs encouragement. And I’d love to hear from you, feel free to leave a comment below.



Intentional Rest

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I’ve had a few months of consistent blogging but last week I took a week off. We decided to take the boys camping for a few days during Spring Break. It was awesome.

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in getting the work done, or getting the writing done, it’s hard to take a step back and just stop. The plate of life gets so full stuff starts falling off the edges. You get so tired you end up accidentally using the gravy as salad dressing… Sigh…

There are different kinds of rest we need. A vacation, like camping, can be so beneficial in all these areas. We all need physical, mental, emotional and spiritual rest. I’m not talking about retirement, or a “lifestyle of leisure”, but about recognizing when you’ve been going too hard for too long without a break and taking an intentional rest.

Everything wears out with time, but rest has a way of renewing focus and purpose. It’s why we need good sleep every night and weekends off, but it’s also why we need larger chunks of rest like vacations.

King David outlined this beautifully in the first few verses of Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (mental rest)

He makes me lie down in green pastures. (physical rest)

He leads me beside still waters. (emotional rest)

He restores my soul. (spiritual rest)

Mental Rest – The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

feetfire

We think a lot of thoughts every day. A quick google search nets a few different articles that claim anywhere from 12,000 – 80,000. I don’t know about the validity of all that and most of those articles sight no source. So here are my thoughts on our thought lives.

There’s typical daily thoughts…  get coffee, write for an hour(lots of thoughts here), what to wear, what’s for breakfast, don’t forget to take your vitamins, what time is it? Gotta be on time for school, make sure the kids are ready, take them to school, go to work, look at current projects, think about how to complete them, think about dinner for the night, think about my husband and wonder how his day is going, think the same about my kids. I listen to KWave all day so with Pastoral teaching in the background all day I’m thinking about the word, how it applies to my life, to my friends, I think about certain people and often pray for them. All of that weaves in and out while I’m thinking about the project I’m working on. If I hit a trouble spot in my project then I have to really focus and think of a solution.

Then there’s all the worry type thoughts… Am I gonna get enough hours at work this week, I hope it doesn’t rain, I hope we don’t get sick, I hope the car doesn’t break down, I hope dinner turns out good, I hope the kids new shoes last longer than 3 weeks.

Then there’s the fear thoughts… The ones we have in the quiet, in the dark, right before we fall asleep… I’m not good enough… I can’t do this… I feel like a phony… What if my prodigal never comes back to the Lord… My parents are getting old… What if they die… What if I die… What if my husband dies… What if my kids die… What if my husband gets laid off… What if we lose everything…

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

Vacations, camping or otherwise, help us get back to living in the moment. It’s a change of scenery, we think new fresh thoughts. It gets us out of our regular routine and clears the cobwebs. The thoughts that stress us out may not go away completely, but they quiet down and get in the back seat for awhile. On vacation I don’t have to troubleshoot a work project. While spending extra time with my family I don’t have to wonder how their day is.

Physical Rest – He makes me lie down in green pastures.

beefstew

For me last week this looked like a lot of sitting around the campfire and taking a slow stroll through Old Town Temecula. I write every morning, work full time and I usually Crossfit 3 – 4 days a week. It was so good to just let my body rest, especially after participating in the Crossfit Open (a series of 5 very intense weekly workouts). I got more of a natural workout, packing and then setting up camp, but once that was done I was largely free to just hang out and enjoy my husband and kids.

I cook most of the meals when we camp, but even that is different than at home when I have very little time in the evening between work and bedtime to cook a meal and feed the family. Camp cooking is fun, and especially great when you’re just sitting around the fire stirring the stew every once in awhile. And come on, truth is everything tastes better with a little camp dirt in it. And percolator coffee beats drip anyday.

Emotional Rest – He leads me beside still waters.

Lake Skinner
Lake Skinner

Something as simple as being away from our daily commute and crazy drivers on the road can relieve so much of the anger we feel on a daily basis. Traffic is upsetting.

Life can also become emotional hide-and-seek. We have feelings we are afraid to show and share so we hide them. The constant stress of that can definitely take a toll on our relationships and health. I’m not saying vacation makes these hard things go away, but it can give us the time we need to regroup and see things from a different angle.

You don’t have to hide from God emotionally. He created your feelings, but the enemy has a way of turning our emotions into unproductive tantrums. Instead of seeking God in an emotional storm we lash out at the ones we love the most. Or we go the other way and shut down, making ourselves emotionally unavailable to our spouse and kids.

If we are feeling lonely and disconnected from spouse and kids a family vacation can put us back in emotional connection. You work hard and hustle every day because you love your spouse and kids, but maybe when you get home you’re so emotionally drained there’s not much left. Vacation and even weekends can give us time to settle down and give ourselves emotionally to the people we really love most. They need it, and we do too.

If you come home from work every day emotionally drained it might be time to plan a vacation. It might be time to seek some counsel and prayer with a trusted friend. It might even be time to go alone to the mountain and pray like Jesus often did.

Spiritual Rest – He restores my soul.

Consider the bunnies, how they melt to make the perfect s'mores.
Consider the bunnies, how they melt to make the perfect s’mores.

I know it’s corny, but camping and being out in nature, enjoying God’s creation, can do wonders for us spiritually. It reconnects us so simple living. When Jesus says in Matthew 6 to “look at the birds” and the “consider the lilies of the field” so we can see how God is taking care of us, what better place to do that than the wilderness?

Many of us are are serving in one way or another at a local church or in some sort of ministry. It’s easy to slip into serving every week and neglect our own spiritual relationship with God in favor of spiritual activity. Basically we subconsciously say, “God I’m so busy serving you I don’t have time to pray and read the word.”

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-29

The whole point of being a Christian is following Christ. King David knew the voice of his Shepherd, the Good Shepherd. He doesn’t drive us like cattle, but leads us, calling us by name. If the voice of your Shepherd has been drowned out by the worry and hustle of daily life I encourage you to take some time this weekend to spend some quiet time in the word and let him restore your soul.

 

I love to hear from you! Tell me in the comments about a time you went camping or had a great vacation.



Unconditional

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Don’t really know what I’m doing today. I wish there was an easy way to get where I want to be other than patiently taking the time to get there.

I know I need the experiences and failures that are ahead to sharpen me and build me into something that will survive the test. With no test there is only soft mush. If you don’t bake the pie the crust will never become golden. If you don’t fire the pot the glaze will never shine. If you don’t cook the roast it will always just be a bloody mess.

I want to start working on my devotional book again, and I feel like I’m on the right track. The communion message Scott gave at church last Sunday was beautiful, and unexpectedly intense for me. He started with the simple statement, “God loves you.” and I took it. I took it personally. I believed it, at face value. I believed it like I did when I first got saved. Ironically the devotional book I’m working on is an effort to get a sharp focus on God’s love for us.

For some reason we get saved and we are so grateful we start doing all kinds of stuff for the Lord. Then we feel like if we fail at doing the stuff or go into gross sin we fail to keep His love. We think God loves us because he’s obligated himself to, not just because he loves us. We think that once we are saved he has some “expectation”, but the only thing Jesus tells us to “do” is believe and “abide”.

When Phil (Bill Murray) finally broke free from his groundhog day loop he wakes up with Rita (Andy MacDowell) and says to her, “Why are you still here?” and she answers back, “You said stay, so I stayed.” It was at the point she knew his love was real and not fake that she stayed. The curse was broken.

God’s love isn’t fake. It’s not manufactured by religion to get you to abide by certain moral standards or give money. God’s love for you is the real deal. We throw around the word unconditional with no real understanding of what it means because for us everything is conditional.

A quick search for the word “unconditional” nets a few great phrases that dial it in.

God’s love for you is complete and absolute, not limited in any way.

God loves you without any special exceptions.

God’s love for you is all-out and all-in!

Wear it with joy, like a crown, as the child of the King!

God LOVES you!

The 4 Reasons Why I Celebrate Christmas

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Why I Celebrate Christmas

My faith is not blind. My favorite thing to read is my Bible. I know how weird that sounds, unless you’ve read the bible too. If you have, then you know what I’m talking about. It’s the unfolding of the human drama from creation to its future finish. The bible is not myth and legend made up by men. It’s a historical and prophetic account of a supreme being revealing himself to his estranged creation. It spans thousands of years and has 66 different authors all writing about one thing; the salvation of people by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus was a real man. The old testament prophesied the coming of a savior. Much of the old testament has been solidly backed up by archaeology. The new testament reveals Jesus as that savior. HIs life was so important that our very calendar is marked by his birth.

Modern secularists think that by separating ourselves from religion we become more “scientific” and “enlightened.” I believe the opposite is true, the more secular we become the more desperate we are to find meaning for our lives. It’s why suicide, drug abuse (illegal and rx), sexual promiscuity and “radical religion” are running rampant across the globe. We human creatures are so full of needs and wants. We are so restless. Our souls are at war with the God who created us, demanding that he make our lives easy and comfortable.

Jesus told us exactly why he came and I believe it is true.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
  because he has anointed me
  to proclaim good news to the poor.
  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
  and recovering of sight to the blind,
  to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” –Luke 4:16-21

Basically Jesus claimed to be the Messiah prophesied in scripture and then dropped the mic. Why are we so afraid to say about Jesus what he said about himself? I celebrate Christmas because what the angels told the shepherds the night he was born is true.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. –Luke 2:11

Why I Celebrate Christmas

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. –John 3:16

Jesus is the savior of the world, but he is also a personal savior. He spoke to large crowds, imparting truth, grace and wisdom but he also spoke to individuals. For 3 ½ years he poured his daily life into 12 men and a few close friends that included women like Mary and Martha. He healed individuals, lepers, blind, lame, and even the dead. I am part of a global family of God, the Church, but the bible also tells me I am a personally adopted daughter of the King.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. –Galatians 4:4-7

Why I Celebrate Christmas

This Advent our focus at church has been joy. Joy is one of those things that can get lost in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Christmas is a celebration! It’s a birthday party! Happy Birthday Jesus!

There is almost nothing more anticipated than the arrival of a baby. The birth of Jesus was no different. That night in Bethlehem, all those many years ago, an unwed teen gave birth to her own savior. Delivering a baby is scary and painful and miraculous and amazing. Almost as soon as we see those sweet baby cheeks and hear their first cries we begin to forget the pain of pregnancy and labor.

The amazing thing about Birthdays is no matter what else happened the day you were born it is still a special marker in time. A day set aside to reflect on another year of life past and to look forward to the next year ahead.

Before she gave birth this is what Mary said about her son,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Why I Celebrate Christmas

Emmanuel! God with us! Christ has come! We don’t need to look for anyone else. I celebrate Christmas with eyes wide open. I celebrate that light has come into the world and I want light instead of darkness in my life. I want peace instead of war in my soul. I want to worship a savior worthy of of my worship.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. –Colossians 1:15-20

Why do you Celebrate Christmas?

I hope these things have inspired and encouraged you this Christmas. For many the holidays are a time of hope and joy but for others it is difficult and sad. I pray that wherever your heart is this Christmas you will make room for Jesus. He loves you and longs for you to know him, not in a religious ritual or as a baby in a manger, but as your God and Savior, as your friend and as the bringer of peace to your soul.

I would love to know what Christmas means to you! Feel free to share in the comments. Thanks for reading!



PSALM 107 PART 4 – FOOLISH IDOLATRY & REDEMPTION JOY

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In my last post I laid myself bare. The sin I fell in, the sin I walked in, the sin I reveled in. Because of these things I became a captive. Though I was a child of God I lived foolishly, according to my own selfish desires, until I ultimately reached a breaking point. Rock bottom as many put it. The thing I failed to see back then that I recognize now was what God was testing in my heart. Though I loved God and knew He loved me, the problem I had was ultimately a worship problem. Idolatry.

Psalm 107:17-22

Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! 

When God led the Isrealites to Mt. Sinai in the wilderness to give them His law they were breaking the first commandment before it even came down written in stone. In their foolishness they begged for something to worship, then made an idol,a golden calf, and worshipped that while the living God himself was just up the hill.

In verse 19 of this psalm God delivers His people when they cry out, and verse 20 tells us the means by which He did so. He sent His word. It doesn’t say they obeyed his word, but that He sent it and that it healed them and delivered them. Wow. Powerful.

At that time in my life I ate and drank the word of God like a baby hungry for milk. I was spiritually sick and broken and it was my medicine. It was sweet to me and I couldn’t get enough. It was the living water of the word that began healing my self inflicted sin wounds, washing away guilt and shame, teaching me to worship in spirit and in truth.

God, in his divine irony, also brought me an unforeseen love. I wasn’t looking for it, but as I began spending more time with my best friend I got to know her brother even better. I had already known him for years and he’d seen the worst I had been through. We would all hang out and play board games on Saturday nights then meet at church on Sunday and have coffee after. My best friend’s brother was shy and good and humble. He loved the Lord and the word and his family. Tough on the outside but tenderhearted and funny. A big difference from the other “bad boys” I had dated. However, the enemy taunted me, how could a good Christian boy like that ever love a broken, used up, single mom like me? He was already a good friend and if something went wrong I could lose him and my best friend too.

He and I started having long email conversations throughout the week and then we would cautiously flirt on game night. I began praying and asking God if there was a possible relationship with him. The more I prayed the clearer it became. Not an exact directive from the Lord, I knew the choice would ultimately be mine, but I saw God showing me safe haven. That I could have a healthy, Godly relationship. Another chance. Grace to start new. And that if I chose it He would give me the desires of my heart.

One summer night he and I had a long, honest conversation. We found out we had both been praying about each other. We talked about what our future might look like if we started dating… Marriage… Probably… Family… Possibly if the Lord wills it… Life… Together… The very next day, my 21st birthday, he told me he loved me.

I didn’t know how to be the woman I should be but I knew I never wanted to be the prodigal I had been. It’s been 17 years since that night and we’ve never looked back. On our 6 month dating anniversary he proposed and a year and a half later, after he graduated from college, we got married. When we started dating he was a virgin, and only by the grace of God was he a virgin until our wedding night. He insisted that our love would be stronger without sex. It wasn’t that he didn’t “want to,” but rather that he knew he could love me without that and I think he knew I needed to learn how to love without that as well.

This is part of my redemption story. That God would give a woman like me a man like him. My husband so boldly demonstrated Gods love in my life by loving me when I didn’t deserve it. Loving me despite my broken places. He knew my past. He knew my baggage. He loved me anyways. He loved my daughter as well.

We can’t use other people to make us happy. We can try, but it is foolishness, selfishness and idolatry. We end up wrecking ourselves and others. God’s word says true love is giving our lives for one another, not taking as much as we can from each other to get our own needs met or feel happy. When we build each other up in the word we gain true Godly wisdom, selflessly serving each other instead of the self serving foolishness of trying to get our own comfort at each other’s expense. This applies in dating, marriage, with kids, with our parents and pastors and bosses too. It’s drinking deep of the word of God that heals us. Then in our gratefulness we share our joy, we can turn around and say, “My soul is well! How can I help your soul know the love of God today?”



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