It’s Time

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote this in Ecclesiastes 3
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

This spring the Lord told my husband “It’s time.” Okay…time for what? We had no idea what the Lord had planned. We had some ideas and started walking down the road towards them, but doors just didn’t open. We did not want to get ahead of the Lord, force things. We pushed on some doors and when they did not open, we waited.

Tim continued to apply for jobs, pray, seek godly counsel, in short do all those things that we knew to do to be faithful in doing our part. We laid down all our own plans, dreams, preconceived ideas about how things should go and just said Lord, do with us and through us and in us, whatever You want. This was in June. Well you all know how VBS went from my last post. Just a constant reminder of the Lord’s care for us. Tim applied for a job at Via Christi. 2 months more of uncertainty, no income (other than friends and family), periodic interviews, and we finally come to August 21st, when an offer is made. His first day will be 18 months to the day from the day he lost his job.

It’s a great job with good people, a generous raise from his last job, and a promotion in title. It’s going to mean adjustments. Tim has worked from home (or not worked as the case may be) for 5 years. 2 of my kids have never known dad working away from home. Being gone when they wake up and not available at all hours of the day for a snuggle or chat, will be new. Tim can’t work in sweats and slippers from our bedroom. I won’t have to keep the kids downstairs and quiet during work hours either.

Yet we are excited about the future and hopeful that the time of tearing down, of mourning, of sickness, of weeping, and uprooting is over, and a time of building up, dancing, laughing, healing, and planting is beginning. (My 5 yr old is just excited that that the 10 of us can share more than one 2 liter of Dr. Pepper every day 😉 But whatever my lot, God has taught me to say, “It is well, it is well with my soul”.

 

God’s Provision

Haven’t posted in forever. I got a smart phone and rather than using my PC to surf the web, I’ve been using it. Got a great deal on the data plan, making it cheaper to use that than the air card we had been using for internet access and we got more data to use. However, it’s a pain to type long posts on the phone, so no blog writing lately.

But I just had to get on here and update you all on what’s been going on here. Tim is still without a job…it will be 16 months July 4th. He has an interview on the 12th and prayers are appreciated for that. His health has been poor and getting poorer this whole time. I have done lots and lots of research trying to figure out what is wrong and how to fix it, and I believe we have the answer in celiac disease.

1 month ago we all went on a gluten free diet and so far his allergic reactions have slowed dramatically. Just 2 that needed inhaler, one requiring Benedryl, instead of 4-5 a week. Unfortunately the itchy rash that helped me diagnose him has gotten worse. He is now itching 24/7, scratches himself till he bleeds continually. So he occasionally takes Benedryl just to get some sleep. It knocks him out for about 18 hours, sometimes more, sometimes less. I know if we can get him a job, with insurance, there is a medication he can hopefully tolerate that will knock out the rash in a couple of days. Otherwise it’s gluten free for months to get rid of it, and gluten free for life to keep it away.

Tim found out about 2 weeks ago, during a call to unemployment office to determine how to proceed to tier 3 benefits, that because so many people in KS have now found jobs and the unemployment rate has dropped below 7%, that tier 3 benefits are being dropped for everyone else not already receiving them. He became eligible for them 4 days too late. So instead of 4 more months to find a job, he now has about a week!

Momentary panic! Then peace as I remember God’s in control. He has a plan. Now if He had asked me about the plan, things would be different. Tim would still have that 4 months to finish healing his gut and get back on his feet healthwise before trying to hold down a full time job. But He didn’t consult with me on this one 😉 So the next question is…do we apply for food stamps? We talked about it, prayed about it, and while it doesn’t bother me pride wise to do it, I just don’t have a peace about it. I want God to get the glory for everything we do and receive. Not the government. God is my supply, not Uncle Sam. People have said “you can give God the glory, even if you use a government program, it’s all in your attitude.” True, even when Tim had a job, God was our supply not the employer. He gave Tim the ability to do that job. We wondered are we passing up God’s more mundane, provision thru the government, while waiting for something miraculous that He’s not granting.

So last week was VBS. I did NOT want to be there. I wanted to be home, cleaning out stuff and preparing to pack it up because the bank was about to start foreclosure proceedings. I wanted to be helping Tim sort thru job boards looking for jobs. I did not want to lead singing…I’m a singer, not a song leader! But there was no one else, and I had committed to do it. So I went. I totally had my socks blown off by God’s grace!

Day 1 theme-True Peace, God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in trouble, and I will not be afraid. Our verse out of Psalms, and our song for the day. God truly provides peace in the storm. I went home and thought wow, that wasn’t so bad. I can do this.

Day 2 theme-True Riches-My God will supply all your needs, according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. VBS went well, got home, had a call from my dad wanting to help us catch up on the mortgage, had 20 lbs of gluten free noodles in my van, donated by a lady at church. I’m laughing and crying at the same time. The timing was perfect.

Day 3 theme-True Power- When you are tempted, God will provide a way out. Pastor calls and offers us a turkey.

Day 4 theme-True Love-This is how we know what love is, Jesus Christ lay down his life for us. Case of gluten free flours and mixes as well as cookies and breakfast bars etc. arrives on our doorstep anonymously mailed by someone from our church back in Tulsa. Blessed with about 30 lbs of ground beef. I’m prompted to read Psalm 40 that night. After reading David’s praises to God for lifting him up out of the pit and setting his feet on a rock, I go on to read the rest of the chapter. In verses 9 and 10 he says “9 I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, Lord,
as you know.
10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
from the great assembly. ”
I got it. The Holy Spirit takes those living words off the page and says, “do this, this is for you.” So…

Day 5 theme-True Hope-We wait in hope for the Lord, He is our help and our shield. I walked in to Robin, my best friend here, who was running the show and said “I need a couple of minutes to talk” She said “oh good, I was wondering if you would mind if I used you as an example” Nope, I got it, God told me to, so I better obey. Even though I hate public speaking, it makes me sick to my stomach. Let me tell you 50 little kids can scare me witless 😉 But I obeyed. I spoke of the Lord’s provision in our life and told those precious little ones how good He is, and how they can trust Him with everything. How His timing is perfect, even though we want things to go faster, now, now. His plan always works.

I was exhausted at the end of the week, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a better one. God is so good! Words can not describe how good. We can only try. We were made to praise and worship God. We can not let our lights be covered. We must tell of His wonderful deeds everywhere we go, and in everything we do. Everything must be “For His Glory”. That’s my motto, that’s my goal, to reflect back as much glory onto my Father as I can.

To all those whom God has used to supply our needs: Thank you. May you be richly blessed in return. I can say like Paul in Philippians 4 “10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. “…”14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. “…”17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus (dad, Pat, Robin, Patricia, Larry, Deb, Mary, Greatmother, anonymous givers), the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

 

Fear

I was thinking today about fear. It’s one of those ubiquitous things about being human. We all experience it at one time or another. Different people, different fears. Fear of heights, fear of flying, claustrophobia, the fear of public speaking is even listed as the number one fear for more people than any other, even more than the fear of dying. So what is fear and why is it so pervasive?

If you trace it back to it’s very root, here come the flames, it’s a sin. Gasp! Ok, give me a minute to explain. The bible says over and over, do not be afraid, do not fear. What’s wrong with fear? It’s a “normal” human emotion right? Fear is a lack of faith in the goodness of God…and without faith, it is impossible to please him. I’m not talking about that momentary fearful thought when someone sticks a gun in your face, or the doctor says “it’s cancer.” I’m talking about the kind that sets in, takes root, and runs your life. If fear stops you from doing something that you know you should do, that is a sin. If fear makes you do something that you know you should not, that is a sin.

Fear and pride are the 2 little roots behind almost every sin. We fear what someone will think of us if we tell the truth, so we lie. We think we deserve a better grade, spouse, raise etc. (pride) so we cheat. We fear that God will not provide for us so we steal. The teenager thinks he knows better than his parents what is good for himself, so he doesn’t follow their rules (pride). The murderer believes his own desires are more important than the other person’s very life. etc. etc. etc.

Then there is fear’s twin sister, worry, anxiety. We worry by letting fear take root. One fearful thought leads to another and before we know it we are mired in depression, panic attacks etc. I’ve known people afraid to step outside their own front doors, or those who so fear that their spouse will not be faithful, that they choke the life out of their relationship by their constant grasping and manipulation. That kind of fear is a spiritual battle. Thankfully God has given us weapons to fight with and protective gear to guard ourselves with, if we will use them.

First, we have to recognize that we have an enemy. I Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Do not disbelieve it for a minute. Many people would like to tell you the devil doesn’t exist. If he can get you to believe that, his work is half done, because you don’t fight enemies you don’t believe in. We don’t need to fall into the ditch on the other side of the road and look for demons behind every bush. Not every bad thing that happens is because Satan came against you. James 1:14-15 says ^“14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. ” Sometimes we are our own worst enemy.

Second, we have to have Jesus as our Lord and savior. He’s our helmet of salvation. Without it we are sunk. We can fight all we want, but it’s a losing battle without the Lord on our side. Maybe I should have reversed these 2, but I think recognizing that we need Jesus comes before reaching out to him.

Third, we have to recognize our negative thoughts and stop them, then replace them with positive ones. Philipians 4 is probably the biggest help here. 4:6-8 “⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  ⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” 2 Corinthians 10:5b says “we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” I once heard a teacher speak on this. He said if you want to beat a lie detector test you have to concentrate on something besides that thing you want hidden. Repeat over and over “pink elephants” or something like that. It is nearly impossible to think of 2 different things at once. So you can’t just empty your mind of negative thoughts, don’t even get me started on that whole contemplative prayer thing, you have to replace them with positive ones. Now some people would tell you any old positive thought will do. Not so. The word of God is our only offensive weapon, we have to learn to use it.

Here is something I did when I was struggling with continual fear. I got a set of spiral bound 3×5 cards and called it my “Truth Journal” I found scriptures that corresponded to the lies I was believing that led me to fearful thoughts. You know lies like, you’re not good enough, God doesn’t care about you, He’s not watching you etc. Then I wrote the truth about God from His word on those cards. Things like Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Psalm 139, the whole thing, I am fearfully and wonderfully made etc. Matthew 10:²⁹ “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.^{[a] 30} And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ” When you start to have a fearful thought say something like “I take this thought captive in the name of Jesus” then replace it with one of your truth verses. Say it out loud, the spoken word of God is powerful. Think it over and over in your mind.

At first this will be difficult. Remember this is a battle! Satan is out there swinging his sword, swing yours back with all you’ve got. Pull up your shield of Faith, which… hmmm… comes by hearing the Word. Put on your belt of truth (which you learn by reading the Word). Hmmm (I’m seeing a pattern here.) And on your feet the Gospel of Peace. Peace you have when you take your anxious thoughts to God, and with thanksgiving for His mercy and provision, give them to Him. It will get easier with time. Just like a soldier trains for battle by taking up his gear and going on long hikes, spending hours practicing with his weapon etc. You must train. This Christian walk ain’t no skipping through the park on rose petals. It’s a battle from beginning to end. But the rewards are worth it.

Update: By the way. I’m casting no stones here, or claiming to be perfect. I still struggle, just not as often as I used to with this particular thing. My battles are mostly…I say mostly, elsewhere these days. I also understand that there is a physical component to “panic attacks” that sometimes has a root in chemical imbalances etc. Sometimes you need professional physician help. Sometimes a good Christian counselor can help you cooperate with God to bring peace in your life. I’ve gone to ministers in the church for counseling. It’s very helpful. Just beware the current “pop psychology gurus” and go to “the Great Physician” primarily. He made you. He understands you. And only He knows every little thought in your mind, every secret thing you have done or was done to you. God bless you all.

 

Heads or Tails

Deut. 28:13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.

I’m whining tonight. “Lord I’m tired of being the tail, instead of the head.” When it hits me like a ton of bricks. Who am I to complain about where I am in the body? Jesus is the true head. Not me. The “flesh me” longs for more honor, or at least more money. But there’s a part of me, my spirit woman, that says “Lord, you’re the potter, I’m the clay. Make me whatever you want. If you want to make me the eye, or the ear, or the pinkie toe, or that world-domination eyebrow hair that won’t stay in place and everyone who looks at it thinks man, ever hear of scissors; and yes even the tail, then that is your prerogative. You’re God, not me. Make me whatever works in your grand plan.”

It is a constant wrestling match between spirit woman and the 600 lb. sumo “flesh woman” wrestler. Some days spirit woman wins hands down, some days she wins only after a long match, and other days she’s defeated, ready to give up. This year of unemployment and illness has certainly drawn me to God like the deer panting for water. I don’t want to give that up. I want to keep following hard after God. If I must remain in lowly circumstances, everyone else’s missions project, so that I can keep this fire and passion for God…then so be it. I don’t want to get so comfortable that I forget God. So comfortable that I can go through my day without giving Him a second thought.

Of course I would rather have the easy life and still be passionate for Jesus. That would be way more fun. But only God knows if I can handle a life of ease. Jesus said it’s easier for a camel to go thru the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Who then can enter? The meek, the lowly, the one who relies on God for his daily bread. You can learn to live that way when you are rich…but it’s far easier when you are not. So I guess I really do have the easy life. 😉

 

God’s Voice and God’s Power

I’ve been praying for years…and years, that I would be able to discern God’s voice, that I would be able to hear “this is the way, walk ye in it.” I never felt able to do that until these last few months, when I have learned to cling to God. Those that seek, find. Earnestly seek, not just a mental assent, sort of “yeah that would be nice.” But a total, all-out hunger for His voice. I’m finding that I hear His voice in the strangest times and strangest ways. Rarely when I’m actually praying about a problem, but later when I’m going thru something maybe completely unrelated, I have that a-ha moment. This is the answer to that prayer.

You have to tune your ears, just like finding the right radio station. You have to have your spiritual antenna up, scanning the stations by looking for the answers. How many times have I thought God didn’t answer my prayers, when really I just wasn’t looking in the right places, I wasn’t expecting to hear a reply. I’ve had to spend more time in the Word, more time in prayer, lots more time in meditating on the Word. Less time complaining, less time in entertainment, and waaaaay more time doing. We can’t fool ourselves by being hearers of the Word only, we must do what we know to do. God doesn’t need to give us light for the next step until we take the first one.

In a recent sermon I heard, the pastor talked about how Jesus died to save us from the penalty of death. Most of us have heard that part frequently, His blood covers our sins and we go to heaven not hell. Praise the Lord. But he reminded us it’s so much more than that. He came to break the power of sin over us, to set us free from the bondage of slavery to sin. He came so that we don’t have to say “Well that’s just me. I can’t help it.” Oh glory! I can change! I don’t have to be bound by bad habits or responses, bad attitudes, addictions, poor personality traits. I can be full of joy, patience, gentleness, and self-control by the power of the Holy Spirit! When you really grab a hold of that it will change your life. No temptation has overtaken you that you can not overcome with the power that Jesus death and resurrection bought for you. You can be free!

Thank you Lord Jesus, that you bought for me not just salvation, though that is a magnificent gift. Your grace is so much more. It’s the power to have abundant, victorious life, if I will abide in you. Help me take hold of that truth and that power and use it to transform my life and the lives of those around me. Make me more like you every day. Help me tune my ears to your voice and not listen to any other. I am longing for your return, when I shall no longer see through a glass darkly, but instead see you face to face. Maranatha! Amen.

 

Lessons from Hachi

I caught the last half of the movie “Hachi” this afternoon. “The Engineer” had gotten it for Christmas and this was the 1st time the kids had watched it. What a great movie! Mini-me walked in from school in time to see the last 10 minutes and cried just over that much. If you’ve never seen it I hope this won’t spoil anything for you. A man finds a puppy and despite his family’s objections keeps him. They forge a unique friendship. The dog can hardly stand to be apart from his master. Everyday he walks his master to the train station, goes home, and returns at 5 o’clock to walk him back home from work.

One day the master has a heart attack and dies while teaching and he never comes home. The grown daughter of the man tries to take in the dog, but the dog can not forget his master and returns day after day to the train station to wait for him. Week after week, month after month, year after year, he waits. He becomes something of a celebrity and people send money to the train station for his care. One day, the dog sensing his own death approaching, goes to his regular spot one last time, lies down and dreams of his master coming for him.

I was thinking of this remarkable story, which is based on a true story of a dog in the 1920’s and 30’s. I want to be like Hachi… I want my day to revolve around my master. I want to bless others who see me watching faithfully day after day for His return, and if I should die before He returns… I want my last thoughts to be of Him, remembering our walk together in this life and dreaming of our soon reunion.

 

Hell: Annihilation, Eternal Suffering, or Fairy Tale

A dear, dear friend recently posted about a controversial book she had read, “Love Wins” by Rob Bell. Her praise for the book made me sad. Let me state for the record: I have not read the book, nor do I intend to do so. I have read enough reviews from theologians that I trust, to stay away when they tell me it’s poison. I don’t feel the need to prove to myself that the skull and cross bones on the bottle is true, by drinking it.

The question the book tries to answer is: how can a loving God sentence billions of souls to eternal suffering in hell. Not an easy question to answer and certainly one worthy of debate. The problem is when you try to emphasize the love of God you can under-emphasize the holiness and justice of God. And if you throw out the idea of hell because it doesn’t seem to square with your idea of a loving God, or fairness, then you have to throw out a lot of what Jesus said as well. You throw out the “whole counsel” of the Word of God to make it fit your own ideas. “When you adopt universalism and erase the distinction between the church and the world,” says R. Albert Mohler Jr., “then you don’t need the church, and you don’t need Christ, and you don’t need the cross. This is the tragedy of nonjudgmental mainline liberalism, and it’s Rob Bell’s tragedy in this book too.” Which is pretty much what went thru my head when I saw my friends post. Without hell, there is no need for Jesus to die because there’s nothing to rescue us from.

Christ’s death on the cross was necessary to purchase the redemption of every person that ever lived. But if every person now goes to heaven, no matter what they believed, or how they lived their life, then you run into the problem of how to explain many of the things that Jesus himself said. Like ¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14) If everyone gets in, why would he say this? Or how about ²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23) That would seem to plainly say that not everyone gets in. ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:5-6) Seems pretty plain to me. The parable of the 10 virgins, separating the sheep from the goats, ⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46) You can’t get much plainer than that. I could give many more examples, but I’m not trying to write a book, just correct an error that could cost many people an eternity of suffering.

Again, if everyone gets in, why do we need to send missionaries all over the world and into harm’s way to tell others of Jesus? Why bother to follow Him ourselves if the unrepentant murderer in jail, the muslim across the sea, the buddhist, the philanderer all get in too? If all roads lead to heaven then let’s eat, drink and be merry. Anything goes, right? But doesn’t the Bible say ¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸ You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. (Romans 6:15-18) emphasis mine.

The question for me is not, “is there a hell?” but what is it’s nature. Is it a place of eternal suffering and torment, or is it merely annihilation? I can not bear to think about my unsaved loved ones suffering for eternity while I enjoy perfection in paradise. All the more reason to continue my efforts to bring them into the narrow gate. For it would seem that Jesus answered that question as well in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus:

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. ²⁰ At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

   ²² “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

²⁵ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

²⁷ “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, ²⁸ for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

²⁹ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

³⁰ “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

³¹ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Pretty harsh it would seem, but those are Jesus words. I don’t have to like them. I don’t even have to understand them. But for me, if Jesus said it, I have to believe it, case closed. God does not lie. Even if this was an allegorical tale it would seem that some go to heaven and some do not, and that those who do not are not just obliterated. God is love, but He is also holy and righteous and just, and He will not be mocked. So if hell is a reality, and a gruesome one at that, what should our response be? Just this: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

 

The Biggest Decision of Your Life

Do you know where you will spend eternity? Are you wondering about this Jesus you’ve heard me blog about? Would you like to know Him for yourself? If so here is a link to a short, clear presentation of the Good News.

http://4laws.com/laws/english/flash/
Watch it. Give your life to Jesus and let Him give you certainty about your eternal destiny.

 

Miracles

I sat in on the youth group tonight at church. They watched a fantastic video by David Nasser, a former Muslim, on the miracles of Jesus. I loved watching him explain why the miracles were true, while standing in the very spot on which they occurred. One point he made brought me to tears. He was talking about the feeding of the 5,000. One little boy brought the 5 loaves and 2 fish to Jesus. Jesus doesn’t ask the boy to perform a miracle…he just asks him to bring what he has, and give it to the Master.

Oh hallelujah! I don’t have to perform miracles! I don’t have to pull myself up by my bootstraps and fix everything. I simply have to bring what I have to him, and let him use it. Everything I have comes from him anyway, right? So if I don’t have something, I must not need it to accomplish His will. What I already have, offered to His service, is enough to perform the greatest of miracles, because He does the miracles. Not me, not my strength or intellect or talent, His. When we are weak, and obedient, we are strong. Oh the miracles we will see when we bring ourselves to His feet and offer ourselves to His service. The transformation in our lives and the lives of others, the spiritual hunger that can be fed, the physical needs that can be met, all come from this simple act. Here I am Lord, send me. Praise the Lord!

 

The Taming of the Beast

God is soooooo good! Just had to stand at my sinkful of dishes and sing “My God is an Awesome God”. I’ve been a chronically disorganized person my whole life. Ask my mom, or my 5th grade teacher who called my backpack a peddler’s pack. Sorry Miss Edwards. Part of it is lack of discipline and part is being highly distractable. “Squirrel!”

Where was I? Oh yeah, taming the beast. So lacking discipline and focus you can imagine what my house might look like with 10 people living in roughly 2000 square feet, 24/7, 365. Actually you probably can’t. No one was ever allowed in without at least 3 weeks notice except family. There was often about 30 cubic feet of dirty laundry piled in the hall waiting to be done, and another 20 cubic feet on the couch/living room floor, waiting to be folded and put away. The laundry beast was about 75% of the clutter and mess in our house. Notice I say “was.”

Praise the Lord the beast is tamed. It’s taken 24 days of hard work and putting on new habits like new clothes to tame it, but God, the kids and I have done it. Today marks the 1st day I have had, not one stitch of clothing in my living room, since we moved here 3 yrs ago. Not one. We went under couches, behind couches, in couches. We went through and matched or discarded 3 laundry baskets full of unmatched socks. No one needs that many socks. We could have put socks on the feet of a whole orphanage. We pared it down to 10 pairs each. With our new system/discipline of doing the laundry every day, we don’t need any more.

Every morning this month we’ve started with devotions and prayer about our day. We’ve asked God to direct us through our day, and help us accomplish what He wanted us to get done that day. We’ve had a couple of off days due to illness, but even then, basics got done. We’ve been disciplined in other areas as well.

We’ve set up a morning routine…and stuck to it! That routine includes making beds and bringing dirty laundry downstairs so it doesn’t pile up in their rooms…me feeling good because the hampers are empty. We still have a long way to go decluttering before I’ll want surprise visitors, but I have confidence (for the 1st time) that we will get there before long. Rome wasn’t built in a day. We didn’t get in this mess in a day, and it will take some time to get out. But with God’s help we can do anything. God and I make a pretty good team 🙂

Unless you’re like me, and have lived in a chronic mess as long as you can remember, you have no idea how good this feels. (BTW, my mom’s a neat freak. I didn’t get this from her.) I feel like a huge weight has been taken off me. ¹⁷ “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things^[a] have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 HCSB This caterpillar is ready to fly.

Now that the laundry is done, the rest of this week will be spent paring down the rest of our clothes and giving away what we don’t need. Because now that it’s not sitting in the hamper, we’re finding we’re short on dresser space. 😉 So here’s to all the messy warriors laboring in the trenches…it can be done…you can do it…¹³ “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phillipians 4:13 KJV Not some…all! Ask for strength DAILY and you shall receive. Give your day to the Lord and he will establish the work of your hands. (from Prov. 16:3)