Jesus, the Incorruptible

We brought Greg home from the hospital on Christmas Eve. He was my first baby, so everyone holding him needed clean hands. One of the Christmas stories I used to read him has a scene of baby Jesus visited by the children of a shepherd.  The boy and girl are poor children.  They are dirty from being in the field.  The little girl reaches out to touch baby Jesus with her filthy hands.  She has tears leaving trails down her dirty face.  Mary does not rebuke her or push the dirty hand away from her clean newborn.  I see myself there with all of humanity.  We are drawn to God, to His glory and grandeur.  We reach out to touch Him.  He is perfectly clean.  Instead of pulling away from our condition, the sin on us, He says,

"Come to me all you who are weary and laden..." Matthew 11:28

and

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them..." Matthew 19:14.

We are overwhelmed by the acceptance of one so holy and grand - Jesus the Incorruptible.

Merry Christmas

God is a Time-In not a Time-Out Kind of Father to Me

Isaiah 43:1-2 has been one of my special verses for many years.

But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

I know God spoke it to the nation of Israel through the prophet Isaiah - not to me, but I feel a special connection to it. In these two verses I hear God reassuring me that no matter how difficult my circumstances are, I'm not alone. He is with me. AND No matter my circumstances, He will strengthen me to endure and persevere through them.

In my quiet time, I recently read through the book of Numbers. This book wrestles with the question of how a Holy God can dwell amid an imperfect people group. The question resonates with me because I'm not perfect and I still want my beautiful, holy God to dwell in the center of my life. Numbers 31:22-23 describes how some items that the Israelites plundered from the Midianites should be cleansed or purified for use in this holy community where God dwells among His people. It talks about passing metal objects through fire and water. This gave me new insight into Isaiah 43:1-2, Proverbs 3:11-12, and Hebrews 12:5-7.

Sometimes difficult circumstances come into my life to cleanse and transform me. They are not to punish me. They produce more Christ-like characteristics in my life. (Is all heartship for this reason? No! Look at Christ on the cross. He suffered heartship and it wasn't to grow His character.) God's intent behind them is to bless me. I'm still His chosen and beloved daughter. And He is with me in this heartship. He doesn't send me to my room or give me the quiet treatment. He's with me in the middle of the difficulty, reassuring me, guiding me, counseling me, and growing me. It's a time-in and not a time-out style of parenting.

Plus, I'm a science teacher, so I like fire!

Judas at the Last Supper

I am always struck by the presence of Judas.  It's not his betrayal that gets me, someone had to do that.  What catches my attention is how Jesus interacts with Judas.  I'm not sure of how early in His ministry Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him.  I do know that by the Last Supper, Jesus indeed knew what Judas intended to do: "But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me." Luke 22:21 NLT.  Similar verses are recorded in Matthew 26:21, Mark 14:18, and John 13:21.  At the last supper, Jesus doesn't treat Judas with contempt.  He doesn't yell at Judas and chase him away.  Instead, Jesus washed his feet along with the rest of the disciples (John 13:1-17).  He included Jesus in his last few precious moments with his closest companions before He suffers.  Jesus warns Judas of the woe Judas will experience because of his betrayal (Luke 22:22).  Judas is treated as a loved and respected friend.  This is astonishing to me!  I'm not sure I would do the same.  My sorrow may cloud my love, but this is not how Jesus acted.  In fact, if Jesus treated Judas poorly, then we could somehow justify Judas' betrayal.  Knowing Judas would betray Him, Jesus washes his feet and eats Passover with him. The account of Judas, and how Jesus relates to him, gives depth and color to my understanding of God's love.

Ephesians 3:17b-17 NIV

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Manure is a Rich Growing Medium

Our garden isn't very big, but people comment about how much produce comes out of its small square footage.  Would you like to know one of my secrets?  A friend advised us to work a bag of manure into the soil every spring.  By now, most of the soil in the garden is decomposing manure.  Manure is a rich growing medium.

Let's take this one step further.  Do you have any areas of your life that are kind of poopy?  You're not super happy about how things are going?  Do you sometimes do things that make you feel like a sack of manure?  Well, I've got good news for you!  Manure is a rich growing medium.  But it works best for growing after it has decomposed a little.  Then it doesn't stink so much.

Late in April we did a little decomposing.  There had been a lot of bickering and back-talk and very little parental patience for that behavior.  Prayerfully our family took some time to identify the things we really value in life.  What makes us feel alive?  What do we love doing?  If you try this, I recommend you do this prayerfully because God knows us better than we know ourselves (Psalm 139:1-4).  Each person listed 10 things that were very important to them.  Then we compared our lists.  We identified five common values on everyone's list.  

How did this help the bickering and impatience?  It gave us a conversation starter.  Since each individual identified what THEY VALUE, it wasn't was just the parents rules or values.  So when someone criticizes his/her sibling, we can say "You value family.  Is what you just said in line with your value system?"  Or we can have conversations like this, "You value knowing God, but you consistently bring a novel and toy to church instead of your Bible.  Tell me about that."  Our children need to decide what they value and learn to live by their own moral code.  They are growing up and must learn to listen to their consciences and the leading of the Holy Spirit.  I won't always be there to create or enforce the rules.  

This exercise has also helped me.  The past few years have been very busy for me.  My husband just finished his masters degree.  While he was working on it, I worked full time and did the bulk of the parenting and housekeeping.  During the school year, I rarely had any free time.  Towards the end of his master's program, I found myself bored.  The list of what I valued helped me to find things that I enjoy doing.  I had forgotten some of my interests.  

So if you're feeling kind of crappy, have hope.  Manure is a rich growing medium.  You're just ready for some personal growth!  

Pot Head!

Oh Amazon, you have so many thing to inspire me!  I've been admiring trendy plant pots with a face on them; the plant sticking out the top of the pot is the hair.  The terra cotta pot holding my aloe vera has split, so I need to repot it.  Unfortunately, it's a big pot, 8 inches in diameter!  I haven't found a pot head on Amazon that is so large.  So, I thought I'd try my hand at painting my own.  Here's what I did.

1) I ordered a plain terra cotta pot, 8 inches in diameter from Wal-Mart.  It cost about $3.50.  Then I wiped off any dust, inside and out, with a damp paper towel and removed the bar code. 

2) After the pot dried, I used some masonry sealer on the pot, inside and out.  I believe the brand I used is Drylok.  We had it left over from a repair job at out old house.  I needed 2-3 layers to get it sealed and I had to wait at least 3 hours between each coat.  This was a pretty time consuming step.

3) The sealer has some grit in it.  I thought about sanding the grit off, but it gave the pot a nice texture.  Just make sure you are not using a foam brush because the grit pulls pieces of the brush off.  You could sand it at this point if you don't like the grit.

4) Next I applied 1-2 coats of white, acrylic, craft paint.  The pots in my window are white, so I wanted this one to match.  Of course, you have to wait an hour between each coat.

5) I'm not the most confident painter, so I pencil sketched the features of my pot head's face.  Then I used acrylic craft paint to paint her features.  I recommend thicker paint.  The paint for the red lips was really liquidy and ran when I set the pot down.  It took a few coats of white to cover up the error.  Most of the features took two coats to get the color intensity I desired.  I used a cotton ball to get the blush for her cheeks and a q-tip to get the black pupil in her eye.

6) I did not attempt to paint the outlines of the facial features.  I used a black paint marker instead.  

7) Once the paint was all dry, I covered the entire pot with clear polyurethane.  

8) After the polyurethane cured for a day or two, I planted my aloe vera inside the pot.  

I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out!  If you make one, post a picture of it.

Garden of Weeding

School's out for summer!  That means I have more time to read books and play around in the yard.  I'm reading God the Father Revealed by Lewis Erickson.  I started this book earlier, but I didn't have time to finish it.  I re-read chapter 1 and I came across this idea that when Adam and Eve sinned, that did not end their relationship with God.  Sin did not sever their relation with God; they felt exposed and fled from Him.  He provided them with a covering so they would not flee from Him.  The covering was made of animal skin because sin when it is full grown produces death (James 1:15).  God went with them when He banished them from the garden.  

Now this reminds me of something I read in another book, You're Going to Be Okay by Holley Gerth.  I don't have the book to look back at and re-read.  I loaned it to someone else and it never came back.  Guess they needed it more than I did.  So we will have to rely on my memory.  Holley talks about weeding in her garden.  She says the weeds are like sinful patterns and habits in her life.  She talks about the seeds of those weeds have been in the soil of our souls for a long time: doubt, covetousness, selfishness, and the like.  God allows the right conditions to come along to cause those weeds to spring to life.  When we see them growing in our lives, we are made aware of the seeds' presence.  God has known it all along, but we have not.  When they grow, we can now partner with The Farmer to remove them.  His desire is to heal us of the damage of those seeds, to stop the spread before death has fully grown into our relationships with others.  His goal is not to expose us or embarrass us but to heal us.  

There's one more section of another book that I've been thinking about.  This one is Daddy Loves His Girls by T.D. Jakes.  He talks about when we are born, our parents are adults.  They know we will mess up and hurt them.  That is a normal part of the human condition.  It didn't change their love for us.  They knew the day would come.  He compares this to our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  God knew all the days of our lives before we were born (Psalm 139:16).  When we sin, it's not a surprise to Him.  

I love these passages because I've written about how occasionally the enemy likes to torment me by reminding me of past (or current) mistakes.  I like to use this to God's glory by thanking Him for saving me when these thoughts come up.  Sometimes I think I should have things figured out by now.  I'm 42 and I've been walking with the Lord from childhood.  But every once and awhile (probably more often that I'd want to admit), a weed springs up in the garden of my soul.  It's freeing to remember that God knew I would make this choice before I was ever born.  It doesn't change His love for me.  He wants to be a part of fixing the mess, instead of me trying to deal with it on my own.  This is all a part of cultivating the beauty and fruitfulness of Christ-like character in my life.  

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law."  Galatians 5:22-23

Book Review: Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham

This past week marked 35 years since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.  It was one of the first big news stories that I remember.  I've always found it intriguing and continued to learn about it.  If you find it intriguing, I'd recommend Midnight in Chernobyl.  I picked this up at my brother's house and then checked it out from the Valley Center Public Library to finish reading it.  It took me a while, but I'm glad I did.  I've even referenced it in some of my lessons on atomic structure and engineering.  

On a Donkey?!?

"Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

Zechariah 9:9 NIV

I've been told that a king riding on a donkey was symbolic of times of peace.  Contrast it to a king riding on a horse, that meant the king was leading troops into battle.  I've heard this before, but it never really clicked.  I've always thought Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to fulfilled prophecy.  I also find this parallel interesting:  Mary rode into Bethlehem on a donkey and Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  Today I was struck by the symbolic meaning of peace.  Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey!  People were expecting Him to lead a political revolution, liberating Israel from Roman rule.  Instead Jesus spoke about a heavenly or spiritual kingdom, but the crowd just don't get it.  Jesus used not only His words to convey this message, but also cultural traditions of the day.  He came in peace, on a donkey, not on a war horse.

This is my 43rd Palm Sunday, although I don't know if you want to count the first 10 or so.  I know this story.  I've heard it many times.  I am so grateful that the Holy Spirit quickened my mind to a new aspect of Mark 11 today. My Rabi still has things to teach me. 

What part of Palm Sunday did you see in a new light today?

Hide and Seek

Do you know why I like physical science?  Honestly, there is more than one reason.  Physical science has a lot of math in it.  Those type of calculations have one answer.  Either you get it wrong or you get it right.  There's not a lot of grey area.  It's important to learn to correctly apply the process to get the right answers.  Eventually, you might get so good at the process that they let you use it to research questions that we don't know the answers to, yet.  Then you might discover something new to share with everyone else.  So cool!  

There's a question in Christianity that already has a lot of great answers.  This is not a physical science type of question, because I believe it has more than one correct solution.  

If God wants us to seek Him and find Him, then why is He hiding?

Some say that God isn't immediately obvious because we would not have a chance at faith.  If everyone could see Him, then we wouldn't need to believe.  Some say that we can't see God because of us.  God is obviously there, but the moral condition of the human heart does not allow us to see Him.  Some say our limited human minds and souls wouldn't be able to take His unveiled manifest presence.  We would short circuit.  Maybe we shouldn't use the word 'see' because some would tell you that God is spirit and not physical.  Maybe we should say 'perceive' Him.

May I suggest one more answer?  

As humans, we like a little mystery.  What kid doesn't love to play hide and seek?  I'll hide, and you find me.  Teens love the thrill of the chase, pursuing your crush to catch his/her eye.  Who loves a good mystery novel?  Or a crime show for that matter?  We like to hear the story and figuring out the clues.  It's intriguing.  I wonder if one of the reasons God doesn't make Himself immediately obvious is because He made us and He knows this about our nature.  What if God is playing hide and seek with us just like parents play with their children?  He might leave us a clue, peek out from behind a cabinet door or leave His foot sticking out.  That just whets our appetite to seek Him more.  Then we might discover something new about God, something that we can share with others.  Just like when we use the scientific method to learn something new about the world.  Each of us has a unique perspective.  Each of us can perceive Him a little differently from everyone else.  He's just too big and awesome for any one person to fully perceive.  And then there is this thought that is almost too good to bear, what if the Creator of the Universe really enjoys interacting with us?  Enjoys us just like parents enjoy playing hide and seek with their children.  

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

Get with the Program!

I try to blog once a month around the middle of the month.  Here it is the last day of January and I'm just now getting around to it.  Why is that?  I'm having a difficult time getting with the program, getting into the swing of things.  This month has been full of transitions.  School went from full remote to hybrid.  A few of the kids' after school activities starting meeting again in some form or fashion after the holiday/covid break.  Toby is transitioning from working full time and going to school to working part time and going to school.  I'm still trying to figure out how all this fits together.  

I've enjoyed a regular quiet time with God for years now, decades.  My parents encouraged it by buying me devotionals and I probably started regularly practicing time alone with God when I was in middle school.  My usual habit is to do it at night.  When the kids were little and napping, I'd do it during their naps.  A few years ago I tried doing it first thing in the morning.  I've heard a lot about starting your day with God helps to frame your entire day.  I gave this a try but it just didn't work for me.  I have trouble sleeping.  I find that my soul can rest best if I've just had my quiet time.  Then I can lie down and sleep peacefully knowing my Shepherd is near.  Also, I just don't want to get up any earlier to have my quiet time before I leave for school.  

I still want the benefit of framing my day in prayer.  So, at breakfast, I use 30 Days of Praying the Names and Attributes of God calendar put out by the Navigators.  It gives a different name or characteristic of God for each day of the month.  When I'm still waking up, I can praise God for that attribute and ask Him to help me portray it to those I come in contact with during my day.  Sometimes, when I'm awake enough, I also used this time to review my day and invite God into it.  Over the last few months, I've felt the Shepherd's gentle nudge.  Am I asking God to bless my plans, or am I seeking Him out to find out His plans for my day?  It's a good question, because my days the past few months have had many, many, changes in schedule.  Changes cause me to view life from a new perspective.  I have to find my focus, to fix my eyes on Jesus, from this new vantage point.  It's a good thing.  I'm learning to see Him more completely from every angle, but it takes time to adjust.  It was very confirming to hear Scott Porter talk about this in his sermon at GPC on 1/17/2021.  He titled it It is Hard to Repent When You are Already a Good Person.  He talked about his nephew taking time to ask God what He wanted him to pursue for a career.  I feel like I've settled that.  I felt God calling me into teaching when I was a teen.  But as Jarod Daniel pointed out in today's sermon, commitment in your relationship with Christ is like commitment in your marriage.  That commitment isn't a one time thing.  I'm committed to my relationship with Toby every day.  The same thing is true in my commitment to following Christ's leading in my everyday life.  He's my Lord in the daily decisions as well as in the big ones.  

Do Not Give Up

About a week ago I read about King Asa in 2 Chronicles 14-16.  His Great-Grandfather was Wise Solomon, who along with King David, governed over Israel during its Golden Age.  Between Solomon and Asa, the nation had split.  When Asa came to power, the gold had been stripped from Israel by the hands of neighboring kings.  Asa enjoyed a long season of peace early in his reign and used the time well.  He repaired the fortress cities built by Rehoboam and called his people to return to their God.  He called upon the Lord when Judah is threatened by Cushite invaders and God comes to their aid.  You should read all about it for yourself, don't take my word for it.  

In 1 Chronicles 15 a man named Azariah came to speak with King Asa.  I've been meditating on his message for about a week and it feels so timely.  You can read it in 1 Chronicles 15:1-7.  Arariah's message has 3 points that I think are very applicable for today.  

1) God wants us to seek Him and promises to reveal Himself to us when we do.  "The Lord is with you when you are with him.  If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you."

2) God uses troubling times to try to draw us back to Himself when we do forsake Him.  In times of unrest, He wants us to seek Him for solutions, resolution, and peace.  His goal isn't to crush us or punish us, His goal is repentance and reconciliation (See verses 3-6).

3) "But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." (verse 7).  This was spoken to King Asa in response to his spiritual reform both personally and nationally, but it seems so timely to all of us.  Don't give up.  I know it's difficult to balance your own work responsibilities while supporting your child while they do school at home.  (See that pile of backpacks in my living room!  This isn't how life normally is.)  I know it's tough to practice Covid precautions when you have to give up some freedoms.  I know it's difficult to miss your loved ones at a holiday because you are taking quarantine precautions.  I know it's hard to be unable to work due to the slow economy and illness.  But . . 

Do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.

My Shepherd is Johovah-Shalom, the God of Peace

I use 30 Days of Praying the Names and Attributes of God from the Navigators to frame my morning prayers.  Do you know what yesterday's name of God was?  Jehovah-shalom, the God of Peace!  How perfect is that?  We are in the wake of election results exposing a divided nation.  The Covid-19 wave two is cresting.  My school started a new schedule today.  Now that's a lot to worry about!  I love meditating on my shepard being Jehovah-shalom, the God of Peace. 

Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  Psalm 100:3

Know that God is still on the throne in the midst of these troubled times.  We are His; we belong to Him.  He is our gentle shepherd.  We are His sheep.  It is not a promise to be free of trial and trouble.  The wolf and lion still crave mutton, but the Shepherd's rod and staff protect us.  The fly still bites, but He applies healing oil to our heads.  Remember who your Shepherd is!

Appreciating Winter

Winter is not my favorite season.  I love it through Christmas and the New Year, but then winter becomes tedious.  It's cold and bleak.  I don't want to go outside.  The blue sunny skies often turn grey.  The grass turns a dirty tan.  The grey sky and tan grass blend into a dreary landscape.  Genesis 8:22 tells me that "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."  1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."  So I tend to think that I need to find a way to be thankful for winter.  

I also believe that people go through spiritual seasons, seasons of the soul.  They don't necessarily line up with the timing of the physical seasons outside, but similarities exist between what happens to the natural word and what happens in the world inside our hearts.  You might have an internal spring while the world is in winter.  Spring bubbles with joyful new life.  Summer is full of hard work while your character grows but you know in the end it will produce a harvest.  Fall is where all your effort to grow plays off and you see the fruit of your labors.  Then winter hits.  What is good about the winter of the soul?

The dreary skies can really dampen my soul.  Sometimes it's hard to remember that the sun will shine again.  But it does.  It always returns to cause the plants to spring to life.  No matter how long winter may seem, it doesn't last forever.  The cloudy skies may hid the sun for a while, but eventually its light and warmth fall on the grown again.  I experience this spiritually too.  Sometimes God's love and favor seems far from me, like they are hiding behind a cloud.  Sometimes I've caused this by walking away from Him, but not always.  It's good for me to remember that His love and favor are still shining even though a cloud might be blocking my view of it.  So winter causes my faith to grow - and that's a good thing. Hebrews 11:1 tells us "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  God's love and favor is there for me, even if He feels a million miles away and I can't see it right now.  

Winter is a time when the plants rest.  Growth slows or even stops.  Rest is a good thing.  When things slow down, I have time to reflect.  Winter's reduction in growth and activity allows me to ponder all the new things I tried in those seasons of growth and life.  Which new things help me to become more Christ-like?  Which new things need to become a habit?  Which habits need to become a thing of the past? Psalm 139:23-24 remind me that reflection is a good spiritual habit.  Soul winter gives me a chance to allow the Holy Spirit to make me aware of what needs to change.

Finally, some seeds require a cold snap to stimulate them to germinate.  This happens in my spiritual life too.  Sometimes I read my Bible but I don't really get anything out of it at the time.  Sometimes I pray, but my prayers are not answered.  I follow God's leading, but nothing changes.  I'm sowing spiritual seed, but I'm not seeing any fruit from my labors.  The seed's need for cold to begin to grow reminds me that sometimes I need to patiently persevere in doing good.  Galatians 6:9 reads "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  Winter reminds me to preserver.  

There you have it: three good things about winter to encourage your soul.  Faith grows when I have to live on God's promises instead of what I see and experience.  Rest gives me the time to reflect on the direction I'm going.  Perseverance keeps me going until I see the fruit of spiritual labors.

How Embarrassing!

We visited the church I grew up in at the end of June.  Pastor Scott began his sermon by talking about sometimes we need to be reminded that we are sinners.  That struck a chord with me.  If you have been walking with God for a while and allowing His word to transform your life, you might start to forget who you used to be.  We would not want to forget how much we have been forgiven, because those who have been forgiven much love much, right?  Every once and a while an old memory pops into my head of foolish things I've done in the past.  Yikes!  How could I be so foolish!  Now, if God is bringing those things to my mind, He's probably doing it to heal me of some hurt or remind me of something I need reconcile with Him and/or others.  Sometimes I know that all business has been taken care of with a memory, but it still pops up.  Then I feel embarrassed and self-conscious.  I might not feel as free to take a risk or a leap of faith.  And if that happens, it's probably not from God, it's probably from the enemy, the accuser of the brethren.  So, what should I do when those memories spring into my conscious?  Well, as Kevin on our worship team reminded us at church on Sunday, we want to give glory to God; to use all things in our lives to magnify Him.  2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to 'take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.'  When those embarrassing memories come to mind, I've been taking them captive to Christ by silently thanking Him for saving me, forgiving me, throwing my sins into the sea of forgetfulness, loving me while I was still His enemy.  And it's helped me to move on instead of feeling self-conscious.  What do you do when those silly old memories enter your head?

How much does my voice count, really?

Over 7 years ago, Toby and I tried something new.  It was a new church plant, or perhaps a church transplant.  We found ourselves as members of a smaller, new body of believers.  Now, when you are involved in a larger organization, your voice is just one in a hundred or more.  But when you are in a small organization, your voice can have more impact.  This is both exciting and terrifying to me!  Exciting because I have the opportunity to help build the faith traditions of a new church.  Terrifying because of the greater responsibility.  There was no denominational 'Statement of Faith' to guide us.  God was with us every step, but we had to learn to rely on Him more.  I needed to really figure out what I believe about Christian doctrine and why I believe it.  When I was in high school, my history teacher allowed me to explore the topic of world religions for a project.  I wrote a 35 page paper on it.  Can you imagine reading 35 pages of a 15 year old's ramblings on religion?!  What a good teacher.  This allowed me pick Christianity and know why I picked it.  It allowed me to pursue God in a Christian church for reasons beyond 'that's how I was raised.'  When I went to college and continued to pursue Him, God honored my desire and I began to experience Him in more real and exciting ways.  But finding myself with a teaching gift in a new church forced me to really dig into scripture.  And not just read it but think about how I interpreted the words I read and how sometimes other people interpret it differently.

This stack of books really helped me.  The Systematic Theology books by Wayne Grudem discuss a lot of topics.  Grudem is a true educator; he presents several sides to a discussion instead of only presenting one opinion.  It allowed me to read the passages and pray about which issues I felt were really vital to being a believer and which were small differences.  Spoiler alert: I concluded that many things I have felt strongly about in the past are still valuable to me but I don't think they define a true believer.  There's a lot of minor doctrinal differences out there.

A friend recommended Hanegraaff's The Complete Bible Answer Book to me and I have really enjoyed it.  I don't always find myself agreeing with Hanegraaff's application of scripture, but I love seeing how he applies Biblical principles to modern questions.  His understanding of scripture and literary elements is amazing.  The way he connects common themes from different books of the Bible; wow!  What an inspiration to understand my Bible better. 

The book on top is my most recent book finished.  The Allure of Gentleness encourages believes to prayerfully explore their doubt and allow others to do so.  Dallas Willard handles many topics with logical arguments.  He also drives home to importance of living out a Christ-like life and responding to doubts and questions with gentleness and respect (isn't that what Jesus did?).  Willard's discussion of hell was unlike anything I've ever read or heard.  I'm still rolling it around in my brain. 

Anyway!  If you would like to explore your faith more, I recommend any of these books.  As Willard says, leaps of faith are almost always based on knowledge of God.  No one can know Him fully but we are divinely invited to know Him more.  Ponder and pray and know Him more!

Planned Pooling Scarf!

Have you seen this new fiber trend?  It's so cool!  Yarn designed to develop a pattern as you work.  I just had to try it out.  Late last fall I made this scarf to test out the technique.  It is from Red Heart's colorway 'Fall'.  I used two Super Saver skeins to do it, making the project very affordable. It looks gorgeous in my lovely model.

If you would like to try the technique, check out these great links.  That's how I learned!  http://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2016/09/crochet-planned-color-pooling-scarf.html
http://www.glamour-4-you.com/blog/planned-pooling-with-crochet-made-easy-4-simple-steps

Happy Crocheting!

Home . . .

Home is where the heart is, right?

My 10-year-old son and I just finished reading Abandoned on the Wild Frontier by Dave and Neta Jackson.  This book is historical fiction intended to introduce 8-12 year old kids to the ministry of Peter Cartwright.  He died in 1872, but something in this book is as relevant today as it was 150 years ago.

I love this dialog.  God gives us each a hunger for the warmth and security of a good family life.  Why? Peter Cartwright suggests this longing is God designed; placed in each human heart to make us hunger for a reconciled relationship with Him.  Jesus makes reconciliation with God possible through His payment for our sins on the cross.  He invites you and me and all who would believe to enter into this relationships by faith and repentance.  Are you hungry for home?  

Anything new in your prayer life?

Have you ever felt like your lack of faith is impeding your prayer life?  You ask God to work in your circumstances or your character, but you experience doubt that you are even asking for the right thing?  I recently read this paragraph in Everyone Gets to Play by John Wimber.  It's in a section on corporate intercessory prayer, but I tried it in my own personal prayer life.

It makes my prayers longer.  It won't work for those urgent "I'm about to lose my cool.  Lord, I need your gentleness for this kid right now!" type of prayers.  To make it easier for me to understand, I broke the paragraph down into a list.  

1. Praise God for who He is.

2. Thank Him for what He has done in the past.  

3. Recall or pray any applicable Bible Verses.

4. Consider how God moved in the earthly life of Christ.

5. Tell God about the circumstances and ask Him for the need at hand.

I'm a big believer in simply asking God to show me how to pray and going with what the Holy Spirit lays on my heart.  I found this to be a great addition to that method of supplication because it got historical in a good way.  Considering who God is and how He has acted in the past gives me more confidence to pray in the present.  It also helps align my thoughts and prayers with His will.  Let's do an example.:

1.  Praise God for who He is.

God, you're a good Father.  I praise you because you are the wisest and most faithful parent.

2.  Thank Him for what He has done in the past.

We asked you for kids and you gave them to us.  Thank you for this children.  We love them.  And we enjoy them, most of the time!

3.  Recall or pray any applicable Bible Verses.

Proverbs 22:6 "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it."

4.  Consider how God moved in the earthly life of Christ.

Jesus, you embraced children with open arms.  You encourage even the youngest people to know you.

5.  Tell God about the circumstances and ask Him for the need at hand. 

God, our kids need to develop some independence and work ethic.  Please cultivate this attitude within them.  Please show us how to parent them in such a way to take pride in doing a job well.  

Try it and see if it helps you.  Don't feel like you have to pray every step for every prayer.  Take what is helpful for your relationship with God and leave the rest.  

The Legend of the Poinsettia

What is your favorite Christmas decoration?  I just love poinsettias.  Do you?  Have you ever heard the Legend of the Poinsettia?  I'll sum it up for you, but I really recommend an artfully crafted retelling of this story by Tomie dePaola.  You can read my summary or you can click on the link and hear the story.  I know what I'd do.  I'd listen to the story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s0C5V4OB18

Lucida is a little girl living in Mexico.  We all have Christmas traditions.  In Lucida's village on Christmas Eve, everyone in the church brought a gift to lay at the figure of baby Jesus.  Lucida's mother had the honor of making a new blanket for the figure.  Unfortunately, she became ill and couldn't complete the project.  Lucida tried to finish the blanket on her own, but all she accomplished was making the yarn tangled.  Lucida had nothing to give the baby Jesus.  On her way to the church service, she encounters a mysterious woman.  The mystery lady assures Lucida that her mother will soon recover.  At her encouragement, Lucida picks some common weeds to take to the church and lay at the figure of baby Jesus.  When Lucida lays the weeds at the manger and prays to God, an amazing transformation takes place.  The weeds turn into beautiful Poinsettia flowers.

Now I'm sure you're wondering why I love this Christmas symbol so much.  I'm not Hispanic.  This isn't my cultural heritage.  I find this story full of symbolism.  I can relate to little Lucida.  At Christmas we celebrate the ultimate Giver.  God gave Jesus to the world to live a human life.  Jesus gave up His life to die on the cross as a payment for our sins.  The Holy Spirit gives us God's presence.  We are the recipients of these lavish gifts.  Because I am created in the image of the Giver, I want to give also.  I want to give something of value to this little baby lying in a manger.  Like Lucida, I find I have nothing to give.  I come before Jesus and offer up the only thing of value that I truly possess.  I offer Him my life: my time, my energy, my choices, my praise, and my material possessions.  Just like Lucida, I worry that my gift will not be good enough.  Surely I have made a tangled mess of things in the past.  Good news!  No tangled mess is beyond His redeeming touch.  Our lives might be like the weeds that Lucida picked: common and ordinary.  But in God's presence, they can be transformed into a beautiful work of art.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT "So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord.  and the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."

A Prayer

One of the ladies at our Thursday Night Bible Study shared this prayer request and I loved it.  I tend to stay kind of busy, but I just added another commitment to my life.  Yikes!  When I feel stressed and overwhelmed with things to do, I don't always respond to people in the most loving manner.  So I loved this prayer:

Remember Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic speeches?

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."  

My stressed out response isn't going to make any situation better.  Nope, it's a Christ-like response that will really help.  The Bible even says so in Romans 12:21.

So if you're feeling stressed or attacked, I invite you to pray this one with me:

Lord, help me to reflect Jesus instead of reflecting the onslaught coming at me.