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| All my old hauntsI got to spend a couple of extra days at home this week. It was really nice to catch up with some old friends and too have some extended time with my family and dogs. I haven't for instance, played catch with our German Shepherd for a long time. It brought back memories of when I'd be told to go out and play with him. We were usually made to stay out there for a half an hour with the dogs in the fenced in back yard (this was the only time the dogs went outside unless they were otherwise on a leash etc.) It wasn't always the most fun thing to do, especially when you felt like there were better things you could be doing with your time. I taught our German Shepherd how to fetch really well. I could sit in a chair and read, just throwing the ball to him. I was even lazy enough to teach him the command "bring it closer" so that if he dropped the ball too far away and I didn't feel like getting it, he'd bring it closer and thus my reading would go uninterrupted.  It seems like such a long time ago . . . I was brought back to many childhood memories of romping in our back woods, playing dress up with my neighbor, playing baseball in our backyard with only five people (there was always a ghost man on base  ), playing tackle football with the youth group, teaching one of our Seeing Eye puppies we were raising how to jump hurdles like a horse, playing croquet in our bumpy backyard, watching our ducks waddle along outside and so on . . . I'm not even that old, but life seems to go so fast. There are so many memories I have and I wish it were possible to bottle them up and hold close the exact feelings and emotions I had then without them becoming distorted with time . . .
Another thing impressed upon me while I was home, is the miracle of childbirth. It's amazing to know some one close to you whose pregnant and see the change the occurs in nine months and to know the life that is inside them, to feel that life move and to be able to see it too. There are truly no words to describe it. God is amazing! | | |
| Beautiful in its timeIt's hard to know how to be there for someone when you don't understand the reasons, the whys and the why nots. It's hard because I believe God has a reason for everything, that He works all things out for good, though we might not understand what good He's working or how it all works out for good. I want so desperately to know the answers sometimes, yet I know at the same time, I don't; God's hands are much more suited for those answers than am I. Last weekend I traveled to Lancaster, during which there were torrential rains and wind the whole time. We stopped at the Rockvale outlets and about that time the storm was still behind us in all its fury but to the west the sun was shining brightly through the sky reminding all of its presence. Glancing back, I saw a full rainbow and even a second rainbow above it. I was not only reminded that after every storm the sun comes (and we can see God clearly), but that God is always with us during the storm. God leaves me tangible reminders like this probably more than I notice, but sometimes it doesn't erase the feeling of wanting to understand, wanting to be able to have the wisdom to share with those closest to me who are hurting. I guess this is where I learn to trust and lean on the truth I have seen throughout my life: He's always been faithful to me. "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." ~Ecclesiastes 3:11 "Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens—what can you do?
They are deeper than the depths of the grave —what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea." ~Job 11:7-9 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight." ~Proverbs 3:5-6 | | |
| His Deam for UsLife continues to go on as usual. However, I have been challenged in many ways spiritually. One of these ways was through a speaker, Jim Ehrman, I got to hear when helping out with a youth retreat a couple weeks ago. He had many powerful points and here are a few of them.
1. We are spiritual beings having a temporary earthly experience, not earthly beings having a spiritual experience.
2. God sees us as who we are meant to be, not who we are right now. He sees us in the dreams He has for us.
For example, the account was given of Gideon hiding in a cave from the Midianites, making only enough rice for himself. An angel approaches him there and calls him, "Man of valor". This is the only time in the Bible an angel approaches someone and the person approached doesn't fall to the ground. Instead, Gideon defiantly makes up excuses for why God can't use him.
It's not about how we feel about ourselves however, but about what He thinks of us. Jesus is not just about loving us, He's about loving us so much that He refuses to leave us the way we are, instead He shapes us. (Jesus later has Gideon destroy his father's idols).
3. God's more concerned about what He can do in you than through you.
4. God is capable of using His "power resume" to make us love Him. He can make us love Him, but instead He chooses to remind us of how He has loved us and what He has done for us, and then . . . waits for us to decide whether to embrace His love.
5. We have not just been saved from something, we've been saved for something. The world is meant to be more than it is, but we as Christians are content only to get our tickets to heaven punched . . . instead of living out our salvation and allowing His dreams for us be fulfilled.
6. God feels emotionally towards us. He wants a genuine relationship with us, as David had. David who offered to build a resting place for His Lord, a temple. And, God wants to cocreate with us, as He did with Adam in the Garden.
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:
"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness. I will build you up again
and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel.
Again you will take up your tambourines
and go out to dance with the joyful. Jeremiah 31:3-4
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| More than EnoughYou are more than enough for me! And all that you have is more than enough for me . . .
Sometimes it takes listening to some good praise songs to remind me of the Rock I have given my life to and how steadfast His love is.
I am so happy and content right now...yet still there are those days when I realize I am but nothing, and know nothing . . . I have no clever answers for my questions and ponderings . . . Today's one of those days.
"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God." ~Psalm 42:11
Open up the doors and let the music play, let the streets resound with singing. Songs that bring your hope and songs that bring your joy . . .
Glad He puts the song in my heart.
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| What a Day of Rejoicing that will be"Heaven is a wonderful place. Filled with glory and grace. I'm going to see my Savior's face . . . 'cause heaven is a wonderful place."
So I've been thinking about a lot of things much of which has been triggered by a really good book I just finished reading (Safely Home by Randy Alcorn) and from things God has been placing on my heart. Safely Home is a powerful book and one that's really hard for me to describe succinctly, but it deals with the reunion of two college roommates after twenty years. When they reunite it becomes apparent that Li Quan is living faithfully for Christ despite the persecution he and his family face in post-Mao China. His old roommate, Ben, who is in China to build business relations for his company, has turned away from his faith after seeing his mom die from cancer and his son drown in a pool, and has since embraced other "practical" theologies. Throughout the book there are a wide array of discussions between Li Quan and Ben about their differences on religion and what they believe. If anything those discussions have gotten me thinking the most...that and the picture of the persecuted Christian depicted through the fictitious life of Quan and his family. There are also glimpses of what heaven might look like and what our relationship with Christ, the angels, and other believers might look like there.
I found that this book addresses many things that I seldom think about. This is pretty tragic. I mean as a Christian my hope is based on the eternal life that I will one day share with Him. My home is not here but somewhere else, yet rarely do I live that way. If people were asked to describe me would they say, "She lives as if this is not her home, as if she is living for another place and can't wait to get there"? While I strive to live for Christ daily, I wonder how often I think of the eternal implications my actions have. I should not be "hinding my light under a bushel". No! I should be "letting it shine".
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." ~Matt 13:44-46
How often do I let it shine? Have I given all that I have for this priceless pearl?
I believe that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. God loved the world so much however, that He sent His only Son to becoming the atoning sacrifice. Whoever chooses to believe in Him will be granted eternal life and live as heirs. What a wonderful message of God's unconditional love! So wonderful and yet . . . When was the last time I shared that message? I am thankful I read this book because it has really challenged me to look inside myself and be truthful about how I am living.
God's church is so much bigger than just those we attend on Sunday mornings, than the ones in the United States, in North America . . . In other countries around the world there are people daily dying for Christ. Some are given quick deaths but others are bruised, beaten, battered, abused, maimed, and persecuted daily. I can't even imagine what it's like to daily fear for your life, to constantly consider the consequences of declaring my faith. The worse I might face is crude remarks, rejection, and loneliness. I am so thankful for those faithful around the world who are living daily for the Lord and who are doing everything they can to spread the Gospel. They hunger for His Word and strive to share this bread with others around the world, despite the cost to them. Great is their reward in heaven and what a wonderful testimony they've given for others!
"The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." ~Matthew 13:33
I had the chance to go to Guyana, South America in 2006. The Guyanese Christians really witnessed to me through their fervent prayers and the way they joyfully lived for Christ. They sing loud and hard! They are living in the poorest country in South America, and yet they are so hospitable! It's easy to see a reflection of Christ in their lives . . .
It's so easy to be concentrated and centered on my own world. So easy to leave God out of it, and strive to do things on my own. I often forget that we are in the midst of spiritual war, that Satan cunningly fights everyday to win more souls. I forget to pray for my brother and sisters in Christ who face persecution every day. I forget to think about my eternal destiny and those of my friends and family and those that I meet every day. I forget to think about and pray for those who have yet to be touched by the Gospel whether here or in other countries. Yet, I want them to know the love of the One merciful God, the One who goes before to prepare a place for them if they but believe.
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then He said, "Write this down for these words are trustworthy and true." He said to me, "It is done, I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son." ~Revelation 21:4-7
This is a lengthy post, but as you can see it has really touched my heart. I will close with two quotes from the book that got me thinking about these things.
1. "[The King] grabbed Quan's hands with his. Quan felt roughness and the violence of the great scars. He gazed at those hands. They were the hands of a Carpenter who cut wood and made things, including universes and angels and men. These same hands, Li Quan pondered, had once hauled heavy lumber up a long lonely hill. These same hands and feet were once nailed to that lumber in the Shadowlands, the most horrible moment from the dawn of time. Terrible and wonderful, for it was the Wound that healed all wounds. The hands and feet of the only innocent man became forever scarred so that guilty people would not have to bear the scars they deserved. He saw the pain in those hands. It was an ancient pain that was the doorway to eternal pleasures. Quan didn't know what to say. What response could be adequate?
'I did it for you, said the King. 'And I would do it again. But I am grateful it is not necessary. It is finished. Paid in full. All that remains, before the great adventure begins, is to turn the fallen world ride side up and make it the glorious place I have planned for it to be.'"
2."He missed the sound of laughter. There was no laughter here, nor could there be, for laughter cannot exist without joy or hope. An awful realization gripped him. There was no history here. No story line. No opening scene, no developing plot, no climax, no resolution. No character development. No travel, no movement. Only a setting of constant nothingness, going nowhere. Excruciating, eternal boredom. Nothing to distract him from the torment of the eternal now.
He had charmed his friends and cheated his enemies, but death he could not cheat, hell he could not charm. This nameless, ever-shriveling man writhed in terror. Faced with his own deeds, punished by them, he was receiving in himself the due penalty for what he had done. He longed for a visit from an emissary. He craved a well wishing message from a foreign dignitary, delivered by a courier, a request for an audience in his illustrious presence. But no. He knew now none would ever come, or even want to. He could not return to Beijing--and knew Beijing itself would soon be gone, a flower withered in a summer's wind. Perhaps it was gone already.
No one to fear him. No one to revere him. No one to hear him. No one to think about him.
He who had claimed to be savior was forever without Savior. Ignored and insignificant. Empty and embittered and regretful. Without a following. Without a heart. Without a hope.
Forever, time without end."
(Above quotes are both from Randy Alcorn's book, Safely Home, Copyright 2001.)
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