I was thinking as I was reading about John the Baptist that we are supposed to be like him. I mean, we aren't expected to wear camel hair suits or eat locusts and honey but we have a role that is ordained by God, just as John's was (see Isaiah 40:3 for a prophetic look at John's coming). We are to humbly point to Jesus in every small act and word, as John did.

Listen to what he said to the Pharisees and Sadducees: "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come One who is more powerful than I, Whose sandals I am not fit to carry" (Mat. 3:11).

Our role is to lead with the Truth of God's Word and to teach, through our surrendered lives to, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance"(Mat.3:8). I wonder what our lives look like on the outside. Someone told me today that what she hates about those who profess to be Christian is that they say one thing and behave a completely different way. Our self-proclaimed love does not bleed into our daily lives. It is essential that our words, those utterances of our deepest hearts, travel hand-in-hand with our actions!!!!

I know that it has been said in countless ways by countless people but it bears repeating---WE ARE NOT HERE FOR US. We are each placed in our cities, towns and villages for the sole purpose of increasing God's people, bringing them to obedience and repentance, showing them love and mercy via the perfect Love and Mercy that is bestowed upon us from God. 

Our lives, no matter how insignificant we think we are, are allowed to continue for however long for GOD'S Purposes and Plans. John knew that. That is why he baptized. That is why he told the Pharisees and Sadducees, "And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children of Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire" (Mat 3:9-10). God only wants those who will work for Him 100%.

This, of course, leads me to the millions of times a day that I fail at this task. I am not condemning myself (for there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ), I am using my frailty to point out that each of my many sins, intentional or not, is forgiven when I kneel in genuine repentance before my Father. We repent for HIM...not for ourselves. We repent because He deserves AT LEAST that from us. When we repent, we are bringing our rebellion to a screeching halt. We are making the decision to turn our faces to Him. Hey, where else in life can we sin the way we do and expect to be forgiven???The world is not this merciful!

John was so in tune with his purpose in life that Jesus allowed him to baptize Him!

I guess what strikes me is that we veer so far from God's original intent for our lives on a daily basis. All it takes is an argument, a nasty so-worker, an inconvenient or untrue word to jettison all that we know about God and His expectation of us. We justify our reactions and wrong choices by thinking that we can (that we have a choice)...when really we can't.  Our only choice as Christians is to obey. There is no justification for sin, except our weakness--and that is no justification at all. There is no justification for not showing Love and Mercy in all areas of our lives when we know our place. Our place is in God's Will and submitted obedience to the One who created us. Hard as that is to accomplish (and He knows us so well...He knows all our weaknesses and still chooses us!!!), our role is to do as John did--proclaim the Word and lead others to Christ!!!  

As pitch as the black sky, as unwarranted as a cold slap, are the dashed dreams of an unbeliever.

Standing on a far shadowed hill watching the sun droop it's tangerine-tinted head, is the sinking heart of the unbeliever.

The burgeoning grey waves and chill waters drag and pull the struggling arms of the breathless unbeliever.

Thrashing against the tug downward that is too great, too gravitational, terror strikes down the discouraged heart of the unbeliever.

The entrance into the gate of rest, of perfect peace, is disguised to the unbeliever who stumbles drunkenly past.

Withering against the ugly slew of words lining my heart, I cry out to the faithful Spirit, the One who, "intercedes for us with groans that [my] words cannot express."

The knees of one who has lost hope are muddied. 

The heart is crowded with pain...

"...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  

Libby and Tori Burton are twins who have always traveled separate paths. Libby is provided the opportunity to develop a much desired (on her part), and meaningful relationship with her sister when their Aunt Stella dies. Aunt Stella however, had placed a codicil on her will that the sisters live together in her Olde Philadelphia row home for six months...together.

Problems erupt almost immediately when Libby steps out the front door and stumbles over a dead body with a crossword puzzle warning for Tori clutched in his hands. Simultaneously, Tori begins to invest her energy and time in an attempt to steal the affections of her niece (Libby's daughter), Chloe. Threading through a story of murder and intrigue is a developing relationship between Libby and her Ben Franklin scholar neighbor, Drew. Tori too, is developing relationships (however questionable), at the casino where she is employed. As Drew and Libby (and their best-friend daughters), learn to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart," the mystery heats up. Roper cleverly reveals an unexpected and transforming twist in Libby and Tori's history that changes the face of all of the relationships.

Gayle Roper has captured the essence of the deepest needs we all have (meaningful relationship with God and family), through her characters. In this thoroughly enjoyable and sometimes quirky read, Roper creates a riveting and exciting story that runs parallel to Libby's (and, I think, our own), Spiritual journey. Ultimately, her journey leads others and herself to the foot of the Cross where forgiveness is found.