After the month of June, I again remember why God gives us children when we're young. And yes, there's definitely a physical aspect to it, but the mental aspect is just as tough. Being consistent, choosing your battles, being one step ahead . . . lots of things to consider and to be on top of.
Something that really struck me while our two little guys were here is the art of listening. Kayden does everything at top speed, including talking. After asking him to repeat himself on several occasions, Kristi and I would often look at one another and just shrug our shoulders. We didn't get it. Alas. We could hear, but we couldn't understand.
Another thing I noticed was that the boys would be so involved in whatever they were doing they couldn't hear us. Well, they could hear us, they just weren't listening. Many times we had to ask them, "Are you listening to me?" Other times we would physically touch their face and ask them to look at our eyes so we might communicate. We had to get their undivided attention (if that's even possible with 2-year-olds). There were only a few times when they were actually not wanting to listen, mostly they were just busy and didn't want to stop their current activity.
It reminds me that I do the same thing with God. I get so wrapped up in whatever the day brings, that I sometimes forget to listen. I hear, but I don't listen. And sometimes the Holy Spirit will prod a little harder, "Are you listening?" And I don't. And then, God will reach down and touch me in order to get my undivided attention. And it's not because I'm being stubborn or defiant, it's just because I'm too busy, and I don't want to stop what I'm doing.
And then this morning as I'm working through 1 Kings I have to do a word study on understanding, discern, and wise. Two of them are used in this context as verbs. Guess what they mean. Yep. "To hear, to listen closely, consider carefully, perceives by ear, to hear intelligently, perceives with the senses, etc."
Hope you take time to LISTEN today. Isn't God amazing?
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Are YOU Inerrant???
Lots of things have been trolling through my brain lately. They all seemed to culminate Sunday. Yes, Sunday, as in Father's Day. I was doing okay until I talked to my cousin. And then, well, suffice it to say that I wasn't doing too well. Dad taught us lots of important things. I'd like to share one.
While working as a Foster Home Developer one of the main questions I got was, 'What makes good foster parents?' After answering the question a million different ways it finally dawned on me that to be a good foster parent - you couldn't have all the answers. Does that surprise you? The best thing you can do as a foster parent is be willing to learn - be teachable. Every child is unique. Every circumstance is unique. What worked for you and your birth children may not work for your foster children. And, what works today may not work tomorrow. The relationship changes. If you're not willing to learn new ideas, consider new approaches, stretch yourself a lot, adapt as you go, then fostering is not for you. Teach-ability and flexibility are two of the most important attributes in fostering.
Dad was a lifelong learner. I don't know of many 70+ year-old men who can take apart a computer and put it back together. Dad worked several years for Microsoft as a merchandiser. He had to know how to use all those little gadgets. He had to show adults and children how to use the gaming machines and around Christmas he usually sold a bunch of them. As an avid reader he was up to date on the latest authors and best sellers. He liked Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. He liked good mysteries, science-fiction, and fantasy. He always had crossword puzzle books going and also worked the puzzles in the paper. He never looked in the back for the answers either. (I do.) Other than the spiritual legacy Dad left, I think the most important thing he taught all of us is that you're never too old to learn, and you SHOULD continue to do so.
A couple of weeks ago one of our elders brought the morning message. One of the questions he asked was whether or not you had ever changed your mind about a biblical truth or passage. Or, have you believed the very same thing since your salvation? What a great question! Have you ever debated with someone over specific passages of scripture and come away with a different perspective or insight? As a student/facilitator of Precept studies I most certainly have. I remember well a concept I had held for decades that was changed in me as I studied word for word the book of Romans. And now, when friends are so adamant about that concept around me, I kinda grin and think, some day, God may change your mind about that. The elder pointed out the fact that God is inerrant -- we are not!
God's mercies are new every morning. If we are teachable and flexible His lessons and insights for us are also new every morning. What are you allowing Him to teach you this week?
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ~Lamentations 3:22-23
Friday, May 4, 2012
Struggling and Provision
Can I just confess that it's been a really tough week? I've struggled with grief, sorrow, anger, doubt, fear, regret, and to top it all off - laziness. Tuesday was so hard I could hardly stand it. As Michael read our nightly devotion the tears flowed, but I didn't want him to know because I couldn't explain them. Of course it's kind of hard to hide tears when you use 15 tissues in five minutes or something. Alas.
While I've struggled this week God has been sweet. In both Bible studies that I'm currently engaged in He has spoken. In Daniel we learn in all things God is sovereign. And we see that all through scripture He tells His people what He's going to do. Did you know that according to Daniel if the religious leaders had been paying attention to dates alone they would have known that Jesus was their Messiah when he rode into Jerusalem on the colt of the donkey? Isn't that amazing? And even now He tells us through His prophets what's coming in the future. He's given us a heads up.
Yesterday He spoke in another way. I was playing catch-up with the other study last night. In it the author, Kelly Minter, tells of going to a guitar sale where the man selling them had never even opened the cases -- much less played them. Expensive guitars. Like more than I would pay for a car guitars. Kelly likened that to us having gifts from God yet never opening them. Pretty interesting thoughts. I'll let you ponder those in your own life.
She also talked about provision. How God always makes provision for our needs and for what He's called us to do. Remember Abraham and Isaac? And remember how God called Abraham to go and sacrifice Isaac? And how Isaac asked his Dad where the lamb was? And Abraham answered him, 'God will provide.' And He did. We see in a few verses down that God provided a ram whose horns were caught in the thicket.
So God is sovereign, and God has provision. The weight of this week has been oppressive, but I know that God is in control and He will provide. Last night He sent me to Psalm 116. Yes, I cried, and no, the weight didn't go away. But I know that He is sovereign, that He will provide, and that He is right here with me as I struggle.
"I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because He inclined His hear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live." ~Psalm 116:1-2
"The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations." ~Psalm 33:11
While I've struggled this week God has been sweet. In both Bible studies that I'm currently engaged in He has spoken. In Daniel we learn in all things God is sovereign. And we see that all through scripture He tells His people what He's going to do. Did you know that according to Daniel if the religious leaders had been paying attention to dates alone they would have known that Jesus was their Messiah when he rode into Jerusalem on the colt of the donkey? Isn't that amazing? And even now He tells us through His prophets what's coming in the future. He's given us a heads up.
Yesterday He spoke in another way. I was playing catch-up with the other study last night. In it the author, Kelly Minter, tells of going to a guitar sale where the man selling them had never even opened the cases -- much less played them. Expensive guitars. Like more than I would pay for a car guitars. Kelly likened that to us having gifts from God yet never opening them. Pretty interesting thoughts. I'll let you ponder those in your own life.
She also talked about provision. How God always makes provision for our needs and for what He's called us to do. Remember Abraham and Isaac? And remember how God called Abraham to go and sacrifice Isaac? And how Isaac asked his Dad where the lamb was? And Abraham answered him, 'God will provide.' And He did. We see in a few verses down that God provided a ram whose horns were caught in the thicket.
So God is sovereign, and God has provision. The weight of this week has been oppressive, but I know that God is in control and He will provide. Last night He sent me to Psalm 116. Yes, I cried, and no, the weight didn't go away. But I know that He is sovereign, that He will provide, and that He is right here with me as I struggle.
"I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because He inclined His hear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live." ~Psalm 116:1-2
"The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations." ~Psalm 33:11
Friday, April 20, 2012
Stop! I Don't Want to Hear This!
At some point in the not so distant past our pastor was taking us through 1 Peter on Sunday mornings. Peter may very well be my favorite apostle - if one can have such a thing - because it seems I have many of his same character traits: Hoof and mouth disease, boldness to the point of obnoxious, reckless abandon, some deep-seated need for attention, denial of core beliefs, and deep shame for all of the above. For Peter, grace was not cheap.
As we were going through the book we came to the portion which deals with elders. One of the Suggested Reading resources was a daily devotional book, While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks, written by Dr. Timothy S. Laniak. It was referenced in our Sunday School class as well so Michael asked me to order one for each of the boys (who are men by the way), and to order us one. Oh boy!!! Another book!!! It was done.
In this book, Dr. Laniak has written devotions based on his years of living with and researching shepherds and their flocks in the Middle East and other places. His experiences have brought new meaning and insight into scripture's many references to shepherds, flocks, lambs, etc. Mike has been reading aloud a devotional each night before we go to sleep. It has been wonderful.
Except last night. I'm not sure I can relate on paper what is in my heart regarding last night's reading. My heart is truly heavy. It hurts. Maybe we should have known by the title? "A Living Sacrifice" John 10:11 In this entry, Dr. Laniak, who has been educating us on how well the shepherd knows his sheep, relates that 'he desired a more direct and even intimate experience with the process. . . .[he] needed to be the one who slit the throat of a harmless, patient, perfect lamb. I had to be responsible for its death. . . . . I needed to express physically what I had done to the Lamb of God.' And then in gut-wrenching detail he tells of his experience.
As soon as Michael started reading I wanted to shout, "Stop! I know where this is going and I don't want to hear, see, or feel it!" It reminded me of watching The Passion several years ago, when I wanted to close my eyes when the beating of Christ occurs and when the nails were hammered into his hands. I wanted to close my eyes, but God wouldn't let me. I needed to SEE what my sin had done to the Lamb of God, who laid down his life for me. And the lamb didn't fight back. It didn't struggle. It lay there quiet and still while Dr. Laniak cut its throat, and the life-giving blood ran out. . . . .
"But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." Isaiah 53:5-7
"There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains."
I guess some days we just need to be reminded . . .
As we were going through the book we came to the portion which deals with elders. One of the Suggested Reading resources was a daily devotional book, While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks, written by Dr. Timothy S. Laniak. It was referenced in our Sunday School class as well so Michael asked me to order one for each of the boys (who are men by the way), and to order us one. Oh boy!!! Another book!!! It was done.
In this book, Dr. Laniak has written devotions based on his years of living with and researching shepherds and their flocks in the Middle East and other places. His experiences have brought new meaning and insight into scripture's many references to shepherds, flocks, lambs, etc. Mike has been reading aloud a devotional each night before we go to sleep. It has been wonderful.
Except last night. I'm not sure I can relate on paper what is in my heart regarding last night's reading. My heart is truly heavy. It hurts. Maybe we should have known by the title? "A Living Sacrifice" John 10:11 In this entry, Dr. Laniak, who has been educating us on how well the shepherd knows his sheep, relates that 'he desired a more direct and even intimate experience with the process. . . .[he] needed to be the one who slit the throat of a harmless, patient, perfect lamb. I had to be responsible for its death. . . . . I needed to express physically what I had done to the Lamb of God.' And then in gut-wrenching detail he tells of his experience.
As soon as Michael started reading I wanted to shout, "Stop! I know where this is going and I don't want to hear, see, or feel it!" It reminded me of watching The Passion several years ago, when I wanted to close my eyes when the beating of Christ occurs and when the nails were hammered into his hands. I wanted to close my eyes, but God wouldn't let me. I needed to SEE what my sin had done to the Lamb of God, who laid down his life for me. And the lamb didn't fight back. It didn't struggle. It lay there quiet and still while Dr. Laniak cut its throat, and the life-giving blood ran out. . . . .
"But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." Isaiah 53:5-7
"There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains."
I guess some days we just need to be reminded . . .
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Purposed and Performed
Several years ago while reading in Jeremiah I ran across this verse: "For the Lord has both purposed and performed what He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon." I have no idea why I was reading in the 51st chapter, but the 'purposed and perform what He spoke' jumped out at me like a rubber band used to fly off a friend's finger with absolute accuracy.
For the next few weeks I ran across several verses:
Job 36:5: He is mighty and firm in His purpose. . . Isaiah 46:10-11: I say, "My purpose will stand. What I have planned, that will I do". . . Isaiah 14:24 & 27: 'as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.' For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him? . . . Proverbs 19:21: Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. . . There are many, many more, but I think you get the drift.
God started purposing and performing about a year after that to move us to Oklahoma. He was not only in the big details, He was front and center in the small ones too. And I do mean ridiculously small. It still makes me laugh out loud to think of some of the ways He proved to us that His purpose was to move us to Edmond, Oklahoma. And He also performed it.
On February 21st God's purpose was to usher Dad into His very presence. The swiftness with which he was gone is startling. We still had at least another year, or so we thought. My purpose was for Dad to live through his 90's -- drinking coffee in one of the rocking chairs on my back porch each morning and watching the cardinals fly from tree to tree singing their beautiful songs. He was also supposed to draw silly caricatures of his great grandchildren, just as he had done for his children and grandchildren. There was supposed to be crossword puzzle books strewn through the house waiting for the veteran solver to finish them. There was supposed to be a hiding place with Hershey Miniatures of which everyone knew. And of course, there was always to be more stories about days gone by.
And even as we were going through the motions of getting details worked out for Dad's funeral, God showed us again that He purposes and performs what He speaks. When we were deciding on what topics would be spoken of, Nathan requested to see Dad's Bible. In it we found his notes from the last Sunday School lesson he had taught - probably back in August. Nathan blanched as he read the title -- Going Home. And of course, the reference was John 14. It was one of those moments that will be etched in my mind for all of eternity. We didn't know whether to cry or laugh. It was an overwhelming moment to be sure. And . . . we went to the funeral home to see Dad. And . . . stitched into the inside lid of the casket were the words . . . Going Home.
God Almighty, in His wisdom and unconditional love, purposes and performs to bring us to Himself. God has taught me through the years there is no such thing as coincidence. Why? Because He purposes and performs. And He uses the big things, and the small things, to let me know He is close, that He cares, that He loves me, and that He has it ALL figured out. Even when His purpose is so different from mine, I can trust Him.
I remember many years ago when a friend lost her full-term baby boy at birth. It was painful and traumatic. She spoke of people sending all kinds of books for her to read, and she read most if not all of them. But I'll never forget the testimony she had for us young mothers that morning. It went something like this: "The one place I know I can go for real comfort is to God's Word -- this book. It has been our foundation, our rock, our hope. God is who will get us through this." She was right.
I hope you know Him -- this God who purposes and performs that which He speaks. There's room for you. He is always calling. He is our Foundation. He is our Rock. He is our Hope. Philippians 2:13 says this: "It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose . . ." Sweet, sweet comfort.
For the next few weeks I ran across several verses:
Job 36:5: He is mighty and firm in His purpose. . . Isaiah 46:10-11: I say, "My purpose will stand. What I have planned, that will I do". . . Isaiah 14:24 & 27: 'as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.' For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him? . . . Proverbs 19:21: Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. . . There are many, many more, but I think you get the drift.
God started purposing and performing about a year after that to move us to Oklahoma. He was not only in the big details, He was front and center in the small ones too. And I do mean ridiculously small. It still makes me laugh out loud to think of some of the ways He proved to us that His purpose was to move us to Edmond, Oklahoma. And He also performed it.
On February 21st God's purpose was to usher Dad into His very presence. The swiftness with which he was gone is startling. We still had at least another year, or so we thought. My purpose was for Dad to live through his 90's -- drinking coffee in one of the rocking chairs on my back porch each morning and watching the cardinals fly from tree to tree singing their beautiful songs. He was also supposed to draw silly caricatures of his great grandchildren, just as he had done for his children and grandchildren. There was supposed to be crossword puzzle books strewn through the house waiting for the veteran solver to finish them. There was supposed to be a hiding place with Hershey Miniatures of which everyone knew. And of course, there was always to be more stories about days gone by.
And even as we were going through the motions of getting details worked out for Dad's funeral, God showed us again that He purposes and performs what He speaks. When we were deciding on what topics would be spoken of, Nathan requested to see Dad's Bible. In it we found his notes from the last Sunday School lesson he had taught - probably back in August. Nathan blanched as he read the title -- Going Home. And of course, the reference was John 14. It was one of those moments that will be etched in my mind for all of eternity. We didn't know whether to cry or laugh. It was an overwhelming moment to be sure. And . . . we went to the funeral home to see Dad. And . . . stitched into the inside lid of the casket were the words . . . Going Home.
God Almighty, in His wisdom and unconditional love, purposes and performs to bring us to Himself. God has taught me through the years there is no such thing as coincidence. Why? Because He purposes and performs. And He uses the big things, and the small things, to let me know He is close, that He cares, that He loves me, and that He has it ALL figured out. Even when His purpose is so different from mine, I can trust Him.
I remember many years ago when a friend lost her full-term baby boy at birth. It was painful and traumatic. She spoke of people sending all kinds of books for her to read, and she read most if not all of them. But I'll never forget the testimony she had for us young mothers that morning. It went something like this: "The one place I know I can go for real comfort is to God's Word -- this book. It has been our foundation, our rock, our hope. God is who will get us through this." She was right.
I hope you know Him -- this God who purposes and performs that which He speaks. There's room for you. He is always calling. He is our Foundation. He is our Rock. He is our Hope. Philippians 2:13 says this: "It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose . . ." Sweet, sweet comfort.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Untitled?
It's been so long since I've stopped by! Where has the time gone? What in the world have I been doing? It's been one of those nightmare things. You know the kind. You miss doing something once, then twice, and then the longer you put it off the more difficult it becomes to start again. God has not stopped revealing wondrous truths -- I just haven't been sharing them. So much speculation on the whys. Alas. Let it be said that I've missed this blog.
In January I signed up for a Precept study on the book of Daniel. Somehow it seemed safer than the new Beth Moore study on James. Ha! This week we are on Chapter Three. It's where 'the boys' refuse to bow down and worship Neb's huge golden image. (The class has come up with some nicknames for the characters - I love it.) One of our cross-references is Deuteronomy 4 and then on to Ezekiel 6:9. They are about idols and other gods. Which has been interesting because this week a group of us girls are starting Kelly Minter's study "No Other Gods". Can't wait. What has me intrigued this morning is the passage in Ezekiel 6.
"Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations to which they will be carried captive, how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which played the harlot after their idols; and then they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations." I talk a lot about freedom, about captives being set free. Freedom from fear, freedom from rules that lead to conformity and oppression. But this verse goes to the very heart of freedom. It's hard for me to put this into words, but I shall try nonetheless.
When I think of freedom, I'm not talking about being free to do as I please. God tells us to be holy, because He is holy. But He also points out that the only way we can be holy is because of His gift, which is Christ's atonement for us. Jesus paid the penalty for me - and for you. And when we accept that gift, the Holy Spirit comes and indwells us. So ultimately, Christ lives through us.
The freedom in that is this. God changes me from the inside out. He changes my attitudes. He reminds me that the guilt over the past is paid for. He reminds me that the cost of my disobedience has been met. The self-loathing, pity party stuff that Satan throws at me should be forever cast off - because again, Christ has atoned for that. And none of it is about what I've done. It's all about God.
He knew who I was, and He loved me anyway. He knows I'm going to hurt Him, and He loves me anyway. It's not about rules, it's about relationship and unconditional love. It doesn't matter what you or I have done in the past or what we will do in the future. It's about mercy and grace and love. And because God has so graciously extended that to me, I can graciously extend that to you. I don't know what evil dwells in your heart, but I sure do know the evil that dwells in mine. It's ugly and mean and hurtful and angry. But God - He's changing all of that in me. I'm a work in progress.
And Ezekiel knew. He knew we would need to be freed from self-loathing. He knew because God knew, and He told him in chapter 6 verse 9. The people who turned away from Him would loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed . . ." Our self-loathing can become our idol and our excuse.
Freedom and life. It can only be found in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
In January I signed up for a Precept study on the book of Daniel. Somehow it seemed safer than the new Beth Moore study on James. Ha! This week we are on Chapter Three. It's where 'the boys' refuse to bow down and worship Neb's huge golden image. (The class has come up with some nicknames for the characters - I love it.) One of our cross-references is Deuteronomy 4 and then on to Ezekiel 6:9. They are about idols and other gods. Which has been interesting because this week a group of us girls are starting Kelly Minter's study "No Other Gods". Can't wait. What has me intrigued this morning is the passage in Ezekiel 6.
"Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations to which they will be carried captive, how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which played the harlot after their idols; and then they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations." I talk a lot about freedom, about captives being set free. Freedom from fear, freedom from rules that lead to conformity and oppression. But this verse goes to the very heart of freedom. It's hard for me to put this into words, but I shall try nonetheless.
When I think of freedom, I'm not talking about being free to do as I please. God tells us to be holy, because He is holy. But He also points out that the only way we can be holy is because of His gift, which is Christ's atonement for us. Jesus paid the penalty for me - and for you. And when we accept that gift, the Holy Spirit comes and indwells us. So ultimately, Christ lives through us.
The freedom in that is this. God changes me from the inside out. He changes my attitudes. He reminds me that the guilt over the past is paid for. He reminds me that the cost of my disobedience has been met. The self-loathing, pity party stuff that Satan throws at me should be forever cast off - because again, Christ has atoned for that. And none of it is about what I've done. It's all about God.
He knew who I was, and He loved me anyway. He knows I'm going to hurt Him, and He loves me anyway. It's not about rules, it's about relationship and unconditional love. It doesn't matter what you or I have done in the past or what we will do in the future. It's about mercy and grace and love. And because God has so graciously extended that to me, I can graciously extend that to you. I don't know what evil dwells in your heart, but I sure do know the evil that dwells in mine. It's ugly and mean and hurtful and angry. But God - He's changing all of that in me. I'm a work in progress.
And Ezekiel knew. He knew we would need to be freed from self-loathing. He knew because God knew, and He told him in chapter 6 verse 9. The people who turned away from Him would loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed . . ." Our self-loathing can become our idol and our excuse.
Freedom and life. It can only be found in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
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