Thirty-eight - see I can say it!

Today is my birthday. Not a big deal, in fact I was telling our friend Holly yesterday that when you get to be my age, birthdays just kind of come and go - you'd rather not keep track. It is hard for me to believe that I am 38 years old today. I remember seeing my friend Roger at church when I was just out of high school and thinking, "He is sooooooo old!" - he was 26. Oh, what I would give to be 26 again! Oh, to know then what I know now...

Isn't that the lament of just about everyone? To be younger and to have the wisdom we have now. I would do many things different, namely marry Darrel a lot sooner! (Sorry, hon, for the eight-year wait!) I would take back all those wasted years I spent living in religion and legalism. I would love people instead of hiding from them. But then again I know that what I have experienced over the last 38 years has made me who I am today - a strong woman of faith and love, a woman able to live life to the fullest, a woman of clear vision and discernment. It's been a long road, but I think I'm getting the hang of this living thing...

I've been thinking a lot this morning about two things: The first is how much I love hearing my dad say "Happy HoHo!" every July 29th. It's just one of those things that totally defines my dad and his quirky, dry sense of humor. It makes me laugh every year. The second is although my physical birthday is July 1967, my true "re-birthday" is in April 1980. That's the day I knelt down and realized that the terrible hole in my heart could be filled with something wonderful - Jesus Christ! I realized my need for redemption, my need for a Kinsman Redeemer. Of course at that point I wouldn't have termed it that way, I mean really, I was only 12! But it was real, regardless of what I called it. I have lived many moments over the last 38 years - some I can't remember to save my life (ok a good part of it is like that, although I don't like to admit it!) and some, like the night I gave my life to Jesus Christ, I still remember vividly. It's funny to me how the things I thought I would always remember, the times of hurt and bitterness, have now faded into the background creating a lovely sky and landscape for the art of my life. Those things that come to the forefront of this masterpiece my Father is creating, are the times of my life lived in Him - Him through me. And even though I am only 25 years into my walk with Jesus Christ, I can see His hand and feel His presence through my entire life.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew and approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, concecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." - Jeremiah 1:5

"For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb. I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery]. Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!" - Psalm 139:13-17

Have a great week and pray for my kids as they go to church camp - a little harder on mom than it is on them...

Who Do You Say That I Am?

Matthew 16:13-19a “Now when Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they answered, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you [yourselves] say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Then Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it]. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…”

Who do people say that Jesus is?
- weak
- a tyrant
- powerless
- a nit-picker
- greedy
- selfish
- cold, distant

The body of Christ today is largely misguided when it comes to defining Who Jesus really is, mostly because its members have never had a true revelation of Jesus Christ in their lives. Jesus’ disciples had walked with him for a while when they were asked this question. They had heard His teachings, seen His miracles. Yet, only Peter had a revelation of Who Jesus really was. Was it because Peter was smarter, better, richer, poorer, etc.? We know that’s not what it was. I believe it’s because Peter opened his heart and allowed God to speak to him. He made a true and strong commitment to follow Jesus with his whole heart, and in that commitment he found a divine revelation of exactly Who he was following.

Who do you say that Jesus is?
- Sugar daddy
- Task master
- Boss man
- Wimpy nerd
- Distant deity
- Messiah, Son of God, Lord

It’s very convenient to see Jesus in these various ways. When we can reduce Christianity down to simply following a bunch of rules and Jesus down to an uncaring, distant, powerless man, we can control Him easier. We can order our lives easier. We can make others behave the way we want them to easier. It costs us nothing. But in truth, we realize that it eventually costs us everything. We find out we’ve been living in squander and poverty when we were really heirs to a kingdom! We get our butts kicked day after day only to find out we had free access to our all-powerful Father!

Who do you say that Jesus is?

We talked last week about God desiring communion with you through prayer. He wants to confide in you His innermost secrets. He longs to give you the keys to His kingdom. He wants to give you a revelation of Himself – a revelation strong enough to build the church on – a revelation that will not shake and crumble when the gates of Hell come against it – a revelation that will see you through, comfort you, guide you, hold you, protect you. Let’s make a promise to each other that tonight as we lay on our pillows, we will ask for a divine revelation of Who Jesus is in our lives. Then as God is faithful to give us this revelation, let’s make a commitment right now that we will follow hard after Him – that we will begin to walk in this revelation, grow in it.

He Sees You

We were at a restaurant Sunday afternoon celebrating our Grandparent's 67th anniversary. The place was crowded - the kind of crowded where you can't move for fear of knocking someone into their plate. Brian, De and I were visiting about how incredible it was to think of the crowds that pressed in to see Jesus. There were thousands. I was aware of a few of the people who were at the restaurant that day, but mostly all the faces just blurred together. Isn't it incredible how Jesus, even though it took his disciples to keep the people from crushing Him, could still know that someone touched Him - not touched His body, but simply touched the hem of His robe.

Our God is extremely personal. He sees each and every one of us. He knows our innermost being - He even knows the number of hairs on our head. Even with the millions upon millions of people in this world, He sees me. It's incredible that I can feel His presence with me - that when I have a need, just like the woman who touched Jesus' robe, He is there for me. Today, if you are in need of something call out to the One who sees you right where you are. The One who looks into the multitudes and singles you out. He hears you. You don't have to clamour for His attention. You are the apple of His eye - you have His undivided attention.

Under Construction

Sometimes, due to life’s circumstances or that basic selfishness that dwells in all of us, our hearts become construction sites. We become engrossed in the task of building thick stone walls to protect ourselves from the daily onslaught of flaming missiles being hurled at us from our enemy. Our hearts become lonesome and we retreat even further into our newly built, stone-cold fortresses where we trick ourselves into believing we can live quite comfortably until the attack is over. But instead of leaving us with that warm feeling of safety, we find we have distanced ourselves from the very things that can bring security and peace. Meanwhile, our loving and patient heavenly Father gently counsels us through His Spirit to lay down our hardhats and our tool belts and pick up that shield laying at our feet – yes, the one that we have tripped over and stepped around as we worked – the shield of Faith.

“How old-fashioned!” we reason in our heads. “No one uses that anymore!” Ephesians 6:16 says, “Lift up over all the covering shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked one.” Sometimes when life seems to press down on us and the battle is too hard, the answer is to simply trust. Having faith is not some unattainable thing – Jesus told His disciples if they had faith the size of a mustard seed they could move mountains! He knows our human tendency toward self-protection. He understands the weaknesses of our hurting and frightened hearts. If we will allow ourselves to trust God to protect us, we will find that place of softness and openness to Him and to those around us – that place that allows us to grow and to have meaningful relationships – that place of contentment and peace in the midst of struggle. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies,” Psalm 23:5a.
“Father, help me to cease construction and trust. Tear down what I have labored in vain to build. Ingrain in me that You have loved me with an everlasting love, a love that sees when I’m hurting and thinks I’m worth rescuing. Help me to see my weaknesses as opportunities to allow Your awesome strength to overpower me and shine through. And remind me that above all else, You are good and You are working things for my good. Help me to sit at Your table and be refreshed while You heal my wounds and change my heart.”

Monday's Handiwork...

I promised the kids I would put these pics on the blog this week - I'm proud of my little budding artists! Here's what they are... first are Jonah's - The Thing (hmm...I wonder where the arms and legs went?), Spidey's head, The Human Torch, Yoda, and Jonah with his Spidey. The next are Kelsey's - a teddy bear, a house, a flower, a girl with fruit, and the upside-down-headed dog.

So there you have it - a good day's work I think. They had a little help from mom, but not as much as you would think! Oh yah, if you're kids have this fun dough stuff and they eat a lot of it, don't be surprised when you hear them scream because their poop is the same color as these cookies! I know that's gross, but hey - here's something even more gross - Brandon was disappointed because they flushed too soon! HA!!!!!!! Gotta love Brandon...

Choices

I am quoting from Ruth 1:1-18 (The Message)
1 Once upon a time - it was back in the days when judges led Israel - there was a famine in the land. A man from Bethlehem in Judah left home to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The man's name was Elimelech; his wife's name was Naomi; his sons were named Mahlon and Kilion - all Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They all went to the country of Moab and settled there. 3 Elimelech died and Naomi was left, she and her two sons. 4 The sons took Moabite wives; the name of the first was Orpah, the second Ruth. They lived there in Moab for the next ten years. 5 But then the two brothers, Mahlon and Kilion, died. Now the woman was left without either her young men or her husband.
6 One day she got herself together, she and her two daughters-in-law, to leave the country of Moab and set out for home; she had heard that God had been pleased to visit his people and give them food. 7 And so she started out from the place she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law with her, on the road back to the land of Judah. 8 After a short while on the road, Naomi told her two daughters-in-law, "Go back. Go home and live with your mothers. And may God treat you as graciously as you treated your deceased husbands and me. 9 May God give each of you a new home and a new husband!" She kissed them and they cried openly. 10 They said, "No, we're going on with you to your people." 11 But Naomi was firm: "Go back, my dear daughters. Why would you come with me? Do you suppose I still have sons in my womb who can become your future husbands? 12 Go back, dear daughters - on your way, please! I'm too old to get a husband. Why, even if I said, 'There's still hope!' and this very night got a man and had sons, 13 can you imagine being satisfied to wait until they were grown? Would you wait that long to get married again? No, dear daughters; this is a bitter pill for me to swallow - more bitter for me than for you. God has dealt me a hard blow." 14 Again they cried openly. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye; but Ruth embraced her and held on. 15 Naomi said, "Look, your sister-in-law is going back home to live with her own people and gods; go with her." 16 But Ruth said, "Don't force me to leave you; don't make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I'll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; 17 where you die, I'll die, and that's where I'll be buried, so help me God - not even death itself is going to come between us!" 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth had her heart set on going with her, she gave in.

Elimelech and Naomi had made their home in Moab - a country where God was not worshiped. When Elimelech died, Naomi's sons and her daughters-in-law took care of her. When 10 years later her sons died as well, Naomi had lost everything she could count on for a woman living in those times. She had no security left - no one to take responsibility for her. It was a difficult situation at the best of times, but there was a famine in the land which made it even worse. Then Naomi heard that God was moving and feeding His children. She made a decision to turn back to her homeland and to the God she had known since childhood. Even though she knew she would have no rights and no family, she had faith that God would help her somehow.

She gave her daughters-in-law a choice. Going on with her meant a life of uncertainty, a life of probable begging, with no roof over their heads and no food on the table. Staying with their families at least meant that they would have a place to live. They didn't know Naomi's God; they hadn't been raised to know of His power or His love and mercy. It would take a blind step of faith to follow Naomi. The reasons to stay far outweighed the reasons to go. Once she thought about it, Orpah made the decision to go back to her comfort zone and to her gods - she decided to trust in what she could see. Ruth, however, realized that she basically had nothing to return to - there was a famine in her land and no amount of worship and service to her household gods had made a difference. They were powerless to help her. Something stirred in Ruth's heart - the possibility that what Naomi had been telling her about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob might be true. The slight chance that He really was loving and merciful toward His children. The hope that He would accept her because of Naomi. If you read on through the book of Ruth, you find a story of redemption and love - Ruth becomes a part of the lineage of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah. What seemed like a small decision had eternal consequences!

We face the same kind of choices every day of our lives. For some of us, we look around and find that we have made our home far from where we began, far from the God we once knew. Our lives are dry and there's a famine of God's presence. Then we feel it, the wooing of the Holy Spirit - we sense that God is moving and calling to us. We hear that God is pouring out His blessings on His children. We have a choice to make. Or perhaps we are facing situations that are pushing us out of our comfort zones - out of the places we feel secure in. He's asking us to step out in blind faith and trust Him. Or perhaps it's just the hundreds of everyday choices we make to take the higher road - to live out our faith and work out our relationship with God. I want to encourage you to make the right choice - turn back to the God Who loves you. Fall with reckless abandon at His feet and let Him be your Kinsman Redeemer like Boaz was for Ruth. You could be a part of something incredible - something life-changing - something eternal.

The Week's Mix

I don't really know what exactly to call this post - it's just a mix of what's going on this week in our world. It's Bible School Week and the kids are having a blast. Our favorite was Monday night when Jonah came home so excited because he'd been fighting the "Mininites" just like Gideon! A friend said we'd better be careful taking him to WalMart from now on because she'd seen tons of them out there! We quickly corrected it to the "Midionites". I would have loved to have seen the mental picture he had all night long - I can just see Jonah and Gideon fighting men in black and beards and women in dresses and caps. Tuesday night we helped throw a fantastic wedding for Lindsey and Jeremy. It turned out so incredible! Darrel performed the ceremony and I sang Stephen Curtis Chapman's "When Love Takes You In". Julie sang "The Potter's Hand" and Jeremy's sis, Amber, sang "When You Say Nothing At All". Lindsey looked like an angel in her dress, and the guys were definitely sweating it out in the 90 degree heat - of course it could have been so much hotter - God was so merciful! Then we catered the meal of brisket, ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, & bread. The cake was beautiful and so so yummy! Everyone danced among all the tule (sp?) and white lights and it was absolutely beautiful. Of course, being the old fogies that we are, we pooped out and went home when they broke out the AC/DC cd and began dancing in ways that I could have only hoped to have danced when I was younger - my body just doesn't move like that anymore...but I digress.

Wednesday was a recouperating day for me and the kids. Darrel and I went to lunch and then the kids and I took in the summer movie "Son of the Mask". Did I mention that there were about a million kids there? Yeah, it was fun. Today is filled with more catering preparations for tonight's party in Lockwood for about 35-40 - steaks, baked potatoes, broccoli normandy, and Italian Lettuce Salad. So glad to have my dad's help tonight! It will be so much more fun! Of course then tomorrow I have to make a double batch of potato salad for Saturday's catering. Tomorrow night is the Bible School Program, and then we set up for Revolution 375 and have band practice immediately following the program. Saturday we cater a small party and then get ready for Revolution 375 that evening. We also have a family reunion that day for the Braker's but I'm not sure we'll make it! Sunday after church we eat lunch with my Aunt Marie and her family who are in from Kansas City. Then it's Oakton's family day at the pool that afternoon. Wow, Monday I am going to be dragging a little I think...

Well, thanks for listening to my ramblings about my schedule - it really has helped me to get it all down in print so I can get it all straight in my head. Yesterday evening we visited the young man who is going to speak at our Revolution 375 Saturday night. His name is Colby and he is about 20 years old. He had an accident on Thanksgiving Night last year - he had been partying and came home and fell asleep - apparantly he was sleep walking or something and fell down a flight of stairs hitting his head severely. The last eight months have been a journey of recovery for this incredible young man. At first it looked like he would never recover at all and if he did it would be only slightly. As we sat there last night visiting, I am humbled to hear him say that if it had not been for this accident he knew he would not have given his heart to Jesus Christ. This young man had everything going for him - as far as the world is concerned - good looks, athletic, the life of the party. He's still a very handsome young man with a magnetic personality - he is also in rehab/therapy every day learning physical tasks again and improving with an incredible speed. He showed us leather bracelets he had made for his neices, he talked about visiting his neice today at church camp. He expressed his desire to go into the schools and talk to his peers about how God has changed his life for the better. How he wants to study to become a minister. It is amazing. God's grace is amazing. It was the finest hour I have spent in many weeks. Worth so much more than all the rushing and racing and busyness that usually fills our days. We are so honored that Colby will come and share with us this Saturday. If you live in our area - please, please come out and hear his tremendous testimony. God can do the same work in your life, too!

Have a great week and we'll talk again probably on Monday!

Wow, it's Monday already...

Good grief! This weekend flew by - Darrel, Doug, Brian, & Gary all went fishing in Branson this weekend and Jill and I sang at the Relay for Life at the park. Saturday, Lindsey and I went shopping for the wedding Tuesday night, and Sunday night the FUNatics cooked for Bible School. I have to say that Kim and Jessica looked so cute raising the roof to "Check It Out Now - To - God - Be - The - Glo---ray!" Ha!! Ok, on to more serious things.

I want to look at a passage of scripture that once again took me to the edge of something I often find myself reverting back to at times. Why is it so hard to accept what Christ has done for us as being an all-inclusive work? All I can see is my failures and hear the taunting of the enemy. Let's look at 2 Peter 1:1-10.

1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle (special messenger) of Jesus Christ, to those who have received (obtained an equal privilege) of like precious faith with ourselves in and through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 May grace (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3 For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).
4 By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.
5 For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence),
6 And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety),
7 And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love,
8 For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
9 For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [spiritually] shortsided, seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Because of this, brethren, be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall.

This section of scripture is incredible! If you hear me teach very much, you'll know that I'm big on having a means to an end. That's because I am very list oriented, I think. Anyway, Peter tells us that by means of what God has bestowed on us (which is everything needed to live this life) He has also given us His precious and great promises so that we don't have to be bound anymore to sin and can now share in His divine nature! How awesome! Now because we are partakers of this nature, we possess virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love - it says so in verse 8 - these qualities are yours! Now it's our chance to do a little exercise. You can take one look at me and see that I am not a fan of working out...ha...thank God for His grace! The same applies here. Peter is not laying a burden on us that we had better get ourselves into shape or we're going to be in big trouble, mister! No, I think he is simply encouraging us to exercise and develop these qualities that are already in us - he just wants us to grow so that we can be fruitful and so that we aren't blind to things. Verse 9 says that if we think we don't have these qualities, we are oblivious to the fact that we are cleansed from our old sins! I am so like that! I forget what Christ has done for me - I revert back to that old fear that I have to work for my salvation - that it's based on the merit system. But God's unmerited favor has taken care of all the old sin. Let's put on our spiritual eyes and see that we really do possess these qualities, even if we don't see them coming to the front all the time. They're there - deep down inside you - they are a part of the righteousness of Christ that we obtain when we surrender our lives to Jesus and accept His sacrifice as an atonement for our sins!

So now that we realize we have these qualities in us, they just need a little exercise and developing to be seen and experienced in our everyday lives, what's holding us back from doing it? Let's employ every effort to exercising our faith so that we can develop some Christian energy! Then let's exercise that energy so we can develop some intelligence (Lord knows we can all use some most of the time! ha!). Now let's exercise and use that intelligence so we can develop self-control in our lives - ouch! We like to think we have no control over the yucky things in our lives - but if we just stop and think, we can stop ourselves from doing whatever it is that's not profitable! Next, once we exercise self-control we can develop a steadfastness to carry us through the hard times. After we've exercised being stable and steadfast and patient for a while we will develop godliness. This will bring us to the point where we can develop a little brotherly affection and finally a true love that is a Christ-like love. That is our end! That unselfish love that led Christ to the cross can be a reality in our lives toward others! Then here's the exciting part - look at verse 10 - all this strengthens and steadys our calling, and it says if we do this we will never stumble or fall! How would you like a life where you didn't struggle with stumbling or falling all the time? It's a lofty goal, but one that is attainable I believe.

Hope this is as encouraging to you as it is to me. Have a blessed day and we'll talk again soon!

Tempted As We Are

Two weeks ago at Mosaic, Brandon discussed something that I've wanted to blog about ever since - but you know how our schedule is and how I never blog as much as I would like. We talked about how Jesus Christ was tempted in Matthew 4:1-11. Most people have reduced this event to a mere child's Sunday School lesson with a cartoon devil and a pristine Jesus. Maybe the real battle began in His thoughts. Isn't that how the enemy tempts us - not blatantly, but kind of sneaky-like?Let's look at it again.

Jesus has been in the desert without food for 40 days and 40 nights. He was hungry - no doubt. Verses 3 & 4 say, "And the tempter came and said to Him, If You are God's Son, command these stones to be made [loaves of] bread. But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God." What is the real temptation here, is it merely hunger? I think it's deeper than that - it is a temptation to fulfill human need by His own hand. Basically it's that instant gratification thing - if you see it, you want it, then get it! But Jesus knows that simply gratifying our base needs is not the answer. It does not sustain us. We have true life when we realize that our real food and our real drink is every word that comes forth from the mouth of God - relationship with Him! Look at Mary and Martha for a minute. Martha was busy trying to gratify those base needs, but Jesus commends Mary who chose the greater part - simply finding out what Jesus had to say to sustain her and having relationship with Him. We can do a lot of things and some of them good things! But what sustains us is our communion with God.

Verses 5-7 say, "Then the devil took Him into the holy city and placed Him on a turret (pinnacle, gable) of the temple sanctuary. And he said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, He will give His angels charge over you, and they will bear you up on their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone. Jesus said to him, On the other hand, it is written also, You shall not tempt, test thoroughly, or try exceedingly the Lord your God." Here the devil considers what Jesus has just said and then tries to tempt Jesus using the word of God! But he twists it and perverts the meaning. Again, the real issue here is not to get Jesus to kill Himself or to question Jesus' power. The enemy is appealing to a deeper need here. The temple is a busy place filled with lots of people - lots of influential religious people. To have such a display from Jesus as Him throwing Himself down and the angels rescuing Him would surely have proved once and for all that Jesus was Who He said He was. Everyone would have seen for themselves. But Jesus knew that simply satisfying His ego wouldn't accomplish what He needed to accomplish. So many times we are hell-bent on proving ourselves or stroking our ego. We will go to any extreme not only to satisfy our base needs, but to feel good about ourselves as we do it.

Verses 8-11 say, "Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory (the splendor, magnificence, preeminence, and excellence) of them. And he said to Him, These things, all taken together, I will give You, if You will prostrate Yourself before me and do homage and worship me. Then Jesus said to him, Begone, Satan! For it has been written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve. Then the devil departed from Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." Wow, who of us would be so strong to see all the glitter and what appears to be glamour of riches and earthly power and not sell his soul to have it? Again, the real issue here is not having all these things - Jesus knew that He already owned it all. The devil could not give Him any more power or glory than He already possessed. In fact, He probably stifled a giggle at the presumptuousness of the enemy. The real issue here is that the devil wanted Jesus to opt out of the cross. Wouldn't it just be easier, Jesus, to do things my way - give Yourself all that You want, prove to everyone Who You really are, then rule and reign here on this earth bathed in all glory and power - oh yeah, and give me the credit. Jesus knew better. He knew that the only way He could accomplish God's awesome plan for creation was to rise to a higher level - walk a higher road - a road of self-sacrifice not selfishness. Worship is reserved for God alone. This relationship with God is not always paved with the sort of things we would like. Our sin nature longs for the easy road of instant gratification, ego boosting, and temporal glory and earthly power.

Let's compare these episodes of temptation with another scripture found in 1 John 2:15-16 which says, "Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one's own resources or in the stability of earthly things] - these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself]." We again reduce this passage to a list of "no-no's" or literal items we cannot have or like. I think it's deeper than that - it's the issue of trust and relationship. Instead of worrying about having every little thing that we want when we want it, find out what God wants for you through His word - concentrate on fulfilling His will for your life and not your own agenda. Instead of worrying about our reputation and what people think of us or whether they believe us or in us, realize that it's all about Him and not about you. Realize that there are bigger things going on than just you - pour yourself out for others instead of clawing and scraping to elevate yourself. And finally instead of feeling safe and secure because of your own works here on this earth, take the risk and trust in what Jesus has done for you - then live a life free from the taskmaster. Find your freedom in Christ and then set about to do His will on this earth - realize that you can give absolutely everything - every penny, every second, every dream, every desire - and still in the end gain it all - eternal life with Jesus. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where thieves can't steal and moths can't destroy and rust can't corrupt. Is what you're hanging on to really so important? Give it away.

All this is simply to say that when we look at Jesus' temptation, we see that He really is acquainted with our sorrows and our grief - He really was tempted in the same way we are yet without sin. He overcame and we can too - by His blood and by the word of our testimony. I don't pretend to know everything about this subject - these are simply my attempts to hash out meanings and find inspiration. I hope they encourage you, too! Have a great weekend and we'll talk more next week!

On A More Somber Note...

Please join us as we lift those affected by the horrific bombings in London before the throne of God. Father, comfort those who mourn and who are wounded in any way. Bring peace in the midst of chaos. May your Holy Spirit minister healing, and may Your justice be shown. May those who do not know You come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ - what the enemy has intended for evil, we pray that You will use for good. Be with Tony Blair and President Bush, leading them and guiding them in all Truth. We love You, trust You, worship You. In Jesus' name we pray and ask all these things, Amen.

I am drawn back to Psalm 94 - the psalm that God showed me after the 9/11 attacks:

1 O Lord God, You to Whom vengeance belongs, O God, You to Whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render to the proud a fit compensation!
3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph and exult?
4 They pour out arrogant words speaking hard things; all the evildoers boast loftily.
5 They crush Your people, O Lord, and afflict Your heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the transient stranger and murder the unprotected orphan.
7 Yet they say, "The Lord does not see, neither does the God of Jacob notice it."
8 Consider and understand, you stupid ones among the people! And you [self-confident] fools, when will you become wise?
9 He Who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He Who formed the eye, shall He not see?
10 He Who disciplines and instructs the nations, shall He not punish, He Who teaches man knowledge?
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are vain (empty and futile - only a breath).
12 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law.
13 That You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity, until the [inevitable] pit of corruption is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not cast off nor spurn His people, neither will He abandon His heritage.
15 For justice will return to the [uncompromisingly] righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
17 Unless the Lord had been my help, I would soon have dwelt in [the land where there is] silence.
18 When I said, "My foot is slipping," Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, held me up.
19 In the multitude of my [anxious] thoughts within me, Your comforts cheer and delight my soul!
20 Shall the throne fo iniquity have fellowship with You - they who frame and hide their unrighteous doings under [the sacred name of] law?
21 They band themselves together against the life of the [consistently] righteous and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my High Tower and Defense, and my God, the Rock of my refuge.
23 And He will turn back upon them their own iniquity and will wipe them out by means of their own wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out.

My Harley Biker Babes!

I just had to add this pic today - it was Darrel's Father's Day present (framed in a Harley frame). It's just too cute to not share! (The flames are just Jonah, aren't they?)

Mission Possible

We had a great weekend filled with good friends, lots of fun, and of course, tons of wonderful food! Darrel spent the whole weekend cooking, I think. We catered a family reunion Saturday for our pastor's wife's family, we cooked for our own little family reunion Sunday with Aunt Jane from Illinois, and we cooked for Charlie & Kathleen's pool party yesterday. The kids had a blast (ha - no pun intended) shooting off fireworks with their beloved Uncle Brian and Aunt De. Even the wonder-dogs, Bailey and Diggity, had a good time!

We were so blessed to hear a great message on Sunday morning by our pastor's son, Brian, from Chicago. He talked about the fact that we are "Made for a Mission". I have been thinking about this all weekend. This message is nothing new to me - I realize I am called to fulfill a mission. But there are so many people who feel like they have no responsibility as far as ministry goes. Brian said it this weekend - each and every person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Messiah, Lord, & Savior is a minister of the Gospel. So many times, however, we like to be "hidden ministers". We like to rest in the fact that God hasn't called us to public, full-time ministry - I mean after all, we're not evenagelists or pastors or anything! While I realize not everyone is called to be an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher, can we really say that we are not called to public ministry? Jesus was very plain to tell us that we are! No one is exempt from the great commission. Matthew 28:19-20, says "Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen." Mark 16:15 says, "And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race]." Luke 24:47 says, "And that repentance [with a view to and as the condition of] forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem." John 20:21 says, "Then Jesus said to them again, 'Peace to you! Just as the Father has sent me forth, so I am sending you." And finally in Acts 1:8 Jesus says, "But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth."

I think this makes it pretty clear what we are to be about in our lives. But so many times we are only consummed with getting what we want, satisfying our selfish desires, never giving a second thought to whether those we come in contact with have a living, breathing relationship with Jesus Christ. Even if we know they don't, we certainly don't think it's our responsibility to share the Gospel with them - why that's the job of the church - the leadership! So many people will miss out on eternity in Heaven because we fail to see our responsibility. I think it's even harder for the older generation. Today's younger generations feel a responsibility to make the world better - they see that the selfish doctrines of their parents and grandparents have only contributed to the demise of society and they are compelled to share the truth of Jesus Christ at any cost. But the older generation still clings to it's old ways of thinking - "Why, I've worked hard all my life so I can have what I want till I die - now leave me alone so I can enjoy myself!" So many times they miss out on the fact that God has a mission for them. It's not about storing away treasures on earth all your life so you can live out the last years of your life with tunnel-vision - only seeing what pleases you, only doing what pleases you - comfort not sacrifice. I'm not speaking out of disrespect, I simply feel that the older generation of Christians are becoming satisified to be pew warmers and to leave the ministry to the younger saints. Some have hidden behind others their entire lives - never doing anything real for God but yet glorying in all their hard work all their lives, spouting off about how much they deserve now. I wonder if they realize what they really deserve - what we all really deserve?

All your hard work, and all your saving, and all your vain sacrifices so you can have comfort, mean nothing in light of the cross. Can you look back on your life and see the imprint of the hand of God? Can you trace the trail of the Holy Spirit's leading? Can you go from divine encounter to divine encounter? It's not too late - every day that you take another breath is a day you can begin to live and walk in the ministry God has for you - in the great commission! What do you have to lose? Maybe it's your reputation, maybe it's your pride, maybe it's your fear, maybe it's your selfish desires, and maybe it's your life. We never know - God did not call us to a life of being a couch potato - He called us to a life full of risks! Fulfilling the great commission is risky business! It means we don't always get to do what we want to do in a given day. It means our plans change at a moment's notice. It means nothing is set in stone. It means we pour our lives out as a sacrifice for others - it does not mean that we pour our lives out for ourselves. Has your life been poured out over the years as an offering to God for others? Or has your life been poured out in service to yourself and your own agenda? I say it again, it's not too late. Begin today. Let the scales fall from your eyes and really see those around you today. Reach out - give till it hurts - sacrifice your own precious time - give up your own agenda. Go ye into all the world...