Crater Lake and beyond!

I won't be online this week- we're going on vacation!  Chip, the boys and I are piling into Chip's parents' RV (together with Grandpa & Mimi!!) and heading to Crater Lake, Wildlife Safari, and the wonderful Oregon Coast.  Be back in a week!!

Reading the Scriptures

First I want to say Thank you Carolyn! for the most wonderful gift you sent me.  Then I want to share it with everyone else.  My sister sent me this version of the Message because it has blessed her tremendously.  The introductory pages written by Eugene Peterson are absolutely the best information I have read about how to read the Bible.  I wish I could type out all 7 pages.  But here is just the beginning:

In order to read the Scriptures adequately and accurately, it's necessary at the same time to live them.  Not to live them as a prerequisite to reading them, and not to live them as a consequence of reading them, but to live them as we read them.

Reading the Scriptures isn't an activity discrete from living the gospel; it is integral to it.  It means letting another have a say in everything we're saying and doing.  It's as easy as that.  And as hard.

This kind of reading has been named by our ancestors as lectio divina, often translated "spiritual reading".  It means not only reading the text but also meditating on the text, praying the text, and living the text.  It is reading that enters our souls the way food enters our stomachs, spreads through our blood, and transforms us.  Christians don't simply learn or study or use Scripture; we feed on it.  We assimilate it, taking it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love, cups of cold water, missions into all the world, healing and evangelism and justice in Jesus' name, hands raised in adoration of the Father, feet washed in the company of the Son.

Words spoken and listened to, written and read are intended to do something in us, to give us health and wholeness, vitality and holiness, wisdom and hope.

We open this book and find that on page after page it takes us off guard, surprises us, and draws us into its reality, pulls us into participation with God on his terms.

Makes you want to jump into the Bible, doesn't it?  Have fun!!!!!!!!

too easily pleased

This morning's reading in Isaiah 53-56 was absolutely beautiful.  Beginning with the prophetic description of our Savior and filled with hope, promise, redemption and invitation, this portion of Scripture reminds me of the glory and poetry of life with GOD.

Isaiah 55 begins like this:

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;

and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, 

and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

There are many people who assume that submitting to Jesus means saying goodbye to pleasure in favor of a life filled with rules and stoicism.  But we who know Jesus have experienced that God invites us to a life of freedom to truly live!  In Christ we realize our purpose, we commune with our Creator, and our souls feast on the presence of GOD.  We find joy that transcends our circumstances and discover the true satisfaction of doing what we are created to do- bring glory to our God and Maker.

As C.S. Lewis wrote:  "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.  We are far too easily pleased."

God's words in Isaiah this morning stretched me, enlarging my imagination and desires and reminding me not to sin by settling for less than what God offers me.  Oh Lord, let me not be pleased by anything less than YOU!

the everlasting GOD

Our choice:

The everlasting GOD

Have you never heard?  Have you never understood?  The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.  He never grows weak or weary.  No one can measure the depths of his understanding.  He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.  Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.  But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.  They will soar high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint.  Isaiah 40: 28-31

OR...

anything less

"Present the case for your idols," says the Lord.  "Let them show what they can do,"  says the King of Israel.  "Let them try to tell us what happened long ago so that we may consider the evidence.  Or let them tell us what the future holds, so we can know what's going to happen.  Yes, tell us what will occur in the days ahead.  THen, we will know you are gods.  In fact, do anything- good or bad!  Do something that will amaze and frighten us.  But no!  You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all.  Those who choose you pollute themselves."  Isaiah 41:21-24

I believe in HIM and am filled with inexpressible and glorious joy!!

I think it is really important to know what we believe and to be able to explain our reasons for our faith in Christ.  At the same time, in my discussions with friends and family who don't yet believe in Jesus, I always come to a point in the discussion where I am compelled to describe my personal experience with God.  Because aside from all of the reasonable and rational  reasons I claim faith in God, like the ones found in Mere Christianity, More than a Carpenter, and Evidence that Demands a Verdict, my own spiritual transformation is also a very real testimony to the existence of God.  And I just have to say, that way deep down I just know what I know to be true!  I read this yesterday in 1 Peter 1: 8-9:

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

That pretty much captures how I feel about Jesus!

But since I do in fact believe it is important to be able to defend my faith logically, I continue to read and study.  So I am currently reading The Reason For God by Timothy Keller.  What a great book!  In the first half of the book he answers the seven reasons for rejecting the Christian faith that he hears most frequently.  The following quote is taken from the chapter dealing with "How could a Good God Allow Suffering?"

If you have a God great and transcendent enough to be mad at because he hasn't stopped evil and suffering in the world, then you have (at the same moment) a God great and transcendent enough to have good reasons for allowing it to continue that you can't know.  Indeed, you can't have it both ways.

I thought about this quote as I watched the end of the Dark Knight.  It made me appreciate the movie's ending even more.

time to pray

James 5:13-16:  Is any one of you in trouble?  He should pray.  Is anyone happy?  Let him sing songs of praise.  Is any one of you sick?  He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.  If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

This morning's reading reminded me that it is always time to pray.  When I am troubled, when I am happy, when I am sick, when I need forgiveness, when someone I know is sick, troubled, happy, or in need of forgiveness...  It is always a good time to pray.

Over the past several weeks I have realized anew that I am severely limited in my abilities to help the people I love.  After bible study last week I felt acutely aware that no matter how well I prepared for the study, or how well I led the discussion, the ladies in my group still have really painful challenges in their lives.  In that moment God gently reminded me that I can help them, by asking God to help them.  I wouldn't do what I do, or live the life that I live, if I didn't believe with all my heart that God is real and that He answers our prayers.  What I am helpless to do for the people I love, God is more than capable of doing.  And He loves them more than I do.  

Prayer is a subversive act performed in a world that constantly calls faith into question.  Philip Yancey, in PRAYER.

faith

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  Hebrews 11:1

This morning I thought about faith as I read through Hebrews 11.  What an encouragement to read the stories of men and women who acted on the assurance of their faith!  I thought about the simple definition of faith that introduces the chapter.

What is it that I hope for?  My hope is in the character of God and the promise of God's Word.  I hope for the day when I will see Jesus face to face.  I hope for the answers to life's questions, for evil to be overcome by good, and for the promised day when God will wipe every tear from our eyes.  I hope for the full realization of the glimpses of the divine that God blesses us with while we are here on earth-  those moments of pure beauty or utter joy when I question how anyone could possibly believe that there is no God.  My hope is in the goodness and glory of God made known in Jesus Christ.  

What is the unseen of which I am certain?  It is the presence of God, even in life's toughest circumstances, working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.

Faith in God is a beautiful thing.  I thank God for the faith He has given to me, and I pray that He would increase my faith day by day.  I pray that I would live my life in such a way that I could be listed in Hebrews 11.  And how I long for everyone in my life to experience the kind of faith in Jesus that serves as an anchor to the soul, no matter what trials and challenges life throws at us.

THE GREATEST GIFT EVER!!

Today is my birthday!  This morning I read about the greatest gift ever given.

Hebrews 9: 11-14:

When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.   He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.  The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean to sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.  How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

It might be a little cumbersome to read through the description of the old system's rituals and sacrifices.  But it is so good to be reminded that JESUS did for us what no religion can:  He gave us REDEMPTION!  He gave HIMSELF so that we can live our lives totally forgiven and free.  Today I thank God for another year in which I am blessed to serve the living God!

p.s.  In a smaller and more superficial way, I also really like the gift that Chip gave me- a small, portable speaker system for my ipod that I can take outside!

Hosea and the prostitute

Earlier this week I read the book of Hosea.  I keep thinking about it, even as I am continuing in my Life Journal reading.  So I thought I'd write about Hosea this morning.

God told the Prophet Hosea to go and marry a prostitute.  She was of course, unfaithful to him.  So God told Hosea to go after her:

The Lord said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress.  Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods..."

Here's what I've been thinking about:

• The relationship God wants with me is as intimate as a marriage relationship.  God knows me, loves me, pursues me, forgives me, and accepts me.  How will I respond?  Will I spend time with Him, getting to know Him more?  Will I gladly receive the love He offers me, or will I take Him for granted?  Will I love Him in response to His great love for me?

• When I sin, and when I put anything else in life before God, it grieves Him.  To be sure, idolatry has always invoked the righteous anger of the Lord.  And that anger was poured out on the cross.  When I am unfaithful now to God, I believe it breaks His heart.  He wants the best for me, and He knows that He alone is the best for me!  It adds a new dimension to my understanding of my own sin to meditate on the analogy of God as the husband and God's people as the ungrateful prostitute.  My sin is really, really ugly.

• God's love for His people is incomprehensible.  We will never wrap our heads around it, we will not fully understand it; it is more than we can imagine.  But I want to spend the rest of my life growing in it, being transformed by it, and expressing my gratitude for it.

week with mom

I haven't written for a while because I was enjoying a week with my mom!  We had a great time going to parks, the Eugene 08 Festival, Walmart, the lake, berry picking, and of course, to Chuck E Cheese's!  My favorite part of my mom's visit was watching her spend HOURS with Joshua doing Origami.  Only a grandma!

Isaiah 6

In the year 2008, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.  Above him were seraphs, each with six wings:  With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.  And they were calling to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory."

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

"Woe to me!" I cried!  For I am a woman who has held too low a view of God, among a people who have done the same, foolishly imagining that we could create God in our image and cast him aside as irrelevant.  But my eyes have seen the KING, the LORD ALMIGHTY.

This morning as I meditated on Isaiah 6, I wondered what my response would be if I saw the vision that Isaiah saw.  I closed my eyes, really trying to picture the scene Isaiah describes, trying to grasp the glory that is God.  As I did that, I realized that God's glory is truly overwhelming!  People today know so much, have so much, and do so much that we lose sight of the reality that our lives are but a vapor.  But God is eternal.  It is GOD who controls life and death and the course of the world.  A glimpse of God's glory brings the appropriate humility to the prideful human heart.

As I go through the day today, I am going to pray that my response to God would be like that of Isaiah's:  humble repentance, acceptance of God's forgiveness, and then a willingness to go wherever God might send me.

faithfulness

The message from Sunday's worship service has stuck with me throughout the week.  The theme was faithfulness, and the main idea was that our faithfulness is seen not so much in the things we do as in the heart attitude with which we are doing them.  The text was Revelation 2:1-7 where God exhorts the church in Ephesus because in spite of their deeds, hard work, and perseverance, they had forsaken their first love.  How do we maintain that first love?  By meditating on, resting in, and receiving daily Christ's great love for us.  We can do this through our daily devotional reading of God's Word.  Here's a sampling of what I have read over the past few days:

Isaiah 1:18  "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord.  "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

Titus 3:4-5  But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

Psalm 116: 5-6, 8-9  The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.  The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.

For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 

I don't know about anyone else, but it seems to me that this kind of amazing love from God to us should be enough to keep me crazy in love with Jesus!!

my summer reading list

I just got a book order in the mail.  I am so excited to read some books this summer!  I am starting with Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  Of course I love the book already.  It is so great to be challenged by a bigger view of God.    Here's a quote from Chapter One:

Many Spirit-filled authors have exhausted the thesaurus in order to describe God with the glory He deserves.  His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can't contain Him.  Isn't it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?

from father to son (and mother to sons!)

In my bible 2 Timothy 3:10-17 is titled, "Paul's charge to Timothy".  As I read it I am struck by the kind of father-son relationship Paul and Timothy had.  This morning my prayer time was focused mainly on my three children, and on asking God to make me and Chip the kind of parents He wants us to be.  Paul says to Timothy, his son in the faith:

"you know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance...

Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know from whom you have learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."  

So many children grow up and leave their parents' home, and reject their parents' faith as well.  Many studies have been done to discover the cause, and one answer surfaces most frequently.  It is the apparent disconnect between what parents say they believe and how they live their lives.  I pray that God will help me to live a life of pure devotion to the Lord, in which I earnestly seek Him daily, and then live out my day in response to the truth He has shown me. 

May my words and actions be consistent, and may they reflect the character and grace of God.  And 10-12 years from now, as my sons are ready to leave their parents' home, may they cling to their faith in Jesus even more than Chip and I have.  Chip and I really want to be able to say to our sons, "you know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith , patience, love and endurance.  So continue in what you have learned."

guarding the truth

2 Timothy 1: 13-14  What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.  Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you- guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

This morning I reflected on the wonderful gift God has given us in His Word.  It amazes me that the God of the universe has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind, and that we hardly seem to care!  GOD ALMIGHTY speaks to us through a book!!  And it is a book that is unlike any other, for it contains the truth.  While so many people in this world struggle with the chains of oppression and addiction, the Lord invites us to know the truth and to thereby be set free.  

Paul tells Timothy to guard the good teaching that was entrusted to him.  The same letter tells us to do the same.  The truth of God has been entrusted to us in the bible.  This morning I am asking God to help me to regard the bible as God wants me to.  I want to hunger for God's Word, revere God's Word, submit to God's Word, and elevate God's Word in my life and in this world.  I want to guard the truth with the help of the Holy Spirit.

I read this quote yesterday and it continues to ring in my head today as I contemplate my own inadequacy in my approach to the truth:

From the cowardice that dares not face new truth, from the laziness that is contented with half-truth, from the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth, Good Lord, deliver me.  Amen.  -Prayer from Kenya, by Howard Hendricks in "Color Outside the Lines".

contentment

Today's reading of 1 Timothy 6 includes Paul's instructions to Timothy to beware of the love of money.  He warns that those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap that leads to ruin.  If you are like me, you immediately think of "rich" as those who have much more than you.  But this morning God convicted me that I am indeed rich, and that I can easily fall into the trap of the love of money.  I recently read a statistic that said:

if you keep food in a refrigerator, if you keep your clothes in a closet, if you have a bed to sleep in and a roof over your head, you are richer than 75% of the world.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.  But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.  1Tim 6: 6-8

So on this day I am looking around at all that I have and thanking God for His blessing on my life.  I have a home, food, clothing, and a wonderful, healthy family.  How can I ask for more?

testimonies

I have been reading 1 Timothy for the past few days.  In the first chapter of the letter, Paul says this about himself:

Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.  The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.  (1 Tim 1:13-14)

I might write about myself that I was formerly independent, addicted to my own agenda, and hopelessly selfish.  But by the grace of God I am learning to depend on Jesus every day, living for God's Kingdom and learning to put others before myself.

To be truly inspired by what God can do in the lives of those who trust Him, click on the video below:

serious about JOY

Today Chip and I shared our morning meditations face-to-face, rather than via the computer.  Much better that way!  We sat outside in the sunshine and read a chapter of John Ortberg's book on spiritual disciplines, called The Life You've Always Wanted.  We read the chapter about the discipline of celebration.  

Here is one of my favorite excerpts (I wish I could share the whole chapter with you!):

"When we celebrate, we exercise our ability to see and feel goodness in the simplest gifts of God.  We are able to take delight today in something we wouldn't even have noticed yesterday.  Our capacity for joy increases."

Our morning reading reminded us to rejoice TODAY!  Don't put it off, waiting for circumstances to improve.  Don't dwell on the past, wishing it had been better.  Rejoice today!

After all, This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it! (psalm 118:24)

Ortberg quotes C.S. Lewis throughout the chapter.  For Lewis believed that "Joy is the serious business of heaven."  Chip and I agreed- it's time to get serious about rejoicing in the Lord!

why I haven't been blogging this week

Several friends have noticed that I haven't blogged much this week.  Sorry!  The Life Journal readings have been in Kings and Chronicles, and I have been trying to really study the history of Israel through this time period.  So rather than sitting in front of my computer, the mornings have found me seated at my desk with charts, tables and commentaries, studying the kings and prophets of the Old Testament.  I suppose I have been guilty of filling my head with knowledge without truly considering how God would want to apply it to my life!  So here are my thoughts and application:  First, how is it possible that there wasn't even one good king of the ten northern tribes once the kingdom was divided?!   Boy, we really needed a Savior!!  Second, I observe that as the king goes, so go the people.  There is great responsibility in leadership.  Third, it is clear that God's people continually struggle with idolatry, and that God demands to be first in our lives.  Whether we are turning to golden calves, Baal, or material wealth or comfort.....  God will fight for our hearts!

I also want to say how funny it is that my friends read my blog and then call, email or talk to me face-t0-face about the post.  You can leave a comment, you know!  But no worries- I am more than satisfied each day to read how my wonderful husband responds to my morning meditations.  And a few of you have told me that your favorite part of the blog is reading Chip's comments.  I'm glad for the internet world to see that Chip is my biggest champion and best friend!

One more thing- I am spending this morning with six young boys who have celebrated Joshua's tenth birthday with a slumber party.  My heart is filled with joy and delight at the person my son is becoming.  I love being his mom!

wrestling in prayer

What do I believe about prayer?  For most of us, the answer to that question can be found in the amount of time and energy we invest in prayer.  I suspect that most of us greatly under-believe in the power and priority of prayer.

Paul says this to the believers in Colossae:  Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful (Col 4:2).  I looked up the definition of the greek word that was translated as devote.  It means to continue steadfastly, to persevere and not be faint, to give unremitting care.  That speaks to me about the time I should be investing in prayer.  God wants me to be continually dependent on Him, watching for His guidance, thankful for His presence.

But it is another verse in Colossians 4 that really got my attention.  In verse 12 Paul describes his friend Epaphras like this:  He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

Wrestling in prayer.  That speaks to the energy of prayer, the intensity.  Again, I looked up the word.  It means to contend with adversaries, to fight; to struggle with difficulties and dangers; to endeavor with strenuous zeal, to strive, to obtain something.  Prayer is real spiritual work.  It is how I engage in the spiritual battle that rages over human souls.  I am contending with an enemy, and I am striving to obtain something, all through prayer.  Epaphras prayed like this for the young church in his home town.  What he was striving to obtain was the maturing of their faith.  

Do I care enough for my family and my friends to pray like that?  And do I believe that it makes a difference?  I really want to!  I'm signing off now.  I have some wrestling to do.

humble and thankful

It really bothers me when my boys fight over toys, bicker over whose turn it is on the computer, wrestle over who gets to sit in the "best" chair at dinner, the list could go on and on.....  

I remind them that we have SO MANY toys.  I tell them that it is a privilege, not a right, to play on the computer.  I make the observation that one chair only seems best because they are all fighting over it, but that the chairs are really all the same.  And of course, I tell them that they shouldn't be selfish, but kind to one another.  After all, they are brothers!  And nothing makes their mother happier than when my boys are playing together.

Paul really does have the heart of a father toward the church.  Listen to his words in Philippians 2:1-4:

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ?  Any comfort from his love?  Any fellowship together in the Spirit?  Are your hearts tender and compassionate?  Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.  Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others.  Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don't look out for only your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

It occurs to me this morning that sometimes we who are the church of Jesus act like children.  We bicker over who gets to be first, or whose way is right.  We wrestle one another for authority, and fight for our own interests.  Forgive us Lord!  Paul is gently reminding us to consider the riches we have in Christ (kind of like me saying "you have so many toys, why can't you be generous").  In Christ we have encouragement, comfort, love, fellowship with GOD!, tenderness and compassion.  Will we receive all that and then turn around and demand our own petty way?  Or will we offer all that Jesus has given to us to one another?  Lord, help me to be humble and thankful, and to think of others as better than myself.  And help my boys too!

from death to life

A few days ago I was blessed to hear a testimony from a man who has battled leukemia for the past 6 months.  One day, suffering from fatigue, headaches, and bleeding gums, he took himself to the emergency room.  He was in the hospital for 3 months straight after that.  After chemo treatments, bone marrow tests, and doctor after doctor, the prognosis was not good.  Still he and his wife had faith.  They prayed; their friends prayed, asking God to heal him.   God did.

As I listened to this young man share, his wife sitting beside him, their two young children downstairs, peace and joy radiated from his countenance.  He doesn't consider this illness a curse, but a blessing.  He has come to know God more deeply.  He knows the reality of hope and the power of prayer.  And he has been given the gift of a new joy for life.  He wants to hang onto that joy.  He wakes up each morning asking God to keep that "first love" burning in his heart.

This is what Ephesians 2:4-5 says about me:  

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved.

Michael has faced a death-sentence in his body and come away victorious, with a renewed passion for living a God-pleasing, people-embracing, thankful life.  I, along with anyone else who is in Christ, have also been brought from death to life.  I should remind myself of that every day.  Praise God!  I am alive!!!

my destiny

Ephesians 1:3-8  (NLT)

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.  Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.  This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.  So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.  He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.  He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

Are you kidding me?!!!!  God has GREAT PLEASURE in adopting me as His daughter, uniting me with Jesus Christ, and blessing me with every spiritual blessing!  He chose ME even before He made the world so that I could be holy and blameless in His sight?!!  HOW CAN IT BE?!

The language of Ephesians 1 simply astounds me.  Lots of praise, lots of glory, God's pleasure, and grace that is LAVISHED on me!  Lavish means to give in abundance, to shower, characterized with extravagance and profusion.

God says that this is my destiny:  to be adopted as a daughter of God, to praise God's glory, to be forgiven and redeemed, to be holy in God's sight, and to be showered with grace, wisdom and understanding.  This is what God wants, and doing this in my life DELIGHTS Him.

I find it hard to believe this some days.  But God's Word says it, so it must be true.  HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

thankful for my family and friends

Romans 16 is the conclusion of Paul's beautiful and thoughtful letter, filled with personal greeting to specific people.  Reading it this morning reminded me of two things:

• The Christian journey is not meant to be walked alone.  We need each other.  Paul spent a whole chapter of the Bible greeting people who had walked alongside him, helping him at various times of his life.  I must die to self-reliance and learn to ask for help, from God and from friends.

• It is important to express my love and gratitude for the people who journey with me.  We all need encouragement.  We all want to feel appreciated.  And expressing my thanks reminds me that I have so much to be thankful for!  Now that I spend so much time sending emails, I very rarely take the time to sit down and write a thank you card.  But God has brought a couple of people into my life who actually do not have internet access (?!).  Over the past few weeks I have been surprised to find several thank you cards in my mailbox.  Hand-written, mailed with a stamp, thank you cards.  They are in my desk now and I can read them when I am feeling discouraged, knowing that someone appreciated me enough to take the time to write a card, address and envelope, buy a stamp, and mail me a card.  What a blessing!  I'm going to send some cards.

not convenient, but caring

Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us.  Strength is for service, not status.  Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, "How can I help?"  

This is Romans 15:1-2 in the Message.  Romans 14 and 15 remind me that the life that is pleasing to God is concerned with others even more than myself.  The way of Christ is one that recognizes the needs of the people in my life, and seeks to offer to hope of the Gospel.  How tempting it is to go through life focused on the things I need to get done, on what I want, on my own plans for each day.  The attitude described here is one that is open to disruptions and distractions.  No, it is not convenient.  

Today, I pray for eyes to see the needs of people around me.  I pray for opportunities to help those who are struggling with doubt, discouraged by trials, overwhelmed by their sin.  I thank You Father for the hope and encouragement You give me in Your Word.  And I thank You so much for the times in my life when I was weak in faith and You brought someone alongside me to help.  This day I want to choose not what is convenient, but what is caring.  

always glory! always praise!

If you have ever been in a difficult theological discussion with me then you have heard me refer to Romans 11:33-36.  It is an anchor for me as I try to navigate the sometimes muddied and troubled waters of doctrine.  We have served in so many kinds of churches, from Pentecostal to Presbyterian.  People much more intelligent than I have wrestled with ideas about such things as election and predestination for centuries.  I don't expect to completely figure it out in my lifetime.  But I believe it is incredibly important to ask questions, search the Scripture, seek wise counsel, and to know what I believe.  As I do that, the words of Paul in Romans 11 always echo in my ear.  Here it is in the Message:

Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom?  It's way over our heads.  We'll never figure it out.

Is there anyone around who can explain God?

Anyone smart enough to tell  him what to do?

Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice?

Everything comes from him;

Everything happens through him;

Everything ends up in him.

Always glory!  Always praise!   Yes. Yes. Yes.

The more I learn about God, the more I realize that He is utterly more than my mind can comprehend.  As I acquire knowledge, I should become more and more humble, not proud.  And the more I discover about God, the more I am compelled to praise Him.

For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be the glory forever!  Amen.

wrestling with the Truth

If only reading Romans 9-11 were as fun as reading Romans 8!  From my earliest days of following Jesus my faith has been filled with questions.  Sometimes even marked by doubt.  God can handle that!  He invites me to come to Him with my fear, frustration, questions and doubts.  After wrestling for a while, I walk away transformed by His presence.  He answers the deep issues of my heart with His character.  There is so much I don't know or understand in this world.  Even this morning, I have already prayed for the people suffering in China and Myanmar, and the people I know who are struggling, wondering why things have happened as they did.

There are many people these days who are asking questions and exploring their faith and their doubts.  I think that is good, even noble.  Until we begin to re-create God to suit our understanding of goodness and justice.  That's not okay with God.  Reading Romans 9 and 10 over the past 2 days I am reminded of the simple reality that just because I may not like or understand the Truth, it doesn't cease to be the Truth.

But who are you, O man, to talk back to God?  Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?"   Romans 9:20

The psalms are evidence that God welcomes His children to come to Him with the fulness of who we are- with doubt, anger, lament, and questions.  But as we do, we should be careful that we are approaching God for who He really is- omnipotent, almighty, creator.  As we do, we will also find His grace, mercy, lovingkindness, and patience.

As C.S. Lewis wrote, "The prayer preceding all prayers is "May it be the real I who speaks, and the real Thou that I speak to."  Amen!

the God of all comfort

I read Romans 9 this morning, but verses from 2 Corinthians keep coming to my mind.   It's because I can't stop thinking about the family of Steven Curtis Chapman.  I am joining people all over the world in prayer as we lift up this wonderful family.  The Chapman's youngest daughter Maria was killed last week in the family's driveway when one of their teenage son's SUV accidentally hit her.  You can read more about it here.

When we lived in Nashville some friends of ours were in a terrible and tragic car accident in which they lost a young daughter.  Our church surrounded the family with love and support and prayer.  It was an experience I will never forget.  The memorial service was overflowing with people who shared in their sorrow.  Steven Curtis Chapman sang at the service.  I was reading about the community that has surrounded the Chapman family over the past week.  Those friends who walked through tragedy almost ten years ago are now there with the Chapmans, offering comfort that they are uniquely able to offer.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

I love Romans 8

When I was 20 years old I was both a morning person and a night owl.  I woke up happy and excited about the new day, in a great mood.  And late at night was a great time for me too.  I loved hanging out with friends, talking and laughing.  It seemed like I was always at my best!  Now I am neither!!  If I stay up late I am tired and grumpy.  When my alarm goes off in the morning I can hardly tear myself out of bed.

So it was this morning.  After a long weekend of sleeping in and enjoying leisurely mornings at home, it is time to get back to my normal schedule.  On the weekend I can stretch my morning devotion out and I can read whenever I want- I have plenty of time.  Not on a school day.  Today I have to get the boys to school by 8:00 and then I have a meeting at 9:00.  After that I will be distracted by laundry, lunch, and children.  If I don't get up early and seek God first, I won't find the time later.  So this morning my alarm went off at 6:00 am and I groaned inwardly.  My flesh didn't want to get out of bed.  Yet I was obligated to do it.  Something stronger than my tired body willed me to roll over and get out of bed.  A force more powerful than my own need for sleep took over until I was sitting on the sofa with my bible open and my spirit awakening.  And here is what I read:

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.  If Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.  And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.  Romans 8:9-11

And then I read verse 15 in the Message:  This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life.  It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?"

What a crazy, beautiful life I live!  My God has set me free from sin, death, and the law by sending His Son as my Savior and then sending His Spirit as my empowerment.  And now I live as a child of God, waiting eagerly for Him to show me the next step on my adventure through life.  It's not even 7:00 am and I am suddenly feeling like a morning person again!  I LOVE Romans 8!

how can it be?

But will God really dwell on earth?  The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you.  How much less this temple I have built?  Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O Lord my God.  Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.  1 Kings 8:27-28

How can it be that GOD, the creator of the universe, the One who holds the stars in place, who speaks life into being, who controls the wind, the rain, the seas, the skies, how can it be that He would dwell in me?  The heart of Solomon in this prayer is the heart I share this morning as I contemplate that God's temple is now His people.  His crazy, beautiful plan was to dwell among us so that He might dwell within us, and use us to usher in His Kingdom amongst the mess we have made of our lives.  I am amazed and I am thankful.

religious or righteous

I wonder how many people's lives have been changed by the book of Romans?  What an amazing part of the bible!  I have a unique affection for the letter from Paul to the Romans, because it is the first book of the bible I truly studied.  In my first year of following Jesus, my friend and mentor Cas led me through an inductive study on Romans.  She set the standard for my study of God's Word for the rest of my life.

Read through the book at least 50 times.

Know it; own it.

Observe, interpret, apply.

Memorize and meditate.

That year God developed a love for His Word in me that would be the foundation for everything else in my life.  And it started in Romans.

Today I read this:

A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.  No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.  Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.  Romans 2: 28-29.

Being religious does not make a person righteous.  Simply doing good things does not make a person good.  Rituals, traditions, and religion can never save a soul.  The most likely outcome of those things is a proud and critical spirit resulting in judgement of others without careful consideration of our own shortcomings.

But praise be to God who has given us His Son to make us righteous!  Thanks be to Him who has sent us His Spirit to transform our very hearts.  Understanding that I fall desperately short of God's perfect law, I cling to the Savior.  By grace through faith my heart is circumcised and my soul is saved.  I am declared righteous in God's sight and I am set free to live the life that God calls me to live.  Hallelujah!!!!

Godly adjectives

called...set apart...thankful...whole hearted...preaching...constantly praying...longing...encouraging...obligated...eager...not ashamed...righteous...living by faith.

These are the words that Paul uses to describe himself in Romans 1.  I am praying that these words will be descriptive of my life as well.  I recognize that I cannot possibly muster up these characteristics on my own- it is the work of God in me.  These qualities are developed in a person who knows GOD, who spends time with GOD, who loves GOD and knows that she is loved by GOD.  There are many things I could do right now.  I have dishes to wash, laundry to fold, a school lunch to prepare, and bathrooms to clean.  But none of those things will make me the person God wants me to be.  So first, I will be still before the Lord.  I will meditate on His Word.  I will ask Him to make me the person He wants me to be-  called, set apart, thankful, whole hearted, preaching, constantly praying, longing, encouraging, obligated, eager, not ashamed, righteous, living by faith.

comic book bibles

I'm a little late to the computer this morning.  That's because this morning, for the first time ever, two of my sons joined me for devotions.  Now it certainly isn't the first time one of kids has been with me in the morning.  Most mornings find me sitting on the sofa with the dog, and at least one boy giggling, poking me, hugging me, or trying to talk to me.  I frequently explain that I am trying to focus on God's Word, and need some quiet time to pray.  Sometimes they respect that; sometimes they don't.  

Some mornings I invite the boys to join me in my devotion.  I give them their youth bibles and encourage them to read.  I share with them what God is speaking to me that day.  They are half-interested at best.

But this morning, first Joshua and then Zack came down quietly with their bibles and started to read.  I should clarify- they sat down to read their new bibles.  Yesterday their Sunday School teachers gave each student in the class a bible.  A bible like I have never seen.  I didn't even know there was such a bible.  This bible is in full-color, comic book style!  And the boys love it!  Finally, they are taking in God's Word in a format that truly speaks to their young hearts.

Thank you Mr. Kevin and Mrs. Chriss for caring so much about your class that you would invest in them this way.  Because of your thoughtful gift I enjoyed one of the best mornings of my life.

As Joshua and Zack were engrossed in their new bibles, I read this verse in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17:

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.  

I am praying that prayer on this happy morning for the people in my life.  Amen!

this is God's will for you:

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances.  1 Thess 5:16-18

Be joyful always.  Can it be that we have a choice in this?!  Since this is a command, I must acknowledge that it is something that I can obey (or not).  So I will choose joy.  This morning I can't help but wonder how well I would respond to this text if I were in earthquake devastated China, or in Myanmar.  There is suffering in this world that challenges my conviction that joy is always an option.  But Paul, who wrote these verses, certainly saw his share of suffering, pain, and abuse.  And he still wrote, "be joyful always".

I'm guessing that Paul was able to choose joy in the face of suffering because he also prayed continually.  I ask God to give me an awareness of Him throughout the day.  I want my thoughts to be ever wandering to my Father in Heaven, asking Him for help and guidance, praising Him for the beauty and laughter in my life.  Pray continually.  Without ceasing.  Help me Lord to do that.

Give thanks in all circumstances.  Closely connected to joy is the ability to give thanks.  Out of a thankful heart, joy flows freely.  In Christ, we always have reason to give thanks.  Oh, the promises God has given us!  There is nothing that can separate us from His love.  He works all things in our lives together for good.  What was intended for evil, God can use for good.  He is sovereign; He is kind.  The ultimate victory over sin, death, and suffering belongs to Jesus Christ.  And that same Jesus has rescued me.  Yes, I can find something to give thanks for, in all circumstances.

preparations for God's dwelling place

Yesterday and for the next couple of days I am reading about David's preparation for the building of the temple.  King David had a special dream, a desire to build a House for the Lord.  Yet the Lord told David that he would not be the one to carry that vision to fruition.  Instead, his son Solomon would build the temple.  David could have been frustrated, disappointed, depressed.  He could have walked away from his dream, since it was no longer his to carry out.  But instead, he pours the last years of his life into it!  He paves the way for Solomon, preparing his son, equipping him to fulfill this holy calling.

1 Chronicles 22:5  David said, "My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be build for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations.  Therefore I will make preparations for it."  So David made extensive preparations before his death.

The legacy of the great King David would be a dwelling place for the presence of his Almighty God.  It occurs to me that I have the same legacy.  I have three children who will continue to develop into the dwelling place of the Almighty God.  How I long for them to relish the mystery of God's temple now being His body of believers here on earth!  What a miracle it is that we ourselves are God's dwelling place!  As parents, Chip and I provide for our children, care for them, love them, and discipline them.  But our holy calling is to prepare them to be used by God, filled by His Holy Spirit.  In the same way that Solomon must have observed his father pouring all his energies into temple preparations, I hope that my children are observing that faithfulness in me.  Are they seeing me in the Word?  Do I allow them to observe me in repentance?  Am I investing my time and energies in ways that will inspire them to live spiritually meaningful lives?  Do my children see in my life I demonstration that there is great joy in the presence of God?  If so, then I am preparing them to be the dwelling place of God.  Lord, help me!

delightful discipleship

1 Thessalonians 2:8  We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become dear to us.

Sharing the Gospel of Jesus with friends is a joy, a great pleasure.  Today is Tuesday morning.  On Tuesday I meet together at a coffee shop with two of my friends to share the Gospel together.  We talk about God's Word, we ask and answer questions, we laugh, we cry, we drink coffee together.  We spend hours together every week, with our Bibles and our hearts open.

God can use anything to bring the Gospel to someone's heart.  He can use a door-to-door evangelist or a street corner preacher.  He might speak through a tract, or arrange a divine appointment on an airplane.  But 1 Thessalonians 2 describes discipleship as I have been blessed to experience it- as the delightful sharing of God's truth among dear friends.  My Tuesday mornings aren't a church program, or a class.  They are a time of sharing the journey of discipleship together with people I love, encouraging, comforting, and urging one another to live lives worthy of God, who calls us into His kingdom and glory (v 12). 

My prayer is that this verse would describe my life every day, that each day I am sharing the Gospel and sharing my life with others.  Speaking the truth in love.  Encouraging and helping.  Correcting and comforting.  Loving God enough to live a life that pleases Him, and loving people enough to share God's love.  That life sounds delightful, doesn't it?

How could I not have a great day?

Reading the about the end of David's life this morning.  I love this thought:

He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.  (2 Sam 22:20)

It reminds me of something I read last night just before going to bed.  It is from the book RUN WITH THE HORSES by Eugene Peterson, about the life of Jeremiah.

"Before Jeremiah knew God, God knew Jeremiah.  "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you."  This turns everything we ever thought about God around.  We think that God is an object about which we have questions.  We are curious about God.  We make inquiries about God.  We read books about God.  We get into late night bull sessions about God.  We drop into church from time to time to see what is going on with God.  We indulge in an occasional sunset or symphony to cultivate a feeling of reverence for God. 

But that is not the reality of our lives with God.  Long before we ever got around to asking questions about God, God has been questioning us.  Long before we got interested in the subject of God, God subjected us to the most intensive and searching knowledge.  Before it ever crossed our minds that God might be important, God singled us out as important.  Before we were formed in the womb, God knew us.  We are known before we know."  (pp 37-38)

This morning I am blown away by the realization that God is mindful of me, that He knows me, and yes! that He delights in me. How could I not have a great day?!