In The Last Days…

*A nurse impregnated a comatose woman in a long-term care facility. How did no one see? Who looked away?

*A Tennessee teacher groomed his young student and showed her nude pictures. These types of people are everywhere and children are their prey.

*Catholic teens who received death threats for a snippet of a video that did not show the whole truth, and the ensuing horrible and vile comments from adults. When did it become okay for grown adults to make death threats to children? No apologies from the media for instigating this hate.

*New York state passing a bill that allows the taking of innocent lives right up until birth. How is it that one baby can be cut out of its mother’s womb because she doesn’t want “it”, but across town, a baby still in the womb is having life-saving surgery to fix a defect before being born? Life is life, that doesn’t change regardless of how the mother “feels”. Everyone who shouts it is a woman’s “reproductive right” to abort her child, knows it is taking an innocent life. We all know.

*In Oregon, a child with autism was locked out of the school by the school’s principal. The principal then instructed staff to not open the doors. None of the staff helped the child, instead choosing to look away, but when a fellow student had compassion and let the boy in, that child was suspended for two days for his kindness.

These are stories that came up in my newsfeed today. An overwhelming portion of sadness, frustration, and anger. I find myself wondering what has happened? When did it become the norm in society for evil and selfishness to flourish? For lies and brutality to become common?

This world full of brokenness is spinning crazily on its axis. The dizziness of sin causing me to feel sick, and yet I am reminded that evil in this world is not new, nor should it be surprising. Thankfully, as a Christ follower, I know how this story is going to end. “I <Jesus>have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

 Be sure of this. In the last days, hard times will come. People will love themselves. They will love money. They will talk about themselves and be proud. They will say wrong things about people. They will not obey their parents. They will not be thankful. They will not keep anything holy. They will have no love. They will not agree with anybody. They will tell lies about people. They will have no self-control. They will beat people. They will not love anything that is good. They cannot be trusted. They will act quickly, without thinking. They are proud of themselves. They love to have fun more than they love God. They act as if they worshipped God, yet they do not let God’s power work in their lives. Keep away from people like that. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

God, Let Me See You!

This is something I wrote back in 2012. I was thinking about this very story, the other day. How many times do I long for God to reveal Himself to me? Do you? If so, maybe this post is exactly what you need to read today.

 

Let Me See You! 

And God…

Aren’t you here, right now? And can’t I see You, as You move in the every day? Are You not still the powerful Elohim? I look at Genesis and am still in awe of it….right from the beginning.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 NIV

You created… out of nothing. No one else can do that. No one, but You. How mighty are the works of Your hands!

You are God, that created all things and called them good. You are the same God that creates all good things in my life.

On days when my eyes only see the gray of You, the dim image, only the shadowed essence of Your glory…

Father, place me in the cleft of the rock and open my eyes to You!

This life is difficult, full of pain, and all the not-good-enoughs.

Life on many days is ripped wide open. Gaping.

Let me see You!

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On some days my prayer is just like this one that I wrote.

Simple.

To the point.

“Let me see You!”

My prayer comes from the book of Exodus, chapter 33. Moses and God are having a conversation…and Moses tells God he wants to see His glory. God tells him okay, but He didn’t allow Moses to see His face, “for no one may see Me and live.” So God put Moses in the cleft (a crevice or crack) in the side of the mountain and covered Moses with His hand while He passed by. Moses was only allowed to see God’s back as He went by.

Moses was gutsy, wasn’t he? That was a big request… and yet, God said “yes” to his request.

This is one of my favorite stories of the Bible and, quite frankly, it is not one of the more common Bible stories… the ones that most people know. I like to think about Moses. He is told by God that He will lead the people of Israel. It is a big job. Moses goes back and forth with God about whether or not people will know that God is with them. He reminds God that, “this nation is Your people.” God agrees and says that His presence will be with them. Which leads up to Moses’ question about seeing God…and God telling Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

Can you imagine how Moses must have felt? In awe? Honored? Excited? Nervous? Terrified?  No one can see God’s face and live. His glory is too much for an individual to fully comprehend. I, of course, wasn’t there and don’t know for sure, but my theory is that seeing God face to face would be so intense that a mere human body could not physically survive it.

His glory.

Who He is.

Overwhelming.

And still, are you like me? Do you want to see His glory? To know that His presence is with you?

God delights to reveal Himself.

O Night Divine

 How often do we take the time to listen to the lyrics of the beloved Christmas carols? When do we stop singing from rote memorization and start singing with the realization of what the words truly mean?

O Holy Night 

O holy night the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth

Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new glorious morn

Fall on your knees
O hear the angels’ voices

O night divine
O night when Christ was born
O night divine o night
O night divine

 The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.  Luke 2:1-20 NIV

 

Taking A Detour

Today I was lost, turned around and backwards. I often tease with my husband calling myself, “directionally challenged”. I laugh about it too…unless I am on a backroad with no idea where I’m at, and am desperately needing to get to an appointment in town, on time.

The small village that we live outside of, in rural Ohio, is having work done on the railroad tracks. Since most of this village is surrounded by tracks, it makes it tricky getting around when roads are closed due to maintenance on those tracks. I thought I had it figured out and was able to get to a main road into town. All was well until on the main road I nearly slammed into yet ANOTHER road closed sign. What??!! How was I going to get into town? I turned onto a road, the only road NOT closed, that I had never been on before. I figured I knew the general direction I needed to take so I’d just drive and keep turning until I circled back around towards town. Now, if any of you have ever lived in or visited the rural Mid-west you know that country roads can meander on for quite a while and there are a lot of fields that all pretty much look the same. Unless you know the area, it can be confusing. Corn looks like corn, looks like corn. You, know?

I started to panic a little bit, not because I was scared of being lost (I’d eventually find my way back, even if I ended up in the next county over), but because I was going to be late to meet with one of my students at the library. I didn’t want him waiting on me and wondering. I called my husband (thankfully cell service still works in the middle of nowhere). He googled the road I was on, and was able to help me figure out what I needed to do, to safely ,and with my sanity still intact, make it to the library without too much problem. After a short jaunt ,on yet another road, I made it into town in one piece.

This whole experience got me thinking. My experience this morning is so much like life in general. I find myself cruising at 60 mph, believing my day is going to go exactly as planned. My plans. My way. That is until I almost slam into a detour sign. Sometimes God has to put up a very LARGE detour sign for me…..to make sure I see it, because unfortunately, so many times I am not paying attention.

God never gets lost or confused. He never worries about where He is taking me, or how many turns are in the road. He already knows the final destination and I can rest in the safety of that knowledge.

Proverbs 16:9 “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

The World Was Not Worthy Of Them

In light of the post I wrote yesterday, I thought I’d repost something that I wrote in 2009. Persecution of Christians is real. It continues to happen world wide. We cannot forget these people. My heart breaks wide open as I consider the plight of so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ. This verse comes to mind, and quite frankly when reading this verse, with them in mind, gives me chills.

…They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. Hebrews 11:37-38    ……….the world was not worthy of them……..

December 22, 2009

“THEY CALL ME CHURA… GOD CALLS ME DAUGHTER.”

Those words are Shafia’s.  Shafia was kidnapped, raped, family members killed….she lost so much. But she did not lose her faith in Jesus Christ. Her world could take everything that she had, but it could not take away her Jesus.  Scripture tells us,       ”No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8: 37-39

I got my Share Their Voice kit from Voice of the Martyrs yesterday.  Stories of Christians around the globe…modern day martyrs for their faith. Stories of Christians in China, Turkey, North Korea, and Sudan. Christians in Pakistan, and Columbia. People that are kidnapped, raped, tortured, imprisoned, lose their families, their homes….everything. Some people even lose their lives. All this because they refuse to deny Jesus Christ. Their love for Him far outweighs what mere man can do to them. When I read their stories, stories that the main stream media will never tell us, my heart cries out! Lord, forgive me in my selfishness, my excess, my ambivalence to those brothers and sisters in Christ that suffer around the world for You. I am so ashamed that it is easy to forget them as I go on with my daily life. Help me to share their stories with others, so that their voices won’t be silenced. Father, I know that You will never forget them…. that You know each of these souls intimately.

These countries are considered restricted nations: Cuba, Belarus, Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, northern Nigeria, Libya, Egypt, northern Sudan, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Oman, U.A.E, Qatar, Kuwait, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,  Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, China, North Korea, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Bhutan, Maldives and Bangladesh.  In these countries there are government policies and practices that deny Christians the ability to obtain Bibles or Christian literature, also laws against Christians that cause them to be harassed, imprisoned, killed, or deprived of their possessions or liberties because of their witness.

These countries are considered hostile areas: Chiapas (Mexico), Columbia, Turkey, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Mindanao (Philippines). These countries have large areas where governments consistently attempt to provide protection for the Christian population, but Christians are victims of violence because of their witness.

Remember the Christians in these countries mentioned. Even if you don’t know them by name, God knows them. Many times pain cannot be avoided by these warriors for the faith, but you can pray for them to have  strength and determination until their journey is done. Pray that no matter what may befall them, that they will be found faithful.

“Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.”  Hebrews 13: 3

http://www.persecution.com

Dust Off That Dream

Have you ever had a dream that just won’t let you go? Thoughts of it, are always in the back of your mind. Sometimes that dream may lay dormant for months, or even years, but every once in a while you’ll take out the dream, dust it off, and wonder what if? Your mind drifts to the possibilities.

I find myself at that place. The dream seems kind of big. A little scary. Sort of overwhelming, but……still……..it remains. I could stay where it is safe, on a path with which I am familiar. If I do that, will I regret it? Even if I try and don’t succeed, I will still have the satisfaction of knowing I tried. That’s something.

God has made each of us unique. Our stories are all different…..no two are exactly alike. That goes for dreams too.

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is found in Hebrews. Chapter eleven recalls people throughout history that proved faithful. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”  Hebrews 11:8 

Abraham trusted God’s plan. He went when he was told, but had no idea where he was going. Can you even imagine? I’m sure Abraham had times where he was nervous, or confused, and the promise of a place seemed far, far away, yet he still believed and he remained faithful to God’s promise.

 

“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” –Earl Nightingale

Peace I Leave With You

It was dead. Its eyes closed, laying still.

I found myself staring at it. “Poor little bird, you were so beautiful.”

I found the little yellow bird laying on the floor of the barn, when I went out to feed our horse her morning breakfast. This was the same little bird I had seen in the barn the evening before. Trapped, in a panic. I opened the barn doors wide, hoping the little guy would find his way back out to wide open spaces. Instead the small bird banged into walls, fluttered helplessly into the rafters, and the whole while the doors were open to the outside!

If only he had remained calm….he might have seen the open doors….the way to freedom, but instead his panic lead him to his demise. Sigh……..

How many times have I acted like this little bird? Stressed out, burnt out, flapping wildly in wide eyed panic, over not knowing. Not knowing what will happen next in my life. Not knowing how things will turn out. Not having answers to the “whys” and “hows” and “whens”. Often times worry has frayed my nerves and soured my stomach.

I beat hard against the unknown until I am exhausted. If only I had remembered to look!  I would have seen that The Door was already there.

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27

 

Kindness Matters

I am an avid people watcher. The grocery store is a prime spot for the observant among us. That is where I found myself, on this gray and drizzly Friday morning in July. There are some days when I am in a rush to get what I need, grab it and go…but, today wasn’t one of those days. Today I took time to leisurely stroll up and down the aisles. In between buying the coffee and fresh produce, I noticed the people around me. The truth is, how often do we run through life, not slowing down, rushing on to the next necessary thing on our to do list? I’m often guilty….but, not today.

Sometimes I find myself wondering about people. Does the lady buying the cereal have someone at home waiting for her? Does she have plans? Is the elderly couple, getting the milk, someone’s parents? Are they in love or feeling alone? Is the young mom, with her three children in tow, filled with joy or is she trying to shove the memories away and forget? We just never really know, do we? What people are going through, I mean…….

I try to remember that.

Kindness is never a wrong choice.

Today just might be the day when someone whose path crosses yours, needs to be shown kindness the most.

Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31 

Slowing Down

The sky loomed dark on the horizon when I went out to feed the animals. It was going to rain, and I hoped I could get back from the barn before the rain started. The air was moist and a cool breeze was blowing. It felt wonderful against my warm skin. I do not enjoy the uncomfortable heat and humidity, it is for those reasons that I tend to not like summer very much. On my walk across the yard I allowed my gaze to rest on the newly sprouting corn, the stalks and leaves covering the field with vibrant green. The sky was smeared in gray all the way to where it touched the horizon. I saw (and heard) the killdeer letting me know that I was intruding on their space. Jack, one of our male barn cats, followed along with me, as did the dogs. The raindrops started to lightly splatter to the ground. I imagined the countryside scene on this rainy morning looked a lot like a scene from an Old English storybook. I’ve never been to England, but this is what I see in my mind’s eye. I think I might have read too much Beatrix Potter as a child.

Life seems to have slowed down a bit on this late June morning. I don’t have anything pressing for my schedule, aside from needing to finish up some necessary paperwork. I like days like this. Quiet and peaceful with time to reflect. God is so good, and there is so much to be thankful for.

Philippians 4:8-9   Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  What you have learned and  received and heard and seen  in me—practice these things, and  the God of peace will be with you.

It Is More Than Just A Word

I am a huge fan of the Gaines family of Waco, Texas, so whenever I see something about them, I drop whatever I am doing to watch. Joanna Gaines and her husband, Chip, are the stars of the wildly popular show, Fixer Upper, on HGTV. This morning I watched a short video clip of Joanna Gaines discussing some of her life story. She talked about trusting God, and believing in His timing. Her words resonated with me because they felt so familiar to my own.

I, too, have often asked God what His plan is for me? He knows me and is intimately knowledgable of all my thoughts and dreams. God knows what would make me happy and ultimately what would bring Him glory. I am left wondering how will He intertwine my personal passions into His plan? I realize that much of my frustration comes from the fact that my timing is not His. So many times, I have wanted something to happen, and it doesn’t. I tell God, “I don’t get it”! He reassuringly responds, “You aren’t ready yet. Be patient.”

There is a peace in knowing that God has me. When I am unable to see even a few seconds into the future–He already knows how everything will turn out. There is no safer place to share my dreams than with the One who knows my soul. He hears the whispers that no one else can hear. He reminds me of all the ways that I am His unique creation, and that there is no one else in all of history that is just like me. More importantly, He has and continues to show me, His abiding love.

Trust.

It is more than just a word.

It is an action.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6