paravanes:meditations

Jesus Christ: The Eternal God-Man

2012-01-24T10:06:00.003-05:00

Jesus Christ: The Eternal God-Man

…who forever lives to love us and lead us into life.

A new year’s resolution often looks like this: “I’m going to get closer to God this year. I’m going to do the right thing. I’m going to let God create the priorities of my life.”

Who is this God I seek to become closer with? How do I know what is the “right thing”? How do I identify God’s priorities in my life?

Jesus Christ, the Eternal God-Man, told us if we have seen Him, we have seen God the Father. Jesus also told us He would send a Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to remind us of everything Jesus told us and to show us things to come.

This Jesus was many things to many people during His time on earth, and even now He is many things to many people. In His earthly life, He was a Master Teacher and Storyteller, a controversial rabbi, a physical and spiritual healer, an insightful and powerful prophet. To many people, He is, even now, revered as a great teacher and spiritual guide. He is all of these things, but He is one other thing that makes Him totally unique.

He is God.

Does this sound magical and unbelievable? How can God be limited to live as a person and still be an almighty God? Why would an all-powerful God chose this way of interacting with His creatures? Why wouldn’t God remove all doubt of His existence by becoming so powerfully visible that no one could doubt?

The answer is love.

Most of us are more motivated by love than by fear. I will do more for someone I love than for someone I fear. God desires my love, even while loving me in ways that are difficult for me to understand. God chose to have a human experience in order for us to be able to say “He knows and understands me, because He has been like me, has been where I am, has lived as people live, and has experienced much that exists in the human realm: death, joy, birth, anger, friendship, work, childhood, pain, fear, happiness. And love.”

God’s human experience is love reaching out—both then and now.

Jesus Christ—the Eternal God-Man, is not only proof of God’s power and greatness, but He is Ever-Living Proof of a love than comes close, that cares enough to share life with us and lead us into eternal life.

If this is the God I seek to become closer to in 2012, this will be a year like none other.

Useless Statement #1: "I Would Never Do That!"

2012-01-13T12:32:00.000-05:00

Many wisdom teachers of many ages have taught their students this: "you cannot impose your personal standards of behavior on others."

Jesus encouraged His disciples to "be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." You can read many variations of this statement from Matthew 10:16 here.

As I interact with others who may or may not share my world view -- and that is their right, by the way --, I must keep Jesus' directive in mind. When I keep His directive in mind, I never react foolishly or thoughtlessly because someone does something I would never do.

Besides, it's a challenge to say what I would "never do." How can I know this? Also, no other person is under any obligation to do things my way. Only I am responsible to my own values. It is also my responsibility to be aware that others act from their knowledge, their priorities, and their perspectives.

I can be a person of honesty and integrity in the middle of all of this. I can remain "innocent" to evil by following God and allowing Him to create my consequences for me. I must remain shrewd and knowledgeable in understanding others who don't want or won't follow God's ways.That shrewdness is an adult responsibility. It's a spiritual principle. There's no virtue in pretending not to see evil or overlooking the misuse of people and things.

I was once told: "If someone is constantly surprising you by their words and actions, that means you really don't know that person." I accept this as true.

So, in 2012, I resolve to be innocent and shrewd. It's an interesting combination that allows me to be honest, act with integrity, and minimize those nasty, unwanted, and unpleasant surprises.

Why I Attended Church On Christmas Sunday

2012-01-08T15:26:00.000-05:00

Now that the holidays are over and life has returned to a semblance of normality, I am reflecting upon what the holidays meant and what I can take with me into this new year.

This most recent Christmas (2011) was on a Sunday. Once again, discussions arose about what types of services should be held on "Christmas Sunday" and how many people would be likely to attend church service on Christmas morning. After all, won't everyone prefer to stay home, relax, and enjoy their Christmas gifts and their favorite breakfast foods...and grab another cup of coffee or hot cocoa?

Some churches abbreviated their services, others combined services, and a few simply cancelled services.

I didn't have a difficult time deciding what to do on that morning. I went to church.

I am aware, even though it's seldom spoken, of how my neighbors observe my regular attendance to church on Sundays. I can be relied upon to leave home at a certain time each Sunday morning. Others, especially those who don't attend services, notice my routine. I wanted my witness to remain intact.

I am aware I have more material belongings than many people in many other parts of the world. To a large degree, this is true because I was born at a certain time to certain people who lived in North America. I had nothing to do with any of those things. There was no loss to me in waiting to open Christmas gifts until after attending a worship service.

I am grateful for what Christmas means: God loved humanity enough to become one of us. That "becoming" event deserves commemoration and it deserves my acknowledgement by attending a service dedicated to celebrating that "becoming."

I reminded myself: there are twenty-four hours in each day, including Christmas. If I take two or three of those hours off to go to worship, I still have twenty-two or twenty-three hours left to open gifts, eat, look at Christmas decorations, etc.

I was reminded by another writer--- whose name, sadly, I have forgotten!--that Christmas isn't about goodies and the sentimentality of remembering past times and singing familiar songs. Christmas is about celebrating the chance we all have for a new beginning in God because God chose to become one of us. God's love honored us in this way, and I can return that honor by joining with others in regular worship.

Regular worship includes Christmas Sunday. Our small, sturdy gathering of true believers on Christmas Sunday was worth every minute.

2012: Year of Positive Expectation

2011-12-29T19:30:00.000-05:00

Best wishes for good success in 2012.
This post is from one of my favorite resources, Postitive Christianity.

As Christians, we should seek the highest level of positivity!

A JOYFUL YEAR OF POSITIVE EXPECTATION

"Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."

Matthew 21:22

In my seminars on prayer, I share with people to change the word "prayer"

to "expectation." Some people's prayers are so negative, that they can do

nothing but expect the worst. They pray mainly focused on what they do not

want instead of the positive that they wish to expect. Expecting the

worst blocks God's good. Each person has free-will, and because of that,

God does not force good upon you. Many times we lock ourselves in a

self-imposed prison of concepts of doubt, worry, and limitation.

What are you expecting? The worst? The best?

I pray it is THE BEST. Placing your faith in God’s good is the key to the

good life. To pray with expectancy is to pray with an assurance that each

prayer will be answered by God in a positive way.

You pray with this expectancy this next year, knowing that all your needs will

be met in the right time and the perfect way. As Jesus assured you,

"Whatever you ask in prayer, you WILL receive, if you have faith!”

You EXPECT A MIRACLE!

Your expectation is grounded in your faith in God as the source of all

your good. You expect that you are receiving abundance in your life.

Your needs are being met.

You expect and accept that you were created to be healthy. Your mind is

alert and enthusiastic. Your body is strengthened and filled with energy.

Your joy is overflowing in your soul. The life force of God flows

through you, nourishing and revitalizing each cell. With God as the

source of your good, you expect and accept your good now.

This will be a year of joy. You expect joyful surprise. A small child looks

at his or her surroundings with the joy of seeing great adventures.

Everything is new and worthy of investigation. Nothing is too small or

insignificant to be overlooked.

In 2012, you look at your world with expectant eyes. You find joy in

the smallest task, because you delight in being a part of this great

experience called life.

Joy is more than a state of mind. It is a state of expectation. When you

are feeling the joy of spirit, it comes from deep within you and fills

every part of you. Your inner joy is unshakable because it is founded in God.

Your joy comes from knowing that you are a child of God. You are

connected, needed, loved. You are heir to all the beauty and wonder of

God's abundance and you expect it in your life.

Truly, this is reason enough to be joy-filled and expectant this next year.

POSITIVE DAILY PRAYER:

Christ is shepherd over you,

Enfolding you on every side.

Christ will not forsake you, hand or foot,

Nor let darkness come near you.

Entering the Ark, Entering the Rest of God

2011-12-28T18:33:00.000-05:00

“Can I say I have been warned of God, and moved with fear, to fly to this Ark? Have I discovered my shelter-less state by nature, the waves and billows of wrath rising and rolling against me? Have I seen my own inability to provide an Ark for myself, and the excellency and fitness of the Ark of God’s providing?

Have I been made willing to abandon all false arks, and [made] inquisitive [of] how to get into the true Ark? Have I been made willing to use all appointed means for this end, to read, hear, meditate, pray, repent, believe, essay [try] to climb up the sides of the Ark, and press to get in at the door thereof?

Have I been willing to venture my all in the Ark, like Noah, notwithstanding the discouragements, scoffs, and hatred of the world for so doing? Have I willingly acquiesced, sheltered, and lodged my soul in God’s Ark, and been made to say, “This is my rest for ever, here will I dwell? Come what floods will, Christ shall be my Ark, His righteousness alone my refuge and hiding place.”

From: Sacramental Meditations and Advices, by Rev. John Willison, 1821. Full-text is available on Google Books.

Published nearly 200 years ago, Willison’s words are a real challenge to anyone seeking to closely follow Jesus Christ in 2012 and beyond.

I discovered Willison’s book while browsing for devotional materials on The Internet Archive, a resource you should experience. Written in the 1740s and published in 1821, Sacramental Meditations and Advices is an inspirational source for knowing God more fully.

The world, as it is and has been since Noah’s time, requires us to seek the protection and safety of God’s Ark—Jesus Christ. No one who is honestly aware of the world’s condition truly believes she or he can meet the world on the world’s terms and experience lasting peace and purpose.

I must be willing to abandon all false arks---worldly priorities (reasoning apart from God), rule and ritual following, “good” behavior—and embrace the shelter Christ offers. He is The Ark.

How teachable am I in learning and knowing God’s will for me? Do I want what God has for me, or do I want God to endorse, support, and bless what I (or others) have chosen? Do I earnestly accept there may be conflicts between what I want and what God wants? Am I still debating within myself about whose preference will prevail? Why do I sometimes trust the world more than I trust the world’s Creator and Sustainer?

Moved by fear, Noah built an ark before it rained. Fear can be a good motivator if I am honest enough to admit there are some situations I should not face because God has warned me away from them. Noah believed God’s warning: the rains will come; destruction will follow. Noah did not want to die in the flood, nor did God want him to die in the flood. Noah followed God’s directions and built the ark as instructed. Noah’s ark preserved his life, the lives of his family, and the lives of all creatures entering the ark. Finally, God Himself shut the door to the ark, guaranteeing the safety of those inside. The seventh chapter of the Book of Genesis describes these events.

FEAR has been called False Evidence Appearing Real. Not so. I don’t want to fear every unknown circumstance, but there are some things that are truly dangerous and very real and should be feared because of what those things will do to us. We are eternal creatures, but we are not unlimited creatures. Have no doubt: we are damageable.

If I rest in God’s way and will, I will experience some fear, but I will not have to live under the blinding power of constant fear. I can live securely in the Ark of God’s Safety, watch the rain, and ride out the storm. Having been warned of God, and moved by fear, I can enter God’s rest.

“Come what floods will, Christ shall be my Ark, His righteousness alone my refuge and hiding place.”

"Fullness of God in helpless babe..."

2011-12-17T12:09:00.000-05:00

This post's title is a line from one of my favorite hymns, In Christ Alone, by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend.

Why would God choose to become an infant, a "helpless person", totally dependent upon others in His human experience?

God with us.

Human experiences of weakness, pain, vulnerability, and sadness are not foreign to God. It was God's choice to know what we feel by personally experiencing life as we experience it.

Some may say God would never "lower Himself" to live life as we live it, and to directly and personally experience so much of what we know.

God's sovereign and willing choice to know much of human life, ---without sin--, to know what we know, feel, and experience is an ultimate expression of love, caring concern, and direct involvement.

God is love.

This is what we celebrate and remember during Advent: a God who loves enough to come close, a God who chooses to experience human frailties without the blinding limitations of human sin.

You can trust what you hear when God's Spirit speaks to your heart and says, "I feel your pain. If you wish to release that pain, take my hand and follow me. I have been where you are. I know the way forward. "

This is the message of Christmas.

Foodie Escapade #1: Remembering Summer Just Before Winter

2011-12-10T12:52:00.001-05:00

Good food is a gift from a good God.

Now that the growing season and the farmer’s market season have ended in the Great Lakes region of North America, I have had to resort to reading food magazines, cookbooks, and roving on food sites to see fresh food growing. Two of my favorites are yougrowgirl.com and noteatingoutinny.com.

In Michigan, the mornings are getting colder and snowier. I am burying myself in the summer issues of Saveur and Bon Appetit, trying to recover the sense of warmth that comes from preparing, eating, and sharing summer food. In the August 2011 issue of Bon Appetit, I found an easy, yummy-sounding recipe for pickled baby squash. At this time of the year, there are no local summer squash or zucchini to pickle. I’m willing to wait until spring to buy something grown locally; something that helps support a farmer who is probably employing someone who (like the rest of us) wants and needs their job.

Lacking the fresh baby squash, I am thinking about revising the recipe to make pickled baby carrots or pickled young beets. I will probably eat them as hot pickles, rather than chilled. Still, I copied the recipe and pasted it into my custom cookbook of recipes collected from magazines and ephemeral sources.

I am looking forward to the return of the baby squash season. I am looking forward to eating the chilled squash pickles on a hot summer afternoon or snacking on them during the early evening of a "dog day" of summer. I am looking forward to sprinkling the last remnants of pickle juice over a summer veggie salad.

I am looking forward to sunshine on my face while I shop in the farmer’s market and the coolness of the shady sports under the market's stalls. I am looking forward to asking the farmer which variety of squash she or he is selling, and picking through the offerings to make my best selections. I am looking forward a little bargaining and haggling over the best price. I am looking forward making my food dollar stretch to its maximum, to going in search of multiple ways to use a single food item. I am looking forward to answering this question: "how many ways can I cook this?”

I am looking forward to giving thanks for the food, for the people who have grown it and brought it to market.

Here is the recipe for Pickled Baby Squash:

1 pound of baby squash or zucchini

6 sprigs of fresh dill, divided

6 garlic cloves, smashed

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Thinly slice squash into coins. Place squash, 3 dill sprigs and garlic into a 1 quart jar. Bring vinegar, peppercorns, salt, sugar, remaining 3 dill sprigs, and 1 cup of water to boil in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar.

Pour into jar with squash mixture. Cover, let cool slightly, and chill.

Keep refrigerated and eat within two weeks. Makes one quart.

"Til He Appeared, And The Soul Felt Its Worth"

2011-12-03T12:21:00.001-05:00

This blog's post title, "Til he appeared and the soul felt its worth" is a line from one of my favorite Christmas/Advent hymns: "O Holy Night."

He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.

How often do I make mistakes and misjudgements because I do not know or feel my own worth?

It is not arrogant or lacking in humility to know my worth because it is God Alone Who Determines my worth, and God values me so highly as to make Himself like humans, choosing to be one of us, and living among us to reveal Himself to us.

That is an ultimate expression of love.

I mis-step when I allow the world to determine my worth. I mis-judge when I trust other people more than I trust God to tell me who I am and what I am worth. My worth can never be diminished, because my worth comes from God alone.

When this truth lives deeply within my heart and mind, I never sell myself short. I never accept second best for myself. I never give up goals and dreams because those goals and dreams seem to difficult or too distant.

When this truth lives deeply within me, I run away from sin, because I know sin is only "another voice" telling me the wrong thing about who and what I am and what I am worth. Sin is the ultimate expression of selling myself short, of taking meaningless detours to uninteresting places, in search of useless things.

He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.

That is the good news of Christmas.

You can read all of the stanzas of "O Holy Night" here.

"He chastens and hastens His will to make known"

2011-11-23T14:06:00.001-05:00

“He chastens and hastens His will to make known.” –from the Netherlands folk hymn, We Gather Together

God “goes out of His way” to make His will known to us.

As much I as naturally resist the idea of correction, there are times when I need correction. God “chastens”, or corrects, me because I am not always on the right path and I am not always thinking correctly and I do not always respond to gentler methods of redirection.

Sometimes the actions or inactions of others are required to correct me. Sometimes natural and oddly unnatural events or circumstances stop me long enough to redirect my thinking. Sometimes, the events of life speak strongly to me. Illness, a car accident, a lost income, a forced retirement, a foreclosure, or a necessary but unwanted relocation may be the means of God speaking to me in a forceful way. These things happen to all people, including those who don’t need chastening. I must be careful about making hasty assumptions regarding why things happen to me or to others. Still, I must also remain open to every possible explanation of the events in my life.

What comforts me more than God’s chastening is that He “hastens His will to make known.” I think the writer of this hymn suggests that after God corrects us, God quickly restores us and welcomes us back into total fellowship with Him. As firmly as He chastens us, He hastens to restore us to Him. There is no delay, no “downtime”, in coming back to God. If there is a delay, it is my choice and not His.

God’s chastening comforts me in what might be called an “odd way.”

He loves me enough to insist I take the right road and follow Him fully. His chastening assures me He hasn’t forgotten me, hasn’t given up on me, and regards me as fully worthy of His attention. Even in my worst moments, God sees me as eternally valuable and needful of His care. As imperfect as I am and always will be, God loves me and pursues me for my good. God knows my deepest needs and never fails to respond to those needs.

“He chastens and hastens His will to make known.” For this, I am grateful. These words are truly words of thanksgiving.

The Ironic Seduction of Evil

2011-11-14T16:53:00.001-05:00

The question of evil is one that seems unwilling to be silenced.

With all of our human intelligence, curiosity, creative expression, and ability to work toward a goal, why does the problem of evil (personal and corporate) continue to reappear in our discussions of what’s wrong with the world?

Choose any political or economic system you like; it really doesn’t matter. Choose any culture: hunter-gatherers in New Guinea, or brokers in Hong Kong, or anyone in between. Choose any period in history you like.

No matter what time or in what place we humans find ourselves, we struggle with the problem of evil for two reasons: 1) we know there is something better; we have an innate sense of justice (skewed perhaps, but innate), and 2) we expect righteousness because, for many of us, our God-given consciences are not fully dead. We refer to the “law of the jungle” when we speak of someone misusing power in an extreme way. This is not a term of honor.

The ironic seduction of evil tells us we can achieve good outcomes by doing evil things. The ironic seduction of evil tells us ends justify means—but often we get lost in “the maze of the means” and never find a good end. Unable to resolve the resulting conflicts, we begin to tell ourselves things aren’t that bad. We begin to call evil good and say good is impossible in an imperfect world. We settle. And then we settle in. And then we are lost. And then we wonder why we are confused and frustrated.

God’s power over evil is shown as He speaks to our hearts and tells us not to be deceived by the ironic seduction of evil. Then, He tells us what is true and empowers us to live that truth in the middle of evil. Yes, we live in an imperfect world because of something called “original sin.” We all fell into a sinful heritage at once in the Garden of Eden. Yes, it was a real place, and real things happened there!

We can come out of that heritage one person at a time.

One person at a time, we can be good in an imperfect world. It won’t happen through our own personal efforts alone. Alone, we are no match for the ironic seduction of evil. With God, we have the power and privilege of being good in an imperfect world. We can be strengthened as we join with others making that choice.

That power and that privilege begin when we accept and live by God’s view and will for what is right and wrong. So, the next time somebody asks you why there is so much evil in the world, you can tell them: all of humanity fell ill with sin at once, but we can only become well by voluntarily embracing God’s will--one person at a time, one day at a time, one choice at a time.

Their Rock, Their Fortress, Their Might: Reflecting On All Saints Sunday

2011-11-07T17:01:00.000-05:00

This year, All Saints Sunday (November 6, 2011), came very close to the eighth anniversary of my mother's funeral. After living with multiple sclerosis for nearly two decades, she left this world to enter eternal rest and reward.

At church, we always sing "For All The Saints, Who From Their Labors Rest" on All Saints Sunday. This hymn has been noted as one of the most beautiful in the English language. I love the message of the hymn because Jesus Christ is clearly exalted as the Founder and Sustainer of our faith, while all of us who have followed Him are honored and remembered.

1. For all the saints, who from their labours rest,

Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,

Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

2. Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;

Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;

Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

3. For the Apostles’ glorious company,

Who bearing forth the Cross o’er land and sea,

Shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee:

Alleluia, Alleluia!

4. For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,

Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord,

Is fair and fruitful, be Thy Name adored.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

5. For Martyrs, who with rapture kindled eye,

Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,

And seeing, grasped it, Thee we glorify.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

6. O blest communion, fellowship divine!

We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;

All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

7. O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,

Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,

And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

8. And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,

Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,

And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

9. The golden evening brightens in the west;

Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;

Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

10. But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;

The saints triumphant rise in bright array;

The King of glory passes on His way.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

11. From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,

Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,

And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:

Alleluia, Alleluia!

This wonderful hymn (words are by William Warsham How) takes us from time into eternity, expressing how Jesus has called followers from all of humanity. As we read or sing these words, we remember life is not a playground, but a battleground (as the famous A.W. Tozer essay reminds us), but that the successful finish of our work is guaranteed --"there breaks yet a more glorious day, the saints triumphant rise in bright array."

While my family and I adjusted to my mother having multiple sclerosis, I think back on the fact that although many people prayed for her to be healed, she never was completely free of the disease. There were good days and bad days, but by the time she passed away, my mother was a quadraplegic, and totally dependent upon others to take care of her needs.

God truly was her rock (her fortitude and spiritual determination to be godly in all circumstances), her fortress (her protection from any person or thing that would damage her soul), and her might (her power to be a faithful witness in the middle of something she didn't like and would not have chosen for herself).

That testimony was timeless, and powerful. When she finally left us, I was comforted and assured that her life had been well spent, well lived, and worthy of imitation. I rejoiced that she was freed from pain and uncertainty, but I was also proud that she could be a person of integrity in the middle of those things.

I hope, with God's guidance, to do as well with whatever circumstances I am called to.

Unequally Yoked: The Great Debate

2011-10-29T11:42:00.000-04:00

"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?"
--2 Corinthians 6:14, NIV

This is the Bible verse thrown at so many of us during our younger years, when we were dating and considering marrying someone. It's not simply a young person's concern, because many Christians are re-marrying at all ages for all kinds of reasons (death of a spouse, abandonment by a spouse, etc.).

So the question remains: is it ever better to marry someone who is not a seriously dedicated Christian? I am not counting in on "professors" who may state a belief of faith just to win over a wavering potential spouse. I am referring to the question of should a dedicated Christian who truly seeks God in all areas of life ever marry someone who does not share this commitment?

Isn't it true that if you share educational background, common upbringing, or career/family/life balance issues, you could still live with someone in peace? Isn't it true that we often work with and for people who are not Christians and get along well with them? Isn't it true we learn how to accommodate relatives who aren't Christians? What's the difference? If we can get along with all of these other people who aren't Christians, isn't it true that we could make a good home life with someone who isn't a Christian?

Isn't it true that even Christians are getting divorces these days? Doesn't that prove that just because someone is a Christian, it doesn't mean the marriage will be happy or successful? Isn't it true that one can find adultery, domestic violence, child sexual abuse, gambling, drinking, drugging, etc. in marriage involving Christians? What's the difference?

All of these are real issues and some of these issues lead to the destruction of marriages. I have never taken the position that Christians cannot divorce under any circumstances. There are some circumstances that make divorce necessary.

But when one looks to begin a new chapter in life, it's a good idea to give yourself every possible advantage. It's a good idea to follow what God lays out as a basic ground rule. it's a good idea to know that you can enter into a covenant without any hesitation or second-guessing about what to do if things "don't work out."

There really is no place like home.

When we leave work, neighbors, other relatives etc., we go home. Home should be our best place, our sanctuary from the world, a place where we can be our best and worst selves, and know that we will find the love of God in ourselves and in those with whom we share our home.

There is no denying there are many real advantages to being married. There are all kinds of statistics out there telling us married people live longer, are healthier, more financially secure, etc. Supposedly married men are happier than single men, but married women with children are often reported to be the least happy of all. (!) Society is still arranged around the idea that people are married, or at least partnered off. Many, many churches still don't know what to do with a single person over thirty and under sixty. These are real facts. There is real pressure in some circles to get married and to stay married no matter what. Nobody likes to feel "un-chosen", that they are not attractive to the opposite sex, or that nobody wants them. That is the message society and the world often sends to singles.

Still, I am coming down on the side that says it really is better to live on your own than to enter marriage with someone who does not share your view of the world, God, time, eternity, and why we are here.

Many people have prayed for a godly spouse and received one. Others have prayed and have not. I don't know that there is any formula that explains why and why not. I naturally doubt people who try to use formulas to explain God's work in our lives.

I have learned to trust that what God says is always true, even when it doesn't look like it. Faith relies on that in every circumstance and for every question.

Reuniting After Parental Alienation? Be Careful.

2011-10-22T16:03:00.000-04:00

Reuniting with a minor child after experiencing parental alienation is a dream come true, a prayer answered, and a huge, huge challenge. Why? You may not understand how deeply parental alienation changes things between a parent and child.

Parental alienation is different from a short-term problem, behavioral difficulties, or a temporary, but unwanted, separation between a loving parent and child. Some have termed parental alienation a type of child abuse because the child experiences a deep and strongly felt negative (but unjustified) change in their belief about a parent the child was once close to and loved very much. You might wonder if it is even possible for someone to disrupt a close, loving relationship between a parent and child. The answer is yes..

If you are the targeted parent and you are blessed enough to have a chance to re-establish regular contact with your child or have your child return to living with you, be very careful as your create goals and expectations for that reunion

. Some things to keep in mind:

Your child is not the same person they were before they were subject to parental alienation. Losing the love and closeness of a parent due to re-programming and brainwashing is very traumatic to a child -- even if the child seems to support the falsehoods they have been taught. The child’s ability to trust is deeply wounded. An unnatural, unhealthy dependence upon the alienating parent is created. Even if the child begins to resist or resent the brainwashing forced upon them, they are no longer certain they can emotionally “return” to the targeted parent, so the child retains many of the false, alienating beliefs forced upon them.

If you were the targeted parent, it is very likely you have a different lifestyle, belief system, or way of life compared to the alienating parent. Your child must now make a major adjustment to your new routines. Anger and negativity are addictive. If you have managed to take the high road and avoid speaking and acting negatively about your former spouse or partner, your child may find it odd that name-calling, overtly hostile actions, and “bashing” are not a part of your regular conversations and discussions. You may appear “weak” because you ignore rather than engage in “trash-talking” and the like.

Depending upon how long you were away from your child, it may take years for your child to learn new ways of being in the world. If the alienating parent had control of your child during key, character-forming years, you may have to accept that the person you once knew is gone and may not return. Be open to beginning again. Be open to knowing this “new” person.

At the same time, allow yourself to grieve the loss of time and shared experiences. Sometimes targeted parents spend immense amounts of time and energy on “getting their child back” only to find the person you reunite with is not the person you once knew. Your child may have no interest in recreating themselves in the image you remember. Get help from a counselor, a knowledgeable person, or a trusted, listening friend. Don’t try to go it alone.

If your child has returned to you because of court action, illegal behavior of the alienating parent, or a similar circumstance, your child may not have wanted to leave the home to which they’d become accustomed. Your child may feel angry about living with the person they hated or disrespected. Your authority may be challenged because your child has been taught you are not worthy of respect, courtesy, or obedience. Be prepared for the fact that this reunion may have a different meaning for your child than for you. Allow time for you and your child and other family members to re-integrate your lives.

Getting your child back is a blessing, despite the difficulties that may accompany the return. Be prepared and prayerful as you begin another chapter with your child. Ask God for help, insight, and courage. Accept that you may no longer have the relationship that once existed, but it is possible to have a relationship worth sharing.

Thine Own Dear Presence to Cheer and to Guide

2011-10-19T17:38:00.000-04:00

Image: "God and Adam", Michelangelo

This line---"thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide"--is one of my favorites from this great hymn, Great Is Thy Faithfulness.

What more could I ask of God than to consistently know and experience His presence to cheer and to guide me?

I take comfort in knowing God will guide me as I follow Him, but do I take equal comfort in knowing God will cheer me up along the way?

One of my favorite films is Ingmar Bergman's Winter Light In one of the film's most moving scenes, a woman who loves a spiritually struggling pastor confronts him (in a letter, visualized on screen) and tells him she never believed in his god, but only went along with his faith for the sake of keeping her relationship with him.

As she explains herself further, this character states she grew up in a home without any awareness of God, and that her family was happy together, supportive of each other, and joyful of life. In contrast, she describes how often many (too many) Christians seem constantly disturbed, disoriented by daily life, on the defensive, and generally unhappy with their situations...waiting for the end to come, to be removed from Earth, to be transported to Heaven where all will be well.

It's a thought that gives pause. Do I allow God's presence to cheer me? Am I open to being cheered even in the middle of challenging circumstances? Will I only be happy if I get everything all my own way, right now? Do I spend more time asking God for something, rather than asking for more of Gods presence to cheer and guide me?

It can be a struggle to live in contentment, but it is even more of a struggle to live constantly wanting more, more, always more. I wonder how often Christians seem perpetually dissatisfied to unbelievers and seekers. Are we waiting for "manifestations" and "miracles" before we can relax a bit and enjoy life? I wonder how often our lives don't seem worth imitating.

Maybe just a little more of God's dear presence to cheer and to guide is just what I need.

Steve Jobs' Legacy, "Connecting the Dots", Walking by Faith

2011-10-11T10:51:00.000-04:00

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford University commencement address is one of the most inspiring speeches I have ever read and heard.

This talk is full of inspiration from someone who succeeded and who failed. And who was not ashamed to talk about both of those experiences. That's the kind of wisdom I want to encounter. Jobs' willingness to admit he was heartbroken, but not fully broken, by his ouster from the firm he helped create gave him credibility when he spoke to why we must push through the hard times and turn those hard times into new opportunity.

Jobs' statement that we cannot connect the dots of our lives looking forward, but can only make those connections in hindsight sounds very much like this to me: "For we walk by faith, not by sight" 2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)

Yes, it's OK to follow God ordained dreams because what God wants for us is very much in tune with the person He created us to be. How often do we hold back because we let other people tell us we're not good enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, or not connected enough to have what's good and what brings us joy? Looking back, how often have we regretted following those thoughts instead of following the best God had for us?

No, we cannot connect the dots going forward. But we can connect our faith to what's happening today and know that as we follow and obey God, those dots of a faith-filled life will be beautifully and perfectly arranged by the One Who Knows And Loves Us Best.

I don't know anything about Steve Jobs' spiritual beliefs beyond a news report that he once studied Buddhism. I am not a Buddhist, nor am I encouraging anyone to become a Buddhist. I encourage people to become Christians because I believe it is the only way to find God and live the life we were created to live. Still, I think there is a lot of wisdom in what Jobs said about having a determined optimism, seeking new opportunity in all situations, and not allowing circumstances to steal the joy of being alive, of being creative, and of sharing who we are with the world. His words and actions created a worthy legacy.

We cannot connect the dots ahead of time. That's why we are called to live by faith. We are also assured that there is One Who Connects All Parts of our lives, and that we can trust His love and His care for us and for the world.

A Prayer About Food

2011-10-04T11:49:00.000-04:00

A Prayer About Food

Lord: Help me to remember my sisters and brothers all over my country and all over the world
Who cannot buy what they want to eat,
Who cannot buy what they need to eat,
Who are never full "after a meal",
Who eat partially-rotten food because that is all there is.

Who eat what's left after their children eat,
Who don't give their children enough to eat because they can't,
Who count the days until they can buy more food,
Who divide every food item two or three times before cooking,
Who miss the favorite food they can no longer buy, or can no longer find.
Who settle for a smell instead of a taste,
Who are thinner than they should be,
Who are malnourished---badly nourished,
not enough nourished,
sadly nourished,
angrily nourished,
poorly nourished.

There are twenty thousand items in my local "supermarket."
Help me to remember those who struggle to get two items to eat today.

Keep me from the sin of gluttony and "food- greediness"
(Am I mindlessly eating more than I should just because I can?)
Keep me in memory of those whose bodies and souls need more.
Keep me in the action of sharing from my substance.

Amen.

Chittister, Powerlessness, and Freedom

2011-09-29T11:00:00.002-04:00

Joan Chittister;s book, Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope is one of those books at the top of my "reading this changed me forever" list.

Also on the list is Pilgrim's Progress, The Screwtape Letters, Hind's Feet on High Places, and In Search of Our Mother's Gardens. Chittister's book is on my list because she gives the best explanation I have read of why and how we should sometimes embrace powerlessness.

Her discussion reminds me of St. Paul's assertion that "when I am weak, then I am strong." I appreciate how Chittister unpacks this by explaining how we can be freed when we submit to our powerlessness in certain situations and circumstances. She assumes we have done our spiritual "due diligence": prayed, listened, waited, self-examined, etc. At the end of this process, she confirms the wisdom of sometimes confessing we are powerless and that we must embrace that powerlessness to free ourselves to see things as they truly are---not how we would make them--and then reconfigure our approach to something that is unchanging.

While reading--very slowly and deliberately--Chittister's chapter on powerlessness, I came to understand how accepting and clearly naming powerlessness frees us from a matrix in which we can learn nothing new, build no new bridges, gain no new faith, and acquire no new skills.

Chittister also challenges us not to hide behind a phony faith that says: "Well, I am powerless, but God is all powerful and He will work it out for my benefit!" Do we always know what "our benefit" will look and feel like? Probably not. Have we even asked to know? Perhaps we will benefit from embracing powerlessness in certain places and waiting to see what will emerge afterwards. Accepting the limitations of being powerless in a situation is an extreme demonstration of faith. We do not need to see or know the outcome to be certain of God's personal involvement with whatever is happening with us. We are not giving God orders for certain outcomes. We are powerless while we wait for Him to do His work in and through us. This is true freedom.

We are His vessels, His servants. It is enough.

Why Standards Matter, Or:Are Churches Too Needy for Bodies?

2011-09-21T11:42:00.001-04:00

I'm still in a bit of a "post 9/11 10th anniversary remembrance funk", so I watched a DVD that came with a recently arrived book, What We Saw. In this film from a book that includes text and images from CBS News' coverage of the events of that day, I watched the managing partner of a financial firm tell how he survived losing over a third of his staff that day. He said was was determined to have "a high threshold for the small stuff." That's what enabled him to begin the process of healing and rebuilding his firm.

I was a part of a conversation about what many "traditional, mainline denominational churches" are going to do in the next five to ten years regarding their declining (and aging) memberships. As a famed Russian revolutionary once wrote: " What is to be done? "

One thing that must be done is for those who want to attract new members to lose their sense of neediness, the sense that "bodies at all cost" will solve "the problem." Those bodies, unless sent and directed by God, will not solve any problems and may, in fact, create a host of new problems.

God, through Jesus Christ, builds the church, and that church is fed and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Do any of us think we can accomplish this through our natural ability? Gimmicks may "bring them in", but gimmicks won't keep them in because true seekers already know their lives are messed up and won't honestly accept someone telling them they can be saved from themselves and from sin without making radical changes under the direction of God.

Nobody likes the idea of getting smaller (from an organizational standpoint) and nobody likes the idea that there are more empty seats than full ones on Sunday morning or at a mid-week service. It doesn't look right, and it may feel like failure.

Failure or success is God's call, not ours. Our call is to be faithful to the faith once delivered to the saints, to authentically and unashamedly witness to the power of salvation through Jesus Christ alone, and to let the chips fall where they may. If those chips don't call our way and our numbers shrink, results are in God's hands and care, not ours. Regardless of outcomes, we can say we have been faithful servants who have done only our duty and no more.

I am confident God will always give supreme care to the one who says: I carried out your will, dear God, without worrying and wondering why it looked and felt as it did. I have done my duty.

Let us keep our standards and trust God to send those who seek truth through Him.

"More than all in Him I find"

2011-09-17T11:06:00.000-04:00

A Prayer for Spiritual Surrender:

If I am struggling to hold onto control of something apart from God's direction, what I am struggling to hold onto is exactly nothing.

The world tells me that I should try to be "master of my fate and captain of my soul." I no longer want that responsibility. Jesus takes care of the mastering and captaining of my fate and my soul.

There is no safer place.

His word establishes and sustains everything.

Thank you, Jesus.

Amen.

Christian Parent? Difficult Child? Listen Up!

2011-09-15T14:33:00.000-04:00

Are you dealing with a difficult child? I'm not referring here to an adult child, but a minor, one for whom you are responsible. How does one make sense of what seems (at times) unreasoning, unpredictable, and unrelenting?

During a conversation with a parent struggling with a difficult teenage child, someone said the following: "We did everything they told us to do. From the time he was a baby, we took him to church and Sunday School, prayed with and for him, read the Bible to him, loved him, spent time with him, listened to him, lived faithfully and honestly before him, taught him right from wrong, tried to keep him away from negative influences among friends and in the media---yet he seems to have rejected everything we taught him and he seems determined to go in the other direction.

He's disobedient and disrespectful. We've tried counseling, family conferences, house rules, you name it. None of it works. We are at our wit's end!!! Now what do we do?"

Perhaps it's time to do nothing and to remember this truth from Ephesians 2:8 " For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—"

Unredeemed humanity will do all kinds and types of things.And yes, it's the nature of teens to break away --to some degree-- from parental control. But a limited breaking away from parental control does not mean one has to be rude, mouthy, and disrespectful. It is the nature of people to be wrong and love it when they are unredeemed. Salvation is a gift, and only God can give it. We can help lay the groundwork for salvation, but that groundwork does not assure salvation for the object of our efforts.

Parents are (rightfully) commanded by God to live well (not perfectly!) and honestly before their children because that day-to-day testimony gives strength and credence to the truth that God's way is best. Living rightfully before someone is good and should be done, but those works will never assure that someone will be saved and choose to follow God. The Amplified Bible puts Ephesians 2:8 this way: "For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God--"

No matter how much we strive to train someone and model the right behavior for them, we cannot force our children to accept the gift of God--salvation. Our striving will not make it happen--not now, not ever.

Yes, we can and should pray for our children to follow Christ and choose salvation. But we should also know that this choice is one they cannot and will not make apart of God's grace operating in their lives and their acceptance of that gift of saving grace. No, it isn't an easy answer, but it's a truthful one.

Regardless of what your child or children will choose concerning God, know this from Romans 8: 31-39 (NIV)

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies

Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

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.

The Post 9/11 Sermon I Wish I'd Heard, But Am Grateful For Having Read

2011-09-12T17:41:00.000-04:00

This showed up in my Google Reader this morning, and I am grateful for it. These are the thoughts I wish to carry with me any time I am facing something which seems too large, too unjust, too unconquerable. Please read this wonderful sermon on how we should view 9/11 and "9/11 type" events in life. The sermon is (rightfully) under copyright, so here is the link to Bryan Burton's blog, Christ is Victorious.. Or, if you prefer Latin: Christus Victor.

9/11 Remembrance: Falling & Flying

2011-09-11T14:23:00.000-04:00

9/11 Remebrance: Falling & Flying

Buildings falling,
people falling
planes falling.

What turns metal into fluid plasma?
What makes people jump from one hundred story high buildings?
What makes planes crash headfirst into a field and a Pentagon?

Metal flying,
arms and legs and heads and feet flying,
airplanes flying on missions of death.

When I watched "The Bodyguard",
Kevin Costner told Whitney Houston: If someone wants to trade their life for a kill,
you can't stop them.
Where were Kevin and Whitney when we needed them?
Lots of trades happened on 9/11.
A gang of killers un-stop-able.
Falling and flying and dying and crying.
Without warning and without reason,
people died, people cried.

People falling into grief,
into sadness, into madness.
Falling into war and more dying and more crying.

Falling into the circle of metal flying
and arms and legs flying
and airplanes on more missions,
missions of death.

Falling again and again and again.

(c) 2011 Deborah Evans

"Animals, Our Selves"? Not!

2011-08-23T12:25:00.002-04:00

I am browsing through one of my favorite magazines, one I've only recently discovered. The magazine, Yes! , has articles about healthy living, sustainability, social activism, etc. A recent issue, the Spring 2011 issue, features an article titled "Can Animals Save Us?" on the front cover.

I already know the answer to this question.

I also wonder why caring for the environment sometimes gets disconnected from a Christian belief in caring for creation. Maybe it's because so many who call themselves environmentalists don't accept that the God of the Bible created everything and that hugging a tree is not hugging a person, nor are we hugging God expressed as a tree. It's just a tree. Or a bird, a fish, or a deer.

Still, since we have a command in Genesis 1:28 to subdue the earth and rule over things, some people have gotten it wrong. That command challenges us with the responsibility to love and care for creation. Anything created by God is worthy of love and of loving care; God's creations are not objects to be used, worn out needlessly, tossed away when no longer "useful" or simply disregarded. Creatures and creation have value because they were placed here by God for us.

But we are not just extra special, extra-evolved animals. According to Genesis, we are the only beings created in God's image, the only ones into whom He expressed the breath of life, the only ones with whom He walked in the garden of Eden in the cool of the day. It was only to Adam that God called "Where are you?" It was only for Adam and Eve that God made clothing as these people prepared to exit Eden after The Fall.

I love animals, and I fear anyone who needlessly or gleefully injures any creature.But we humans truly are in a class all by ourselves and for that I am grateful.

O Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory

above the heavens.

From the lips of children and infants

you have ordained praise^b

because of your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,

the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands;

you put everything under his feet:

all flocks and herds,

and the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air,

and the fish of the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

--Psalm 8

Mother's Day 2011 Redux: Mary's Legacy of Caregiving

2011-08-08T14:00:00.000-04:00

Some have asked for a text version of Mary's Legacy of Care Giving, a sermon preached on Mother's Day this year. It's available here as a pdf:
http://www.archive.org/details/MarysLegacyOfCaregiving

"Feed My Sheep"--Do We?

2011-08-03T11:15:00.000-04:00

Hunger is a big problem in the United States, as it is in many other countries. Are those of us in the US too proud to admit that in the "greatest country on Earth", we have a lot of hungry people who are making things look better than they are?

How can the Church--personally and corporately--respond to this?

Just as in spiritual matters, never assume things are as good as they appear. Who wants to admit they can't feed their children or themselves?

I have found that if I want to help, I can keep my eyes, ears, and heart open for things I don't expect to see, things I may not want to know.

It never hurts to invite someone over for a meal, share extra garden produce, or treat someone to a grocery/superstore gift card.

The gift of hospitality did not go away with the apostles. Nor should it have.

***********************************************************

It'll be OK

Lunch seems like a long time ago.
I can skip dinner tonight.
Maybe a cup of tea will fill me up.

We have to give the kids something to eat.
Cut the moldy part from that bread and scrape a bit more from the jelly jar.
No, that peanut butter isn't too old to use. Just this one last time.

Water is better than milk.
Didn't you know? Milk is mostly water anyway.
We'll get some milk next week.

No! I will not be a dumpster diver at the Safeway store.

If you go to that church two blocks away, you can eat at their Coffee Hour after church.
I think the kids can sit still through the service. It'll be OK.

I'm going send in more job applications tonight.
They have free internet at the public library.
That new grocery store has 100 teabags for a dollar.

It'll be OK.

(c)2011 Deborah Evans