Heartlight Articles - Together in His Grace

Calling Home

rlawson@mfth.net (Russ Lawson) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Today we phoned back over 1,800 miles of America to talk to our son and his family -- just to see how they were doing and to keep in touch. Our 2 year old granddaughter, Allison, said she wanted to talk to us so they put her on the phone.

She piped up, "Hi Gram-ma! Hi Gram-pa!" I have to admit that it made my eyes light up and I smiled and so did my Melody. How sweet that was to hear her voice speaking to us. We had heard through my sister that Allison had bumped her nose and she told us that it was OK now. Our 8 year old grandson, Christopher, got on the phone and told us some things that were important to him right now. We shared a little of our life with him. The call left us with a warm feeling when we were done.

I believe that is how God feels about us! I think he longs to hear us call his name and tell him about how we are doing and how much we love him. Yes, I know he knows all that we do, but don't you think he wants to hear it from us personally at least as much as we want to hear it from our grandchildren?

We hear the words repeated so often that I think they sometime lose their impact on our heart:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16 NIV).

Most of us love our children or our grandchildren enough to give up the most precious thing in the world for them! That's how much God loves us!

How about taking some time to talk with our God! Paul gives us some insight into what we need to be doing as we talk with our Father in heaven:

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT).

Some folks say, "I really don't know how to pray, I just don't know what to say." Notice again what Paul said, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." Can it be any simpler than that? How about stopping right now and talking with your Father? I know that God is just waiting for you to call!

Russ Lawson is a former missionary to Africa and minister in Ohio. He now works with World Christian Literature Outreach and writes a weekly email devotional, Messages from the Heart. For more information about Russ, click here.

Website: Messages from the Heart

Every Time I Remember You

tomnorvell@mac.com (Tom Norvell) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Paul wrote, "I thank my God every time I remember you" (Philippians 1:3 NIV).

Do you have someone like that in your life? These are people you love and who love you. No matter what goes on in your world you know they are there. If you are flying high, they're there. If you are hanging out in the valley they are there. They love you and you love them, and every time you remember them you are thankful and a smile comes over your face. The Message says, "Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God."

Maybe it's a passing thought. Maybe it's a lingering daydream where you drift off into a land somewhere far away. Maybe it's when you hear a certain song, see a clip from a favorite movie, or read a familiar Scripture. Every time they cross your mind, you give thanks to God for them.

Here's a simple exercise in thankfulness that can lift your spirits, perhaps change your disposition, and it may even cause you to "break out in exclamations of thanks to God." It's simple. Take a break from whatever you are doing and make a list of these people who bring joy to your heart. As you list them, spend a moment expressing to God your thankfulness for that person and why you are glad they are in your life. If you dare to take it a step further, share your thoughts with the person. Write them a note. Call them. Text them. Email them. Post something on their Facebook wall. Tweet them. Or, if you can, look them in the eye and say, "I thank my God every time I remember you."

Here are some suggestions:

Your immediate family. Your spouse. Your children. Your parents. Thank God for blessing you and trusting you with these special gifts.

Your extended family. Your brothers and sisters, along with their families. What wonderful memories you must share with these dear people. Most will be pleasant; but some may be very difficult. All are gifts from God reminding you of who you are, where you came from, and where God wants to take you.

Most of the rest of your family. These are the aunts, uncles, and cousins who are scattered all over the world and make you thankful for your shared heritage.

Friends. These are the old friends that you've kept in touch with over the years. These are the old friends whom you hardly ever see, and have limited contact with through occasional phone calls, rare visits, and connections through the Internet community. You can be thankful for the comfort of knowing they are always there. These are the old friendships that are so real and so strong that when you do have occasions to speak it's as if you've seen each other every day of your lives. These are the new friendships that are growing deeper and stronger each day.

Mentors. Express your gratitude for those people God has placed in your life to teach you, encourage you, and help you remember that it's not all about you.

Try it. Enjoy it.

"I thank my God every time I remember you."

Tom Norvell is the author of "A Norvell Note." He ministers at the Hermitage Church of Christ in Hermitage, Tennessee.

Website: A Norvell Note

Forgotten Anything?

ron@faithteam.org (Ron Rose) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Preparation

Perhaps the most challenging distinctive of Christianity is that our God wants us to love him. While world religions talk of studying about their gods, following teachings, keeping rules and living solemn, self-sacrificing lives, becoming more self-aware, our God asks for something more. He sent his son to show us how to love because that's what he wants. He wants us to love him, to love him with all our heart and mind and soul.

Love is longing for the presence of your loved one; you think about that person throughout the day. Much more than words, this relationship is a new way to live life. Jesus' disciples learned it through experience. Toward the end of his life, John could speak of nothing else, "... let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions" (1 John 3:18 NLT).

Love demands relationship. You can memorize stacks of facts and know a lot about someone, you could even develop a fairly accurate profile describing and explaining personality and predict future behavior, but not develop a relationship with that person. Making the choice to love someone forces you to see beyond your private world, beyond your words, beyond yourself altogether. Love feeds on shared history, affection, secrets, surprises, mysteries, generosity, and spontaneity. In a manner of speaking, you make history together.

Marcus Brecheen reminded the church Sunday, "It is an act of unfaithfulness, an act of rebellion, to forget what God has done ... to forget our history." Referring to Psalm 78, Marcus proclaimed the truth that our God, our passionate loving God, wants to be remembered.

Our shared history becomes part of heaven's highlight reel. It might have been awhile since you've sensed your presence on the highlight reel, but nothing marks a shelved relationship more than forgetting the memories. Share the stories; retelling your shared history honors him and makes him proud. And it keeps your focus on him, not on your fears or boot-straps. We are not designed for privacy; we are designed to be known, to be public. Our stories should be as public as God's story.

Don't forget. Loving God means we feel his presence, respond to his nudging, see him in others, hear him when he speaks, and tell of his mighty wonders when he is silent. All the while he never leaves us, he understands when we don't have the words to explain and listens when no one else will, and is constantly searching for ways to bring out the best in us.

He loves us. How do you know if you love him?

Inspiration

This song, from "Fiddler on the Roof," has a hidden message about loving in truth and action, with or without the words.

(Tevye, the patriarch of the Jewish family) Golde, I have decided to give Perchik permission to become engaged to our daughter Hodel.

(Golde, the patriarch's wife) What? He's poor! He has nothing, absolutely nothing!

(Tevye) He's a good man, Golde. I like him. And what's more important, Hodel likes him. Hodel loves him. So what can we do? It's a new world... A new world. Love! Golde, do you love me?

(Golde) Do I what?

(Tevye) Do you love me?

(Golde) Do I love you? With our daughters getting married and this trouble in the town, you're upset, you're worn out. Go inside. Go lie down! Maybe it's indigestion.

(Tevye) Golde, I'm asking you a question...do you love me?

(Golde) You're a fool.

(Tevye) I know ... But do you love me?

(Golde) Do I love you? For twenty-five years I've washed your clothes, cooked your meals, cleaned your house, given you children, milked the cow. After twenty-five years, why talk about love right now?

(Tevye) Golde, the first time I met you was on our wedding day. I was scared.

(Golde) I was shy.

(Tevye) I was nervous.

(Golde) So was I.

(Tevye) But my father and my mother said we'd learn to love each other. And now I'm asking, Golde, do you love me?

(Golde) I'm your wife.

(Tevye) I know ... But do you love me?

(Golde) Do I love him? For twenty-five years I've lived with him, fought him, starved with him. Twenty-five years my bed is his. If that's not love, what is?

(Tevye) Then you love me?

(Golde) I suppose I do.

(Tevye) And I suppose I love you too.

Motivation

So, God asks, do you love me? Yes, remember when we ...? Yes, we have shared history. Yes, I love you!

The task for the week is simple ... tell at least one story of God's invasion of your life. Tell about your love.

More will come ...

Ron Rose is a noted author and leader of Faith Team. His new email ministry, Faith Notes, provides practical resources for growing faith. Email Ron!

Website: Faith Team

Unrestrained Joy

tomnorvell@mac.com (Tom Norvell) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500

As a friend was passing through town we decided to meet in the airport for coffee and conversation. We were talking about the trip, future plans, and the journey through life, when behind us we heard two small children yelling at the top of their voices, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Naturally we turned to see that the "Daddy" they were thrilled to see was their solder father who was obviously returning from a tour in the desert.

They ran to him and literally jumped into his arms. They hugged him and kissed him. He hugged them and kissed them. They could not tell him everything they wanted to tell him quick enough. He kneeled down to their level and in between hugs and kisses the little girl and her younger brother took turns crawling on his back on his shoulders.

The soldier's young wife and mother of the two children stood by patiently allowing the children to enjoy this reunion with their daddy. When her turn came ... well, let me say, I felt like we were invading their privacy. They embraced and they kissed and they kissed and they embraced. At one point I thought about applauding as a way of thanking the family for their sacrifice and to celebrate his safe return, but it seemed out of place. This was a private moment shared by everyone in that part of the airport. We were all frozen in time and immersed in the joy of the moment. We simply allowed this soldier, his wife, and their two children the freedom to express their joy without restraint.

Oh, it should be noted that as mom and dad reconnected, the little boy was crawling up his dad's back and the little girl stood next to them jumping up and down in anticipation of her next moment with her dad.

After a few moments they walked on and we, along with all the other travelers, went back to our worlds leaving this traveler feeling blessed by the opportunity to see the unrestrained joy of a little boy, a little girl, a loving wife, and a travel weary soldier. Blessed, but also convicted by the absence of that kind of joy in my own life.

When was the last time I was so excited to see my "Daddy" that I could not contain myself? When was the last time I let it all out in joyful celebration as I came into His presence? When was the last time His Bride, the church, received the Groom with absolute devotion and love? When was the last time the world stopped to take notice of the people of God as we expressed our deepest feelings of love for our Father without concern for who might be watching, listening, or thinking we were going a bit overboard?

What keeps us from running to our Daddy yelling, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" What prevents us from letting it all out when we are gathered with our brothers and sisters and know we are in His presence? What stops us from jumping up and down with excitement over the next opportunity to talk to our Daddy?

When the children tried to come to Jesus the disciples stopped them, but Jesus stopped them and said, "Let the children come." He wanted to hear their stories. He wanted to see their smiles. He wanted to feel their arms around His neck. He wanted them to crawl all over Him. He wanted to show them how much He loved them. He still does.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14 NIV).

One day children were brought to Jesus in the hope that he would lay hands on them and pray over them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus intervened: "Let the children alone, don't prevent them from coming to me. God's kingdom is made up of people like these." After laying hands on them, he left (Matthew 19:13-15 MSG).

Let there be unrestrained joy!

Tom Norvell is the author of "A Norvell Note." He ministers at the Hermitage Church of Christ in Hermitage, Tennessee.

Website: A Norvell Note

Faces in the Crowd

p.d.odum@gmail.com (Patrick D. Odum) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

"You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'"

But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." (Mark 5:24-34)

I'd love to know more about this woman, wouldn't you -- this woman who was so desperate to be healthy that she was willing to defy social conventions and religious laws? For twelve years, she had lived with the bleeding. If it's the kind of bleeding it seems to be, then she had lived as well with the pronouncement of the Law that she was "unclean" (Leviticus 15:25-27). After so long, surely she had resigned herself to never being well, never joining in the joyful processions to the Temple for the festivals, never being a fully-participating part of the community. And, depending on how scrupulous her husband, family, and friends might have been, she might have resigned herself to missing much more than that. For at least some of the people around her, I imagine, any physical contact would have been out of the question.

So it's a true indicator of her desperation -- and I think of her alienation from people around her -- that she slips through the crowd to try and touch Jesus unnoticed. There's no raising of the voice from her, like the leper or the blind man who cried out to Jesus for healing. She doesn't even come and kneel respectfully, like the synagogue leader who got to Jesus just before she did. "If I can just touch his cloak, I'll be healed," she reasons.

She's quiet. Easy to overlook. She's OK with that, because that's just the way she wants it. If she can just "accidentally" brush against him in the crowd, then no one's the wiser. There will be no embarrassing confrontation, where she has to say publicly what's wrong with her and receive the censure and self-righteousness of her peers. If she can just brush against him in the press of the mob, she can go away well and no one will ever have to know why.

I wonder how many people in our world are like her. Sick, but quiet and overlooked. Unable to bear the cost of getting well, but unwilling to let anyone know. I wonder how many can relate to the words of Mark: "She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse." Seniors, who have to choose which prescriptions to refill, if any. Kids, whose parents can't get them treatment for common childhood ailments that most of us never have to think about. Parents and grandparents who won't see their kids or grandkids grow up because they can't be screened for colon cancer or heart disease or high blood pressure. Young adults whose life span is shortened because they can't afford treatment for health problems that will only worsen over time.

Health care, of course, is the political issue of the moment, and however you paint it, it comes down to this one issue: What does a society that thinks of itself as moral and ethical do with people like that woman in that crowd? What do we do when there are people among us who are sick, but quiet and overlooked? Whatever we think of the President's plan, whatever we might think about the government's role in health care, we can't lose sight of the real issue. It's not about which political party looks better. It's not about our personal opinion of our President. It's about what we do as a people with folks who are lost in the crowd and left without access to the kind of care many of us take for granted.

Whatever our opinions and positions in the current health care debate, there's one opinion, one position, that is untenable for people who claim to follow Jesus. It's never correct for the church to say, implicitly or explicitly, "I've got mine -- let them figure out a way to get theirs." As a Christian, if we don't want the government involved in health care, then our next statement has to be, "What can I do, what can the church do, for people who are lost in the crowd, unable to care for themselves and unable to make their voices heard?"

I'm so certain about that -- and I believe you are, too -- because we know what happened when that poor, sick, desperate woman reached out a hand in that crowd and touched Jesus. She found healing. And Jesus, not willing to let her remain anonymous, commended her faith and sent her away in peace. It seems like those closest to him never noticed her. Jesus could have ignored her, too. He could have suggested that she needed to work harder so that she could afford better health care. He could have questioned whether she even belonged in the country. But he healed her. He commended her faith. And he sent her away in peace.

And so I believe that Jesus' church should be the champions of those, like that woman, who reach out their hands in desperation and hope and faith, believing that God will take notice and heal them and their families. If not through supporting legislative reform of the existing system, then through individual efforts to facilitate access to existing resources. Only Jesus heals. But, the Lord's people can help to make sure that reaching hands can come in contact with the hem of his garment.

I know -- that doesn't seem like the church's work. But it is. It was for sure Jesus' work (Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35). Jesus didn't require that woman to be baptized first. He didn't make her listen to a sermon or volunteer in his ministry or straighten out her life. He didn't have to. When she reached out her hand in faith and found healing, oh my, she would have followed him anywhere.

People still will, when they reach out and find Jesus' people there to help. They'll follow him anywhere.

Whatever you think about the health care debate, don't ignore those reaching hands.

Patrick Odum lives in Chicago, Illinois, with his wife, Laura and son, Joshua. He is one of the ministers at Northwest Church of Christ, and an avid Heartlight fan. He enjoys writing and maintains a website of his work called Faith Web where you can find all of his articles. Email Patrick

Website: Faith Web

Family Unique: Stops along the Way

rabrown0@gmail.com (Rick Brown) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500

From toddlers to teens to travel-weary parents, the question is inevitable. "When are we going to stop?" Depending on the driver the answer differs dramatically.

Some commandeer the driver's seat like a general taking his troops to their target. There is only one objective and that is "to get there." Nothing will stop them. Woe be to the small child with an equally small bladder who asks the question.

Other drivers are more gracious. They know the destination to be reached lies ahead on the horizon. But they also appreciate the need for pit stops along the way. Blessed is the child whose parent has adopted this mode of journeying. She asks the question with utmost confidence.

Jesus was more like the gracious driver. He knew the value of stopping, of pulling aside for some moments of rest, reflection and renewal. It was a value instilled in his life from his ancestors.

In the Old Testament we find a variety of times the Israelites would stop. Much like historical markers are placed along our roads, stones were erected as monuments to their faith journey and placed at the point significant experiences occurred. In other instances festivals were used to pause and celebrate and remember important events in their history.

But perhaps the most important "stop" Jesus adopted was Sabbath: A weekly rest from work and worries. The Hebrew word for "Sabbath" means "stop." Were there road signs in the Israel of Jesus' day, the word "Sabbath" would be placed on a red one telling travelers to not move any further. It would mean to look around and observe where they were and when it was safe to travel on.

Sabbath was intended for something similar. It is a weekly "pit stop" along life's journey to reflect on where you are in view of where you are going.

Might you and your family use a pit stop right now? Like the "got to get there at all costs" driver, we move along from one point to the next without stopping and stretching or just taking a break. That kind of traveling takes its toll on all passengers.

That kind of life takes its toll on a family. Wise are the parents who plot their family's journey with vision, values, and a strategy that includes stops along the way. Stops to measure how they are doing and what mid-course corrections might be needed from time to time.

Who knows? You may be the one ready to ask the question: "When are we going to stop?"

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest" (Mark 6:31 TNIV).

Rick Brown is the preaching minister for ChristBridge Fellowship in Tomball, Texas. He loves his wife Karen and two sons Kris and Taylor, but most of all he loves God. Read more at onelife2love.wordpress.com

Family Unique: GPS

rabrown0@gmail.com (Rick Brown) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Until John Harrison came along, navigation of ships was a guesstimate at best. Egyptian sailors never ventured far from the land. Geographic landmarks guided them. Phoenician sailors shifted their eyes from the land to the skies and plotted their course by the North Star. In 1100 CE the Chinese created the first magnetized needle compass.

However, John Harrison solved one of the biggest maritime problems in history. In 1714 the British government established the Board of Longitude and offered a reward of 20,000 pounds -- about $6 million today -- to anyone who could create a device that would provide longitude within a half-degree, or two minutes of time.

Some of the greatest minds in Europe accepted the challenge, but it took Harrison, a self-educated clockmaker, to create the marine chronometer. The marine chronometer became a standard "stowaway" on ships, enabling men on the Seven Seas to find their way home without having to stop and ask for directions.

Today, the marine chronometer is seldom used, althought it is required on most vessels. What bumped it? The GPS -- The Global Positioning System, something more and more of us in routinely in our own personal travels.

If only a modern day John Harrison would invent a GPS for the family -- a Genealogical Planning Strategy. Something that would give families a strategy for packing up their values and taking them with them from one location to another and passing those values on to coming generations. This would be something that could impact the coming generations for years to come.

Jesus had a GPS. Yes, the Lord had a strategy for instilling various values in his disciples. For example:

Multiplication:
Jesus chose and trained twelve and commissioned them to repeat the process.

Dealing with Conflict:
The Lord led them straight into conflict and taught them how to handle it.

Faith over Sight:
Jesus put the disciples in a boat, in the middle of a storm, so they would turn to Him.

Simplicity:
The Lord sent them out with nothing for their mission. And they not only survived, they changed the world!

Do you value family time and passing on your spiritiaul heritage? Then plan it into your schedule.

Do you want your children and their children to handle conflict well? Then model and demand honesty, loving confrontation, and forgiveness.

Do you value faith? Then plan a mission experience where your family is outside its comfort zone helping others and sharing the Lord.

Do you valued generosity? Then give away presents at Christmas. (This will go well until one of your kids says, "What are you going to give away?" And he's looking straight at your Nike Sasquatch Sumo 5000 Driver.)

We have to use our spiritaul GPS for it to be valuable to us and our families.

Jesus created His GPS long before Harrison created his marine chronometer. The marine chronometer is seldom used today. In fact, Harrison's original is in a museum, tucked away where you can look at it, but it is not functional. Nearly 2000 years later, Jesus' GPS is still ticking.

For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just ... (Genesis 18:19 TNIV).