An Eternal Decision

My husband and I like crime shows --maybe a bit too much. We like to hear people's stories, see the bad guys get what they deserve, and celebrate when families are able to take the first steps toward healing. Sadly, some of those "bad guys" are barely more than children; they are seventeen, eighteen, in their early twenties. They are sentenced to twenty-five years --a sentence longer than they have been alive; some are sentenced to life. Young adulthood will be lived as time in the yard or working the prison's laundry. Years when thirty-somethings are typically raising families, saving for their first home, or griping about coworkers, these prisoners will lie on cots dreaming of campfire smells or the sound of waves crashing on the shore. It's agonizing to witness a decision made in haste now being served for life.

A similar event took place about two thousand years ago. A man to whom we usually refer as The Thief on the Cross --even Scripture gives him no other name but "criminal." Actually, we are told there were two thieves on crosses that day. Both sentenced to death. Both mocked Jesus. But only one remained The Thief on the Cross. He is the one who did not stop long enough to seek forgiveness. The other is now a brother, a man of wisdom and action. Action?! you say. He was hanging on a cross! How was he a man of action? Because even in his condemned state, even as time ticked away and his body failed, even as the very moment of his death came more clearly into view --perhaps because all of these are true --he chose to seek reconciliation.

It might be more comfortable to assume he'd stolen out of necessity. Perhaps he'd been framed or been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Better to think some deep-seated tenderness of heart caused him to respond to the punishment he was receiving and the injustice Jesus received. We may not like to think that, when we get to heaven, the man we will embrace --not as The Thief on the Cross, but as a brother --that man was rotten to the core. This one who spoke his petition to the King he cursed a short time before, this one may have knocked down an old man, stolen his money clip and beaten his stooped little wife with her cane to keep her from crying out. Maybe he left a young mother for dead as he stripped her of her jewelry and set her house ablaze. His own words betray him:

Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.
Luke 23:40, 41

The due reward. Death. This thief was indeed a man of action --those heinous and holy, at least on this blessed day. Though fixed to a cross, destined to remain there until he breathed his last, he had value, he knew wisdom, and he took action. A decision made in wisdom is now immortalized for life to the glory of God! 

He saw the time winding down. He saw what was happening. By God's grace, He saw Jesus for who He is. Wisdom. And he took action! He took seriously what the Holy Spirit was saying to him. For what was maybe the first time in his life, he saw reality: he was a sinner, deserving of all he was receiving (and more); the only One who could show him any real sort of mercy was hanging on a cross beside him. The Thief on the Cross mocked, What can He possibly do for you? Don't you see He is in worse shape than you are? But this brother chose to act on what he saw with spiritual eyes. Truth. And he would not allow the thief to take it from him.

We too have our sins. We gossip. We condemn. We hold grudges. Maybe we too, steal. The Holy Spirit is not not speaking; perhaps we're just not taking it seriously. While hours before, Jesus' own disciples had felt the weight of heavy eyelids made from full bellies, sleeping when they should have been praying, the two men on crosses flanking the Savior of the world felt the weight of fear and death. One chose to mock that weight, to power through it in his own strength --The Thief --a sentence served for life. The other chose to conquer that weight through the power of Jesus Christ --our brother, a man of wisdom and action.

When we feel the weight, may we consider carefully our decision and choose with eternity in mind.

Midweek: Connecting the Dots

It's been a good while since I've introduced a person or a project to the blog, but today I'd like to give a big shout out to Twyla Simpkins and all her fabulous volunteers. Twyla (Ms. T, as she is affectionately known) is a teacher. She says she's a retired teacher, but I can't say I believe that for a minute. Number one, good teachers never retire. They can't: it's in their DNA. Number two, in the fifteen minutes I spent with Ms. T and her sister, Maxine, I got quite an education. That's how I know she is a good teacher. She says it began years ago when she was trying to reach her students. She realized that memorizing names and dates wasn't cutting it: she needed to connect some dots. She believed her students would learn and would desire to learn if they became invested --in their education, in their history, in their future, in their community. Ms. T, already a curator of information combined with that her talents as a curator of items to bring history to life for her students. From that was born the Proof of Truth Museum and other projects designed to champion the achievements of the African American people of Chester, Pennsylvania.

As I visited the museum, currently located on the second floor of the CAAT Center (2300 W. 4th St., Chester), I was more than impressed by the number of items Ms. Simpkins has collected and her attention to detail. She has taken what some might call mere memorabilia and transformed it into history, the story of people and their city. Each display is artfully crafted, recounting the deeds of Ruth L. Bennett or Clipper Pride or authors who called Chester "home." Together they tell the proud black history of the oldest city in Pennsylvania's history.

And that's how this devoted teacher is connecting the dots. Not merely from one display to the next or from the actors of the past to the students of today, but she is connecting us all to the future. Without an appreciation for the blood, sweat, and tears of its past champions, the people taking part in Chester's future will always lack a point of reference. Ms. T and her folks are the link between past and future, telling the old stories and encouraging others as they create new ones. She is one of many visionaries in this life who work passionately and tirelessly but often unnoticed; those who believe change is possible when ideas are given the space to bloom. And while she has temporarily filled this space with history, she is all about creating spaces for others. She has produced several documentaries to inform and inspire, is CEOO of the Yes We Can Achievement and Cultural Arts center, is involved with cemetery research, and has even offered a summer camp program to develop young curators. 

I encourage you, if you are in the Chester, PA, area to stop in this week. This portion of her collections and her wealth of information will be present at the CAAT Center (2300 W. 4th St.) through Saturday, February 21st from 11AM to 6PM, everyday but Thursday. If you are unable to attend, I would recommend looking up her work at Twyla Simpkins - Documentaries, Chester Made Archaeology & Identity: Connecting People and Things, and www.yescenterchester.org. Chester has a bright future; it is tied to its rich past and those who share it with others!

 

                                       

       

You Might Be Surprised

My husband and I keep a running list of movies we'd like to watch. If someone were to take a look at said list, they'd probably have little difficulty picking the movies he suggested versus the movies I contributed. Scott likes the action, the intrigue of unraveling a good mystery. For me, it's all about the story. Jason Bourne can leap from every building in Europe, but if there isn't a good backstory, I'm happy to work on my crossword. So, somewhere along the line, we established this ritual: he says, "What aren't we watching" when it's my turn to pick, I hold my ground, and he enjoys the film. Surprise! Sometimes the things we expect to be unpleasant are surprisingly enjoyable --even beneficial. As time has passed, though he refuses to relinquish the ritual, he's learned his wife knows a thing or two about good stories, and he doesn't hate handing over the reins quite so much 😉

In Acts 19:18-20, we find Paul in Ephesus. Some of those present, Jews and Greeks, had made earlier confessions of faith but had fallen away. In response to the extraordinary miracles performed through Paul by God, they were convicted of their lapse. They admitted publicly their sins, the evil things they'd done after their initial repentance, then they turned over the tools of their trade --magic books. Occultism was popular in Ephesus. Now, whether these folks had from their conversion determined to minister to these occultists and found themselves woefully unequipped, whether they lapsed back into old behaviors for lack of discipleship, or whether their belief in the power of God to heal and perform miracles morphed into some form of syncretism, I can't say, but here they were, publicly confessing and burning books full of incantations and demonic rituals. According to Testament Press's website, the value of these materials --50,000 drachmas --would have been the equivalent of 2.1 million USD today. They were willing to take a loss in the things of this world to gain the Kingdom of God.

And we're not talking about dollars and cents exclusively. Imagine the mother who'd been secretly engaging in these practices, searching for a miracle for her sick little boy. She'd give up her rituals, she'd relinquish her hope in them, she'd publicly confess her sin and reveal to her husband and family her backsliding ways. Or the mason. Maybe he'd lose customers, those who thought Christ was foolishness; maybe they'd think him the biggest fool and fraud ever. This was costly. Reputation. Favor. Friends. Material goods. 

But what was the result? Verse 20:

So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

The worst thing ever, right? Not at all! Whatever humiliation, whatever monetary loss, whatever broken relationships, whatever descent into anonymity --every last bit of it was worth it. The good news of Jesus Christ, the Gospel, grew mightily and prevailed. Read God's word through John in Revelation 2:1-6:

To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,

‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 

Did they have it all right? No, but they had persevered, they upheld truth and were intolerant of those who did evil. They had issues they needed to address: their passion for Christ had cooled. But they had been steadfast in other things and, as such, could be equally as steadfast in this. The "worst" they'd endured in the past had proven to grow the Kingdom; they had only to hold fast to that once again.

Is God calling you to do the unthinkable? the unpleasant? the seemingly impossible? Is He calling you to repair that relationship or publicly repent of your sin? Is He calling you to put your business on the line, your years-long friendship, your reputation, and take a stand for what is godly? Surprise! It just might be the best thing you could do. Are you willing to take a loss in the things of this world to gain the Kingdom of God? For the glory of God, you might be surprised at what He will do. 

A Family Resemblance

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

~ Matthew 5:44, 45

Paul and Silas were in prison. Now, prison back in the day was nothing like prison present. Food, clothing, and anything else you might need were provided by those who came to visit you --if anyone was able to visit you. Conditions were harsh and unsanitary. Rodents ran through cells and gnawed on whatever remained still long enough. Some prisoners were forced to stand for hours or sit, unmoving, for hours. Wounds went untreated. Light and fresh air were luxuries. But! Paul and Silas were praising God. That's when the earth shook, doors flew open, and chains fell broken to the ground. No one moved. That's right! No one tried to leave. The jailer called for a light and dropped to the floor before Paul and Silas. Interesting that through their songs, he knew immediately it was their God who had done this thing. Interesting too, his next question to those standing dirty and beaten before him, those who had not fled despite open doors and broken fetters, was, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? These men, once bound and in darkness, were face-to-face with salvation, deliverance, freedom, and yet, they remained. What could they know about being saved? Their songs, their praises to a God who appeared to be so far off, so far removed from their circumstances --their songs proclaimed to this jailer and all who were present (Remember, no one left) that salvation was so much greater than circumstances.

And what was the answer that came to the jailer's ear? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. Believe on Jesus. Of course, this is the best message we can share with anyone, but I bring your attention to it today because the message, the way to salvation is not love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Jesus' words in His Sermon on the Mount were not the way to salvation, but the way of salvation. When Jesus told those people on the hillside (and us by the blessing of Scripture) to love, bless, do good, and pray, He wasn't telling them how to behave that you may be sons of your Father God in heaven. He wasn't assuring anyone this was how to be saved. What He was talking about was family resemblance. 

When folks used to see my mother and I together, they would smile and comment on the resemblance. Often times I'd reply with, "You should see my dad." I am, if it's possible, a perfect 50-50 blend of both of my parents. Next to my mother, I was her twin. Next to my father, his female doppelganger. No one would say I didn't belong to either of them. Why? Because I looked so much like them! That's the bedrock of Jesus' words; being exceptional people, people that can love beyond anything human, because we are children of the Father! There is an undeniable family resemblance! 

When the question is posed, "What must I do to be saved?" the answer is to believe on Jesus Christ; not do good deeds, feed the hungry, endure persecution or insults. It's believe! On Jesus alone! In so doing, in joining our lives with His, in imitating Him because of our devotion to Him, in obeying Him --that's how we can love our enemies, how we can bless those who wish evil on us, how we can do good to those who hate us, how we can pray for those who use us and wish to abuse us. That's the way of the Kingdom, God's Kingdom, not the way to the Kingdom. That's the family resemblance!

Midweek: NKJV/NET Parallel New Testament

Thomas Nelson has given me the opportunity to review another one of their tremendous selection of Bibles for free! This time, I chose the NKJV/NET Parallel New Testament. I'm pretty excited because, frankly, I know nothing about the NET (the New English Translation): this is a great way for me to not only pass along a Bible to someone but do a little research and comparison on this more modern (late1990s) version. The fact this is a parallel New Testament is something with which many readers may not be familiar; hopefully this will expand your horizons as well. So, here goes.

This edition is as thick as the personal Bible I carry to church every week and, as I mentioned, it is only the New Testament. Obviously, it is two versions of the same testament, but the NET is loaded with notes. Thomas Nelson's website says it has over 17,000! These are largely footnotes explaining the translators' decisions with regard to interpretation and presenting other variations of translation. The collaborators of the NET were well-known experts in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, pastors and academics; one contributor, Dr. Daniel B. Wallace has done extensive work cataloging and studying ancient New Testament manuscripts. If I could use one word to describe the NET, it would be transparent. The team of translators demonstrates a passion for language and context, literacy and readability, and to that end they copious explain all of it. That being said, I, personally, do not have a use for such an edition on the regular. Would I consult it from time to time? Online, as I'm doing research? Absolutely. Would I ensure I had a copy in my library? No. Every translation has its nuances, and the NET is no exception, but I'd never get through my daily devotions or even complete one article if I spent time musing over each one. Suffice to say, this might be a good translation for you if you're looking to simply read or to dig deeply into the languages of the day, but for those who are mid-spectrum, seeking to learn without attempting Greek studies, this might be a bit of a distraction.

The parallel aspect of this book, the NKJV side-by-side with the NET, could be very helpful for those who attend a church or group that uses the NKJV (as many with which I am familiar do), but require the more succinct nature of the NET or enjoy its familiar language when doing their personal reading. As you'll notice in the below photo, the text (Acts 20:7-20:29) is presented in two columns, in both versions on the lefthand page.

Notes from the NET begin in the lower half of the page and continue in two columns on the righthand page. Loaded with notes, as I said. Comparing one translation with another can add depth to study and, let's face it, the way information is disseminated --well, sometimes, it just hits differently. A parallel Bible is helpful in that way. 

As for additional amenities, some pages naturally have wider margins, beneficial for note-taking. The NKJV text has the words of Christ in red. Both texts are printed in 9-point Comfort Print® typeface. The usual finishing touches are present, a presentation page and a satin ribbon marker. The copy I received is a brand-new release, bound in black Leathersoft™ with red stitching and silver gild edges; the spine is stamped in silver, as well, making this a beautiful color combination. Its Smyth-sewn binding allows the book to lie flat for easy study. It, of course, comes with Thomas Nelson's quality lifetime guarantee. 

So, while it may have more than what I'm looking for in a Bible, it is a unique and finely executed addition to Thomas Nelson's product line. It is currently available on Amazon for $50.08, and at christianbook.com for $44.09. 

Do You Smell That?

The smell was repugnant. The flies pestilential. Suggestions were made. Investigations were conducted. Traps were implemented. The source remained an enigma, and nothing would quell the plague subjugating our church kitchen in the Summer of 2025.

Sounds like the beginnings of a great novel, doesn't it? Okay, maybe not so great; but definitely based on fact. And the story ends with a tray of meat found putrefying (and being ingested by some very grateful grub-sized maggots) in one of the ovens weeks after a potluck.

God, through Paul's writing to the Corinthians, says:

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

Thanks be to God. It's a glorious thing to be a diffuser of the fragrance of the knowledge of God! We emanate His light wherever we go. We broadcast His goodness and His passion through our love for one another. We carry with us in our character His very image. We cannot hide the fact we know Him! At least, that should be our testimony.

But, we are cautioned, not everyone is as exuberant:

For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life... (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

Fragrance. The candle burning in my office as I write. The flowers given to me by our neighbors. Pleasant and welcome. But the aroma of death? To those who reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to those who choose death over life, the words of Christ through us and His character on display through His people herald their death. Who would make such a choice? The proud who do not submit to a humble and almighty King. The "intelligent" to whom the account of a risen Savior makes no sense. The self-seeking who refuse to cede their pursuit for the pursuit of Christ. The legalists who believe it is possible to save themselves without the extravagant grace of God and mercy for others. The choice to adopt a lie as the groundwork for their life --in spite of the fragrance of Truth --is the way of death. And it smells. BAD!

I know what it means to double-down on my choices, to become angry and offended by those who bring conviction to my front door. I've been that person. And for that person, the fragrance of Christ is an offense, a stumbling block. But all the offense in the world doesn't remove eternal consequences. All the rebellion and rage, pride and pedantry doesn't save anyone from the stench and hatching flies. And it's vital everyone hears that message --whether they love us for it or not. Romans 10:15 tells us the feet who bring the good news of the gospel of peace are beautiful! That's what God says. There will be those who choose death over life, decomp over beauty; but let us boldly go forth, in triumph in Christ and diffuse the fragrance of the knowledge of Him wherever we go. 

(And double-check our ovens.) 

     

Where Did That Come From?!

A couple weeks ago, as I prepared to hunker down with my boys, awaiting the "Big Snow," I stopped at a local ice cream parlor to grab a couple pints for the milkshake making that would surely be a part of our snow days. The weather had been a bit wonky. Just the previous day, it had been 50°, and here we were, awaiting several inches of snow and a deep, deep freeze. As I parked a good distance away (Gotta get those steps in for the old ticker!) and headed into the store, the air was chilly but still. Less than fifteen minutes later, I stepped out of the store and into a wind tunnel. And it felt as though the temps had dropped by twenty degrees! Where did this come from?! That only goes to show how stunned I was: I ended my question with a preposition AND, I believe, I exclaimed it aloud! (I'm not an "aloud" exclaimer, nor would I be caught dead ending anything with a preposition. But I digress.)

This morning, as I read John 3:1-21, Jesus' teaching to Nicodemus, verse 8 reminded me of that abrupt change in the air that evening:

The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.

To us, a world of simple observers, the wind appears to come and go as it pleases. We feel it on our skin. We hear its roar and whistle. We see its effect on trees and trashcans. We have even found ways to "harness" it for our own purposes. But when it stops or when it starts, where it goes or at what rate of speed is ultimately beyond our control. And it can take us by complete surprise one way or the other.

Jesus tells Nicodemus, and by extension, all who would hear, the Holy Spirit's work is like the wind. To us, a world of simple observers, His work may seem wild and unpredictable. We feel His regeneration in our hearts. We hear His voice speaking through the Scriptures. We call on Him to accomplish those things we are unable to accomplish. We even witness His transformation in the lives of others. But how He works, when He works, if He will work in the way we anticipate, the speed at which we will see the results of His work --all these things are beyond our control. The work of the Holy Spirit takes us by surprise one way or the other. Direction, intention, method, and mystery.

The wind obeys its Master, the Master Creator who holds all things together as He wills. The Holy Spirit is that Master! He is not wild and unpredictable --not in the way the wind can rip through a town cherry-picking home after home and leaving lawn furniture untouched and in place. He is not reckless or chaotic --not in the tohu wa-bohu way of Genesis 1:1, 2; chaos and nothingness. It was the Holy Spirit Himself who hovered over that emptiness. The King James Version of the Bible says, The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. There was movement, like a flutter; a hummingbird, its wings beating furiously as it hovers above a flower, drawing of its nectar; a helicopter whirring over a vast sea, as it pulls survivors from the wreckage of a storm-slain ship. And from that flutter, from that whirring, from the rushing wind of Holy Spirit activity comes order and life (Acts 2:1-4).

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Life! for all who would hear the Word of the Lord and believe! Is that you? Or is that someone for whom you have been praying? I urge you not to lose hope. The Holy Spirit is at work. When or how, from where His mighty (or gentle) wind will blow, we cannot control. Like stepping out of an ice cream parlor and being met with a "rogue" wind, like the soft but feverish flutter of a hummingbird wind, like the daring rescue of desperate men, like the mystery of void and chaos taking form. The Holy Spirit is at work in the Kingdom of God, and as such, we as God's citizens, can find great comfort and strength to continue our petitions.

Midweek: Turning Over Tables

Whenever I read about "violent protests sweeping the city" and people "turning over tables," I wonder if what people are saying Jesus would have done is really what Jesus would have done.

In John 2:13-25, God, through its writer gives us the account of Jesus clearing the Temple during Passover. I think you all know the specifics: a city crowded with devotees coming to present their sacrifices, a Temple crowded with merchants looking to take advantage of the influx of consumers, and onto the scene arrives Jesus. Verses 15 and 16: 

When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”

What's interesting here is that no one, apparently, questions the manner or necessity of Jesus' doing so. What they question (v. 18) is His authority to drive these people back to the streets. The Complete Jewish Bible renders their question in this way:

What miraculous sign can you show us to prove you have the right to do all this?

They wanted proof --tangible, over-the-top, immediate proof --that He was authorized to demand the House of God be respected and kept pure. Imagine that! People who were chosen by God, who had come to --allegedly --honor Him with their Passover sacrifices and feasts, wanted to know what right this man had to cleanse the place where God's presence dwelt of the familiarity and opportunistic exchange that had overrun its holy spaces. Surely, these worshippers should have joined Him in this restoration. At the least, shouldn't they have cheered His actions? What had they been doing when the first tables were put in place? Jesus' disciples, in looking back to these events recalled the psalmist's words in Psalm 69:9, Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up. As Jewish observers, where was their zeal? Weren't they all madly in love with the God who had chosen them and brought them out of Egypt? Isn't that the very thing they had come to celebrate --God's deliverance and mercy toward His people?

Their question proves just how they'd become people of hierarchy, laws, and manmade structures. Without a title or the sanction of religious leaders, they questioned anyone's authority to stand up for God's honor. They demanded Jesus do some sort of sign that He was entitled to respond to what they never should have allowed in the first place. (More on that sign another day.) They stood back and challenged Him because they didn't even understand what zeal for God's house should mean; the zeal that should have consumed every person present! They were, instead, methodical and cold. Their methodology did not stoke their fire but extinguished it.

We have, in this country, many Christians who demonstrate their love for fellow human beings, performing daily on a worldwide stage. But is this God's love? At times, God's love can seem harsh, disciplinarian, even unfair. But those are human terms formed as we see things from a finite and fallen perspective. Even we, however, can see that love sometimes requires inconvenient and unwanted boundaries, stern words or painful lessons. There are laws in this country which some may believe with all their hearts are unjust and harmful. There are events occurring which they may believe are despicable and discriminatory. But these laws, civic laws are designed to keep people of many different backgrounds, beliefs, and communities safe and in order. The zeal with which protests occur and opinions are exchanged is a wonderful thing to contemplate if that zeal is for the Lord above all. Jesus' turning over tables, Jesus' fury was for His Father and His Father's house which men had defiled. He pointed His attention toward God and God's holiness, not toward the deception of the moneychangers, the merchants selling inferior sacrifices, or even the unsuspecting victims of their corruption. There were civil courts to deal with all of those things. Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, Jesus said; but render unto God that which is God's. 

God tells us that as Christians, as individuals chosen by Him, we are to welcome the stranger, love him as we love ourselves. He tells us to visit the prisons. First of all, these are commands for God's people. IF we were doing the job we are supposed to be doing within the confines of law established by the government of the land in which we live (for we are told also, to obey the authorities God has allowed to be put in place), IF we were using the voting power, the freedom to proclaim Jesus, and the God-given health and wealth to do as we have been commanded, we might see a different America. But the fiery protests and dangerous acts we see occurring today are attempts to close the gate after the horse has left the barn. And they are in direct disobedience to what God orders in Scripture. Which brings me to a second point.

Revolt against government is revolt against God. Who would throw stones at an undertaker because their child has died? Who would jump on a moving vehicle because the brakes on their own car failed? The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21)! In everything give thanks (1 Thes. 5:18) This is the nature of life on this orb. Sometimes we find ourselves in unwelcome situations and unfavorable places. That is not to say we don't work to change them, but we do it within the parameters of the law, obedient to God's Word and grateful for the opportunity He has given.

Lastly, to clothe the naked, to anoint the sick, to feed the hungry, and visit the imprisoned --these are Christlike habits formed within the confines of a heart turned toward Christ. They were never meant to legislated by the social justice police or the government. When was the last time you saw a protest demanding laws which compel every retiree to visit a prisoner at least once a month, or every childless couple to adopt at least two children? We vehemently reject the notion of a "God-fearing, Christian" country, a country where babies are not murdered in the womb and self-indulgence and debauchery are not celebrated in every aspect of culture; but then we call on our government, the leaders of this nation to force the rich to give to the poor and allow the stranger to reside among us unvetted and unaccountable. Kindness in its most authentic form, love as God loves cannot be legislated --least of all by a nation that rejects Him! True goodness and mercy can only be the evidence of a heart transformed by God's Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22, 23). 

These unchecked, unpeaceful protests are not what Jesus would have done. His Word bears that out. Our goal is not radicalism, the turning over of tables or the fashioning of whips; it wasn't Jesus' either. As believers we are subject to the authority of our Redeemer and King, Jesus Christ; we act in obedience to Him and for the glory of our Father, going to all the world and making disciples (Mt. 28:19), consumed by zeal for our Lord and His name. 

Life Together

I came home to my husband, sitting silently at the kitchen table, his head bowed. Believing him to be in prayer, I silently began stowing away groceries. A minute later, he spoke.

I think I had another heart attack.

He described to me his symptoms, and we were on our way to the hospital. 

Hospital closures in our area have caused ridiculous wait times in the closest facility available, and while I certainly wanted my husband to receive good care, I was annoyed with the conditions. I was annoyed that this was going to be "today." I was fearful this could be the start of many "todays" like it. It was hours later when I returned home with our youngest. My husband had been kept for observation, and we had routine minus one to rejoin. As I moved about, I was reminded how interrupted the day had become. The laundry I was planning to fold still peeked at me from the dryer window. The ingredients for what was supposed to be dinner greeted me when I opened the refrigerator. The bills I hadn't gotten a chance to pay remained piled on my desk. Books I was preparing to ship out were stacked on a corner of my desk, the box empty on the office floor. I'd had big plans for the day, and yet, life had somehow interrupted my living. Knowing how tedious the discharge process could be, I knew the following day didn't hold much more promise. I could feel the stress and anger rising. When is all of this supposed to get done? Why does our life seem to be one step forward and two steps back? What is the meaning behind all of this? The questions, the mania, the fears --all things that will derail us when problems arise.

The following morning, as I awaited my husband's Good-to-Go, all of my earlier disappointments (?) annoyances (?) interruptions (?) came to mind. I mean, laundry, meal prep, paying bills, standing in that line at the post office. Is that really living? I guess it could be. Liturgy of the Ordinary. And Every Moment Holy. Right? Any other day, I might be griping about all of the mundane tasks that plague my calendar. What had I gotten to do the previous day? I got to sit in a hospital waiting room and pray. For my husband. For the woman who was threatening to leave if she wasn't treated immediately (She was still there when we left for the day). For the man who was unconvinced he should be sent home. For the person with dizzy spells and the child bitten by a dog and the man who couldn't see. Prayers that would have never made it past my lips had I been matching socks or chopping carrots. I got to read a great book; not in the normal way --read a page, let the dog out, start the next page, let the dog in, notice the time, rush through the second page, forget who Turner is, go back to the first page... I got to sit and read! Absorb it, enjoy it! I got to have dinner with two of our children; I got to spend the following morning with our son. Not atypical things, but there was a sense at that table and in starting our day, that we somehow needed the company of one another more than usual. I got to smile at someone on the elevator and have a friendly chat with someone at the registration desk. I got to taste the hospital cafeteria's Tikka Masala (which proved to be pretty good). I got to enjoy the sunshine as I walked to and from the car. I got to do a lot of things that I had not scheduled but were instead given me by the Heavenly Father who works all things together for my good.

My husband is well, praise God. He is definitely going to live. And, it appears, we'll live together!   

Clearing the Way

Sometimes I have trouble seeing the forest for the trees. Especially when it comes to "Bible stories" I've heard since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. Especially when it comes to stories about things like wine and wedding banquets --not exactly part of my daily train of thought. So, I often pray for the Holy Spirit to show me what He wants me to notice in a passage, and to remove my know-it-all-ism (which is really that rebellious, self-indulgent idea I've read this stuff a thousand times and there couldn't possibly be anything new for me to glean). He mercifully --instead of zapping me into oblivion, which is closer to what I deserve --moves all those familiar facts to the side and grants me the privilege of the Word of Life, the truth that will free me in spite of myself. This morning, it was a glimpse into the significance of the wedding at Cana.

In John 2:1-12, God, through the Apostle John, tells us of Jesus' "first miracle" as He was beginning His public ministry. You may know the events in detail. Jesus attends a wedding with His mother and disciples. The banquet runs out of wine. Jesus' mother comes to Him and urges Him to do something. Jesus calls for water pots to be filled and transforms the water into wine of greater quality than what was previously served.

Here's where the trees parted for me this morning --verse 6 (Complete Jewish Bible):

Now six stone water-jars were standing there for the Jewish ceremonial washings,

These pots were used for ritual cleansing water, the water of cleansing under the Law, a temporary means of atonement; a means that, quite frankly, the religious teachers had adopted as being the end-all-to beat-all rather than a foreshadowing of what God would do. They had burdened the people with additional shoulds, and excluded people who, through no fault of their own were unclean and in need of compassion. They upheld the letter of God's Torah and despised the spirit of it. Jesus' first miracle, the beginning of His ministry checks that attitude: He takes the water of ceremony, a foreshadow, and transforms it into what would be --what is to us at our Communion tables today --a representation of the purification to come at the cross through His blood! Many Jews had put their faith in ablution as a means of acceptance, rather than faith in the work of God through the means given them. At a wedding on a Tuesday in Cana, Jesus shows them there is a better way; faith in Him and His future work at the cross, the remission of sin through His blood. Pots once standing prepared for cleansing in accordance with Torah now stood full of wine, representative of the blood that cleanses once for all!

And look at the words of the banquet master when he has tasted the wine; he seeks out the bridegroom and exclaims:

Everyone else serves the good wine first and the poorer wine after people have drunk freely. But you have kept the good wine until now!

The good wine! The Greek word translated good can mean "genuine, precious, approved." Not simply delicious, but of superior purity and quality. It had been kept back (or so he thought), through all the bottles of good but hardly the best wine, until the time the bridegroom had given the signal, until this moment.

The water always pointed to the blood. Through all the shadows, through all the symbols, until such a time as was appointed, the water served. But now, we place our faith in the genuine, the precious, the approved One who shed His blood for us, whose sacrifice we commemorate with the wine each time we celebrate the Lord's Supper; our thoughts and hearts turned toward the blood. The wedding at Cana, pointing forward, Law to grace; the Communion table pointing back, grace to faith. But lest we fall into the same trap as the teachers of Jesus' day, let us hold fast to the assurance the Communion table points forward as well, to another wedding, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, which all the members of the Body will attend; the Bride of Christ. We will partake in our Bridegroom fully, and shadows will be no more. We shall know as we are known, the superficial and semantic pulled back to reveal greater truth, deeper significance, the better wine of our Savior.

 

Midweek: Step Twelve

Within the course of a week, a friend had been grabbed --an attempted abduction or rape? --and hit by a car. Praise God, neither incident left her much more than rattled. Why? she asked. Why did God allow these things to happen? She wasn't at all angry with Him; she didn't feel betrayed by the upset. She, like many of us, was merely trying to make sense of it all: believing "everything happens for a reason," we want to discover the reason. Is God correcting me in some way? Was there an opportunity for me to share the reason for my trust in Him with another? Did the resulting hospital visit reveal a larger medical issue that needed to be addressed? Did He provide me with a newer vehicle than the one that was totaled? Am I learning compassion for others in the same situation? Is my faith being tested? Have I met someone during this ordeal who needs prayer? If we've been in the faith any length of time, we go through our Rolodex of possible explanations --things we've learned from experience or the experiences of others, things we've learned from Scripture --and we seek to put some sort of meaning or objective to it all.

Amy Carmichael, Christian missionary to India, labored fearlessly and passionately to rescue children from India's caste and Hinduism's cultic systems. In her book, Gold Cord, Carmicheal writes:

We should have been as others who see without seeing, and never dream of what is being done out of sight, if it had not been for what was caused to happen on March 6, 1901.

What happened was Carmichael encountered a young girl who, because of poverty, had been given to the temple to be "married to a god." The little girl told the missionary the horrors of what Carmichael calls "a great secret traffic in the souls and bodies of young children." The missionary and her associates could in no way dismiss the account of the girl and searched for others who had experienced the evils of this "temple trade." They developed ways to rescue the tiny victims and minister to their broken hearts. Dohnavur Fellowship, a safe home and Christian family, was begun, and continues today --all because of what some might call "a chance meeting." But Carmicheal was determined to seek purpose. By her own admission, had it not been for such a meeting, they would have continued on with eyes blinded and hearts oblivious to the goings-on with regard to these vulnerable children. 

Step Twelve, the last step of Walking the Twelve Steps with Jesus Christ, attaches purpose to pain:

Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, I try to carry this message to others with addiction and to practice these principles in all my affairs.

Call it "giving back" or "paying it forward;" whatever you may call it, this step gives purpose to all we have been through. It is redemption, to the extent we are able, of our bad habits, our past offenses, our failures, our pain, and our shortcomings so that others might be rescued. We cannot do the rescuing, of course, but we can introduce them to the One who can; we can set them on the course to cooperate with Him in transforming their lives as He has transformed ours. We can decide to disallow the enemy of our souls any further victory in our lives. We can draw the line and say, "This seems to not be a good thing, on the surface; but I know that 'All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.' (Rom. 8:28) I will keep watch for the good and cooperate when He calls me." Even our powerlessness, the unmanageability of our lives, the wrongs of our past and the harm we have done can be used by a Mighty God to bring Him glory and give us a greater purpose as we continue to walk this path into eternity with Him.

The God Who Sees

The most recognized quote attributed to Andy Warhol is "In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes." Or something to that effect. Sadly, and quite ominously, I think, right now, we are only scratching the surface of what that fifteen minutes will look like. Our world is smaller through technology, and fame is more easily attained in that sense. The bar has been lowered as to what counts for being worthy of worldwide acclaim. Humanity is less averse to doing stupid or nefarious things to gain that recognition. And our attention spans are notably shorter. 

Isn't being seen important to who we are, though? From the womb, we seek to be attended to; some studies have shown that the cry of a child is perfectly tuned to some pitch or frequency that will provoke Mother to action. Some children naturally "perform" when told they are having their picture taken. From athletes to academics, we reward excellence with trophies and inductions and scholarships. At the very least, we depend on those who call us "friend" or "brother" to notice when something has gone a little off kilter with us in hopes they will help us in remediation. Not until Adam gives his wife a name do we learn his name (Gen. 3:20). Our identity depends on the presence of another.

El Roi, is the name of God with which we are first presented in Genesis 16:13:

Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?”

The God Who sees. I'd heard the name years ago, and it always brought a special feeling of comfort to me each time I thought of it. I am not alone. God sees the pain in my heart. God recognizes my need. But where was the response? Where was Mother, swooping in to comfort me or the scholarship committee to reward me for my endurance in adversity? The name gave me hope, but response did not seem to be an immediate reality. 

God's notice of us is eternal, and with that, it has an eternal perspective. Like the mother who sees her baby struggling to roll over --grunting, fists balled, face red --and she does nothing; Baby must figure this out on his own. Or the scholarship awarded to another deserving recipient --a high school senior --when the remaining applicants are still in their junior year. When the brother or sister does not overtly come alongside us in our struggle, but prays, fasts, and quietly creates opportunities for transformation to occur. It is not that we are not seen, but there is much more at stake than instant relief or gratification. God is working in those He loves something much more eternal, of greater quality. As in the account of Hagar, when she encounters El Roi, she is not told her cruel mistress will be dealt with. The Angel of the Lord does not tell this poor slave girl (and pawn in Sarai and Abram's rebellious scheme) that she has every right to flee and He will protect her. He says instead, Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand (Gen. 16:9). Return. Return to your current, difficult situation. Return to the place where I see you, but you are going to have to trust Me. Return to a place of submission to your mistress, yes, but submission, most of all to My plan, My timing. Return to a place of waiting and trust that I see you. God's promise to Hagar is for the future. Eternal notice; future response.

Look at where all of this "struggling to be seen" has gotten us. Look at the foolishness that is celebrated; the flurry of opinion, debate, vitriol, discontent, threats, and out-and-out brain rot that floods our devices by the second. This is man's effort to be relevant, to be noticed, to be "somebody." But our Creator God, the One who longs to call us "sons and daughters" and has made a way through Jesus Christ that it might be so, He sees us! He is El Roi! How much greater is that than chasing clicks on social media, or forever being known in pop culture as "Catch Me Outside Girl", or dying from a butterfly injection? God's response may not be visible, it may not be immediate, it may not be in accordance with human logic (thankfully!), but it is trustworthy. He is not cruel toward His children or inattentive. For those whose identity is in Christ Jesus, we are seen by the only One whose perfect estimation really counts, who will never slumber or sleep, and will do all He has promised. His vision is without defect. 

Ready for a Name That Fits?

Years ago, everyone from funeral homes to auto repair shops were giving out pens, matchbooks, calendars --whatever would keep the name of their business stuck to your refrigerator and foremost in your mind. Names are important. And men are particularly good at naming folks. Brutally honest, really. Fat Joey and The Neck are a few that come to mind from my days leading a group of terrific but unconventional men on a ground support crew. Sometimes it's pretty obvious how we've gotten our name or nickname --my friend born in December is Holly. Other monickers are not so apparent. Take John the Baptist, for instance.

Why was John the Baptist called "the baptist;" not "the preparer" or "revealer" (Isaiah 40:3-5)? Could he not have been called "the herald" (Luke 1:13-17)? What was it about his ministry of baptism that identified him above everything else he did? Might it have been what he didn't do as well as what he did do?

Look at John 1:26-33. In just these few verses, God through John (another John, the apostle) points out three times that John the Baptist "baptized with water." Safe to assume, there must be some distinction worth noticing. 

In the Old Testament, God gave His people the practice of immersion. A ceremonial cleansing took place, usually, at a location in which water flowed naturally, a mikveh. Immersion in this special place or pool of water symbolized purification, consecration, and spiritual cleansing. For converts to Israelite faith, the immersion marked a turning away from old practices and entry into the community; a decision to live in right standing before God and His people in covenant relationship. Likewise, the baptism offered by John the Baptist was representative of one's turn from sin toward a new life of righteousness. But in preparation for the Messiah's arrival. This wasn't the same old Wash.Rinse.Repeat. (Pun absolutely intentional!) John heralded the coming of a Greater Sacrifice. No more would Isreal have to live under the burden of slaughtered animals and the shedding of blood. An All-Sufficient Mediator and High Priest would come to atone for all sin. There was to be a better way, the Way of Life, rather than the ritual way of perpetual death that had been Judaism's only hope for forgiveness. People believed John the Baptist's words, they longed to prepare through repentance their hearts and their lives for the Messiah's coming, and they waded into the water to begin new life in hope. Immersion, or baptism (from baptizo in the Greek), a familiar tradition to the people of Israel was now, at the hands of John the Baptist, a belief in Who was to come, the One who could do what all the bathing could not, the One who could cleanse them and cleanse us from all sin. This was about rebirth, the severing of oneself from the former, walking toward the new, and trusting the coming Messiah was its source.

Yes, John the Baptist prepared the people by bringing the message of Jesus. Yes, he revealed the truth of ages-old prophecies and their fulfillment in Jesus. Yes, he was herald to a king --The King of kings. But his role as a baptizer made him the catalyst for transformation. His role as baptizer made him the link between the Old Testament and its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. His role as baptizer presented all those who would with the opportunity to publicly fix their eyes on their Savior, follow His law, and receive His gift of forgiveness and newness of life when the time had come. John the Baptist did not change hearts, but he spoke to them the message he was called to deliver, and when they responded, he celebrated at the waters with them. 

Baptism remains the God-given testament of rebirth in the life of every believer. The Great Commission of Matthew 28:19, instructs us --all believers! --to go into the world and baptize others as a symbol of their repentance and acceptance of the lordship of Jesus. Are you ready to make disciples? Are you ready for a new name?

Midweek: Step Eleven

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.

~ Daniel 6:10

Long story short, Daniel had enemies. And they were trying to get him busted by the king. So, Daniel's enemies convinced the king to sign a decree prohibiting petition to any other authority but the king himself; that, of course, included prayer to God. Daniel clearly knew of the decree, but he would not allow that to stop him from praying to the One True God. Prayer was to him as eating is to us --three times daily (not including snacks). It was his sustenance and, for optimal health, should be ours as well. 

That's what Step Eleven says. From Walking the Twelve Steps with Jesus Christ:

I seek through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with God as I understand Him, praying only for His will for me and the power to carry it out.

By improving our conscious contact with God throughout the day, we find the meat, the nutrients, the sustenance, the rest we require to handle life in the best possible way; in the way in which we were created to handle life.

We developed some bad habits. We sought to "do life" in a way other than the way our Owner's Manual (the Holy Bible) recommended. (And, I say "recommended" not because there is a better or equally efficient way, but because we choose; God admonishes, but we choose.) Connecting to God through prayer and meditation throughout the day, seeking His will as revealed in Scripture and through His Holy Spirit's intervention, receiving the power to obey --that is how we shed those old patterns of coping, and develop the ones we were always meant to use; the optimal means of doing life in this world, bringing glory to our Lord and remaining under His grace.

Grace is the very thing that empowers us to obey. Grace is often defined as "unmerited favor," and that is true. But what does that mean, and how do we respond? Well, if you think of it as God giving you what you don't deserve, what you have not earned, you might respond with gratitude. That gratitude might then lead you to want to obey, to do something "in return" for God's grace on your life. None of that is wrong. But when we're talking about lifelong patterns of bad or insufficient behaviors, things we have implemented our entire life to numb the pain or avoid confrontation or, perhaps, draw attention to ourselves that someone might rescue us from our own bad choices --when we're talking about those sorts of things, grace as I've defined it above can appear inadequate. Dallas Willard defined grace as God working in our lives to do what we cannot do on our own. That was a game changer for me. There is strength in that. There is assurance in that. God's grace is not simply pouring out favor in the form of a beautiful sunset or a smile from our grandchild; it is not only a sudden healing that leaves us feeling blessed and overwhelmingly appreciative. It is "When I don't have the strength to obey, You fortify me as I draw close to You." God's grace is mighty, mighty, mighty! The power to carry it out. Yes, it is intimate; yes, it is special. But God's grace is fashioned especially for each one of His children, specific to our needs and greater than we can imagine. As we pray and meditate on Scripture, we move ourselves into position to feel His presence, hear His voice, and receive His grace. Like stepping under the porch roof to get out of the rain, we draw near to Him and are safe from the torrents and temptations of life in a fallen world. Scripture reveals a new path, the right path; prayer connects us to the One who loves us beyond measure and will walk each step beside us, empowering us by His grace. 

What You See Is What You Get

One of the first things I noticed about our youngest was his incredible imagination: he can develop a story like no other! In his tales, the impossible becomes possible, the unbelievable becomes believable, and the unlikely becomes almost anticipated. It is a blessed gift to have childlike wonder residing right here in our home!

Annie Dillard, in her thoughtful narrative, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, hits on this childishness in a way that causes me to crave that innocence in myself again:   

When I was six or seven years old, growing up in Pittsburgh, I used to take a precious penny of my own and hide it for someone else to find. It was a curious compulsion; sadly, I’ve never been seized by it since. For some reason, I always “hid” the penny along the same stretch of sidewalk up the street. I would cradle it at the roots of a sycamore, say, or in a hole left by a chipped-off piece of sidewalk. Then I would take a piece of chalk, and, starting at either end of the block, draw huge arrows leading up to the penny from both directions.

After I learned to write I labeled the arrows: SURPRISE AHEAD or MONEY THIS WAY. I was greatly excited, during all this arrow-drawing, at the thought of the first lucky passer-by who would receive in this way, regardless of merit, a free gift from the universe. But I never lurked about. I would go straight home and not give the matter another thought, until, some months later, I would be gripped again by the impulse to hide another penny.

The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But — and this is the point — who gets excited by a mere penny?

...if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What you see is what you get.

And isn't that just the truth of it? What you are willing to see is what you get. I once heard someone say, Those who place everything in God's hand will see God's hand in everything. What keeps us seeing the goodness of God in the everyday and the mundane, or catching our breath at the same Autumn colors bedecking the same tree in our same backyard every year; what keeps us seeing the newness of the spouse God has given us or the places He has called us to live for forty-seven of our fifty years; what keeps us grateful is seeing, and what keeps us seeing is poverty. The willingness to acknowledge there are things much greater than us and our full schedules. The willingness to remain small and poor and humble, and to know that God is big and rich and glorious. The willingness to see that the life He has granted you is a life given to no other human being on earth; the sunsets you have watched, the smiles you've returned, the last moments of a faithful and furry friend you have been permitted, the first cries you have heard --they have all been for you and you alone. Given you by a God who is writing your story as carefully as you wrapped that shawl around the shoulders of the sister with cancer. Gently, tenderly, and sometimes intensely with loving correction in mind, God has fashioned this life for you and each morning presented you with the mercies and opportunities you require for the day. Your life is as unique as you are, and perfect for you. 

Let us, with the wonder and innocence of trusting children, see all You have crafted for us, and never be ungrateful again.

The Importance of Punctuation

Have you ever seen those memes about the importance of punctuation? Here's one:

Silly, right? Well, punctuation in our lives is pretty important as well. For instance, the latter part of 2 Corinthians 6:2:

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

I'm not questioning the editors, necessarily, but living our lives, talking to others about Jesus as though that sentence ends with an exclamation point, experiencing the urgency of those words is not a bad idea at all.

Likewise, Ann Voskamp, in her book One Thousand Gifts talks about the beliefs we live after tragedy:

No, God.
No God.

How far is the transition, the fall, if you will, from No, say it isn't so, to God is not so? God is not good. God is not merciful. God is not all-powerful. God is not. In grammar, it's the distance or the difference of a comma. A mere pause. In life it is similar but, more significantly, it's what occurs in that pause. It's what occurs as we begin to process the depths of our pain. It's what occurs as we emerge from the dull echo of shock to the razor-sharp screams of reality. It's what occurs when we start to grieve the dreams that will never be realized, the birthdays that will never be celebrated, the paths that will never be forged. It's what occurs when the grey dawn of the next day drives out the dark and we are forced to reckon with What next? What happens in that pause is critical to our beliefs, and beliefs are a matter of life and death.

In Deuteronomy 30:19, 20, God speaks to the people --His people --Israel:

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days;

He sets before them the ways that will prosper them, ways that will lead to life and flourishing. He also warns them that to disobey is to choose death. Think of an owner's manual, giving instruction on how to properly use, service, or even assemble a particular tool: Failure to follow the above instructions could lead to injury or death. You've read those words before. Did you heed them? "Well, sure," you might say. "I know nothing about this product!" Just because we inhabit these bodies doesn't mean we know anything about them. We seek the advice of "professionals" to help us when we're sick. Why? Because we are so not professionals when it comes to what's best for ourselves. Why do we think that when it comes to the things of the spirit world, we know it all? Why, when something traumatic occurs, do we not seek God in the pause? Why, when we lose someone or something we love, do we separate ourselves from --or worse --blame God as though He has no idea what loss is all about? Why do we not take that moment right after No, say it isn't so to declare, "But God You are, and though I am hanging on by a thread, I will hang here until You cut me loose"? Why do we not take that interruption and seek Him?

The pause will probably come --I pray for us all they do not --but it's what we do during the pause that is most important, a matter of life and death. 

Photo courtesy LuAnn Martin

Midweek: Step Ten

I am going to tell you something that might sound a little strange to you: I am always discovering what it means to be married. We will celebrate our eighteenth wedding anniversary this year (Lord willing) and yet Scott and I are always encountering new situations together --good and not so good; we're always finding new things out about one another's preferences or past experiences. And, as we age, we're always developing different habits --good and not so good, new hopes, revisiting dreams that were never realized (Is now the time?), and thinking of unique ways to enjoy each day in one another's company. We are living out this married life together --an objective very different from saying some words before a judge, carrying around a marriage license, or wearing a wedding band. (There is a reason those words are called vows, by the way.)

I continue to take personal inventory daily, and when I am wrong, I promptly admit it.

Step Ten of Walking the Twelve Steps with Jesus Christ, is the upward call, the moving forward, the living out of the commitment to sobriety we have made, daily evidence of the vow we took. It is the difficult task of living the solution to our problems --a much better, more appropriate, life-giving solution to our problems than the poor excuse for a solution (addiction) we tried previously. We have come to acknowledge that, in the past, we used addictive behaviors to numb ourselves to problems --wrongs we did, wrongs done to us. Rather than confronting these things with the light of God's Word, we hid from and muted the voice of truth with our bad habits. We acknowledged that God alone is able to take us from who we were to who we were made to be and agreed to follow Him in the way. We made an inventory of those hang-ups, confessed our role in those events or the cover-up that followed, and asked Jesus to heal us from them, to break their hold over us. Knowing that our previous actions impacted those around us, we determined which apologies and amends were necessary and possible, and made them happen. Having given our past over to the King, and "settled" as much of it as is within our power to do so, it is time to walk in this newer, freer way. It is time to live a life of sobriety.

For the sake of the bigger picture, I want to tell you, it will not be easy every day. As with living a married life, there will be days it feels liberating and safe and joyous. There will be days when the greatest thing holding us to the sober life is our word, the vow we have made, the course to which we have committed. Because of our commitment, we will know sobriety is liberating; we will know it is safe; we will know it is a joyous thing to handle circumstances with a clear mind, fully engaged with Jesus in the process. Despite what our feelings are telling us. Daily we will look at ourselves using the light of God's Word; we will confess our sin and choose to walk in obedience to our Master. And this is how we will live. It will be a "voyage of discovery." We will find new ways to deal with old problems, rather than creating new problems through the use of old ways. We will journey boldly with Jesus as His Spirit finishes the work that has begun, and spiritual fruit is matured. We will discover new things for which to be grateful and, perhaps, be given opportunity to realize dreams put on hold long ago. We will live a sober life in union with our Savior, pressing toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:13, 14)!