The most memorable letter I have ever received my sister sent me not long after both of us found out, almost at the same time, that our husbands had cheated on us. I found out before her and rode a downward spiral in flames. When she was fresh from new knowledge of her betrayal, and knew I was not dealing well with my own, she sent me this poem that she wrote herself.
Almighty God in Heaven
Please hear my plea today.
I ask you to listen closely
To what I have to say.
I don’t want fame or riches
or material possessions.
I don’t want to look for the road
Paved with the gold of good intentions.
I just want to be happy
with my children and my love.
I just want the simple blessings that
Rain down from heaven above.
I just want to feel needed
And to know that someone cares.
I want to return that love
to the people whose lives I share.
Please help me, Sweet Jesus
To remember that you love me.
Help me to feel the glory
That comes from God above me.
The greatest tragedy of all has not been our mutual abandonment by spouses, but when I lost my sister to the grief which shortly after she allowed to overwhelm her. I feel like I left the house for a short time and left the heater running. When I returned, my house was in flames. My sensitive, caring sister had been replaced by a stranger who wears the same face. Her drug addition now rules her life.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Hearts at Home
Feeling blessed starts as a reflection upon our circumstances. Each of us, when contemplating our history, realizes in retrospect that there were good things there. So starts our struggle to return to the time and place that we identify as our "home". It is the feeling evoked when we remember the homemade apple pie mom used to bake.
In our search, the Savior calls to us to follow Him. He asks us to surrender the pursuit of our own agendas into His leadership. He asks us to make our home in Him.
Once we've made the transition to living through grace, our understanding grows. It is an overwhelming relief to know that our failures are forgotten. Our undeserved inheritance is secure, our fellowship Divine. All these gifts come not as a result of our own merit, but are freely given to us from the nature of who God is. We feel blessed when we realize who it is we worship. We feel blessed from an understanding of the truth of our victiory in Him.
Finally, we began to realize how sweeping and exalted is the vision we've joined. We are part of the whole. We've aquired a destiny as priest administrators. Feeling blessed is being able to share the vision, to comfort as we were once comforted, to open up in others the same dawning comprehension and insight into the mysteries of God and the way he choses to work. Feeling blessed is the honor and priviledge of being His hands of mercy and compassion. We are entrusted as emissaries of our Savior and His sacrifice.
In our search, the Savior calls to us to follow Him. He asks us to surrender the pursuit of our own agendas into His leadership. He asks us to make our home in Him.
Once we've made the transition to living through grace, our understanding grows. It is an overwhelming relief to know that our failures are forgotten. Our undeserved inheritance is secure, our fellowship Divine. All these gifts come not as a result of our own merit, but are freely given to us from the nature of who God is. We feel blessed when we realize who it is we worship. We feel blessed from an understanding of the truth of our victiory in Him.
Finally, we began to realize how sweeping and exalted is the vision we've joined. We are part of the whole. We've aquired a destiny as priest administrators. Feeling blessed is being able to share the vision, to comfort as we were once comforted, to open up in others the same dawning comprehension and insight into the mysteries of God and the way he choses to work. Feeling blessed is the honor and priviledge of being His hands of mercy and compassion. We are entrusted as emissaries of our Savior and His sacrifice.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Problem With Faith
One thing we all have in common is faith. It’s not something that some people have and some people don’t have. Even on the most everyday level, faith is a part of our existence. This kind of faith is like breathing; it’s done without conscious thought. Everyone exercises faith. For every piece of machinery used, every object wielded as a tool, and each bite of food consumed, there is the accompanying trust that each will perform as expected. A chair is supposed to support our weight. It is used without giving a thought to any other outcome.
Faith goes beyond the realm of mere physical objects and forms the currency, or give and take, of relationships with others. The only reason anyone knows of or understands any of the concepts existing beyond their personal experience of the world is because someone tells them. The transferor of these views must be believed for the insights to be accepted as true. Each and every historical figure only exists in history as a result of the retelling of a story. Socrates and Plato were great philosophers only if, when you’re taught this fact, you believe it to be true.
On the most profound and life affecting level, faith is what each of us has our life reality based on. Our actions flow from what we believe in, and what we hold to be most true. It is the foundation of our existence. It is inevitable that our foundations be tested, and that we have opportunity to see and understand if what each of us believes is actually true. Storms of life and the hard times will come to give us the chance to put into practice those ideas which we have cherished.
It is of paramount importance that we make sure the basis of our worldview is a solid and dependable place from which to act. Jesus taught us that when we build the structure which is our life, that there are wise builders and then there are foolish builders. “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them in practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matt. 7:24-26)
The problem with faith is that the recipient of our devotion must be worthy of our trust. Faith must be invested wisely. At the most profound level of commitment, if our foundation is unreliable, the house of our life is condemned to fall already. (See John 3:18) Is what you believe in something that will last beyond yourself? Is your faith of the kind that will give you strength and hope even if you lost everything else this world has to offer? After the test of fire, will you regret what you have put your trust in?
Faith goes beyond the realm of mere physical objects and forms the currency, or give and take, of relationships with others. The only reason anyone knows of or understands any of the concepts existing beyond their personal experience of the world is because someone tells them. The transferor of these views must be believed for the insights to be accepted as true. Each and every historical figure only exists in history as a result of the retelling of a story. Socrates and Plato were great philosophers only if, when you’re taught this fact, you believe it to be true.
On the most profound and life affecting level, faith is what each of us has our life reality based on. Our actions flow from what we believe in, and what we hold to be most true. It is the foundation of our existence. It is inevitable that our foundations be tested, and that we have opportunity to see and understand if what each of us believes is actually true. Storms of life and the hard times will come to give us the chance to put into practice those ideas which we have cherished.
It is of paramount importance that we make sure the basis of our worldview is a solid and dependable place from which to act. Jesus taught us that when we build the structure which is our life, that there are wise builders and then there are foolish builders. “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them in practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matt. 7:24-26)
The problem with faith is that the recipient of our devotion must be worthy of our trust. Faith must be invested wisely. At the most profound level of commitment, if our foundation is unreliable, the house of our life is condemned to fall already. (See John 3:18) Is what you believe in something that will last beyond yourself? Is your faith of the kind that will give you strength and hope even if you lost everything else this world has to offer? After the test of fire, will you regret what you have put your trust in?
Monday, February 9, 2009
Look Up!
If you see someone on a street corner holding a sign saying, “Jesus is Coming!” do you think, automatically, that the person is crazy? This rebel is infringing on the comfort zone of those satisfied with things the way they are. The urgency of the message of the imminent return of our Lord is more important than our plans of pot roast for dinner!
The political and economic tides of the world are changing. Believers can examine and recognize the shape of events today as what was foreseen by the prophets. We know that the coming of our Lord is near! The corporate focus of the body of Christ has shifted upward. Can you feel it in the air? Can you see it in the streets? The days of Noah have returned. Our time is short. Our work is pressing. Jesus stands at the door. His hand is on the knob, just waiting for a word from the Father.
Will you be united with me, in prayer and fasting, to seek God for His return? Let us align ourselves with His will, to accomplish what He has purposed in us. Let us seek His face, that we might understand. Let our call go up, for we have need of Him. (See Isaiah 62:6 & 7)
A prayer for Jacob
Lord Jesus
Show mercy and compassion to those who You have claimed for Your own so that they can become aware of the depths of their poverty. They are desolate and deprived without You, yet continue on, oblivious to their own condition. Restore Your people to Your favor by teaching them their folly so that they can repent.
I am struck down, incapacitated with longing for Your person. I am orphaned and have no life to live. My emptiness cries out for the presence of the living God, for Your beauty is terrible in it’s thundering power! Yet You lovingly restrain Yourself to gentleness.
When is the time of Your appearing to deliver Your people? For when will our joy overflow but when that day comes when we shall see Your face? Make haste to come to us so that our joy may be complete!
Blessed Hope
Bad things happen all the time.
Sweeping changes bring a flood of fear of more to come.
The world economy is reeling, staggering like a drunkard.
Those who love violence surround us.
They do not tire of plotting evil continuously.
Your people seek relief; They look up to watch for Your face.
We remember Your promises to us; to deliver us.
Great is the hope we have in You!
Wonderful are the promises gifted to us!
Those who trust in You have this faith;
Your glory revealed in us!
Your justice will shine out like the sun!
No longer will the forsaken and rejected weep in dark corners,
For You will be there to comfort them.
There is no more exalted hope than this,
that Love Itself should dwell with us.
The political and economic tides of the world are changing. Believers can examine and recognize the shape of events today as what was foreseen by the prophets. We know that the coming of our Lord is near! The corporate focus of the body of Christ has shifted upward. Can you feel it in the air? Can you see it in the streets? The days of Noah have returned. Our time is short. Our work is pressing. Jesus stands at the door. His hand is on the knob, just waiting for a word from the Father.
Will you be united with me, in prayer and fasting, to seek God for His return? Let us align ourselves with His will, to accomplish what He has purposed in us. Let us seek His face, that we might understand. Let our call go up, for we have need of Him. (See Isaiah 62:6 & 7)
A prayer for Jacob
Lord Jesus
Show mercy and compassion to those who You have claimed for Your own so that they can become aware of the depths of their poverty. They are desolate and deprived without You, yet continue on, oblivious to their own condition. Restore Your people to Your favor by teaching them their folly so that they can repent.
I am struck down, incapacitated with longing for Your person. I am orphaned and have no life to live. My emptiness cries out for the presence of the living God, for Your beauty is terrible in it’s thundering power! Yet You lovingly restrain Yourself to gentleness.
When is the time of Your appearing to deliver Your people? For when will our joy overflow but when that day comes when we shall see Your face? Make haste to come to us so that our joy may be complete!
Blessed Hope
Bad things happen all the time.
Sweeping changes bring a flood of fear of more to come.
The world economy is reeling, staggering like a drunkard.
Those who love violence surround us.
They do not tire of plotting evil continuously.
Your people seek relief; They look up to watch for Your face.
We remember Your promises to us; to deliver us.
Great is the hope we have in You!
Wonderful are the promises gifted to us!
Those who trust in You have this faith;
Your glory revealed in us!
Your justice will shine out like the sun!
No longer will the forsaken and rejected weep in dark corners,
For You will be there to comfort them.
There is no more exalted hope than this,
that Love Itself should dwell with us.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Freedom Proclamation
One of the greatest challenges in life is facing the consequences of our mistakes. To avoid dealing with the emotional devastation of confronting our problems, we go to extremes. We build walls and enact ritual self abuse time and again to sidestep the work and pain of grieving. It’s easier to live in denial. All of us can see the results of maladaptive coping mechanisms in others, but have more difficulty recognizing them in ourselves. We can see enough to assess blame for difficulties, but assign it to others, not to ourselves. We become isolated inside our thought patterns and keep repeating defeatist thinking. Without help, the misery can become unbearable. Thus the saying, “Most people live lives of quiet desperation.”
Try approaching problems from a different angle. Failure can be thought of as a good thing: It is simply part of the learning process. Find out what works and discard what doesn’t. Live in reality instead of fantasy. One way to progress in faith and learn more of how God works in our lives is to keep a prayer journal. It is used to keep track of the requests that we put in His keeping, and later can be reviewed to record God’s answers! A person keeping this type of journal will not have to cover the same ground time after time, but will see that God always answers prayer. The journal will then become a journal of praise also!
Another snare busting approach is to listen to Jesus’ advice. “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 18:3. Being childlike can be applied to our lives in the following way. A child knows nothing of what can or cannot be accomplished. He brings no preconceived ideas of the way things work to his efforts. He has no defense mechanisms with which to avoid reality, no prepackaged issues to color his perceptions. (He sees through mauve colored glasses.) He feels he can complete whatever he starts out to do because he has no experiences to tell him that he cannot. Defeatist attitudes have not yet developed and hardened into procedure. He just wants to see what will happen. He knows that he will not LEARN if he does not DO. In faith, begin again like there is a clean slate. We are free in Christ. All things become blessing when redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Our final destination, heaven, works backwards.
Try approaching problems from a different angle. Failure can be thought of as a good thing: It is simply part of the learning process. Find out what works and discard what doesn’t. Live in reality instead of fantasy. One way to progress in faith and learn more of how God works in our lives is to keep a prayer journal. It is used to keep track of the requests that we put in His keeping, and later can be reviewed to record God’s answers! A person keeping this type of journal will not have to cover the same ground time after time, but will see that God always answers prayer. The journal will then become a journal of praise also!
Another snare busting approach is to listen to Jesus’ advice. “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 18:3. Being childlike can be applied to our lives in the following way. A child knows nothing of what can or cannot be accomplished. He brings no preconceived ideas of the way things work to his efforts. He has no defense mechanisms with which to avoid reality, no prepackaged issues to color his perceptions. (He sees through mauve colored glasses.) He feels he can complete whatever he starts out to do because he has no experiences to tell him that he cannot. Defeatist attitudes have not yet developed and hardened into procedure. He just wants to see what will happen. He knows that he will not LEARN if he does not DO. In faith, begin again like there is a clean slate. We are free in Christ. All things become blessing when redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Our final destination, heaven, works backwards.
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