The Soul at Rest Blog

Missing the Moment's Masterpiece

2012-01-28T20:05:00.000-08:00

We love the rain in San Diego.

We cherish the anomaly of clouds and dark skies in this else wise sun-saturated terrain.

We relish the promise of parched creek beds awakening, and desert blooms, greedy, drinking their fill.

We love the rain in San Diego for the respite it offers from Southern California living--running, going, doing, traveling on freeways that take us across the world and back in a day.

Finally, we can stop. We have to, we tell ourselves. After all, it is raining.

Time to curl up under a blanket and read, snuggle with hot chocolate culled from dried out packages tucked away for such a time as this.

We love the rain in San Diego, because we know it will not last.

Most likely, it will not yet have soaked our flower beds before that gold orb flashes bright and warm, beckoning us to get up, get busy, stop wasting valuable time.

So we rise, plans aplenty, tasks on our to-do lists that can no longer wait.

I read a newspaper story yesterday about Wilson Bentley a Vermont farmer in the 20th century, who spent his entire life fascinated with snowflakes. Attaching a microscope to a large camera, he snapped pictures by the dozens, discovering and diagramming the icy crystals' intricate details. His friends and family thought Bentley a dreamer, his hobby of no practical use. Just before he died, he published his book of pictures and little known facts, eager to share what he called the miracles of beauty that had enveloped his life.

Wilson Bentley, the dreamer, is the one who discovered that there really are no two snowflakes alike, each one a masterpiece...and that when one melts, that particular work of art is gone forever.

Maslow said that the ability to live in the present moment is a sign of mental wholeness... and I wonder at the insanity that drives me always to live for what is to come, rather than the now.

How many masterpieces have I missed today?

This is the day the Lord has made.

The word for day comes from the root word, "hot."

Get it while it's hot...strike while the iron's hot...hot off the press...hot topic...

In other words...the now.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

The word for rejoice is akin to tremble. To be glad akin to jumping for joy.

Because of who He is...every breath we take is eternity in the making.

Every glance of my eye...quickening of my heart...taste on my tongue...sound in my ears...touch of my fingers...scent in the air...

All works of art, fashioned by the One who holds the world together by His power and calls into being that which was not.

The rain that so quickly flees from us here in San Diego reminds us that we can, indeed that we must stop everything at times and embrace what is right here, right now...

And when we do, perhaps tremble...or jump for joy--

...before the sun returns, and the masterpiece of the moment has eluded us once again.

Sixteen days in...

2012-01-16T11:45:00.000-08:00

Six hours into the sixteenth day of 2012…

and Joe had foot surgery and has to keep it propped up so I’m trying to be a merciful nurse and Sara’s esophagus turned inside out sending her straight to the hospital for three days leaving four little faces behind needing lots of love and care and I backed my car into theirs in the driveway and we still haven’t been able to celebrate Roman’s second birthday and I got the stomach flu during a three-day class that I’d spent our savings to take…

and it’s only six hours into the sixteenth day of 2012.

I’m beginning to feel like Alexander with his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day…

Or in this case, year. I'm going to outer Mongolia.

Or find a rock to crawl under…

And I won't come out until I can start all over again--like rebooting the computer.

But then… morning devotions in Psalm 19…

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my ROCK and my Redeemer.

There is a Rock...Breathe deeply.

A Rock I can crawl under, lean on, hide behind and rest within its shady expanse.

Thank You Lord…now grant me thoughts and words that match the wonder that whatever onslaught this year may bring, grace will plant me face forward to the wind, joy lapping at my heels… because of who You are.

Abandoned Roses--Neglected Souls

2012-01-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

Sunset, a rare respite at day’s end…and this profusion of roses outside my living room window.

When did these beauties begin to bloom, looking for all the world as if it is Spring instead of mid-Winter...as if some loving gardener has been tenderly caring for them all along?

I‘ve done nothing to those persnickety bushes for months. Head buried in books, I barely remember Joe asking me what to do with their spindly branches spread out in awkward array. Lop them off, I said, never noticing if he did or not.

But here --this feast for the senses in an otherwise barren landscape.

So I try to capture their glory, but the camera cannot lie...

Signs of neglect sideline me...beetle-infested leaves, the yellow of blight, powdery mold, and the ubiquitous aphids, staking their claim.

But still...roses bloom.

Goldenrod and cranberry, buttercup and bridal white...ivory tinged with the barest blush of pink.

I cannot help but think of my own soul...of the signs of neglect that have plagued my waking moments this week, these first days of a new year...

Embarrassed at my lack, I've perused the perils of emptiness, tasted the angst of aridity and absorbed the shame of a seemingly unfruitful season.

I remember the word You spoke to me so long ago. I always work in spite of you...and I always will.

Because of who He is...

This is the lesson, isn't it Lord?

What do you have that you did not receive?

...power is perfected in weakness.

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus...

For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

(1 Corinthians 4:7, 12:9, 1:30, Romans 11:36)

Not because of who I am, or what I do, or how spiritual I can be, or how hard I try, or how much fruit there is to be measured, or how impressed anyone else may or may not be...

But because of who You are.

Because of who You are...abandoned roses bloom, and treasures emerge from the soil of neglected souls, testaments to Your sovereign power and ineffable grace.

Because of who HE is...

2012-01-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

The decorations are down, the house is clean, and the New Year has dawned bright and crisp with the hope of a fresh start.

I always love this first day of the new year for the promise it holds, for the expectation it portends.

This morning I am returning to the one thing that settles and soothes my soul regarding the angst of previous resolutions not kept...

I am remembering the one thing that frees me from disappointment in my failings, and from fear that in the challenges the future holds, I will falter, yet again.

I am renewing my vision with the one thing that is so simple, and profound all at once.

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul. Therefore I have hope in Him. Lamentations 3:21-24

Because of who He is...

Because of who You are, Lord...

In 2012, I can...

hope for the restoration of the ones I love, who still dwell in dark places...

believe I will at last conquer these lusts of my flesh...

rest in who You've made me to be...and stop striving to be someone I'm not.

Because of who You are, Lord...

In 2012, I will...

swim in a sea of grace, carried by a current that You alone control.

cry out for revival again and again, watching expectantly for the breakers of Spirit-life to come crashing in...

Because of who You are Lord...

In 2012, I will...

trust that these dried up, crusty corners of my heart can be softened by the oil of Your love, and made pliable one more time.

remember that this world, this unfolding drama of war and want, of chaos and crisis, of terror and trouble and trials on every hand...is only a breath in eternity, less than a heartbeat pulsing under the power of Sovereign grace.

Because of who You are...

Because of who HE is...

The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I have hope in Him.

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

My Journey: I am calling my focus this year "a return to God-centeredness," which means a return to the one thing that sets everything aright, that guarantees my good and His glory. It truly is because of who He is that I start afresh today, January 1, 2012.

Practically, I am engaging in lectio divina through the Psalms, each day asking the question: What does this tell me about You, Lord?

Some tools for embracing God's Word:

Reflective reading--click here
Meditation--click here
Scripture study using the online program Studylight--click here

I am also going to try to memorize 1 Peter. If you'd like to join me, I will be providing memory cards each month. Click here for the first set--It's about 9-10 verses a month! For tips on how to memorize Scripture, click here.

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONALS (December 25)

2011-12-24T16:00:00.000-08:00

JESUS!

READ: Luke 2:1-7, Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 53:3-11, Revelation 4:1-11 (Click here to read selections from the NIV).

Have you ever stopped to consider what really happened when the Almighty entered into the womb of a woman--when the Son of God became the Son of man--flesh and blood, bones and joints, muscle and sinew? I love the picture Daniel Fuller paints in his book Unity of the Bible, where he describes the incarnation as a winding staircase stretching from the glory of heaven to the world of wretched misery. While Jesus' descent to earth to redeem humankind began long before the foundation of the world, our first glimpse is in the stable that reeked of animal dung and moldy straw, where a newborn babe lay shivering in the chill of night, vulnerable to some of the worst conditions this globe could offer.

To me, the most stunning thing about Christ's descent from glory was His choice to let go of His role in sharing equality with God. Though he retained his deity in essence, He chose to give up His rights as God in experience, requiring Him to depend upon His heavenly Father for whatever power or wisdom or guidance He might need.

What must it have been like for the all-sufficient son of God to know that soon he would be at the mercy of weak and sinful human beings? Can you see Him there, standing on that staircase just before the Spirit placed Him in Mary's womb? What kinds of thoughts went through His mind? Surely it must have felt as if He were stepping into a swirling abyss of horror.

From that manger in Bethlehem, Christ's descent from glory soon continued. His parents became vagabonds, settling as strangers in a foreign land where their livelihood depended upon Egyptians who probably detested them. Later Mary and Joseph would establish their family in Nazareth, a place of derision even among the Jews for its lack of any distinguishing mark. As Jesus prepared for public ministry in the wilderness fast, the god of the world He'd come to save taunted Him for his fall from power, daring Him to reclaim his rights as the Almighty. He refused, and the descent went on.

For the next three years, the Son of Man sought to do his Father's will while sleeping in fields and hills, looking to benevolent women for financial support, seeking solace through prayer in the wee hours of His dark and lonely nights. Scorned by heathens, rejected by the religious elite, living under constant threat of death, the drumbeat of descent pounded out its rhythm day after difficult day.

Down and down and down the winding staircase Jesus went, as His closest followers denied and abandoned Him upon His arrest. Then, mocked, spat upon, slapped, and scourged to a bloody pulp, he was paraded through the streets like a criminal and hung to die while His earthly mother looked on in despair. And for six hours on Calvary, the Son of Man descended to the very depths of depravity, as he took on the sins of the world, leading to the most painful predicament of all--a severing of His relationship with His Father.

The Apostle's Creed asserts that Jesus even descended into hell, alluding to a verse in 1 Peter that may indicate that this took place between His death and resurrection. While theologians disagree on whether this happened or not, it seems to me that Jesus had already experienced the very worst that hell had to offer, when he was plunged into that black agony of separation from the one He'd loved and been loved by for all of eternity past.

This is just a smattering of the descent from glory that Jesus faced when He entered our world as a tiny baby. We will perhaps only grasp the scope of it when we see Him one day on His throne, radiant in splendor, attended by angels and worshiped by saints from every tribe and tongue. but there could be no better time to ponder such a thing than on Christmas Day, as we celebrate our Lord's birth.

So as we read the Christmas story and exchange our gifts and share our meals, let us take time to remember what it really cost to redeem fallen humankind. May we muse on that manger scene through the prism of the panorama in glory, where our King reigns over all, His beauty filling the temple of the heavens and splashing out across our world in whispers of wonder that we are privileged to behold. And as we do, let us bow and worship in some way befitting to the One who began that descent to secure your salvation and mine, long before this world was formed. Worthy is the lamb who was slain.

REFLECT

Today is one of celebration, family, sharing and fellowship. Take some time to give thanks for all of these things as you ponder that staircase. See Jesus going down it step by step. Read the following passage slowly and prayerfully, asking the Spirit to give you fresh revelation of what it meant for Jesus to humble Himself and become a man.

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

RESPOND

Now read the rest of the passage, turning it into a prayer of praise and worship for the King of kings and Lord of lords, whose birth we celebrate today.

(Philippians 2:9-11).

A CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY

ENJOY THE DAY!

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONALS (December 24)

2011-12-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

ANNA: HUNGER FOR GOD

READ: Luke 2:36-38, Matthew 5:6, John 6:35 (Click here to read selections from the NIV)

Her name was Anna and she was the talk of the town. First there was that temple insanity. Day in and day out she’d practically lived there for as long as anyone could remember. Some claimed her pretense of piety had gone on for decades, ever since her husband died leaving her a young widow. Praying and fasting, fasting and praying, ignoring priests and prophets, even well born Pharisees, who wagged their heads at her foolishness.

And now…well it was beyond belief. Just like that, they say she flew out of the temple laughing like a lunatic, cornering anyone crazy enough to listen to her babbling about some baby destined to be the Messiah. What in the world had gotten into her?

I find the story of Anna fascinating– three short verses that resonate with joy and intrigue. Luke tells us little about this woman he calls a prophetess, except that she’d been widowed at a young age and had given herself to temple prayer and fasting ever since. She was most likely well into her 60’s or 70’s at the time of her encounter with the infant Messiah.

The question that I can’t get away from when I read of this woman’s devotion, is why? What was it that kept Anna coming back day after day, praying… fasting… trusting that what she was doing was not in vain, though it had been centuries since Malachi had uttered the final prophecy about the Christ to come? Perhaps in the beginning it was a way to heal her heart at her husband’s loss, but wouldn’t a year or two have been sufficient to assuage her grief? And surely any ill-placed religious zeal or efforts to earn God’s approval with her piety would have petered out long before as well.

The answer might be found in bit of this woman’s heritage. Anna’s father’s name was Phanuel, derived from the altar Jacob built after wrestling all night with an angel. The name meant I have seen God face to face and I have lived (Genesis 32:30). Because names held great significance in the Hebrew culture, family members would have known well the meaning behind that of their patriarch’s. I can just imagine Phanuel holding little Anna on his lap and telling her the story of their forefather Jacob; of how he wrestled with God all night, refusing to let go until he blessed him. Perhaps Phanuel related the tale to the entire family with great dramatic flair, unfolding the details of the interaction with Deity that was so intense it put Jacob’s hip out of joint, causing him to limp for the rest of his life.

I have seen God face to face and I have lived. The meaning behind her father's name could well have been a seed that was planted in Anna's young heart, captivating her with the idea that God in heaven sometimes peeled back the veil and allowed mere mortals to encounter Him, and be transformed in the process. Perhaps in her quietest moments as a child, she had pondered that thought and prayed that one day she too could experience a divine visitation. Then, when she faced the loss of her husband at such a young age, her grief may have become like oil thrown upon the flame of desire, igniting her passion to see God like never before.

But what had caused it to continue burning so brightly those tens of years later, when Mary and Joseph arrived in the Temple that day? I believe it was because there in the shadow of the holy of holies, Anna had tasted of God's presence, and knew from experience that nothing else would ever satisfy her soul. Her life became a testimony of a paradox all of Christ's lovers eventually learn, which is that we can both hunger for the bread of Life and be filled by His tender touch all at the same time. This is, in fact, our very destiny--to be both satisfied and yet driven by desire for more of Him, until the day we too see Jesus face to face.

So as we look at this unique moment in the Christmas narrative, let us remember the woman who wouldn't let go, the saint whose hunger for God shaped her entire life. May her zeal inspire us with fresh faith to believe once again that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. And with each foretaste of glory that He imparts, let us be reminded that our hunger for Him is a promise of a greater fulfillment yet to come.

Reflect
Jesus used the words hunger and thirst to describe the condition of our souls without Him. Why are these metaphors so powerful? Have you ever considered that when you feel a dissatisfaction with the fact that God doesn’t seem as near as you’d like, that this is hunger to drive you to Him even more? That He will both fill you and leave you with hunger at the same time?

Write a note to God seeking to describe your own hunger level for Him.

Respond

Now write a prayer of affirmation based upon these words of Jesus: He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believe in me will never be thirsty.

A CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY

As you snack on Christmas goodies and prepare for special meals--shopping, cooking etc.--think about the meaning of food, and what Jesus wants to use it to teach you about His relationship with you.

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONALS (December 23)

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

SIMEON: THE FAITH THAT MAKES GOD SMILE

READ: Luke 2:22-34, Luke 18:1-8, Hebrews 11:6, Romans 8:24-25.
(Click here to read selections from the NIV)

Though the nation of Israel had endured God’s official silence for 400 years when Christ was born, apparently the Holy Spirit had continued to speak with a few select souls. It makes you wonder how many others God tried to communicate with over the years, but who simply weren’t listening. Simeon is one who was, which is why he showed up in the temple at the very time Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus to be consecrated.

The Scripture tells us that Simeon was both righteous before God and devout in the eyes of men. The context implies as well that he was an elderly man, one who had walked with God for many years. When I read the story of his encounter with Christ, I am struck by the truth that Simeon was a man of faith, the kind of faith that doesn’t give up in the face of seemingly impossible odds, the kind of faith that keeps on believing the reward will come, and thus brings a smile to the face of God.

In fact, Simeon’s life reminds me of my favorite parable on faith, the one about the importunate widow who kept coming back, asking for help until she got it. Jesus begins the parable by telling us its purpose – to keep us from losing heart and giving up. He ends the story with a powerful promise, which is that because God hears the cries of His children, He will make what is wrong, right; and He’ll do so speedily. (Of course that begs the question – what does speedily mean to the everlasting God who dwells outside of time?). Then Jesus asks this poignant question: When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on earth?

It is a sobering thought that the one thing Jesus will be looking for in His followers when He returns is faith. Faith, as it turns out, is a precious commodity in God’s economy. His Word says there is no other way to please Him, and anything we do in His name that lacks faith is actually sin. Day in and day out, the God of the Universe searches the earth, looking for even the smallest remnant of faith, so that He can reward those who bear it.

Where did Simeon get the kind of faith that kept him looking for the consolation of Israel, even into his old age? Interestingly enough, the name Simeon comes from a root word that means to hear, which is highly appropriate because Simeon was a man who listened for God’s voice and walked intimately with Him. Since faith comes by hearing God speak, it is clear that Simeon had learned to listen long.

It is an amazing thing that God speaks to His children, if we are willing to listen. He speaks first and foremost by revealing His heart through the holy Scriptures. Simeon knew the Word well, and as a result, He understood things even Jesus’ own disciples struggled to accept – that Christ came to save Jews and Gentiles alike, and that the long promised Messiah, would be one who suffered greatly. God also speaks directly to His children through His Spirit – guiding, nurturing, and nudging us with gentle impressions upon our hearts. Clearly Simeon had learned to listen carefully to that still, small voice and as a result, ended up in the right place at the right time for God to fulfill His long awaited promise.

The thing is, we don’t know, really, how many days Simeon had listened and heard nothing or how many nights he lay in bed wondering if God would ever come through. Still, he kept himself in that tender place, ever ready to hear, should the Almighty grant him a word. This, it seems to me, is at the very heart of the kind of faith that makes God smile – ears that are ever tuned to hear His voice. Whether God requires us to cling to His promises for days or weeks or months or years; faith is as simple as communing intimately with Him, waiting patiently and listening expectantly for Him to speak, even if it might seem the silence has gone on far too long.

So in these final moments before Christmas, let us remember a man named Simeon who showed us how to live by hanging on to God’s promises, listening to His voice and never letting go of the hope of reward. Like a night guard who wouldn’t quit until his shift had ended, he stayed at the ready, and when his watch was over, knew at last that he could depart this world in peace. Let us honor the memory of this great saint by listening ourselves for the gentle whispers of our Lord, so that we too may be granted the gift of persevering faith.

REFLECT

So often we see faith as something hard to acquire, or we feel guilty because we struggle with doubt, and at times want to give up. How does Simeon’s story speak to you? Have you seen faith as directly connected to your intimate journey with God? Come before the Lord today, offering yourself afresh, asking Him to speak so that your faith will increase for whatever unfulfilled promises or difficult situations you might face.

RESPOND

Ponder the reality that faith brings God pleasure, so much so that He waits to reward those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Read the following promises and write prayers of thanksgiving to Him in light of them:

Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. Romans 4:20-21

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20

For this is contained in Scripture: "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." 1 Peter 2:6

A CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY

Make today a day to practice listening to the Lord. In your moments of greatest busyness, plan a timeout where you simply stop, acknowledge God’s presence, ask Him to speak to whatever situation you face at that time, and then listen for Him to speak. You might be surprised at all He has to say!

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONALS (December 22)

2011-12-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

THE WISE MEN: MAGI AND MYSTERIES

READ: Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11, Malachi 2:3-4, Psalm 141:2, revelation 5:8, John 19:38-40 (Click here to read selections from the NIV)

My love language is gifts, which means, according to author Gary Smalley, that while some people need encouraging words or acts of service, and others need quality time or physical touch in order to feel loved, all I need for you to do is give me a present. (When you add that to the fact that it has to be a surprise, you can see the kind of pressure my poor husband lives under!) This probably explains why my favorite part of the Christmas story is when the magi from the East brought gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ child, the act which most likely spawned the centuries old tradition of giving gifts in celebration of His birth.

As it turns out, the fact that they brought gifts might be the only detail we come close to getting right when we include those wise men in our plays or carols or creches. Even a cursory read of Matthew's account of their journey reveals that they were never at the manger, and had to have arrived much later. (I think of that every year when I set out my mother of pearl nativity set, and solve the problem by setting them slightly apart just to prove that I am not Biblically illiterate). There are, however, a few other fallacies about the Magi that seem to have become embedded in the Christmas story.

For example, the Bible never calls the wise men kings, nor does it tell us where they came from, other than the East, or that they arrived on camels. In fact, nothing indicates that they actually followed a star, although they definitely saw one before they started on their journey, and were filled with great joy when they saw it again as they approached Bethlehem. Though Scripture mentions three gifts, it doesn't tell us that there were only three Magi--there could have been a dozen of them. All of this then begs the question, how did we end up with these notions about the wise mens' role in the drama of Christ's birth?

An in-depth Internet search on the subject set my head spinning. What I discovered is that scholars differ on the source of every one of these things, although many "experts" assert their opinions with a great deal of authority. After a few frustrating hours of trying to assimilate the plethora of information out there, I threw up my hands and asked for wisdom from above. When things didn't get any clearer, it occurred to me that perhaps God never intended for us to try to ferret out the intricate details of these men's role in the story...that all along He has left us in the dark for good reason. Why? For one thing, because He is a God of wonder and mystery, and loves the way we end up wrestling through His Word.

But beyond that, perhaps the secrecy in this slice of the story is meant to point us to the one thing that is beyond dispute, which is that the Magi from the east brought gifts to the Christ child. What would God want us to glean from this reality? Perhaps it is as simple as getting a glimpse of God’s appreciation for giving, or coming to understand that the inclination to bless others is at the very heart of His character. These alone are awesome truths. But then, what about the actual gifts? Are there some deep spiritual truths inherent in the symbolism of gold, frankincense and myrrh? Well, if you like your packages neatly wrapped (no pun intended); even this might be a bit disappointing. Once again, scholars offer a host of ideas about these things, many of which are fascinating to consider and have some basis in Scripture, but in the end, they are all still, simply ideas.

So as we wrap our gifts and tie our bows and enter into the joy of giving this week, let us give thanks for the mystery of three men who traveled far from home bearing treasures fit for a King. With each present we offer – to those we love or to strangers in need – let us remember that giving has always been God’s idea, that He does indeed love to give good and perfect gifts to all of His children. And in the rush of final preparations for Christmas, may we each find at least one quiet moment to kneel before our King as the Magi did so long ago, and offer Him that which will bring Him the greatest pleasure, the one thing no one else can give – the love we each have for Him in our hearts.

REFLECT

While Scripture is not definitive on the symbolism of the gifts the Magi brought, it makes a great study, and there are incredible insights to glean. I have included a few references in the Scripture readings for today. Go back and read them again (click here). Spend some time pondering these three things, asking God to speak to you personally about their meaning for your life today. Ask Him these two questions about each of them:

Lord, is there a truth about yourself that You want to captivate my heart with today in regards to this?

Lord, is there something about my own life You want to reveal in regards to this?

RESPOND

Take a few minutes right now to physically kneel before the Lord, imagining what it must have felt like for the Magi when they met the Messiah. What was it like the first time you met Him? Offer Him yourself afresh, and worship the King.

A CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY

It’s time to get creative! Consider the three gifts of the Magi and try to come up with a way to tell the Gospel story, using these. You could do so through teaching, or even coming up with a fictional story about the three gifts. Share what you come up with over dinner with your family or some friends.

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONALS (December 21)

2011-12-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

HEROD: THE WORST KIND OF BONDAGE

READ: Matthew 2:1-8, 16-18, Luke 4:16-21 (Click here to read selections from the NIV)

Herod the Great was nearing the end of a twisted and tormented life on that momentous day when magi from the east came looking for the Messiah. At age 68, his body was wracked with a horrible disease that left him barely able to function. With grim determination, the troubled king of Judea fought to retain his hold on the throne, having no use for anyone who might seek to usurp it. Though clearly he'd be dead long before this prophesied One would become a threat, the deranged king had all baby boys under the age of two in the region slaughtered anyway. It was one more atrocity in a lengthy span of evil, the likes of which this world has rarely seen.

Herod's meteoric rise to fame began when his father made him the tetrarch of Galilee as a teenager. By the time he was 30 he had paid his way into the highest levels of Roman government, and as a reward was made king of Judea. Because of his excessive cruelty and questionable adherence to Judaism (his mother was of Arab descent), he was never accepted or viewed with regard by the Jews under his reign. When the Sanhedrin began to take a stand against his pagan practices, he abolished their rule and replaced the centuries old inheritance system with one of buying and selling, so that he could ensure every priest's loyalty to Rome. In the process, he had many of them killed, including one who had become like a spiritual father to him.

Later, in an effort to garner favor with the Jews, he rebuilt Solomon's Temple, a beautiful edifice of white, blue and yellow marble. However, when he placed a pagan golden eagle at the entrance, some young Hebrew men tore it down and smashed it to pieces, a stand that cost them their lives. Needless to say, as lovely as the Temple was, it did not serve to increase Herod's popularity with the vast majority of his Jewish subjects.

Though Herod had several wives, his greatest love was a beautiful Hasmonean princess named Miramne. For no apparent reason, he began to suspect her of having an affair, and being riddled with jealousy, brought charges against her. Miriamne was executed after he bribed his own sister to testify against her. Many suspected the real problem was that Miriamne had greater favor with the Jews than he did, something he could not bear. History suggests that shortly after this event, Herod lost his mind and never fully recovered.

Time will not allow the stories of all those whom Herod had brutally murdered because he perceived them to be a threat. Throughout the 37 years of his monarchy, his cruelty cast a long dark shadow over his accomplishments, one that remains to this day. When he realized that he was facing his final hours, he demanded that all Jews be rounded up and executed, so that the nation would have reason to mourn upon his death. In the end, his sister Salome released the thousands of Jews from the Hippodrome, preventing a massacre of immeasurable proportion.

Herod lived in a prison of soul, a dungeon of depravity from which no amount of fame or fortune or political power could free him. What brought him to such a fate? Perhaps it began with his mixed race heritage that prevented him from ever being accepted in either culture. Maybe it was the hurt he felt when his father gave him the region of Galilee, while his brother got the coveted one of Jerusalem. Or maybe it was the outcome of being born under the banner of Rome, a tyrant government that showed no mercy for weakness and little use for anyone who didn't serve their purposes. We can only guess at the reasons for Herod's brutality, but the truth is that the king who tried to have the baby Jesus killed, lived in bondage all his life, shut up in the worst kind of prison--that of the mind.

So as Christmas carols fill the air and warm fires burn in our decorated living rooms, let us not forget this dark page in the story of Christ's birth. Yes, the plan to kill the babe was thwarted by a Sovereign God, but there is a greater lesson to glean from Herod's life than that. Let us remember that the seeds of such evil dwell in the sinful souls of every one of us, and that the bondage Herod knew is one many people awake to this very day. May our hearts soar with wonder that though we too were once shut up in a prison, with no means of escape, we follow a King who came to bring God's favor--a favor that saves and heals, that sets captives free and leads the oppressed to liberty. And as we remember, let us give thanks for the babe who grew up to crush the bars and rescue you and me, and now stands ready to bind our broken hearts, heal our hidden hurts, and restore our souls to wholeness, once again.

REFLECT

Read the following words of Jesus slowly and meditatively (meditation implies turning something over and over in your mind again and again, like looking at all the facets and prisms in a beautiful diamond):

The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Luke 4:17-21

RESPOND

Spend a few minutes pondering what your life would have been like, had Jesus not set you free. Don't rush past this...what kind of mental prison might you be living in now, if He hadn't?

Are there any areas you still feel bound up in? Offer this to the Lord, and ask Him to free you and heal you. Read the above passage one more time and affirm that it is true for your personally, as you wait in His presence. Then worship the King of grace.

A CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY

Many of the neediest people in the world are those who live in mental prisons. Reach out to one of them today. You'll find them in mental wards and on the streets--people who have lost touch with reality, and know no way out. Pray for God's direction, and do an act of practical kindness. Bring a stocking to someone in a mental hospital or ward, or offer a cup of coffee or some Christmas goodies to a troubled homeless person. Pray for them when you do!

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONALS (December 20)

2011-12-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

ANGELS: LONGING TO LOOK

READ: Luke 2:9-15, Mark 1:13, Matthew 26:52-53, Luke 22:42, Ephesians 3:10, 1 Peter 1:10-12 (Click here to read selections from the NIV).

If there is one group that dominates the drama of Christ's birth, it is that of the angels. What would the Christmas story be without Gabriel and friends stunning Zachariah in the temple, or announcing the call to Mary, or appearing to Joseph in a dream to explain the situation, or proclaiming the Messiah's birth to the shepherds and enveloping them in glorious song? For that matter, what would Christmas be without a rousing chorus of Hark the Herald Angels Sing?

Of course, angelic participation in Jesus' life extends far beyond the holy family's humble beginnings. Whether warning Joseph of impending danger, or telling him it was time to move back home, or ministering to Jesus, the young man, during His 40-day wrestling match with Satan, or strengthening Him in the garden of Gethsemane, angels were always showing up. You almost get the sense that the hosts of heaven hung around the Son of God all the time, just waiting for a chance to do something, hoping to be of service to Him in some way.

As it turns out, that is exactly what they were doing. When Peter sliced off a temple guard's ear as they arrested Jesus, he informed the disciples that He could call twelve legions--one for each of them--which meant that over ten thousand angels hovered at His beck and call in the unseen realm. Peter later wrote to the new believers that God's plan to save the world was something angels yearned to understand. The word he used implied an insatiable curiosity and depicted them stooping down and examining all the parts, hoping somehow to finally grasp the big picture. Angels, it seems, were privy only to the snippets of the story that God chose to bring them into.

Can you imagine Gabriel heading back to heaven with the details he'd discovered about the Almighty planning to enter a woman's womb? can you hear that heavenly chorus jabbering all at once, trying to figure out what the song they were given to sing over a band of peasants on a hillside could mean? How would the morning stars who once sang for joy over creation have described that troubling scene where the One who spoke the world into existence now lay in a heap with blood oozing from his pores? Could the story of their Master sacrificing His life to save those who scorned His glory and rejected His love, ever make sense to the angels who existed to do Christ's bidding?

At first glance, the answer would seem to be no, that the angels will never have the blessing of understanding redemption's story. After all, the Gospel is a mystery that even those of us who are made in God's image must grapple with, gaining understanding only when God opens the eyes of our hearts by His grace. But Paul wrote of a profound reality, one that boggles the mind, which is that those who've been purchased with the blood of Christ actually have the privilege of making this mystery known to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. How in the world is that supposed to happen?

Paul doesn't go on to explain, but it seems to me that it must be through the way our lives are transformed once the Spirit of God comes to live within us. Isn't it true that the Gospel story is being retold every time we choose to take up our cross and die to our flesh, so that the light of Christ shines more brightly through us? This is amazing, when you think about it. With each work God does in your heart and mine to make us more like Him, heavenly hosts are stooping down to eagerly watch, insatiably curious to see why he sent His Son to earth on that first Christmas 2000 years ago.

So as we rejoice in our own salvation this Christmas season, let us take delight that not only has God redeemed us, but He's enabled us to see the beauty of His plan formed before the foundation of the world. And as we go about our holiday busyness, let us remember that we are being looked upon with wonder--that our lives are on display before myriads of angels who long to understand the glorious mystery of the Gospel. May we pray that as they watch us this day, their wish will indeed be granted.

REFLECT

Consider that your life is the story of redemption, that the transforming power of Christ within you is one of the ways God makes His manifold wisdom known to the angels. Ponder this reality for a few minutes. Reflect on the truth that as a participant in the Gospel, you have privileges that the angels who live in God's very presence yearn to get a glimpse of. What might these be?

RESPOND

The glory of God refers to all that He is--His character, attributes and ways. What would you want your life to say to the angels about God's glory, which perhaps they don't know on their own? (Remember that they have no personal experience of salvation). Make a list of these things and give God thanks, worshipping Him for the wonder of being human, and being His child.

A CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY

Look around for angel decorations--on the tree, on wreaths, in stores etc. Each time you see one, ponder the amazing truth that God has chosen you to display His glories to the angels who fill the unseen realm.

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONALS (December 19)

2011-12-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

THE SHEPHERDS: FOOTLOOSE AND FREE-SPIRITED

READ: Luke 2:8-20 (Click here to read selections from the NIV)

Do you ever find yourself saying a word or phrase, and wondering where it came from? As I was pondering the lives of the shepherds in the Christmas story, the word 'footloose' came to mind, I suppose because of the way they dropped everything and went to Bethlehem to see the newborn King. Apparently the term, which originated a couple of centuries ago, was used to describe sails on certain ships that were allowed to hang loose along the foot, because there was nothing to attach them to. Calling these sails footloose, those particular ships gained a reputation of having a mind of their own, often sailing away in some completely different direction than planned. Today the term is used to refer to someone who seems to be a free spirit, charting their own path, with nothing to tie them down.

I don't know if you can really describe those shepherds as footloose. After all, they were poor peasants, trying to make a living in one of the most difficult occupations of that time. Day by day they wandered the hillsides outside of Bethlehem, moving their small flock around, making sure they got their fill of healthy foliage. At night they drew together--perhaps for camaraderie or comfort or for the safety found in numbers. Sleeping under the stars, they had to protect their lambs from predators like wolves or other savage beasts, making sure they didn't wander off. The livelihood of a shepherd's family, which may have included their parents or widowed sisters, rested on his shoulders. Even if he was a free spirit at heart, or footloose in his yearnings, a shepherd didn't have the luxury of doing whatever suited his fancy at any given time.

That's what makes that group's reaction so intriguing. There they were, resting after a long, tedious day, perhaps sharing some bread and swapping stories, having no idea that they were about to be brought into the drama for which all of history had been preparing. Out of nowhere, some strange and ethereal light splattered the night sky and an angel materialized at their feet, telling them of a savior born in a stable. If that wasn't enough to make them want to run for their lives, the deafening sound of an angel choir singing something like the Hallelujah chorus, came crashing in on every side. What in the world were they to think?

But that's just it--they didn't think. They didn't stop to talk about what they had seen, or to plan a course of action. They didn't debate what to do with their sheep, or how they'd convince anyone of what they had seen, or where they would go once they got to Bethlehem, a city bulging with a million pilgrims. One of them must have said, "Let's go," and they all took off as if they hadn't a care in the world.

I'd like to think I would have done the same thing, but to be honest, I'm not so sure. Though I've never witnessed the glory of the Lord filling the sky above me, or had an angel set my heart pounding, or heard a heavenly host singing arias to the most High god, there have been times when God broke into my life, when his presence was real and His voice strong, and nothing should have kept me from running to Him with all my might. I look back with wonder at the times I did--those pinpricks of glory that dot the landscape of my years. But I wonder how many moments of splendor, how many opportunities to be a part of God's eternal plan that I missed, simply because I couldn't break away from the tyranny of urgent activities.

So join me as we embrace these days of Christmas, and let us open our hearts and minds and ears by seeking to be the kind of free spirits those shepherds were. May we learn to be footloose--open to dropping everything, if only for a minute or an hour or even an entire day, just to go wherever our Lord might choose to lead us. Who knows what glories might be ours for the taking if we do?

REFLECT

As you look back at your life, can you recall a time or times when God revealed Himself to you in some way, and you dropped everything just to be with Him, or to follow His call? Spend a few minutes reminiscing with a grateful heart. Do you live with openness to God's interruptions? In light of what you might be missing, ask Him to show you what might hinder you from being at His beck and call, ready to change your course or alter your plans at the sound of His voice. Spend some time in repentance, offering yourself anew for the adventure of being footloose with the Living God.

RESPOND

Worship the Lord as you imagine what it would have been like to hear the choir of angels singing, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men on whom His favor rests.

Offer your own song of praise, personalizing the Psalm below:

Send forth your light and your truth,
let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
Then will I go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God. (Psalm 43:3-4)

A CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY

Ask God to enable you to do something completely out of the ordinary today. Listen for His voice throughout the day, and when you hear the gentle whisper, drop everything as best you can, and go do it.

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONALS (December 18)

2011-12-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

MARY: TENDER AND TOUGH

READ: Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:3-5, Matthew 2:13-14, 19-23, 13:54-55, Luke 4:22 (Click here to read selections from the NIV)

One sunny day in March of 2008, Abdel-Quader, a government employee in southern Iraq, discovered that his 17 year old daughter Rand had been seen in public, chatting with a British soldier. Enraged, he waited for her to come home, at which time he stomped on, suffocated and then stabbed the young girl to death. Though he was arrested, he was released two hours later, after having been congratulated by the police for acting to restore his family's honor in the face of the girl's immorality. The murder was fully sanctioned by Sharia law, although Rand had done nothing more than engage in conversation with the soldier during her breaks at work.

Though there were no such laws in first century Judea, the culture in which the teenage Mary had grown up would have had some similar values. People, for example, were not viewed as individuals, but rather as members of their group or clan, and therefore, whatever one person did, reflected on all of them. Nazareth was a small, conservative village with only about 400 inhabitants, which meant that everyone would most likely have been drawn into her pregnancy in some way. The fact that Mary claimed it was an act of God surely only made matters worse.

Yet, when the angel appeared announcing God's call to Mary, her response was nothing short of miraculous. Though deeply troubled at first, she answered with humble acquiescence and then broke out with the Magnificat, one of the most glorious psalms of worship ever written. Truly this was a girl with a tender heart toward the God of her childhood.

You have to think, though, that as she stood before her father sharing her news, that a measure of fear robbed her of the joy she'd experienced earlier. Even Joseph's plan to marry her could not have assuaged the rage and shame and sadness the teenager's dad must have felt, and probably expressed. Mary's baptism by fire had begun. As if months of rejection and scorn weren't enough, the very pregnant girl had to travel 80 miles in six days through the desert on a donkey, only to encounter a maelstrom of frustrated pilgrims fighting for lodging, and finally give birth in a grotto that sheltered sheep, with no sister or aunt or mother or midwife to hold her hand. Mary was mired in a crucible of God's making, toughening her up for even greater heartache to come.

By the time she'd raised Jesus, Mary had become a strong, confident, even headstrong woman. At the wedding in Cana, she quickly dismissed her son's objection to doing miracles before his time, telling the servants to follow his orders. She traveled with him off and on after that, until the day Jesus discharged her by declaring that it was the ones who did His Father's will, who were now his mother and brothers and sisters.

That is the last we hear of Mary until those hours when Jesus hung in a bloodied heap from the cross of Calvary. While most of His disciples fled in fear, the woman whose womb had carried Him looked bravely on, as her first-born took his final breaths. What memories flashed across her mind in those painful hours? Did the roar of the mocking crowd bring back the ridicule she had faced so long ago? When the soldiers bartered for his ragged robe, did she see herself in that stable, swaddling her infant against the chill of night? When water and blood shot from the stab wound in her Son's side, did she hear a distant echo of Simeon in the temple, warning her of a sword that would pierce her soul? In that moment, did she weep and wail and wonder how in the world she would ever recover?

And yet, recover, she did, at least in part, for the book of Acts tells us that Mary was there after Christ's ascension, praying with Peter and James and John and all the others as they waited for power from on high in the upper room. Only eternity will reveal the role she played in those days of the early church and the spread of the gospel throughout the land, and beyond.

So, as Christmas comes, let us consider this woman who pondered things in her heart, and loved the glory of Almighty God. Let us remember the way her trials shaped her, and the strength she gleaned from the sacrifices she made. And as we see her pressing on, pushing through, and persevering in the face of a kind of pain we cannot even begin to comprehend, let us give thanks; for we all are, to this day, in that woman's debt.

REFLECT

Pain is inevitable for those who would follow Christ, but as we see in Mary's life, there is always purpose in it. As you think of her story, ask God to show you how He has used your own struggles to make you into his chosen vessel. Offer Him your heart and life to do with as He wills, once again. Speak the simple words that Mary prayed aloud: Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; Let it be to me according to Your word."

RESPOND

Worship the Lord by personalizing the Magnificat, the prayer of Mary, upon learning of God's call:

Psalm 104:1-2, 31-34

"My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers."

A CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY

Write Mary's words of submission on a card and carry it with you throughout the day, offering it up as often as possible, as your own prayer. Share it with someone else: Behold, i am the servant of the Lord; Let it be to me according to Your word.

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONALS (December 17)

2011-12-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

JOSEPH: A QUIET OBEDIENCE
READ: Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:3-5, Matthew 13:54-55, Luke 4:22 (Click here to read selections from the NIV)

If there is one character in the Christmas story that seems to get short shrift, it would have to be Joseph. Maybe it's because he wasn't Jesus biological father, or perhaps it's that so little is said about him after Christ's birth. Whatever the reason, people don't talk about Joseph much, to this day.

But when you think about it, being the foster father of the Messiah had to have turned that carpenter's life upside down, in ways we probably fail to fully appreciate. It would be hard, for example, to measure the price he paid in loss of reputation and privacy and respect, when he married the young pregnant woman instead of finding a nice way to her out of his life. Beyond that, consider the inner turmoil that must have plagued him as he faithfully raised the boy--wrestled with him and taught him and disciplined him and tucked him in at night--knowing all along that it wasn't really his son at all. Surely Joseph's heart was pierced the time he searched frantically all over the temple for Jesus during their annual visit, only to have the twelve year old ask, "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"

Though we can surmise about these things, the reality is that Scripture gives us little to remember Joseph by. After the temple visit, he fades from view and we have no record of how or when he died. In all of the Gospel narratives, there is nothing written about what he felt, or the things he might have said when the angel woke him, or he took Mary as his own, or when the Baby Jesus was born. It almost feels as if he was a strangely silent bystander over the course of the entire ordeal. Apparently, Joseph of Nazareth had nothing to say at all.

Or did he?

Actually, even a cursory glance at Jesus' early years suggests that Joseph left us a profound legacy--not in words, but through his acts of quiet obedience. When Gabriel told him to wed his pregnant fiance, he did so without argument. When an angel warned him to leave Bethlehem, he took Mary and baby Jesus and traveled to a hostile land where they would have no family, no friends and no source of income. When Herod died and God told him to take his family back to Israel, Joseph packed up and went, once again. And when he got there, only to be warned not to settle in Judea, which was most likely his original plan, he journeyed instead to Galilee to set up housekeeping, an act that opened the door for the fulfillment of the prophecy that the Savior would be a Nazarene.

What is the legacy we glean from these few scattered verses about the legal guardian of our Lord? Whatever else Joseph might have been, he was a man who feared God above all, and as a result, readily relinquished his rights to comfort or a career or status or security, or even personal identity. Though every decision to do what God asked was a costly one, we find in the actions of Joseph of Nazareth no sense of resistance.

So, as we approach Christmas, let us look a little more intently at this man whose quiet obedience tells a story all its own. May his life cause us to consider what kind of message the actions in our personal narratives send to those who may be watching on any given day. And as we remember this one who stood so humbly at the edges of the Christmas chronicle, may we offer our hearts afresh to the God he served with such unfettered abandonment.

REFLECT

In what ways to you think the assumptions of our culture concerning things like self-esteem, identity, financial security, and personal fulfillment have influenced your spiritual journey? Spend some time prayerfully meditating on Joseph's quiet obedience in light of your own life. Is there anything God has asked you to leave behind? What has been your response? Is there any area you have marked off as 'untouchable' to God--perhaps not in a conscious, deliberate deicsion, but through a resistance to listen to His still, small voice? Offer your heart to Him today, asking God to give you the kind of tenderness toward Him that we see in the heart of Joseph.

RESPOND

While our tendency is to focus on the person, when we observe such radical obedience, Joseph's actions reveal something far more important--the greatness of the God he served. Only the Almighty, full of grace and glory, could inspire such amazing submission. Worship Him this morning as you make the following verses your own.

Psalm 104:1-2, 31-34

Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD my God, You are very great;
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak,
Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.
Let the glory of the LORD endure forever;
Let the LORD be glad in His works;
He looks at the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
Let my meditation be pleasing to Him;
As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD.

A CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY

Look for opportunities to respond with quiet obedience to the Lord as you go throughout this day.

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONALS (December 16)

2011-12-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

JOHN THE BAPTIST: COURIER OF JOY
READ: Luke 1:13-16, 39-43, 57, 80, John 3:25-30 (Click here to read selections from the NIV)

In 1623 a woman in France gave birth to one of the greatest mathematical minds in history. From early on he demonstrated amazing genius, discovering at the age of twelve that the sum of the angles of a triangle is equal to two right angles--a fact now taught in every basic geometry class. As an adult, Blaise Paschal devoted himself to mathematical experiments and traveled about lecturing on his findings. Then one night something happened that changed everything.

He was driving a coach home when the lead horses took fright and fled wildly across a bridge railing into the dark waters below. had the reins not snapped, Paschal would have plunged to his death, a reality that deeply affected him. Later that night as he pondered his near-death experience, the presence of God descended in a dramatic way. He wrote of it on a piece of parchment and secured it in an amulet that he kept next to his heart. Giving up mathematical pursuits, he went on to devote himself completely to Christ. Upon his death they found the amulet around his neck, with the paper he'd written that night. It contained these words:...O righteous Father, the world hath not know Thee, but I have known Thee. Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy.

Joy ought to be the life song of every Christ-follower, for it flows from the heart of God and resonates on page after page of Scripture. The Christmas story is replete with expressions of gladness and calls to rejoice, and nowhere is this seen more keenly than in Christ's forerunner and cousin, John the Baptist.

John's joy as a young man was wrapped up in the wonder of being chosen to announce something as incredible as the coming of the Messiah. Though he preached a hard message of repentance, there is never the sense that he viewed his calling as anything but the delight of his soul. He made this clear to his disciples one day when they were concerned that he was losing his standing to the newcomer named Jesus of Nazareth. Though he'd told them many times that he was only there to prepare the way, they lost sight of that when the crowds thinned around them, flocking instead to the One whom John declared was the Lamb of god who takes away the sins of the world.

As they shared their concerns, John explained that he was like a best man in a wedding, waiting with everyone else for the bridegroom to arrive. Once he heard the bridegroom's voice, he knew the wedding was imminent, and joy completely consumed him. Nothing brought John greater happiness than to know that he was fading into the background, even as Jesus gained in popularity. In reality, Jesus' appearance was the beginning of the end for John; a horrifying one that he may very well have suspected was on the horizon even as he spoke of his joy being made full.

So with every Christmas carol we sing in the coming days, let us cling to the truth that we are made for joy, that no matter what our life might hold on any given day, our very birthright as believers is to know gladness of heart. Think of it. We too have the privilege of preparing the way, of listening for the Bridegroom's voice as He comes to us. And as we live to see Him increase and ourselves decrease, we will, like John the Baptist, have our joy made full to overflowing.

REFLECT

Though joy is our birthright as children of God, we often have to enter into a fight of faith in order to experience it. Consider your own life today. Is it permeated with joy in Christ? Are you motivated by pleasure to do His will? Do you live to enjoy Jesus more? In what ways might you need to enter into battle to reclaim your right to joy?

RESPOND

John the Baptist rejoiced to hear the Bridegroom's voice. Ask Jesus to speak to your heart today by giving you a revelation of who he is and His presence with you, as you read the following verses. Spend some time worshiping by rejoicing in Him.

1 Chronicles 16:32-34

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

let the field exult, and everything in it!

Then shall the trees of hte forest sing for joy

before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

for His steadfast love endures forever!

A CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY

Make the Christmas carol, Joy to the World your song of the day. Click here to sing the song and worship with Chris Tomlin. As you sing it to yourself, think of joy as the greatest gift of all in Christ. Celebrate!

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONALS (DECEMBER 15)

2011-12-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth: A Gentle Strength

READ: Luke 1:5-7, 23-25, 39-45, 56-60 (Click here to read selections from the NIV)

There are people like Elizabeth in each of our lives--those unsung heroes who walk quietly and faithfully before God. They are the ones we want to run to when we struggle, as well as when we soar. Knowing that they are there and will give us just what we need when we come to call, is like an old, familiar song that plays somewhere comfortably in the back of our minds.

What made Elizabeth the kind of person her teenage niece would want to stay with during her first months of pregnancy? Scripture tells us Elizabeth was six months along herself, but would that have been the only thing drawing Mary to make the journey alone to see her? What else do we know of this woman who played such a significant role in preparing for the coming of the Messiah?

First, Elizabeth was a righteous woman who walked honorably before God. She had tried to keep His commandments as carefully as possible all the days of her long life. This would have been no small feat under the best of circumstances, but in her case, it meant trusting Him even as the one thing every Hebrew woman desperately craved--a child of her own--eluded her year after year after year, into old age.

What I love about Elizabeth is that there is simply no trace of bitterness in her story. Though others would have looked with disdain upon her unfortunate circumstances, viewing her as deficient in some way, there's no evidence that she'd taken offense at all, nor does she seem to waste time with self-recrimination, or second guessing God about how this could have happened in light of her faithfulness before Him. This, I believe, is more than anything, what made Mary want to be in her presence during the most trying time of her life. The young girl needed someone who would do exactly what Elizabeth did--rejoice with her and give God glory over an outrageous situation that would cause countless others to question or condemn her outright.

Those three months must have been a wondrous time for the two women, with Elizabeth encouraging and instructing Mary in everything from a proper diet to handling those famous false contractions. I suspect they had many conversations about what it would mean to riase children that belonged wholly to God and His purposes. I can just see them pondering, praying together and preparing their hearts for the days to come. In the end, there is no doubt that Elizabeth's gentle strength was a gift Mary would treasure her whole life as the mother of the incarnate Christ.

On these days before Christmas, let us consider what it means to trust God in every circumstance, to walk before Him with honor, even when we cannot see His hand. Above all, let us remember the spiritual strength of this amazing woman, and choose daily as she did, to refuse to be offended at how God orders the course of our lives. This is the greatest preparation we can make for the miracles that have yet to unfold and the call to God's purposes that await us in the days to come.

REFLECT

Many of us find ourselves struggling in these troubling times to see how God is working or what His plan is for the difficult situations we face. Pause and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you, asking Him questions such as: Lord, how do you want to encourag me with Elizabeth's life? What do You want to show me of Yourself through this? Jot the things you sense Him saying in your journal.

What would you like other people to conclude about the God you serve from the way you approach hard times or seasons when prayer seems to go unanswered? What changes might you need to make, in light of this desire?

RESPOND

Read the following passage prayerfully, asking God to impart its truths to your heart and life. Then re-write it in your own words, as it relates to your personal situation. Make it a psalm of praise and worship to the Lord.

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
and there be no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will exult in teh LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

A CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY

Call or write a note to someone who has been there for you spiritually in the past and thank them for their faithfulness and witness in your life.

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS (DECEMBER 14)

2011-12-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

ZECHARIAH: GOD'S GLORIOUS SURPRISES

READ: Luke 1:1-22, 56-66 (Click here to read selections from the NIV)

I love surprises. To my poor husband's chagrin, I refuse to participate in the shabby tradition of telling him what to get me for Christmas. I know it's a practical way to exchange gifts, and one that lots of people prefer, but to me, Christmas without surprises is like a cupcake without the frosting. I still eat it, but feel like I've somehow missed out on the best part.

I know I'm in good company here, because when you read the stories of Christ's birth, it is easy to see that God loves surprises too. Take the first narrative Luke unfolds for us, where an unknown priest shows up for his annual ministry at the Temple and gets waylaid by an angel as he burns incense on the altar. When Gabriel announces Zachariah's role in the grand Gospel story, Scripture says he became paralyzed with fear. Terror soon gave way to cynicism, however, as the angel promised him the surprise of his life--a chance to father a son in his very old age.

The thing about God's surprises is that so often they come when hope is gone and dreams have died. Not only had Zechariah given up on having a son, but he was one of millions of Israelites who had heard nothing from God for over 400 years. Think of it. For ten generations there had been no angel visitations, no angry prophets, no clouds by day or fires by night, no temples filling with smoke or Mount Sinai's quaking with the glory of the Lord. It would be safe to say that most of God's children were living with little anticipation of the promised Messiah showing up to free them from the tyranny of Rome.

Another thing about God's surprises is that although they seem to come when time has run out, we discover in retrospect that His plan was perfect to accomplish His goals. In His sovereign wisdom, the Almighty carefully lines things up, preparing the way for break-through, even though we may be oblivious to His working, and perhaps have even given up. Yet, we can look back and see the ways in which every detail of how, and when God chose to act, played a critical role.

In this story, for example, Zachariah had left the hills of Judea to come to the busy metropolis of Jerusalem. He was not ministering at the temple alone in the early morning or late at night, but at mid-day when the crowds came to offer prayers and hundreds would see him come out and know that something supernatural had occurred. And though Zachariah came as a priest to perform his temple duties once a year, this was the only time in his life when the lot fell for him to enter into the holy of holies. What better place to be ambushed by God?

All in all, when you consider what would soon unfold, God had a pretty novel idea to kick the whole thing off. Not only did an old man get a wish that he'd long ago given up on, but his miracle baby would prepare the way for the fulfillment of the greatest promise ever given, the coming of the Messiah.

So as we enter the final stretch before Christmas, let us ponder deeply the story of a faithful priest and the people of God who endured 400 years of Sovereign silence. And may we take delight that we have a heavenly Father who, when least expected, loves to come crashing into our world with glorious surprises.

REFLECT

Although Zachariah was struck mute because of his cynicism and unbelief, God used his failure to draw attention to His own power (see verses 57-66). Are there areas in your life where you have given up hope of God breaking in? Does unbelief keep you from an abiding trust in God's Word and His ways? If so, offer these things to the Lord, asking Him to give you a fresh start. Affirm that He will use even your unbelief to accomplish His purposes in His time. Write your thoughts to the Lord in a journal.

RESPOND

Zachariah burst out in praise as soon as God loosened his lips. Read his words below aloud, personalizing them as your own prayer of praise to God.

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace."

A CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY

Plan a way to surprise someone who might least expect it today. As you experience the joy of doing so, reflect on how God takes pleasure in bestowing surprises upon His children.

Tis the season?

2011-12-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

Why is it, as Christmas comes…the heartaches seem to pile up...press in like a vice...threatening to pilfer our souls?

…the husband dead in an Arizona apartment, my friend caring for his shattered wife and children…texting a desperate cry for prayer.

...the bright boy, struck down with a debilitating disease two years ago—now hope fading, weakly whispering at the breakfast table, “Mom, I don’t want to be like this…”

These are only two…hearts breaking…friends…family…people I love.

You know Lord…this ache in me, and the cries continually pouring forth…in my waking moments, and the dark of night…especially the dark of night.

Lord, where are you? Today, this week, this moment...Are you there? Are you in the heavens, doing Your will?

I wait in this silence.

Then…outside my window…a drop of dew, tiny pinprick of moisture on the bare branch.

And a still, small voice—your voice...

This is how it is…your answers so small that I might not even notice. So often, I do not.

…and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

There in the wilderness…every morning, this layer of dew…disappearing under the warmth of the morning sun…but under the dew...a fine, flake like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.

Manna…bread of life…

but...not what I was expecting.

Why do I always look for the writing on the wall...

Scan the horizon for rainbows stretched out like glittering jewels...

Refuse to settle for less than a mountain that quakes with smoke...

to assure me that you are here, that you have come, that you have not forgotten us?

But instead… hidden under the smallest things… answers that don’t seem like answers at all, until I take the time to hold them in my hand…

and I realize how you have sustained me, fed me, provided for me.

...for us.

Take, eat…this is My body, broken for you…

Bread of life…Let us see them Lord… drops of dew, fine flake like things...

Whispers of hope waiting for us to gather up in our hands and eat and live…

2011-11-17T06:52:00.000-08:00

He's not yet two...this sweet boy who watches my face for every nuance of change.

"Grandma, keep an eye on him because he pounds the marker pens and ruins them." His older sister had warned me.

And there he was--pounding and looking at me with a question in his eyes.

"No Roman, let's draw with the pen,"

So we drew--he the short squiggles and me a butterfly...

And then he pounded, carefully watching my face.

"Roman, pens are for coloring, not for pounding." (parenting 101--say it in the positive).

This time he didn't color--just watched me. "Roman--should I color the wings with green and orange?" (parenting 101 take 2: try distraction)

"Yeah." So I color and he watches and...

...pounds the pen.

Gently, I take it from him, "Roman no more pen--remember we said no pounding."

I wasn't prepared--not for the rush of tears, the hiccuping sobs, the running away to his sister for comfort.

An hour later his mom came home and when she asked him if he'd had fun with grandma, he acted out pounding the pen, letting her know of the incident.

"He watches faces." she told me. "Every nuance of change, he notices, just very sensitive, feelings easily hurt."

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the LORD our God...

Today in the quiet...sitting with my heavenly Father...I wonder what it feels like to live with that awareness.

To watch and wait and seek the face of God...to let discipline move me that way.

Giving Thanks

2011-11-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

I love Thanksgiving and am always amazed at the reality that God's numerous commands for us to give thanks are really for our benefit. Saying thank you, to God, or to anyone else, for that matter, has the power to alter our outlook in profound ways. And Thanksgiving is just a good reminder of that. To that end, I wanted to share some Thanksgiving ideas with you. On my Thanksgiving Page (click here), you will find some great ideas for exercises, beautiful Thanksgiving quotes, and the recipe for the best turkey ever!
May we all learn afresh that giving thanks--all year round--is for our very worthy God's glory, but also for our own benefit. That's the kind of God He is!

Of Double-Digit Inflation and Academic Faith Challenges

2011-08-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

“Yes, it’s a big deal—we probably lost a good part of our retirement again.” Those were my final words to Joe when the phone died abruptly yesterday. Calling from Ethiopia where my husband has traveled to further our work in community development and reformation (Africa Water and Life), Joe was noting that Al Jazeera Television had been talking almost non-stop about the U.S. economy and wondered how it was playing out back home. I felt bad the rest of the day for leaving him hanging like that. But as I thought about it, I realized that this is how so many of us feel right now –every day brings more dire news, leaving us hanging with no idea how things are going to play out. More than ever, it seems we have come to the end of options for getting our economy, and indeed that of the entire world’s, back on solid ground.

I have been on a break from my doctoral program this summer, and so many times have wanted to write and update you on my journey and share the amazing things God is teaching me. But I resisted each time, always feeling that to try to articulate the struggles in the faith-life of an academic thrown back into the arena after 30 years would be overwhelming. Where would I begin? With one of the first lectures that I attended regarding theories of knowledge, in which the professor dismissed divine revelation as something people believed in the middle ages? Or with the theory of adult development that I recently studied, which contends that people who believe in myths like the resurrection of Christ will never fulfill their spiritual potential?

This entire first year back in school has challenged me as I've realized that not only do I need to be fully cognizant of what I believe, but also conversant in why I believe it—why my Christian faith is the most sane way to make meaning of the world that I live in. To that end, I am extremely grateful to veterans like Ravi Zecharias or Doug Groothius, and organizations like Veritas Forum, who offer intelligent yet gracious responses to the pervasive scorn for the Christian worldview in academia.

But what does this have to do with the market crash? For the past month I’ve been pondering Jesus’ promise to never leave or forsake us. As I studied the reference in Hebrews 13:5, I discovered that though the writer seems to be quoting Jesus in encouraging the suffering church, the Gospels do not contain that exact quote. Apparently this message was so central to the heartbeat of Christ, that everyone knew He’d said it. It was in fact a promise God had made in several instances in the Old Testament, so when Jesus did say it, the disciples readily understood it to be not only a meaningful assurance, but another claim to Deity. In the context in Hebrews, the writer tied the promise to an admonishment to be content with what we have and where we are at—this to people who had given up their very homes in order to raise money to help imprisoned believers. Strong’s concordance brings a depth of meaning to this verse, defining “leave” as deserting, failing to uphold or allowing to sink, and "forsake" as to leave in straits, abandon or leave helpless.

As I have prepared for school to begin again, these thoughts have captivated me. No matter how strenuous the workload or how blatant the disregard for truths I hold dear, I have the very presence of the Living God—not only with me, but in me—always working, moving, leading, speaking, reassuring and loving. This is a reality so awesome that I can miss the wonder of it if I am not careful. He is with me! He is in me! He will never fail to uphold me nor allow me to sink. He will never abandon me or leave me helpless or in dire straits. The mystery of Christ's presence moves me like nothing else.

Whatever your future or mine holds—whether double digit inflation or academic faith challenges—our hope is just this; that our Lord is not going to leave or forsake us, for His covenant is sure. More than ever I believe each us will need to understand this in the coming days, to go deeper not only in what we believe, or why we believe it, but to get to know more profoundly WHO this God is that we believe in. This will be my prayer for each of you as I start back to school on Monday. I hope when you think of it, you’ll pray for me too.

In Him,
Tricia

P.S. Though I may not be writing again for awhile—school seems to be all consuming--know that you are in my thoughts and prayers continually. I'd love to hear how things are going for you.

LENT BEGINS MARCH 9

2011-03-08T06:05:00.000-08:00

Lent begins tomorrow, March 9. Find devotionals for each day here! You can also purchase the book in hard copy, or for your IPAD or Kindle at Amazon.

Finally, for some other ideas on how to celebrate this blessed season, check out my website here!

Have a blessed Lenten season!

Back in the Thick of It...

2011-01-26T10:37:00.000-08:00

My luxurious five week winter break seems to have flown by, and while I had great visions of writing deep and pithy truths here on the blog during my hiatus, I'm sad to say, it just did not happen.

What was I doing all that time -- besides enjoying the holiday with my family and a short bout with the flu? I was relishing the utter freedom from pressure germane to academia! I did however, read some great books -- The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark Noll, Think by John Piper, and A Place for Truth, which was a group of academic talks on God and faith by scientists, philosophers artists etc, edited by Dallas Willard. All three books greatly encouraged me with my resolution for 2011, which is to learn to love God with my whole mind.

Today I am back in the thick of studying and realizing that writing in this blog will happen only as a rare respite from the weight of study inherent in my venture back to school. But as I was doing some research on Christian mysticism, I came across this lovely quote by John of the Cross, and felt compelled to share it with you!

It matters not how many mysteries and marvels the great doctors have discovered and very holy souls have understood during their lives, there remained infinitely more to say and even understand. And thus
there is much to sound in Christ: because He is like a mine with many
caverns' of treasures, that, however deeply they sound the depths they
never find the bottom or the end, rather they continue to find additional
riches and new veins in each cavern. . . . what in this life can
be attained from these mysteries of Christ, it is impossible to arrive at
without having suffered much and received many intellectual and sensitive
graces of God and after much spiritual training.

And so it is...

My prayer for each of us is that we will find new veins as we dig deep in the caverns of treasures that are Christ this year -- for our joy and His exaltation.

Christmas Devotionals

2010-12-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

I haven't had much time to write here lately, but look for my "lessons learned" from the semester over Christmas break. Meanwhile, if you are interested in some Christmas Devotionals -- there are twelve here, one for each day from December 14 to the 25th. You can find them here!

Have a blessed celebration of our Lord's birth!

S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D--------------------T-H-I-N

2010-10-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

I'm being stretched thin -- there's no doubt about it. This new venture I'm on (going back to school after 30 years) is no walk in the park. Every day brings new challenges and sometimes I feel pulled in so many directions, I'm like a rubber band about to snap.
The thing I keep telling myself is that this is good, that it forces greater dependency on the Lord and will surely forge unprecedented growth. And while these things are certainly true and have been my experience, there is still a strong urge within me to run back to the safety and security of the life I had, where the challenges were more defined and the answers easier to find.
I'd love to share more, but unfortunately I don't have time. Writing here is regretably one of many good things I've had to let go of. But I did get a chance to unpack this a little in a message to my home church a couple of weeks ago and wanted to let you know about that. I called it Nixing the Naysayers, and for the most part, spoke about being my own worst critic, and most avid questioner...and what I'm learning to do about that. You can hear the message if you're interested by clicking here. (Just look below and click on the second message.)
Meanwhile, I pray you are being stretched a little too -- it really is good for the soul.

Growing Up at the 'Dewdrop Inn"

2010-08-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

Growing up, my dad often jokingly referred to our home as the 'dewdrop inn' because of the never ending stream of people who would come by to stay an hour, a day, a week or a month or more. It wasn't unusual on any given holiday for us each to invite a friend or two and not mention it, never realizing that our siblings had all done the same! We didn't have a lot of money, but mom had amazing ways to make something out of almost nothing, or expand what she'd fixed to accommodate the extras that inevitably showed up at mealtimes. Kind of like the story of the 'loaves and fishes; not only was there always enough to go around, but leftovers seemed to abound as well.

My reading in Matthew took me to that story again this morning, and as many times as I've read and studied it, the Lord spoke afresh to me as only He can. It begins with Jesus telling the disciples that because He feels compassion for the crowds, He doesn't want to send them away hungry. The men are perplexed, to say the least, immediately throwing out the impossibility of the situation : Where would we get so many loaves in a desert place to satisfy such a great multitude?

The simplicity of Jesus' response is what struck me. He didn't preach a sermon on faith, or prod the disciples to trust Him for great things. He didn't remind them of all they had in Him, but instead, asked the question: How many loaves do you have?

Today I'm attending orientation for my PhD program at the University of San Diego, and it goes without saying that I am more than a little anxious. The past couple of weeks as I walked the halls among the masses of teenagers and twenty-somethings to get mystudent ID card, as I've taken tutorials online to understand the library system (which has changed vastly in 30 years), as I've skimmed the Pocket Guide to APA Style and as I've read a series of articles required for my first class next week, my sense of inadequacy has only grown. While I am excited about all I will learn and how I will grow, it is no false humility to say that this is going to stretch me like I've never been stretched before. God has led with each step of this journey, and I know without a doubt that He is fully sufficient, still, the question: Am I up to the enormity of this? nags at me in my most quiet moments.

But this morning I think I heard the Lord asking me: How many loaves do you have? And I answered; Not many Lord. But He asked again, and I felt as if He were telling me to lay it all out before Him -- not in spiritual platitudes or even blessed truths about His Spirit in me or my having His mind, but by looking honestly at my loaves -- those things that I have to bring to the table, so to speak, for this particular endeavor. Well, Lord, I think I have a bit above average brain, but dont' share the brilliance I've seen in some folks in the program. I have a hard work ethic that I've honed through the years of being a pastor's wife and a self-employed author. I've developed some helpful skills and am comfortable with the writing process, and I love to do research and learn about all kinds of topics. That's my loaves, as far as I can see.

Something happened though, as I went through the process of articulating these things before the Lord -- faith began to flood my soul until I almost laughed out loud. Though the point from this story has surely been made ad infinitum, I knew in a deeper and more profound way that I serve a God who takes what I have -- whatever small part I can offer -- and multiplies it until there is more than enough to go around. This is what I can count on in the days and years to come as I pursue this new venture.

When I was a young bride I asked my mom how she did it -- how she managed to take care of so many people, to feed all those unexpected mouths year after year. She answered something about always having onion soup mix and spagetti noodles on hand, which didn't help me alot at the time, but I realized she'd had secrets and ways of working behind the scenes, that we were all unaware of as we happily filled our tummies and brought friends along to do the same through the years. This morning as I sat before the Lord, I pondered the reality that He too has mysterious methods and unseen resources and it's going to be really fun to see how He will use them with what I've got to get the job done. Now, instead of facing this day with low-grade dread, I'm feeling a growing sense of joyful anticipation.

Now if I can just figure out where the bookstore is...

My Best Defense

2010-08-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

In two weeks I will be embarking on an adventure that both thrills and terrifies me. After being away from the academic arena for 30 years, I am returning to school to pursue my PhD. While I am absolutely confident that God has led me each step of the way, I have been trying to come to terms with how very different that environment will be from the ministry I have thoroughly loved for three plus decades. The question I've pondered is, how will I radiate the heart of Christ and stand unapologetically for the truths of my faith, in a culture that at the very least, looks askance at people like me.

This morning I read something intriguing about the early church that greatly encouraged me. In his book, All the Saints Adore Thee, Professor Bruce Shelley notes that when believers were ignored, hated, persecuted and maligned in the first three centuries, they had only one defense -- the way they lived their daily lives. Simply put, when others judged and condemned them for the absurdity of their faith, they held up the purity, simplicity and beauty of their own lives as evidence that the charges were ill-founded. Shelly says that this was the most effective defense, because the pagan population simply could not deny it.

As I thought about this, I realized that growing up in a country that guarantees me the right to practice my religion has not offered much opportunity for this kind of defense. Instead of having only my own life to testify of the validity of my faith, I and multitudes of other Christ-followers have held up our inalienable rights as citizens of a free country, asking only that we be given the fundamental respect our constitution demands. The problem though, is that while this may work as a legal defense, it does nothing to impact the hearts of those who watch us from afar. It may, in fact, drive the wedge of disdain even deeper.

For this reason I am excited about my new venture, albeit with a bit of fear and trepidation. I realize that within the hallowed realms of academia, that the most effective defense of my faith, indeed, the most powerful promotion of my beloved Redeemer, will be how I live out my life in front of the very people who may reject me for it.

This reality brings me a great deal of peace. In truth, though all the circumstances of my life are about to undergo a drastic revolution, I need only cling to the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ, as I have sought to do for decades now. And by His grace, this will be not only my best defense, but the means by which I can display the beauty of His being and perhaps draw others to Him.

The following quote from a letter written by an anonymous believer in the early second century deeply moved me along these lines, and perhaps will encourage and challenge you as well:

They love all men, and by all men are persecuted. They are unknown, and still they are condemned; they are put to death, and yet they are brought to life. They are poor, and yet they make many rich; they are completely destitute, and yet they enjoy complete abundance. They are dishonored, and in their dishonor, are glorified; they are defamed, and they are vindicated. They are reviled, and yet they bless; when they are affronted, they still pay due respect. When they do good, they are punished as evil doers; underoing punishment, they rejoice because thy are brought to life. They are treated by the jews as foreigners and enmies, and are hunted down by the Greeks and all the time those who hate them find it impossible to justify their enmity. (The Letter to Diognetus, as quoted in Early Christian Fathers).

If indeed I do face enmity in this new venture, may those who reject me find it impossible to justify their enmity in light of the life I live. This is the desire of my heart and will be my prayer with each new day.

Love You Forever

2010-07-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite children’s books is Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch. In simple and humorous ways, Munsch depicts a mother’s love for her child from the time she first rocks her baby boy until he has become an adult with a daughter of his own. Through every awkward and frustrating stage that the boy goes through – whether flushing things down the toilet as a toddler or making endless messes as a boy or bringing home strange friends as a teenager – the mom simply cannot help sneaking into his room at night to look at him. And every time she does, she sings:

I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living
My baby you’ll be.

I read that book to my own sons again and again, singing the refrain (at times with tears), until they got too old and were no longer interested. I still have my dog-eared copy and thought of it this morning when I read Isaiah’s words;

Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you. (Isaiah 49:15)

Munsch’s book still moves me, perhaps because it touches on an ache in my heart that has never abated – that yearning to hold my children close, to encircle them with tender care, protecting, clinging, infusing them with love that stirs in me so strongly at times that I feel as if my heart might break wide open. It is hard for me to imagine that any mother wouldn't feel this way, that there are women who abandon their babies or abuse their young ones, or even withhold affection from children who need it most.

But this is precisely the point of God’s endearment in Isaiah. Though the love of a mother is a powerful force, it is never perfect and in the end cannot compare to the pulsating energy of Agapeo, the infinite love of God. As I pondered this, I began to imagine the Lord of the Universe, the great I AM, the transcendent ‘Other’ who holds the world together by His power -- watching me, wanting to hold me, aching to give expression to the love that fills His being. I find it almost impossible to wrap my mind around this mystery -- that the desire I feel for my kids is akin to a grain of sand on the seashore, when compared to the yearning God has to embrace me, His beloved daughter.

I read Munsch’s book again this morning and for a few moments found myself putting aside my failings from yesterday and my plans for success today. I stopped trying to figure how to be a more devoted Christ-follower; indeed I gave up every effort to be spiritual at all. I stopped everything and instead, let the Lord satisfy His own longing to hold me. And as I sat there in His embrace, I swear I heard Him singing:

I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always.
As long as I’m living,
My baby you’ll be.

A Tribute to My Husband

2010-06-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

Today Joe and I are celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary in a peaceful hideaway on the Northern California Coast. I am awake early, watching the sun cast its gentle glow over the waves as they meander to the shore. While Joe sleeps in – a luxury that only vacations seem to afford – I am relishing the wonder of the love we have shared these many years. He is such gift to me, and once again I have given thanks while telling the Lord of how I’ll never understand why He chose to grant me the blessing of a life with this amazing man.

As I considered all the things I am grateful for about Joe, I found myself pondering the one thing I would like to tell him today. There are so many great qualities – he’s caring, gentle, hard-working, always a servant – the list goes on. But in the end, the one thing I will always be in awe of is the way Joe loves me without condition. I’m keenly aware of my weaknesses and irritating idiosyncrasies, and have ministered in enough troubled marriages to know that this is no small feat. I don’t know how he does it, but somehow my husband has always believed in me, expected wonderful things from me and cheered me on to greater challenges in character and accomplishment. Yet, there has never been one moment when I’ve felt the pressure to perform or the need to be something other than what I am. In all these 36 plus years, I have felt absolutely free to live in my own skin, warts and all. This is an astounding gift, and pure grace.

I share this private and precious reality because I realized that this quality in Joe so perfectly radiates the heart of Christ for us all. Jesus wants the best, believes the best, and expects the best from each of us, but never hits us over the head with it. He never withholds His love and affection because we aren’t living up to our potential or pursuing change with sufficient diligence. Our Lord simply walks beside us, fully accepting, always loving and gladly cheering us on with confidence; so that all we can do is respond with humble gratitude.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could all grant such a gift to each other? This is the takeaway I hope you’ll get from my little tribute. Think of the people in your life today – how can you extend to them the full force of unwavering, expectant love, which has no strings attached? To be honest, this quality seems to have been a part of my husband since the day I met him, but it doesn’t come quite so easily for me. Still, I want to press into this more, for I believe it so deeply pleases the Lord who made us to display His glory in every relationship.

I’m off to spend the day with my beloved husband now. Joe, I hope I’ve honored you in some small measure with these words, although I’m well aware that public acclaim is the last thing you’re interested in. Still, happy anniversary love of my life – thank you with all of my heart for 36 incredible years.

I've Been Getting it All Wrong...

2010-06-07T04:44:00.000-07:00

This morning I was skimming through a 1999 prayer journal and stopped short at a lengthy discussion I had with the Lord that went something like this::

"Lord, I feel like I am not doing enough for your kingdom and I need to know how I can be more diligent"
"I no longer call you servant, but friend."
"Yeah, I know Lord, but there are some decisions I need to make about my time and your work and..."
"Tricia, you are my friend. I have come to dine with you, and I'd like to just sit here awhile and enjoy your company, but you keep getting up to do the dishes."

As I read those words, I suddenly had an epiphany of sorts, which I want to share, but first I have a confession to make. I haven't enjoyed my focus on 'living intentionally' these first six months of 2010 and if I'm honest, haven't been very successful at the whole thing. For several days I've been frustrated at this, asking the Lord why it wasn't going so well, when I felt confident He had led me on this venture. He wasn't answering, that is, until I found the old journal entry.

So here was the epiphany: I've been focusing on being intentional about the wrong thing. For me, being intentional has meant trying to make the most of each day, looking for opportunities to accomplish the Lord's purposes -- from conversations to finances to time management and beyond. Now there's nothing inherently wrong in this, but somewhere in the process I slipped slightly off course and the things I felt I needed to do became front and center. What I really needed was to be intentional about pressing into my intimacy with Jesus, and letting everything else flow out of that.

This is so basic you'd think I'd have it down by now, but there you have it. I have had the cart before the horse, so to speak, and I suspect some of you have done the same thing.

As I've looked at 2010 and compared it to 2009, I realized that when I was passionate about learning how to 'live loved', I knew the joy of Jesus' presence, of His desire to be with me, and as a result, was eager to walk with Him throughout each day, looking for His hand, experiencing His heart. And in the process, I ended up being far more intentional than I've been this year, when I've been trying so hard to be intentional.

So here is my commitment for the next six months of 2010: I am going to be as intentional as I can to dine with Christ --to walk with Him, enjoy His presence, learn of His heart and feast on the riches of His grace. And as I do, perhaps all those areas of my life that I've purposed to put under His control, will find a more natural fit.

My step is lighter today and I feel like I've thrown off a nagging weight. We are leaving today for a week on the Northern California coast where there will be no cell phone coverage and limited internet. I plan to put my new resolution into practice as I stand on the rocky cliffs and gaze out at the sea. I can't wait. I'll let you know how it went when I come back -- until then, I hope you can rest a little easier too and enjoy being intentional about knowing Jesus.

I'm Putting My Foot Down

2010-05-27T16:05:00.003-07:00

A couple of days ago I was on a morning walk when a dachshund came running out from between two cars, barking up a storm. I saw right away that he didn't have a leash, so I assumed he must have gotten out of his owner's yard. My first impulse was to simply ignore the little guy -- I mean, it was just a weener dog, after all. I walked on a few steps, meticulously avoiding eye contact, but that dog only got louder as he advanced further into the street.

I thought about kneeling down to see if the crazy canine wanted to make friends. I'm usually pretty good at that, having learned long ago that you just put out your down-turned hand and wait for them to come and sniff at their leisure. But by then he was growling like a surly teenager and didn't look at all like he cared to make my acquaintance. I could just see myself in an emergency room trying to explain how I got bit in the hand by someone's precious little pet.

It occurred to me to just keep walking and talk nicely with a calm voice, so I said something to the effect that I knew he was a good dog and his owner was going to miss him, so he needed to go home now. Apparently he didn't agree, because he came within a couple of feet, his whole body shaking as he barked angrily away.

Now all this happened in less than a minute's time, but I knew I had to do something quick or I wasn't going to win against this ferocious animal, so without even thinking I stopped in my tracks, looked him straight in the eye, stomped my foot and yelled at the top of my lungs: "You go home NOW."

Would you believe that dog immediately turned tail and ran like the dickens back into his own yard? Now I know where they got that saying, "all bark and no bite."

So this morning as I was praying about an area of struggle in my life, the memory of that dog came to mind. (God has always seemed to enjoy teaching me deep spiritual truths from my most inane life adventures and this was no exception.) As I waited before the Lord, it occurred to me that when it comes to certain besetting sins or strongholds, I will try everything under the sun to rid myself of them. I'll ignore them as long as I can, and when that doesn't work, I'll befriend them, trying to see their insidious effects in a more positive light. I'll hem and haw and justify and reason with myself until I'm blue in the face, but in the end, of course, none of this works.

Worst of all, I am clueless to the fact that this thing, whatever it might be, is at best slowing me down, and at worst stopping me completely from going forward in my spiritual journey. If truth be told, when it comes to dealing with my stuff -- whether sin or simply weakness -- there is always going to be a time when I'll have to get good and mad, put my foot down, and say 'enough is enough!' Anything else simply won't get me where I need to go.

So that's what I'm doing today--I'm looking at an area of weakness, as well as the evil one who capitalizes on it, and I'm stomping my feet and saying, "It's over", with all the authority I can muster in the power of God's Spirit! I'm not foolish enough to think the battle will be won quite as easily as my encounter with that dachshund, but I really do believe that greater victory is within reach as I continue to stand my ground.

Stay tuned -- I'll keep you posted on my progress. Meanwhile, watch out for menacing muts, who think they're 'all that'.

Grace is a River

2010-05-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

Growing up in the church, I heard a lot about grace but to be honest, I never really got it. I knew that it meant 'unmerited favor', which basically reminded me that Jesus had saved me out of the goodness of His own heart and not because of anything in me. This is true. But what I didn't understand for years was that grace is not only the favor of God in redeeming me, but also His kindness in giving me the ability -- the power and strength and motivation -- to live out my life as a Christ follower. Once I really saw this, grace became my lifeline and took on a beauty in my heart that I am hard pressed to even explain.

So yesterday I was re-reading Brother Lawrence's The Practice of the Presence of God and something he wrote literally upended my day. It read:

But when He finds a soul penetrated with a lively faith, He pours into it His grace and favors plentifully. There they flow like a torrent, which, after being forcibly stopped against its ordinary course, when it has found a passage, spreads itself with impetuosity and abundance.

Suddenly I envisioned grace as a river, flooding into my soul, looking for places to run. I was overcome with that image of an impetuous force, determined to break down every barrier so that it can go where it wants to go. I know that there is debris in my heart that can hinder the flow -- things like indifference or unbelief or worldliness or sinful practices -- but still this torrent presses relentlessly and I feel the weight of it. Grace, it seems, will find a way.

Grace is a river, a mighty rushing river looking for places to run in me. I feel as if I ought to be able to burst out in song here! Do you see? Instead of God's favor or enabling power being something He waits on high to pour out until I ask, or get my ducks in a row, His grace is just there, pulsing through my heart, pressing against every obstacle. And the simplest of acts -- things like a word of faith, a small turning, a moment of worship, a whisper of love, or a cry for help -- will release the flow into yet another tributary.

Amazing grace! May we bow in wonder as it surges through our souls.

You're not the boss of me! Really?

2010-04-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

The house was blissfully still as I lay on the couch resting from our family Easter celebration. Kids, grandkids and dear friends had long gone home, the leftovers were wrapped, dishes dried and put away, Joe was in bed, and I was alone.   Just me, and a basket of foil wrapped European chocolate eggs. For three weeks, they’d politely decorated my dining room table but now they were rudely calling my name. Like clanging cymbals. Spellbound, my eyes glazed over and my mouth watered as I entertained the notion of eating one. I succumbed. Then I ate another and another and pretty soon I’d downed six of the things. If I hadn’t started feeling sick, I’d probably have eaten the entire basket full.

This morning, awash in self-recrimination, I repented yet again for my lack of self-control, and to be brutally honest, the sin of gluttony.   As I picked up my journal to write, a card fell out – some notes I’d taken several weeks ago from an article that suggested that our will is not some independent entity doing what it wants, but instead relies completely on cues from other sources.   This was news to me -- I’ve always seen my will as akin to an angry two year old, stomping her feet and shouting, “You’re not the boss of me!” We were at war, and I was the one who lost far too often. But if I can’t blame my will for making me chomp down those chocolates last night, what did? Or perhaps more aptly put; who or what is the boss of me?

The more I thought about it, I the more I realized that the will is pliable, that it is shaped by the things that seek to tell it what to do. Of course we’ve had a lifetime of these cues, which means that our wills do have a certain bent – but that doesn’t mean they are on their own. Here are a few things I suspect serve to influence my will.

My Mind: Not only do my thoughts directly influence my choices, but they create feelings that actively mold my will. For example, for most of my life I have seen sweets as a reward for good behavior (hmm – wonder where that idea comes from?). So last night when I was tired and feeling a little let-down, I suddenly felt I deserved those eggs. I won’t even begin to bore you with my thought processes, but believe me, they became a well-fortified defense against any logical thinking. Unfortunately, far too often this kind of emotional interchange gives shape to the actions I take. (Romans 12:2)

My Body: Our bodies have certain needs that express themselves in things like hunger or thirst. These influence our wills to make choices to satisfy those needs, but they are not always the best choices. I wish I could blame the chocolate on healthy hunger, but I’d had far too much to eat that day. In essence, my feelings overrode anything my body might have been trying to say – like, you’re not really hungry, are you? Of course this is how addictions form and take on a life of their own. (Romans 6:16)

Other people: When I am attached to the opinions of others, I make decisions on that basis. My will acts, therefore, in response to my desire to receive attention or affirmation. I hate to think how often this happens. (Proverbs 29:25)

The evil one: Obviously Satan or one of his cohorts is always trying to influence us – he had the gall to try it with Jesus himself, so I’d best not think I’m exempt from the pressures the forces of darkness put on my pliable will. That would be the worst sort of naiveté. (Ephesians 4:27)

My heart: What I mean here, is the entity that makes me who I really am, the person God created me to be. This is the hub where His Spirit and mine commune, and from there come impressions, nudges, intuitions, messages, yearnings and callings that have the power to shape my will into something God-honoring and joy-producing. (Proverbs 3:1-6)

That’s my list – you might add others, but it seems to me that our lives as Christ-followers must be ones in which we seek ever more consistently to filter our choices through our hearts before we act. Of course this requires us to live with a greater awareness of what our heart – that place of authenticity and spiritual life at the core of our being – might have to say about the things we want to do or say. In a sense, this means letting God be the gatekeeper of our will, enabling Him to shape it as He desires.

Some might say that the choice to let Him do this is an act of my will, but I prefer to think of it as an act of grace instead.   In my heart of hearts, I long to follow Jesus, to be the person He made me to be, the one who brings Him honor and lives for His pleasure. So when I seek to make Him the director of my will, it isn’t me that is choosing, but the grace of God in me (1 Corinthians 15:10). The key then, is to learn how to better tap into that fountain of divine enabling that ever flows from His heart to mine.

What might the other night have looked like, had I done so? I might not have eaten a single egg, but then again, I might have had one after all, savoring each bite, giving thanks for the wonder of chocolate and enjoying the Giver of all good gifts. I’d have known that to eat more would have been turning my will over to the tyranny of emotions that were up to no good. And I’d have woken the next morning with a nice memory of the end to a lovely day instead of a load of guilt and an extra pound to work off.

In the end, living intentionally always comes back to the same thing for me – walking in intimate communion with Jesus, taking it moment by moment and learning from the One who is gentle and humble in heart; who takes great pleasure in shaping my will so that I can live out the destiny He planned before the foundation of the world.

THE REST OF THE STORY

2010-04-04T06:20:00.000-07:00

Paul Harvey, well known American radio commentator, is famous for revealing surprise endings to unusual stories and little-known facts about popular news items. He ends every broadcast with the now-famous line; “And that my friends, is the rest of the story.” What might Mr. Harvey say about the nondescript Jew from Nazareth who died on a cross 2000 years ago? Perhaps it would go something like this:

On the third day after his death, Jesus of Nazareth miraculously arose, culminating the fulfillment of over 300 prophecies from the Hebrew Scriptures. He appeared at least ten times to those who knew Him, and to as many as 500 people at one time. This was no short-lived hallucination on the part of fanatic followers. He ate with them, exhorted and encouraged them and let doubters touch the holes in His body from the spear and nails. After 40 days He ascended into the clouds in plain view of all, accompanied by angels who promised He would come again one day just as he had left.

What of the other participants in the drama of Christ’s death? The high priest Annas continued a tradition of greed and repression. He raised money by extortion and bribed Roman procurators, all while proclaiming to represent God. Early records reveal his tomb near the south wall of Jerusalem by the late ‘60s.

Annas’ son-in-law, Caiaphas, enjoyed the longest reign of any chief priest in the first century. He remained a shrewd strategist and politician, enabling his lengthy regime. His family tomb was recently discovered on the south wall of Jerusalem.

Herod Antipas, the Jewish tetrarch, cultivated his friendship with the Roman emperor Tiberius, even building a town in his honor. All the while he sought to expand his own authority, secretly craving the kind of rule his father, Herod Agrippa had known. In AD39 he was found guilty of treason and banished to Lyones, stripped of all wealth and power. He and his wife Herodias died later in Spain.

In Pilate’s 10 year reign, he had numerous conflicts with the Jews. One time he overstepped his bounds, having hundreds of Samaritan Jews executed by Roman soldiers. Ordered to return to Rome, he never arrived. Tradition states that while on the way there, he committed suicide, not willing to face a Roman trial. The only physical evidence of Pilate’s existence is some coins depicting pagan sacrifices, produced with his name during his rule in Jerusalem.

The accusers and mockers of Jesus Christ are gone, little more than a footnote in history. In fact, none of them would be worthy of mention were it not for their role in His death.

Yet those who followed Christ made an amazing comeback after He arose. The small band who were too afraid to even attend the crucifixion, were transformed at Pentecost when Jesus poured out His Holy Spirit upon them. Though they faced greater danger and rejection than ever, and in fact all but one were martyred for their faith, they turned the world upside down with their fervor to spread the truth about their Master.

Jesus Christ of Nazareth completely altered the course of history. Even a casual glance at a calendar affirms the reality of his existence 2000 years ago. Everything points to the time before He lived or the time after His death. Today, the Christian religion spans the globe, continuing to impact people from every tribe and nation.

No one has ever changed individual lives like Jesus of Nazareth. No one has ever affected the world order like Jesus of Nazareth. He is not only the most unique person of all time, but through the power of His resurrection, continues to put hope in the hearts of those looking for life’s true meaning.

Perhaps one of the most apt descriptions of Jesus is found every year on Christmas cards all over the world. The author is anonymous, but the words powerful:

Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the center-piece of the human race and the leader of the column of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched and all the navies that ever were built, and all of the parliaments that ever have sat, and all the kings that ever reigned put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life, Jesus of Nazareth.

And that my friends, is the rest of the story.

Reprinted by permission. Contemplating the Cross: a Forty Day Pilgrimage of Prayer, Tricia McCary Rhodes, 2004, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Copying or using this material without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited and in direct violation of copyright law.

I Never Really Got This Before

2010-04-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

Today is Maundy Thursday, the day in Holy Week that focuses on the wonder of Jesus washing our feet in preparation for Good Friday. I have been trying to be more intentional about making every day this week uniquely holy, no easy feat given the busyness of Easter preparations and life in general. But this morning as I pondered anew the moment when Jesus cried out: My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? I saw something I never really got before.

I've often been moved by the reality that when Jesus took on the sins of the world, He experienced all the consequences of our nasty rebellion as well. But what hit me today was that the greatest fallout from sin is the severing of our souls from the Source of our being, the tearing asunder of who we are from the only One who really knows, the God who made us for His pleasure.

This is the pathos that festers like an open sore within the human psyche and echoes endlessly in the black hole of existence without our Maker. In lonely glances and lustful intents, in vacant stares and hollow hopes, in bitter grief and tortuous sleep, in the agony of abandonment and the awfulness of abuse, the reminder that we are alone torments every person on planet earth. From this agony there is no escape. We are born into a world of sorrow, separated from the only One who can bring order to the chaos, healing to the brokenness, and meaning to our empty days. Could there be any greater pain?

This, I believe, is what Jesus chose to endure in those final moments of Golgotha's glory. Most people say that when Jesus cried out My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?, it was because the Father could not look upon the sin that saturated His Son's being, but this explanation falls far too short. The truth is that Jesus could have changed things even then, drawing from His Deity to deliver Him and restore in an instant His Father's embrace. Instead, He chose to take on not only our sin, but this detritus of desperation that has always followed in its wake.

The Cross has confounded me once again. What else can I do but fall on my face and worship?.

Chelsea King -- When the Heavens Seem Silent

2010-03-04T15:29:00.000-08:00

For those who don't live here in San Diego, Chelsea King was a precious 17 year old girl who was abducted and murdered in a popular community park in upscale Rancho Bernardo last week. From the moment her parents discovered her empty car in the parking lot well after the time she should have been home, and knew something had gone awry, prayer began to ascend to the heavens for her safe return. Word went out rapidly via email and text, and groups sprang up everywhere -- from vigils at the high school to huddles of moms in homes to churches across the nation on Sunday morning. We all held out hope against hope that she would be found alive, even after they arrested a suspect. Sadly, Chelsea was probably killed long before the first prayer was uttered on her behalf.

What was God doing? What was happening in the heavens as untold numbers cried out? These are difficult things, troubling situations that are impossible to understand or explain without running the risk of being cliche or insensitive or deepening the wounds that are still so very raw and painful for those who loved Chelsea. This is surely not the time for bystanders to opine with pat answers.

But as it turns out, in the study I'm doing in Matthew this week, Jesus addresses the issue of prayer, exposing a critical myth. Simply put, it is the notion that our ability to get God to hear us is related to something we do. In the particular case He mentions, people supposed that the more they repeated their prayers, the better their chance that God would hear and answer. Eugene Peterson interpreted Jesus' words this way:

The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. (Matthew 6:7-9)

From there, Jesus goes on to offer the simple model prayer that most of us learned to recite as children. The implications here are far-reaching. I, for example, am ever prone to think that the words I say, or the amount of times I ask, or even the number of people I can get to agree with me in prayer will determine whether God responds or not. As I, like many others, have been consumed by the tragedy of Chelsea King, I realized that there may be those who struggle even now with the fact that the heavens seemed mute when there were literally thousands of requests that went up daily for Chelsea's safety. Frankly, it can be easy to get disillusioned with prayer, and perhaps even God himself when these things happen.

Years ago I wrote a book called Intimate Intercession, in which I set out to take a look at some tough questions. What makes God answer some prayers and not others? Why does He tell us to keep asking and seeking and knocking, if He isn't moved by the number of our words? Why does He call us to persist in prayer, yet offer no fail-proof promise that when we do, we will get the things we ask for? In the end, I was compelled to begin the book by confessing that I simply did not have the all the answers I had hoped to find.

The fact that there were thousands praying for Chelsea cannot possibly mean God was more inclined to care about her family than the plethora of parents in Haiti for whom no one had time to intercede as they watched their children die in the earthquake. A God of compassion, His heart has surely hurt for them all. Why the answers did not come is something hidden for now from human understanding -- for us to claim otherwise would be the worst kind of presumption.

But there are some things I know -- that God is sovereign, that He is good, that He does hear and answer prayer and that He desires to involve us in the process of accomplishing His purposes through intercession and supplication. Still, trying to put all these things together in some kind of a neat package is a dangerous endeavor. What I am convinced of however, is that God wants us to come to Him, in fact He yearns for us to unveil our hearts in His presence and share with Him our deepest needs, even though, as Jesus pointed out, He already knows what they are. And should He choose to answer in the way we have hoped for, it is always out of the bounty of His grace and goodness and eternal wisdom -- never because of how well we manage to order our prayer lives.

So let us keep praying -- for Chelsea's mother and father and younger brother and all those who have been personally affected by her passing. Let us pray for the teenagers who are asking questions about the meaning of life and for the community that has come together in a way many say is unprecedented. And let us not forget to pray for the salvation of John Albert Gardner and for his parents who have had to flee the area -- they too must be unimaginably devastated. And as we pray, may we draw near to the heart of our God who though we may not always understand, surely waits to offer solace to all who come to Him in this time of desperate need.

Loving the Poor?

2010-02-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

I can't even remember what his face looked like as he stood there on the side of the road with his sign, asking for money, but he left me with a growing unease, a sense of a missed opportunity. You know the type -- men and women and sometimes children, an ever growing pool of people who for reasons God only knows, have become desperate enough to stand for hours with their hands out while the world passes by, hoping for the bounty of a few generous souls.

I have to be honest with you -- I never know quite what to do with these folks.  Do I give them money when people who work with the homeless say it will likely be spent on drugs or alchohol? I feel cynical about their stories and wonder how needy they really are or what they've tried to do to get themselves out of the mess they are in. I don't like this about myself at all, but there you have it. Add that to the practicalities -- I don't have cash, or any small bills with me or the light is turning green too fast or I'd have to turn around and take time out of my very cramped schedule -- you know the drill. The result is I almost never end up helping them.

But this is the Lenten season when I am seeking to "divide my bread with the hungry", to "cover the naked" and not hide myself from fellow human beings (Isaiah 58). And this is the month I am studying the Sermon on the Mount and my verse for today was: Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. And this is the year I am seeking to be intentional to listen to those nudges of the Holy Spirit and to do what He impresses me to do. The problem is that by the time I've gone through all the remonstrations in my mind, the opportunity is gone and I have no idea what the Lord might have wanted me to do.

The next day Joe and I drove past a young woman I have often seen in our local strip mall holding a sign that says "Family hungry -- will you help?" I told Joe my story and struggle, and before we'd gone a block there was another woman, only this time she was a lot older and our car was stopped at the light right beside her and Joe had a ten dollar bill and I handed it to her with a huge sigh of relief. I don't know if the Lord was leading me or not, but I knew I had to do something. We started talking seriously then about this and concluded that we really need to have a plan in place if we want to be available for Jesus to use us as He wills. I remembered that our missionary friends in Bangladesh prayerfully budget a certain amount of money for beggars (the streets are literally lined with them there), and then keep that amount in the car so they are ready to give at any moment they feel led. Why couldn't we do the same?  There's a young mother in our church who has her kids help mer make up zip-loc bags with water, granola bars etc. so that she is always ready to help. What if I did something like that?

This morning my study in Matthew led to many other verses that echoed God's heart for the poor. I realized that being intentional often means planning ahead so that I can be at His disposal in the moment. Two passages I read spoke clearly to this:

Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.   2 Corinthians 9:7

Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. 1 Timothy 6:18

I want to be ready to share, to have purposed in my heart to give, so that when opportunities come up -- whether on the side of the road or elsewhere -- I can joyfully respond as the Lord leads. I've decided to make up some of those zip-loc bags and instead of money, put McDonalds gift cards in them. Each month I'll put together as many as I can, based on how much money the Lord has impressed me to be ready to share in these kinds of spontaneous expressions. I'm heading out to Walmart today!

But more importantly, I'm praying that in the process the Lord gets ahold of my heart and I can begin to really see what He sees and feel what He feels, so that I can love those who suffer the kind of need that drives them to the streets for help with the kind of love He has for them.

Lessons from the Water Faucet

2010-02-21T05:47:00.000-08:00

I have been frustrated the past few days. Though I've started out each morning with desire to make a difference by being more intentional about the things I did and said, at the end of each day I couldn't see much fruit. Frankly, my New Year's resolution had begun to feel more like the finger of failure, pointing accusingly in my face.

This came to a head yesterday as I went to a shower for a neighbor. I felt certain this would be a great chance for God to use me as I interacted with people from all walks of life, most of whom have no relationship with Him. And though I kept asking Him for guidance, no doors seemed to open and as I left I felt like all I'd done was socialize with small talk. So much for being intentional...

But as I went to bed exhausted from a very busy weekend, I remembered a story I heard a long time ago by an old preacher from the South named Ron Dunn. We first heard this beloved man when we were in college, and though he has gone on to be with the Lord, his legacy lives on in my heart and many others. So this morning I did an internet search and found a website with sermons, articles and other stuff. I was amazed to find the story, and knew I needed to share it with you. Dunn wrote:

Until a few years ago I worried a great deal about whether or not I as a pastor was doing enough for the Lord. If I had one of those days of just answering letters and administrating, I would lie in bed at night saying, “Lord, I haven’t even witnessed to a single person today; I was so busy doing these little things.” There was always too much work to do, and I lived in a constant rush, giving hardly any time to my family.

But one day as I walked into the kitchen, I noticed that the water faucet was looking a bit discouraged. When I asked what the problem was, the water faucet said, “Well, I am really down because I know I have failed you today, master. I haven’t washed your hands once, I haven’t quenched your thirst once, I tried to turn myself on, but only squeezed out a few drops. I know that you are displeased with me.”

“Water faucet,” I said, “I have passed by you a hundred times today. If I had wanted you to quench my thirst or wash my hands, I would have turned you on. I don’t want you turning yourself on − you’ll just waste water and make a mess. You have been a pleasure to me today because you have been available. I don’t measure your faithfulness by how much water you pour out in a day. I measure your faithfulness by your availability.”

You know what? I can come to the end of a day now and say, “Lord, I didn’t do such and such today, but I was available, and if You had wanted to use me in that way, You could have.” It is such a peace, such a relief. I’ve come to that great discovery that no matter how hard I work, I will always be behind, so why worry? God is not my responsibility. I am His responsibility.

I hope that encourages you -- it has me. Though I am still going to press into being intentional with the Lord, I realize that the best way to do that is to simply be available. The rest, I'm relieved to say, is up to Him.

Didn't See it Coming

2010-02-17T10:09:00.000-08:00

Lent really crept up on me this year -- I just didn't see it coming. I have been observing this in different ways for the past 15 years, and have always taken the time ahead to pray, plan and prepare. I didn't have that luxury this time and as the day approached I felt restless and uncertain about what I might do. Liquid fast? Fast from sweets? Media? Nothing was really landing until last night as Joe and I were talking about it, and suddenly I just knew. Before I share it, let me say that there is great peace in this whole 'being intentional' thing, knowing that where I am weak, God will more than compensate, because He is always intentional, and is always working in my life.

This was clear when the idea for my Lenten fast came last night. While I'd been oblivious to the fact that the day was approaching, God wasn't. In His sovereign grace, He has been using several things in my life to prepare me anyway. From a sermon Joe preached a couple of weeks ago to my study in Matthew to memorizing the beatitudes, one theme has resounded loud and clear and that is God's heart for people, in particular those who suffer great need. He brings this home in a message to the Israelites on the subject of fasting, where He describes the kind of fast that brings Him pleasure:

"Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Isaiah 58:6-7

Of course as believers, this is what it means to bring the kingdom to earth, and as such is our privilege as a way of life. But for the next 40 days I am going to seek to be far more intentional about doing this. For example, Joe and I decided we wouldn't eat out or buy anything beyond basic needs so that we will have more to give away. Beyond that, I am asking God to open my eyes every day, no matter where I am or what I am doing, to the needs of people around me -- even those in my own home. And when the Lord answers, I want to act as His Spirit leads -- in prayer, service or simple words of kindness. My mind is already racing with other ideas of things I can do to be pro-active about this.

So this year, as I focus on Christ's death and resurrection once again, I believe I am going to experience Christ's presence in amazing new ways. This is His promise:

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.'

I can't wait! So what are you doing this Lent?

This Surprises Me

2010-02-15T06:21:00.000-08:00

I've had an epiphany of sorts this morning. As I was praying about my week and looking back on yesterday, I asked the Lord how 'intentional' I'd really been. I pondered the three parts of our resolution -- delighting in God, dialoguing with Him throughout the day, and doing the things His Spirit impresses me to do -- and I realized that I fail most with that middle part -- dialoguing with Him. I've become fairly habitual about talking to God, but so often fail to connect with that inner voice where He whispers His heart back to me. What is it then that keeps me from being more intentional? I simply forget to listen to the Lord.

This surprises me because I thought my struggle was in the 'doing' His will. It also gives me hope for I realize that my heart does really want to follow His call and do His will -- this is really who I am. So I am asking for a greater grace to listen today, to hear His desires as I go about the business of life. And that means more intimacy -- isn't His plan beautiful?

A 60-Second Valentine Dessert to Die For

2010-02-13T14:41:00.000-08:00

So this has absolutely nothing to do with living intentionally, unless you failed to be intentional about planning a special Valentine treat for your loved ones. As was driving today, the radio was tuned to gourmet chef Melinda Lee, and she gave this speedy recipe for a chocolate mousse that sounded divine. Since I happened to have all the ingredients here I decided to make it for Valentine's day. I just finished, and although I haven't tasted the chilled product, I licked the spoon enough to know it was heavenly for anyone who loves chocolate and has a blender handy. And that's when I knew I had to share it with you. So here goes:

Ingredients: 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 egg, 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 cup of heavy cream.

Put the cream on low heat -- you want it to get to the point where it is bubbling around the edges, but not full boil. Meanwhile, put the chips, the egg and vanilla in the blender and chop it up for a minute or so. When the cream is bubbling, take the center of the lid off the blender and while you blend on low, start slowly pouring the cream in. This will cook the egg and melt the chocolate and within a minute you are done! Pour it into a large bowl or several small ones -- I filled 5 small souffle ramikins. Chill until it is set -- that's it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Intentional means Unpredictable

2010-02-10T05:44:00.000-08:00

I love it when God crashes in and shows Himself faithful in undeniable ways. Our first car crisis -- that of the young woman living with us -- was solved quickly by an ex-mechanic friend who came here, discovered the problem and fixed it for free. It was truly a testimony to her of God's provision, something she sorely needed as she shared with me how she completely 'freaked out' when she'd gone to bed the night before. This opened the door for us to talk quite a bit about what faith is, and how to live by it, instead of always scrambling to find a way to make things work, often to our own detriment. My heart was overwhelmed as I saw her tear up -- a rarity -- over God's care for her. I know He deposited something important in her life through the experience.

Our son's car, on the other hand, is definitely headed for the junkyard. And I'm now the one trying to remember how to live by faith. The Lord has impressed Joe and I with the need to wait and not try to solve the problem for him too quickly. Not that we have some great plan -- it's just that I really like to line up all my ducks, and tend to be pretty resourceful about coming up with solutions. But this Living Intentional resolution -- to delight in the Lord daily, to dialogue with Him throughout the day, and do the things He impresses me to do -- swirls around like a song I can't get out of my mind. Life this way is certainly unpredictable.

And so we wait...and that for me brings all manner of temptation to fear the worst-case scenarios. (He'll lose his job, he'll sink into terrible depression, he'll live with us forever -- you get the point). Then of course that leads to all kinds of self-recrimination (people are hungry and homeless in Haiti and you can't handle a little problem like this?)

I wish I were far more spiritual, but this is where I'm at. I woke up at 4:30a.m. wrestling with what in the world is going to happen, especially the first day he has to start taking the long bus ride that involves a few transfers, just to get to work. If I could plot a different path, I would -- but then I would miss out on what God wants to teach me, and the joy of seeing His faithfulness in a different way, over time. He's never failed us yet -- isn't that the lesson I wanted these kids to learn?

It's Gonna Cost You, but What a Ride!

2010-02-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday as we came home from church eager to watch the Super Bowl (Go Saints!), a car belonging to a young woman who lives with us was parked sideways across our cul-de-sac. She and a few of her friends -- some young local marines-- were trying to figure out how a nail in a tire could have ended so badly. Apparently, her car's brake system froze up when she tried to drive with the spare on it. Now it wouldn't go forward or backward. Joe had them put the original tire back on, we prayed a lot, and were finally able to get the car, squealing all the way, up to the curb once again.

Last night Joe and I were processing how we could help this young woman who has no money, no job and no options to get this car fixed. Why are we in this predicament? Because a few years ago I sensed the Holy Spirit nudging me to find a way to minister to those in prison. Little did I know the paths my 'yes' was going to take me. To make a long story short, a beautiful young woman who came to Christ through our ministry there needed a place to stay when she got out, and once again, there was that nudge of the Spirit. That's what happens when you choose to follow Jesus -- one thing is always going to lead to another, (which may explain why I so often find myself resisting those initial urges).

Honestly though, it has been a joy to have her here. Watching her try to navigate her new life -- enrolling in school, trying to get a job, etc. -- has opened my eyes to the numbers of young people, who for all practical purposes have no parents to look out for them as they seek to enter adulthood. This young woman left home because of abuse as a 13 year old, fending for herself and using every means possible to get by in this world, which basically explains how she ended up in the brig.

So last night I was lamenting to Joe that if this were our own child, we would find a way to get the car fixed and what in the world do these thousands of parent-less children do when life throws them a curve ball like this? I believe I was really feeling the Lord's heart in that moment, but we still weren't sure what we were to do, primarily because we had no idea what the thing might cost and whether we could even manage it if we wanted to.

This morning my words came back to haunt me when our 23 year old son, (who lives with us so he can get out of debt) called to say his car had caught on fire on the freeway. Thankfully he managed to get it to the side of the road and get himself out without injury, but it looks like that trusty toyota corolla may be headed for the junkyard. You have to smile at the irony of the whole thing, if only to keep from crying.

What's amazing is the amount of calm I feel about all of this. After the initial shock, I began to realize that this is an opportunity for us all to watch how God will work. I've seen His faithfulness all my life, but these two young people haven't, and I know He wants to show them His love and trustworthiness. I'm looking forward to the process, even as I realize this is going to cost us, one way or the other.

And that's the thing about being intentional, about listening to the Lord's voice and living in intimate communion with Him. This journey with Jesus has a price, but oh what a ride He takes us on! And I, for one, wouldn't have it any other way.

Valentine Cookies and Christ's Reign

2010-02-06T07:31:00.000-08:00

"What are the areas where Jesus does not have full reign in your heart?"

This is the question the Holy Spirit has been pressing gently upon me as I've studied Matthew. Thankfully, this hasn't been a frustrating, guilt-ridden activity like it once could have been. Instead, I've found it intriguing, even when the Spirit spoke the word, "food" and I knew I was in for it. Eating healthy has always been a struggle for me. First of all, I hate the taste of anything green, unless it's mint chocolate chip ice cream. Second, for all sorts of social, familial, emotional and physical reasons I am addicted to sugar. I have spent no small amount of time and money trying to overcome this. I even wrote my own personal blog for a few months once, trying to hold myself accountable.

But as I've been pondering the promise that the kingdom of heaven is near, it came to me that the truth is I've never really BELIEVED that this was hindering the joy of Christ's reign in my heart. And I want THAT JOY more than anything else.

The kingdom is near, so why do I miss it in various areas of my life? It all comes down to the issue of repentance, a topic which has been sorely misunderstood in our Christian culture. So here are a few truths I've been processing, and which are helping me press into this with hope:

Repentance is not so much a decision, but a process. There is that initial decision to turn around, but that is only the first step.
There is a highway in my heart that either opens the way for Jesus to go deeper or hinders me from fully receiving Him in fresh ways. I must travel that road first, rooting out rocks, smoothing rough places. This is the process of repentance.
Change has to happen in attitudes and actions and change takes time. I haven't stopped repenting just because I've failed. I only stop repenting when I give up completely. But even then I can always begin again! Altering life-long habits and attitudes (which is the biggest part of it for me), never happens all at once.
Everything is possible only by grace, and thus repentance is no self-improvement program, but a way to allow Jesus to work for His glory and our joy.

I have a whole new appreciation for John's call to "Repent, for kingdom of heaven has come near." That I can experience more and more of the reign of Christ is an awesome and holy truth, for His rule is my joy, even when I may not feel it. It is. This is what I reminded myself last night when I helped my grandkids decorate Valentine cookies and was sorely tempted to stuff my mouth with those frosting laden beauties. But now that I've shared with you, I guess there's no turning back-- and that's a good thing!

MUNDANE MOMENTS

2010-02-04T06:50:00.001-08:00

"So, what did you do today, hon?" my husband asked as I put the finishing touches on dinner. I proceeded then to outline all I'd accomplished -- cleaned house, 4 loads of laundry, grocery shopping, cleaned out a cupboard and fixed dinner. I was feeling pretty proud of how industrious I'd been, but apparently it didn't make too much of an impression on him, because as we sat down to eat, he asked me again, "So what did you do today?"

I can't really blame him for not being wowed by my achievements, but this morning as I sit here with the Lord I am pondering what it means to be intentional in the midst of life's never-ending mundane moments. Sitting here, I've realized that the day actually had a great gain for me due to the fact that while I was cleaning and folding laundry, I listened to some messages from John Piper's conference on Christian Hedonism. (When I want a jolt in my spirit, there's nothing like John Piper!) See for yourself by clicking here.

Piper's message was on C.S. Lewis' life and passion. It spoke of how Lewis explored deeply the 'inconsolable longing' for joy that is within every person -- which nothing in this world can satisfy. This longing is what actually drew Lewis to Christ. These things were not new, but what washed over me like a fresh rain as I listened was the caution to not make an idol of joy, which can so easily happen when we put our eyes on how we feel or what we are experiencing of Christ, instead of His inherent worth and beauty. Simply put, the message was a good reminder that I need to be very INTENTIONAL about remaining Christ-centered even in my desire to have tangible intimacy with Him.

I could go on and on, but the point I'm trying to share here is that a simple decision to spend my cleaning time listening to a message, brought me to a hugely transforming and much needed reality. It was a little thing to do, a small burst of intentionality, but with great benefit for my soul.

Now if I'd only shared that with Joe, he might have been a bit more impressed...

BEATING THE ODDS

2010-02-02T05:29:00.000-08:00

In my desire to be more intentional, I've begun listening to sermons online while I put on my makeup. Yesterday I heard one on New Year's resolutions that was pretty discouraging. According to the research, not too many people make them anymore, and of those who do, only about 8% make it past the FIRST WEEK!!!

I only have one word in response: GRACE. I will not succeed in living more intentionally because I made a resolution to do so, but because my Heavenly Father is the One who put the idea in my heart and will thus give me the grace to continue. What this means practically is that when I've failed for a day or two or even a week or month, my only recourse is to come to Him in my weakness and ask for greater grace. The beauty is that He loves to give it, that He waits on high to be gracious to us (Isaiah 30:18).

And by His grace, I plan to beat the odds. How about you?

Haven't Changed the World Yet

2010-01-29T05:59:00.000-08:00

I was leaving my gym on Wednesday and one of my classmates was waiting on the sidewalk. I said goodbye and headed to my car when a small voice inside said, ,"Maybe she needs a ride." Immediately I went through the mental gymnastics of a hummingbird on speed. What if she needs a ride everyday? What if I'm going to have to be her transportation? How can I do that, given my time constraints? Do You want me to invest in her life? Am I ready for another relationship? On and on it went in the space of 15 seconds -- amazing, isn't it?

Finally that little voice said, "Just offer her a ride." So I did. She didn't need one after all -- she was waiting for a friend.

I share that because I think it is going to be fairly normal as I seek to live intentionally. It isn't that I'm going to be scaling the heights of radical obedience and changing the world in the process in 2010. I can romanticize that idea and spend the entire year telling myself I'm ready for the BIG CALL. But I'm guessing that far more often the Lord will simply be nudging me to do some small thing. No glamour, no grand sacrifice -- just little acts of obedience, which Jesus said was way better in the end.

To be honest, I wish I were far more holy about this. Will I ever get to the point where those mind games don't have to happen before I simply say "Yes"?

Thanks for Holding Me Accountable

2010-01-26T06:04:00.000-08:00

For the last few days I've wanted to post some thoughts here but knew I needed to get my Haiti giving established first since I wrote about it here. I realized this blog, whether anyone reads it or not, will be a great help in keeping me accountable to live intentionallly. For that I'm grateful (I think)! So we decided to give to our own denomination's mission board, largely because all the money goes directly to Haiti, and there are missionaries on the ground there to distribute it who know the people and the needs. If you're looking for a place to give, click here.

I was talking with a friend on Sunday who mentioned that at the end of the day on Saturday she really couldn't account for how she spent her time. I know the feeling. What does it take to be more intentional about our time? What it DOESN'T MEAN is evaluating our day by how much meaningful stuff we accomplished. That is a sure fire way to turn this challenge into a duty and take away all the fun. Instead, it means pressing into the other two parts of the challenge first -- delighting in the Lord and dialoguing with Him throughout the day. The questions therefore, that I am trying to ask each day are: Lord, in what ways did we communicate today? Was I listening? Were You speaking? Were we enjoying communion? After those questions, I can ask -- and did I do the things You impressed me to do?

The point is that if we're not living intentionally, the first course correction is to be more intentional about intimacy with Him. That's how we keep from getting the cart before the horse, so to speak. Make sense? and for the record, I worked on REALLY MEANINGFUL stuff all day yesterday, and yet realized this morning that I'm not sure how much I dialogued with the Lord. Hope to do better today. How about you?

Haiti, the begats and being intentional

2010-01-23T07:06:00.000-08:00

I have to admit I've felt some striving in these first few days of intentional living, but that's not all bad. I've learned to let that feeling draw me to the Lord and instead of trying to impress Him, just tell Him how desperately I need Him.
So I was reading the newspaper on Thursday and thinking of those suffering in Haiti and that word -- intentional -- resounded ever so strongly in my ear. I thought of all the times I have wanted to respond to things like these and didn't. I began to pray about it and last night my husband and I simply asked the Lord, "What do you want us to give?" It was great -- we both heard the same amount, and though it would be sacrificial, we felt such joy because we knew that God had spoken.
Hearing God's voice is critical to being intentional, for it's the only way we can walk in freedom AND obedience with joy. It's not so much about all the things I'm going to DO, but the way I plan to listen more, and then do what the Spirit impresses me to do. Make sense?
Speaking of being intentional -- you gotta love those begats (that's the geneology in Matthew 1). Because we know God is an intentional God and does all things for His own pleasure, it is a wonder to see prostitutes and murderers and adulterers and just run of the mill folk in the lineage of Christ. How encouraging to know that it is HIS pleasure to use broken, messed up people. Matthew seems to go out of his way to make this clear, even listing women, which was unheard of. What an amazing God we have...
And it's great to walk with all of you -- Please share your own adventures in intentionality to encourage us.
Now I just need to hear His voice about where to give our offering for Haiti -- I'll keep you posted!

Living Intentionally -- are you ready for this?

2010-01-20T14:43:00.000-08:00

This is the New Year’s resolution I didn’t want to make. It took root in the waning weeks of 2009 as I was mindlessly perusing the pages from my previous year’s prayer journal and noticed how often the Lord had spoken to me about something in the morning -- whether it was to call a neighbor or write a note or simply spend focused time in prayer -- and I hadn’t followed through, usually because I forgot. Discomfort soon led to conviction, and as I sat there bemoaning my weaknesses, the Lord gently whispered the word ‘intentional’ to me. That’s when the battle began. To make matters worse, the more I wrestled with the Lord, the more I realized I was going to have to share my struggles with you. So before I lay my soul bare, here’s the resolution I’ve finally found the courage to put into words:

In the year 2010, I resolve to live every day more intentionally by delighting myself in the Lord, dialoguing with Him throughout the day, and doing the things His Spirit impresses me to do.

See, it isn’t that bad! Or is it? To be honest, I have turned that third phrase – doing the things His Spirit impresses me to do – every which way but loose, trying to get away from the simplicity of its call. Ever prone to a performance mode that can border on legalism, I found myself offering all kinds of arguments. Was it really possible to be at the beck and call of the Spirit of God on any given day? What if I couldn’t do it? Worse yet, what if I didn’t want to? What if the Spirit impressed me to do things that were embarrassing or trying or simply inconvenient? Before I knew it I’d digressed into all sorts of self-condemnation about how immature I was to even have to wrestle with such thoughts – shouldn’t I be way past this?

I thought of how excited I was last year when the Lord impressed me with the resolution to learn how to live in His love. This seemed something different altogether. Really? Aren’t all God’s plans for our good? Doesn’t obedience always lead to joy? I knew the answers, and yet I resisted for reasons I couldn’t articulate. Slowly the Lord began to reveal to me how I wanted to have all the answers, to know I could do this and do it well, before I made a commitment. But His plan was that the resolution would be a vehicle for me to learn how to live intentionally, just as last year’s became the vehicle for living gloriously in His love. Given that, why should I want to throw up my hands in defeat before I’ve even started? Why not, instead, simply admit my fears, my failures, my weaknesses and concerns, and spend the year pursuing the depth of intimacy with Jesus that such a challenge might enhance?

So that is what I am doing. In His tender grace, God has brought me gently along and as I write this, I am beginning to feel a kind of joyful anticipation about it. I want this resolution -- to live more intentionally -- to change me in the same kind of profound ways that living loved has. I do hope you will join me, mainly because I need the support but also because I sense that God is putting similar impressions on many hearts today, due to the urgency of the hour.

While we will use the same tools for diving into God’s Word, I am excited about the focus I believe He has given me this year, which is to spend the entire year in the Gospel of Matthew, learning from the One who has walked the intentional way before us. For more information on this and how we can journey together, click here.

Finally, I plan to chronicle my own path a little more often through this blog. I will still send out occasional devotionals via email, but if you’d like more, or want to share your own ups and downs, victories and failures – you can join me here. I'd love to hear from you!

Whether you feel called to embrace the Living Intentionally 2010 Challenge or not, I pray 2010 will be a year in which you experience greater grace from our Lord to live immersed in His love and passionate for His glory.