Weakness

Could it be that weakness is my ultimate goal?

I see it as such an embarrassment, so painful, so hard to endure. And yet, II Corinthians 11 and 12 tell us that in our weakness, God's grace and power are seen the best. Isn't that what we want - God's glory?

If I must boast then, I will boast in my weakness.
I will boast in the fact that each night, I have to run to the Savior's arms because otherwise, sobbing overtakes me.
I will boast that I can't find the desire to live beyond today, because my sweet Lord gives me the will to live today for Him.
I will boast that I have disappointed someone who loved me deeply, because I know that God's grace is sufficient for me and His love will never, ever run out or change.
I will boast that I can't get a 4.0, because God has given me the strength to pull through some classes with B's.
I will boast that I tend to depend on loved ones too much, because God has taken that dependence and used it to show me how much I need Him.
I will boast that I don't know at all what my future holds, because that means God can do whatever He wants with it.

So much boasting. And yet, so much that the world (and even the Body of Christ) tells me I should be ashamed of.

Not tonight. Tonight, I boast that I have been wooed and won by the ultimate Lover. I am weak - then He is strong.

Peace with God

Romans 5:1

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

It's so good that our peace on this earth is not dependent on other people or our circumstances. If it were, I know that I would never feel peace. But the Bible continually tells us that if we have been redeemed, we have peace with God. Think back - this world has a long history of struggle with God. Ever since the fall in the Garden, the chaos of this world is in such opposition to the glory of our God. And yet, we can now be at peace with God.

Now peace with God doesn't mean that our lives won't have trouble, struggle, pain, or hurt. Not at all - those things are still so present and sometimes it sure seems like they are surrounding us to the point of suffocation. And yet, our status with God means that we can have peace with Him in the midst of that chaos.

The story of the the "sinful woman" in Luke 7:36-50 is a beautiful illustration of this. She was someone who lived in a world of struggle and chaos. Her encounter with Jesus changed that forever - they shared an intimate moment. Scripture doesn't record anything that she said, only her tears. But Jesus told her that her sins were forgiven, her faith had saved her, and that she should go in peace. Did she go out of that house suddenly able to easily forsake her sinful life and into a world of butterflies and rainbows? Not at all - but from then on, she was able to say that she was forgiven, and that she had peace with God.

When peace seems elusive, take a moment to rest in the peace that is always attainable.

By Faith, Abraham. . .

Romans 4 talks about how Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. It says that “ . . . 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.” The passage also encourages us to walk in the footsteps of faith that Abraham displayed. Let’s take a minute to look at those footsteps.

1. God told Abraham to leave his homeland and go to the land God had for him. And he did – just like that. The Bible doesn’t say that he wasted any time getting prepared or putting his affairs in order. He just went. Remember when in Genesis this took place? It’s the first thing we really hear about after the great Flood and the tower of Babel incident. As a human, what must Abraham’s impression of God have been? I would have been terrified, and definitely not inclined to obey immediately. But 75-year-old Abraham just packed up his family and took off.

2. Fast forward 24 years (during which time Abraham has been wandering all over the place, living in Canaan, visiting Egypt, having a son with his wife’s servant girl, etc.). God comes to Abraham again, with two words for him. First, the good news – a son! Old Abraham, and his old wife are going to have a child. Naturally, Abraham laughs. You would too if you were 99 and promised a son! But then, the other news – circumcision. Take a minute and consider what this meant for Abraham . . . to circumcise himself and all of his grown, adult manservants. Do you think he wanted to do this, or found any logic in this command of God? But he did it – he “did not waver.”

3. The last example I want to bring before you is the testing of Abraham. His promised son has been born, as God promised – what a wonderful blessing that must have been to him and Sarah! To see the promise of the Lord finally fulfilled! And then, God asks him to do the impossible. He asks Abraham to sacrifice his son on an altar. Theology and the nature of God would have provided Abraham with so many excuses to not obey. “But I know you’re a loving God,” “Surely you don’t delight in human sacrifices,” . . . the list goes on. And yet, through FAITH, Abraham displays a practical obedience and does what God has asked.

How can we do this? Are there times in our lives when God calls us to obey, but we resist because of the excuses our idea of Christianity gives us? I think that faith requires relationship – it requires knowing the one you trust. We have to be fully persuaded of the faithfulness of God in order to trust Him. That’s hard to do. It’s hard when you’re going through dark days. It sure doesn’t seem like God is fulfilling His promises when you’re in the heat of spiritual warfare, physical exhaustion, or emotional break-down. It’s in those times that it is most important for us to follow the footsteps of Abraham, and practically obey God’s command to trust in Him.

Monday Mullings

Is mullings a word? Whatever - these are the things I am "mulling" over this Monday. :)

Titus = awesome book of the Bible. This past weekend I had the privilege of attending a retreat at Lake of the Ozarks that was dedicated to going through the book of Titus. Wow - what refreshment, to spend a whole weekend just soaking up God's Word and the wisdom of other Christians!

We covered a lot of different topics this weekend, and I don't think I'm going to take the time to relate all of them to you here. :) However, I did want to share the points from one of the sermons that really was a wonderful reminder. The text was Titus 2:11-14:

¹¹For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. ¹²It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

The speaker talked about how grace has three roles in our lives:
1. Grace brings salvation. I felt like this was a pretty basic thing for us Christians - we are saved by grace, totally a work of God, not us. We're never going to be good enough - even after our salvation though, this is a good thing to remember. . . to be reminded of how we came to where we are now, and our standing with the Holy God that we serve.
2. Grace schools us - it teaches us to say no to ungodliness, and live our new lives. Now this is something I hadn't thought about before - the work of grace after salvation. But isn't the Holy Spirit the one who enables us to live that holy life? And the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is a major extension of the grace that we have received.
3. Grace "soothes" us. It reminds us of the hope that we have for eternal life. This hope isn't just one we can hold onto as a promise for the future, but something that affects the way we live our lives today!

And our response to this grace is seen in that last phrase - "eager to do what is good." Our gratefulness for His grace prompts our love for Him - and this love creates in us a desire to please God, and makes us eager to do good for Him. The message puts it as being "energetic in goodness."

The lake is beautiful. That's all.

Sleepless in Kirksville

Don't you hate those nights, when you're so exhausted that you lie in bed for hours, unable to sleep? I decided to visit my much-neglected blog this night, as I waited for sleep to come. As I was looking through old posts, I thought I would read through some of the ones that I had labeled as "devotions." I was rather ashamed to see only one that has been written in this year 2010 . . . and that I could count on my hand the ones I have posted since coming to school last fall.

It's funny - I can't quite imagine why I haven't posted any devotional thoughts lately. God sure hasn't gone anywhere - He's still a pretty permanent fixture in my life. In fact, this past month or so has been one of clinging to Him with every once of strength I have. I suppose my times with God and the lessons He's been teaching me are just more personal than I'd care to share on a blog. And that's okay. Hopefully someday, I can go back and share some of what has been going on lately. But for now, I have something that just came to my attention. :)

One of the old posts I read was about Holy Week, and the great Romance of our Savior. Holy Week this year has begun and I hardly realized it! You know, every year when we get to this point, the story is just the same, isn't it? We read the various Gospel's accounts of Jesus' last days, and I think it's pretty tempting to just skim over it, and say "Yeah, yeah, it's all the same information as last year."

But that's the thing - it isn't the same, at least not for those of us who are intimately acquainted with the Author of this story! Because for us, it's also our story. And every year, our lives are at least a somewhat different place than where they were last year, as is our relationship with our Lord. Last year for me, what stood out was the great Love that He showed in His death - I needed that reminder and assurance of His great Love for me.

This year, I'm looking for Hope as I read through. The Hope that after death comes life. Weeping and sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Some days, it's hard to believe that. But as I read the story of my Savior, I see it, plain and clear. Oh Lord - I praise you for your story. And I praise you that, through everything I've faced these past few months, it remains the same. The Hope you offer is still there, and I cling to that.

"Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, 'Woman, why are you crying?'

'They have taken my Lord away,' she said, 'and I don't know where they have put him.' At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

'Woman,' he said, 'why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?'

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.'

Jesus said to her, 'Mary.'

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, 'Rabboni!' (which means Teacher).

Jesus said, 'Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, "I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." ' "

John 20:10-18

What does the story of Holy Week say to you this year?

Intimacy

"Once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely and we never lack for understanding or compassion. We can continually pour out our hearts to Him without being perceived as overly emotional or pitiful. The Christian who is truly intimate with Jesus will never draw attention to himself but will only show the evidence of a life where Jesus is completely in control. This is the outcome of allowing Jesus to satisfy every area of life to its depth. The picture resulting from such a life is that of the strong, calm balance that our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him."
-My Utmost for His Highest, January 7th

"The strong, calm balance" . . . when I read this devotion back in January, I had no idea that this concept of intimacy and quiet before our Lord would be such a hard lesson to learn. I didn't set out to learn it by any means - in fact, I've actually been running away from it for the past several weeks. When I returned to Truman from Christmas break at home, life quickly picked up and started moving at it's usual break-neck speed. SAB, CCF, spending time with friends, small groups, Howdys, planning events, meetings, homework, classes, keeping in touch with friends back home. . . I was overwhelmed. Each night, when I finally gave in to my desperate need for sleep, I would lie awake for hours, exhausted physically and emotionally, but with my mind rushing with everything that still had yet to be done. And every morning, the alarm came far too quickly, for I never woke up feeling any more rested than I had when I went to bed.

One night a week or so ago, in the midst of all this chaos, a friend asked how they could pray for me. I decided to be honest and said, "Pray that I would start taking time for my own relationship with God, and not constantly focusing on my relationship with others, and on their issues in life and their relationships with God." Our conversation moved on from there, and I would have forgotten entirely about it had, God not inserted Himself into the situation.

This past week has been almost frightening. My daily e-mail devotions, the sermon on Sunday, conversations with 3 of my friends, my small group meeting this Monday, and all the other spiritual inputs into my life have all had one focus -- Slow down. Cut back on your schedule. Make time for God. Learn to be a "Mary" and not a "Martha." Place God as your first priority, not just another item on the to-do list. Develop intimacy with Him and don't be content with a casual acquaintance. And through it all, the recurring theme that if I were to do this and pursue God, this "strong, calm balance" would be the result, replacing my usual exhaustion and stress.

This isn't one of those stories about how I made a 180 degree turn-around and my life is suddenly perfect - far from it! I am still in the very beginning stages of learning how to apply these truths to my busy college life. But God knows what He's up to, and He has placed people in my life this semester who are there to help me out. So I just wanted to write this in order to encourage you to also make your pursuit of God first priority in your life, no matter who you are. We are all busy, but somehow, that ceases to be a good excuse when you think of the Cross, doesn't it? Let's learn together how to slow down and be still and quiet before our God, developing that intimacy with Him that He asks us for.

Yours, from the chilly northern climate,
Rebekah

The Fruits of Laziness

“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith
and patience inherit what was promised.” Hebrews 6:12

The following are thoughts or attitudes that create a lazy spirit

I am not very careful to what I expose myself.
I often quit too soon.
I often revert to entertainment in order to put my mind in neutral.
I often choose activities that require no mental exercise.
I often choose activities that require no physical exercise.
I often feel that there is no value in hard or difficult work.
I hate disciplining myself and I often make excuses not to do it
I make very little effort to control my thought life.
It is way too difficult to “take captive every thought.”
I put more value on activities with people than solitude with God.
I normally reward myself with food or sleep.
I have convinced myself that spiritual disciplines are not needed in my life.
I often do not complete things on time or at all.
I “date” procrastination regularly.
I often waste precious time on meaningless things.
I strongly dislike “character building” situations.
The “snooze” button on my alarm clock is in danger of wearing out.
I take shortcuts when no one is looking.
My lifestyle shouts, “I do as little as I can to get by.”
I hate being held accountable for work.
I blame my undisciplined lifestyle on my work or schedule.
I hate being stretched or challenged.
I tend to hang around people who are “just as” or “more” undisciplined as I am.
I consider disciplined people extremists.
I tend to avoid activities that require diligence and perseverance.
I normally allow my schedule to control me instead of me controlling my schedule.
Most of the time, I make excuses not changes.
Compared to some people, I am really disciplined.
Much of the reading I do does not require me to think.
I normally take the easy way out.
When given the choice of neatness or messiness, I normally slide to messiness.
I normally allow “not making a decision” to be my decision.
I think that my undisciplined lifestyle is really cute or attractive.
I have often thought or said, “I don’t have to perform for God.”
I am counting on God’s grace to cover over my undisciplined lifestyle.

Dean Trune – Impact Ministries International – 4642 Arrowhead Road, Okemos, MI 48864 – 517-349-7783 dtrune@impactingtheworld.com

Desires and Delight

"The LORD your God is with you,

he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."
Zephaniah 3:17

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this. . ."
Psalm 37:4-5

Have I ever before thought about the fact that the Lord delights in me? Honestly, I haven't. And now that I am, it puzzles me so very much. What is there in me that is delightful? Out of all the beauty He has created, why would the One who is mighty to save take note of me, much less find pleasure in me? And yet, He does. Pause, and think about this. Does it make your heart soar? In His majesty, the Lord of all chose me.

How is it that I do not delight in Him in the same way? Last Sunday, the sermon was about how our God wants to fulfill the desires of our hearts, every last one of them. The speaker stated that every desire we have begins in God - granted, they can be twisted into pervert, and sinful things, but the roots of every last one was created in our hearts by our Heavenly Father. He wants to make those desires come true, so very much!

But we, in our foolishness, try to fulfill our desires in our own way. It doesn't work, and God has to crush those desires, so that we don't harm ourselves. I hate it when God does this in my life, and my plans don't turn out the way I had hoped. More often than not, it causes me to question Him and His goodness. How utterly ridiculous of me!

If only I could learn to give my desires to Him in the first place, and ask Him to fulfill them for me - then, my focus could be on delighting in Him, and remaining in Him. I wouldn't spend time worrying about how the things I wanted would happen, if I truly let that be up to Him. My faith is so small, Lord. I must admit that I doubt your ability to fill the desires of my heart better than I can. Would you take my desires, every last one, and fill them in your amazing and beautiful way? I realize that many of these secret wishes won't be brought into completion on this earth, and that's okay. Bring my gaze to you, so that I can delight in you and allow you to have your way with my desires, each and every day.

Devotional Thoughts from Oswald Chambers

Aug 17: Are You Discouraged or Devoted?

. . . Jesus . . . said to him, ’You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have . . . and come, follow Me.’ But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich —Luke 18:22-23

Have you ever heard the Master say something very difficult to you? If you haven’t, I question whether you have ever heard Him say anything at all. Jesus says a tremendous amount to us that we listen to, but do not actually hear. And once we do hear Him, His words are harsh and unyielding.

Our Lord knows perfectly well that once His word is truly heard, it will bear fruit sooner or later. What is so terrible is that some of us prevent His words from bearing fruit in our present life. I wonder what we will say when we finally make up our minds to be devoted to Him on that particular point? One thing is certain— He will never throw our past failures back in our faces.

Aug 18: Have You Ever Been Speechless with Sorrow?

When he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich —Luke 18:23

The rich young ruler went away from Jesus speechless with sorrow, having nothing to say in response to Jesus’ words. He had no doubt about what Jesus had said or what it meant, and it produced in him a sorrow with no words with which to respond. Have you ever been there? Has God’s Word ever come to you, pointing out an area of your life, requiring you to yield it to Him? Maybe He has pointed out certain personal qualities, desires, and interests, or possibly relationships of your heart and mind. If so, then you have often been speechless with sorrow. The Lord will not go after you, and He will not plead with you. But every time He meets you at the place where He has pointed, He will simply repeat His words, saying, "If you really mean what you say, these are the conditions."

"Sell all that you have . . ." ( Luke 18:22 ). In other words, rid yourself before God of everything that might be considered a possession until you are a mere conscious human being standing before Him, and then give God that. That is where the battle is truly fought— in the realm of your will before God. Are you more devoted to your idea of what Jesus wants than to Jesus Himself? If so, you are likely to hear one of His harsh and unyielding statements that will produce sorrow in you. What Jesus says is difficult— it is only easy when it is heard by those who have His nature in them. Beware of allowing anything to soften the hard words of Jesus Christ.

The Recabites – Who would have thought?

This morning, I came to Jeremiah 35 in my devotional reading. I’ve been reading through Jeremiah and I Thessalonians simultaneously, and I must admit that I typically go into my quiet times expecting to “get more” out of my New Testament chapters. But today was different. I couldn’t recall ever having read it before, but the story of the Recabites was really interesting. Isn’t this so very applicable to our lives as Christians today? How often do we see “good” people (or even not-so-good people) so dedicated to what they do, whether it be a charity, a sports team, or their job? There’s definitely nothing wrong with this. . . but why are they often so much more dedicated than the majority of Christians are to God? It’s particularly thought-provoking when you realize that their efforts and works are totally useless.

So the question that came to mind was this – why am I, as a Christian, such a slacker? Why do I continually come up with excuses for why I’m not as sold-out to God as He asks me to be? I say to myself so often, “Well, I’m just too busy.” Doesn’t the word too in that sentence indicate a need for change, a realization that something is wrong with the way I live my life? If I’m to busy to be obeying God, then something’s up. And when I say “obeying God,” I’m not really sure what I mean – I guess everything, from the command to spread the Gospel, to His desire that we be holy, as He is.

But see, here’s the other thing that I thought of. Simply thinking, “Oh, I need to go do so that I can be obeying God!” isn’t the point. Rushing around and doing good things, regardless of how much they might serve God, is not what God wants from us. Check this out – His very words: "This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem, 'Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?' declares the LORD.” (vs. 13) He was ticked off at His chosen people, and I would have been too! I mean, they had the Living God to serve, the great I AM, giving them commands – these Recabites were following what a dead ancestor had told them to do! Hello?

So what does God want? Why was He upset with His people? It comes down to relationship. Our God is a jealous God – the Israelites were following idols, and being sold out to other things besides Him. They were placing anything and everything before their relationship with God. Sound familiar? God desires us, wholly and completely. Now the real question: What am I going to do about it? In what ways am I letting those un-believers around me “outshine” me in their dedication to what they believe in? How can I change that, not by simply doing for the sake of doing, but developing a relationship with Him that drives me to obedience?

Morning Thoughts

"The Secret of the Lord"

"The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him . . . "

~Psalm 25:14

What is the sign of a friend? Is it that he tells you his secret sorrows? No, it is that he tells you his secret joys. Many people will confide their secret sorrows to you, but the final mark of intimacy is when they share their secret joys with you. Have we ever let God tell us any of His joys? Or are we continually telling God our secrets, leaving Him no time to talk to us? At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to God. But then we find that God wants to get us into an intimate relationship with Himself— to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so intimately united to Jesus Christ’s idea of prayer— "Your will be done" ( Matthew 6:10 )— that we catch the secrets of God? What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us— He knows every detail of each of our individual lives.

My Utmost for His Highest

On Daily Quiet Times. . .

http://thebeckyanddadshow.blogspot.com/2009/05/daily-devotions.html

Love Never Fails

Love is patient. . .

it can wait a lifetime, and if it's from God, can hold out for His perfect timing.

Love is kind. . .

it goes out of its way to help and looks beyond just what makes "me"

feel good, finding the root of the need or hurt.

It does not envy. . .

it realizes that those I love belong to God, not to me, and they are His to use as He pleases.

It does not boast . . .

it would rather listen than talk, and doesn't need to compete or succeed to feel loved in return.

It is not proud. . .

it's willing to forgive, to admit fault, and to be the first to speak up when problems happen.

It is not rude. . .

it does not exclude others throughout exclusive focus on one,

but reaches out to all who need God's love.

It is not self-seeking. . .

it's always focused on what's best for others, and how God is/wants to be at work in their lives.

It is not easily angered. . .

it quickly lets the little things pass, and forgives quickly,

not allowing the big things to form into grudges.

It keeps no record of wrongs. . .

it doesn't remember past hurts, and never dregs up old pain during new conflicts.

Does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. . .

it is pure, and focuses on keeping those it loves set apart for God.

It always protects. . .

not only does is physically protect others from harm, but also emotionally,

by guarding other's hearts.

Always trusts. . .

it realizes that God is in control, and that He has my best interests at heart.

Always hopes. . .

it thinks the best of othes, never assuming to worst.

Always perseveres. . .

it never fails to lose sight of the big picture,

and how God has first loved and pursued us, in our broken state.

Love Never Fails.

I Corinthians 13:5-7

Lead Me to the Cross

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

by night, and am not silent."

and

"From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;

before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;

they who seek the LORD will praise him—

may your hearts live forever!"

Psalm 22: 1-2 & 25-26

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Psalm 34:18

David and his psalms can be so refreshingly honest! In them, I can vividly see the ups and downs of a walk of faith, the walk of a man declared to be after God's own heart. He has moments when God seems so near, and when he is full of praise for the intimacy of his Lord and King. And he also has times when he cries out from a heart that feels the pain of separation from God, times when God seems so very far away. Yet always, he comes back to praising the Lord, and declaring how marvelous and good he is. What's David's secret? How does he remain so full of faith when God seems distant? I think the key is that David truly knows God, and knows His character. He has confidence in who God is, even when he is unsure where God is, or what He is doing. The only way that I too can come to this point of confidence in God is by knowing just who He is. . . and the only way that comes about is by digging into His word.

"With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

Mark 15:37-38

Sometimes, as in this story, the circumstances around us shout out God's identity and His sovereignty, loud and clear. This centurion experienced Christ's power in a real way, and standing there at the foot of the cross, He realized who Jesus was. It's an incredible story. However, in my daily life, my circumstances don't always shout God's name - they don't always make me think warm, fuzzy thoughts about Him, or tremble in fear and awe over His power. But regardless, I can always come back to the cross. I can stand still and remember what happened there, for me. Then I can say, with confidence, that this man was the Son of God.

Savior I come

Quiet my soul remember

Redemption's hill

Where Your blood was spilled

For my ransom

Everything I once held dear

I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross

Where Your love poured out

Bring me to my knees

Lord I lay me down

Rid me of myself

I belong to You

Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I

Tempted and trialed

You are

The word became flesh

Bore my sin and death

Now you're risen

To your heart

To your heart

Lead me to your heart

Lead me to your heart

-Lead Me to the Cross

Is This Love?

Romance.

The very word sends shivers down my spine. I must admit, I am a hopeless romantic. What teenage girl isn't? This Friday, as I was making a large batch of chocolate chip cookies, my thoughts began drift to and fro among the dreams and hopes I have built for myself when it comes to this thing called love. Oh, my dreams aren't grand or fancy - they certainly aren't ambitious or unrealistic! But, because of the way God designed men and women to love each other and work together in relationships that uplift His purposes on earth, those dreams of someday being a part of such a relationship myself are certainly alive and well in my heart.

And yet, I paused to think about what this day, this Good Friday, recognized. Where is the romance in scourging and beating? Where are the girlish dreams to be found in a crown, not one of silver and diamonds, but of thorns? And what beauty, what cherished hopes are seen in a man, bleeding and dying on a cross? My fanciful thoughts of love came plummeting down into the world of reality once more. Not for long though - for I once again remembered that this day does not serve to simply recognize death and the devestation caused by it.

No - on Good Friday, we pause to remember the "why," not only the "what." Why would God Himself choose this path? To endure scorn, shame, and pain beyond comprehension? To humble Himself to our level, spend 3 years on earth showing us the perfect example of how we ought to live, then give himself up to death on a cross? Why?

"Greater love has no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends." This tale, with all it's gore and bloodshed, is truly the greatest romance ever written. The Lover sacrifices His very life for His Beloved. He does this, not out of a false sense of infatuation, or because a melodramatic playwrite had to have his moment in the spotlight. He does this to bring life. For through His death, we find that which was previously unattainable - eternal life!

Our story unfolds like many typical romances. However, soon the differences become apparent - the Prince came riding in, but not on a white stallion. He shares a meal with those dearest to Him, and the great love He bears for them is evident. But then ,the plot twist - our hero is given over to His enemies? Surely not! Gasp! Our hearts cringe as He is beat, again and again. Our tears flow as He walks the path to the cross. We hide our faces as He the nails are pounded in, and threaten to resign our role in this elaborate story as He is laid in the tomb. But, as with any romance, we find that a happy ending is right around the corner. For come Sunday morn, the tomb is empty and our hero has conquered death once and for all! He has provided us, His Beloved, with salvation from our dire situation, and the promise of a happily ever after, the Prince of Peace by our side.

May your heart be filled with hopes and dreams this blessed Easter as you remember this story of romance Our Father has set before us!

~Rebekah Grace

Completed as Promised

Road Construction. Those simple two words can invoke so many memories, good and bad, among nearly everyone - but who can appreciate them more than families who attempt to go on long summer vacations? My first experience with road construction was when I had my driver's permit. I had never driven on the interstate (freeway, for you Californians) before, and Dad decided that Kansas would be a good/easy place to start. Well, is was on our weekend trip to Denver (and that in and of itself is another story - a weekend trip that includes 28 hrs. of driving. . . crazy idea, don't try it) and we drove through the night to maximize our daylight hours there. I had the 1-3 am shift. Now, logically, this would mean that my first time on the interstate would be easier - less traffic in the middle of the night, right? Not so - about 5 minutes down the road, we start seeing signs for road construction. Soon, the our lane crossed the median and I had to drive for over 2 hours with head-on traffic, mostly semi-trucks, and at interstate-speeds. This was also my first night driving experience. . . headlights just complicate things. Oh, and did I mention that I was driving our 12 passenger van? With the entire family in it?

That was stressful. I'm sure you yourself have many trying and/or funny situations of when you have had to deal with road construction. It slows everything down. You often feel like you're waiting hours and hours, and it seems especially pointless if it's for a road that you hardly ever drive on, and don't really care if they repave. Or, maybe it seems to you as though the pavement is just fine - why redo something that already works?

On a trip to Jefferson City last month, I saw a sign for road construction along Highway 63. The sign said something about Adding Lanes during the summer of 2008. In a long, diagonal slant across the sign was an orange strip with black writing. It blodly read "Completed as Promised." What an encouraging thing, to know that the work had been finished, and in the timing that had been originally planned! Although we didn't appreciate the construction period of things, we definitely noticed how nice the extra passing lanes were, and how much faster *cough* I mean safer, we were able to drive on the new, smooth pavement.

Today is the one month anniversary of the passing of a dear friend, Lisa Pettijohn. She fought cancer valiantly for 4 years, and left behind a loving husband, and 5 children. So many would view this as a tragedy, and in some ways, it is. It hardly seems right, or fair, that one so young would have to leave her family, who needed and adored her so much. That she, who had such a powerful testimony for Christ, should be taken to Him, and be no longer able to share His love in this world.

And yet, as we were reminded over and over again at the service that celebrated her life, we can mostly find overwhelming peace and joy through her passing away. Mrs. Pettijohn was like Highway 63 - and from the moment she accepted the Father's free gift of grace, He began His construction. He didn't post any signs for her, or her family and friends, giving a time-table for what He planned to do. But as the Holy Spirit dwelt in her heart and she began to live that new life He called her too, the bumps in the pavement began to be smoothed. Yes, there were undoubtedly days when those on the road grew cranky, when the storms of life threatened to slow down the work, and when, for undetermined reasons, progress wasn't made as intended.

However, this February 7th, 2009, God stamped the sign of Lisa's life with a huge, orange "Completed as Promised" sticker. No more bumpy roads - no more narrow lanes - no more potholes - no more delays. The transformation He had begun in her here on earth was fully realized as she entered the throne room of our Savior, and he said to her, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." We too can take hope in this promise. We do not know the day, nor the hour that He shall take us home - but we have confidence that He will one day finish His work with us here on earth, and we shall join Lisa and the other saints in dancing joyously before our Father, our Bridegroom, our Friend. As He put it in Revelation 21 and 22:

. . . I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new! To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.

The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon."

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Thirsting for Him

O God, you are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you,

my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:6

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

John 4:13-14

We don't really recognize our need for something until we have to go without. It is not until we're stuck with a car that won't start that we realize jumper cables are a good thing to keep in the trunk. We think that we can do without stretching before a work-out just this once -- until we pull a muscle and have to limp the next few weeks. And we don't think about being thirsty until we find ourselves in a dry and weary land.

How often do we hear our parents, or perhaps our doctor, encouraging us to drink more water? And yet, how hard is it to remember to consistently drink those 6-8 glasses a day? If we don't make drinking that much water every day a habit, we'll never get as much as we need. And actually, it may be one of those things we don't notice. . . the day-to-day lives we lead might not seem to suffer much from lack of water. But if we stop and consider the long-term ways water is needed in our bodies (kidney function, metabolism, temperature regulation, etc.), we will realize that water is a "must."

God is too. Our souls need a huge daily dose of Him to live. And hey, maybe, like water, we might not notice it if we go without getting enough of Him for a few days or weeks. A little here and there, something slipped into a conversation, may seem like enough. But when we reach that dry and barren land, we'll start to notice our dehydration pretty quickly. Thankfully, God is always near to us. Even in the driest of droughts, He can be found. Our job is to earnestly and daily seek Him. Even when we don't see a need for this daily dose of Him because we can't feel the effects right away, we have to continue to drink of His ways, remembering that we are in it not only for the short-term, but the long haul.

God, I haven't been doing a good job of regularly replenishing my supply of You. I need to learn that one huge dose of you isn't enough to last a lifetime. I'm not a camel Lord, and I can't just store up for the moments I feel faint - I need You each and every day. May I begin to truly see my continual need for you, and respond by earnestly seeking You and the Living Water You offer me. Thank you for always being there with open arms - forgiving the times I fail, and holding me up to keep on each day.

~Becky Girl

The Jumbled Mess

Hi everyone!

I pray that you had a blessed Thanksgiving weekend, and are beginning to catch that Christmas Spirit that wafts through the households of families everywhere at this time of year! I need to apologize, once again. I'm afraid the past several post are quite out of chronological order - I have not yet figured out how to changed the time/date of the posting or to change the order for those times when I decide to catch up on my blog all at once! I need to work on that. So I hope you can simply enjoy the photos and not get too confused by everything!

This Thanksgiving holiday was wonderful, wasn't it? It was nice to have the reminder to give thanks. So many times these days, I find myself spending the majority of my prayer time either confessing or petitioning God. (Or arguing with Him. . . not something I would highly reccomend.) Far too often, I forget to focus on adoration, worship, praise, and Thanksgiving. I took the opportunity this year to think back on the many years of blessings He has lavished upon me.

The one thing I kept coming back to this Thanksgiving was the characteristic of God that we call Love. It shows itself in this - that regardless of how we act, of how often we fail on our end of things, He welcomes us into His arms. He knew the enormity of our sins even before He sent Jesus to us, and yet He sent Him anyways - His only Son - to die a horrid and painful death for a wretch such as me. It's a love that can't truly be understood by our frail, human minds, but is so beautiful to see when we catch even just a glimpse of it. It's what pulls us through those days of darkest despair, and what warms our hearts in those moments of utter joy.

His Love has been shown to me personally in so many ways. Relationships has been a huge way this past Summer and Fall. As the stress and anxiety of a busy life and uncertainty about the future close in, there is always someone there for me. Whether it be my parents, and our long, late night discussions about the meaning of life. . . or my friends, who so patiently sit by and listen to me whine in self-pity, then lovingly and gently point me back to God . . . or God Himself, who beckons me to come and lay my head on His shoulder, leave my cares and worries behind, and entrust myself fully to His care. . . or my brothers and sisters, always good for fun and a hard, wet-your-pants time of laughter. . . or that kindred spirit of mine who graciously forgives my failings . . . or My Jesus, My Father, My Friend.

He loves me. He loves you. Let's be thankful, shall we?

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us . . . "

I John 4: 10-12, 16-17a

~Rebekah Grace

Come to Jesus

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

Isn't it humiliting to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of the things about which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words - "Come to me . . ." In every dimension in which you are not real, you will argue or evade the issue altogether, rather than come; you will go through sorrow, rather than come; and you will do anything, rather than come the last lap of the race of seemingly unspeakable foolishness and say, "Just as I am, I come." As long as you have even the least bit of spiritual disrespect, it will always reveal itself in the fact that you are expecting God to tell you to do something very big, and yet all He is telling you to do is to "Come. . ." So let us come before Him, the one who gave His all for us, lay our burdens down, and live.

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe

"Okay, who wants to be team captains?"
"Ooh, ooh, I will this time!"
"Me too, I'll be the other one!"
"You pick first."
"Okay, I choose Andy. Now you get two picks, go ahead."
"I get. . . Luke and Zach."
"My turn. Let's see. . . I'll take Philip and Becky."

Sound familiar? This could have been a conversation recorded right out of my childhood. I grew up around boys, and we were always "choosing teams." I'm sure you can remember which kid you were . . . whether the one who was always, without fail, picked first. Or one of the kids chosen somewhere in the middle. Or perhaps you were the one who was an afterthought. . . the conversation went, "Are we all done? Let's start the game. . . Oh wait, she (or he) is left. Well I guess you can have her (or him). Now let's go play!" (Growing up, I was never this child, but as a teenager, volleyball has effectively placed me in this role. lol)

A funny thing though, is that I have found this theme of choosing continues throughout teenage life, and I anticipate that it will play a part in my adult life too. We have to pick who we are friends with. . . apply to and get chosen by the "right" college or university. . . decide where to live, what things to buy, who to marry. . . the list goes on. As Christians, we might be tempted to tell people that choosing to follow God was the most important decision we ever made. But I beg to differ. . .

John 15:16-17 states:

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other."

I John 4:10-11

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

I Peter 2:9-10

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

How foolish to believe for one second that we chose God! We have nothing, in and of ourselves, which makes us worthy to even consider God and His greatness. The confession, found in the liturgy of a Lutheran service, opens with "I, a poor, miserable sinner. . . " We always laugh when we read it, because it sounds so melodramatic. . . and yet, is it not the truth?

A friend of mine is in a Bible study that is discussing the Holy Spirit. A conversation with him several weeks ago has gotten me thinking more and more about the Holy Spirit and his role in our lives. So last night, I asked Dad, "Would salvation be possible without the Holy Spirit?"With a incredulous expression, he looked at me and said, "Well that's a silly question!" (Were you thinking the same thing?) I was shocked. Dad was educated as a teacher, and he has always been good at making us feel that our thoughts and questions matter. I suppose I understand why he said it though - in a way, it was a not-serious question, more designed to inspire discussion and not a real, honest-to-goodness unknown bit of knowledge. What followed was a brief, but meaningful theological discussion about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It boiled down to what I have already written - we cannot, I repeat, cannot, save ourselves. We can't even muster up the righteousness to choose to follow God! And yet. . . He chose us. He chose you.

Do you remember the feeling you got when the team captain picked you for his team? I must say, that feeling certainly depended on the attitude of the team captain. . .if it was a casual, flippant decision, you felt just awful. But if they deliberately said, "I want you," oh the joy that filled your heart! But think of that one kid who was always picked last. Now, put yourself in his or her shoes. Imagine standing there, waiting expectantly, only to be picked as an afterthought. Sounds awful, doesn't it? Now, pretend you are that kid. . . but this time, the team captain walks right up to you before anyone else, looks into your eyes, and says, "I want you." How would you respond? This is what the Father has done for us. Remember, He chose you. It's the most important decision that has been made in your life, but you didn't make it. So then,

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12:2