Fellowship of the Unashamed

An African martyr’s last words…….
I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.
The die has been cast, I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is
redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.
I’m finished and done with low living, sight-walking, small
planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions,
mundane talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals
My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way
is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear.
I won’t give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I’ve preached up, prayed up,
paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ.
I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach
until all know, and work until He comes.
And when He comes to get His own, He will have no
problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes………” Romans 1:16
Since time is short today, I thought I would share this writing that I found. When I read it I can hear the echoes of the Apostle Paul as he travels from city to city with the Gospel message. Once his life’s work was persecuting the church, and by the end of his life he is ready to die and does die for the cause of Christ. What happened in between? He met Jesus. What happened to this African martyr? He met Jesus.
Will He be able to recognize me?……it is a sobering question, but one I think I can never stop asking.
 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Get thee up into a high mountain…..

Or even one that is not so high, but high enough……

You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
Isaiah 40:9
There is something very good and healing about climbing a mountain, even a hill. You get a clearer perspective on things, you see things down below, sounds rise up as you climb higher, and you forget your problems for a bit, they tend to shrink while you are up there. Your eyes are on the trail. Where I live you have to watch for rattlesnakes sunning themselves on the rocks.  Believe me, my eyes were peeled yesterday. It was a gorgeous day in Arizona, the sun was shining brightly and there were many out enjoying the day and I was sure the snakes felt the same way……but there were none that I could see.
It was so what I needed. With my first step I felt lighter, with every step I felt my heart lighten, my spirits lift.
The Bible talks about going up to God’s holy mountain…..that captures my imagination because I love hiking. I grew up in California, hiking the Sierra Nevada in Yosemite.
The desert is a bit different, but the feeling I get is the same. Climbing for the joy of it, the view all along the way.
Channels of communication tend to open up……..You don’t have all the interruptions, the telephone, computer, chores, television….it’s just you and your companion and the sound of footfalls. You hear a birdcall you may not have heard before and you ask, “What was that?” In a few short moments you are reconnected with someone and something you have missed…..maybe without even realizing it. Conversation flows freely.
The time is precious and I feel I something has been redeemed……I have been redeemed.
Thank you God for reminding me again why I need to do this….
Here is Elaine on the trail……she insisted that i was trying to kill her for taking the Huff and Puff trail, yes, it is actually called that…..She thanked me later!
It was a very good day.
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31
 
 
all photos taken from my iphone

He is near……

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:13

This evening I wish to draw our hearts together in prayer for the victims of the tragic shooting that happened here in our Arizona. I pray for the families of the 6 who were killed and the 14 wounded 2 of whom are still critical. Words can’t express the suffering they and their families are going through now, and I pray that God will bring His comfort and healing to all involved.

One man was a church leader who covered his wife as the shooting started, she survived, he did not. A little girl born on 9-11 was also killed, each and every one were equally important to God and will be grieved by family members and friends.
Nothing escapes His notice…….Thank you for praying as I join with churches across our state and country in vigils tonight for the victims and all involved.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

And it was Very Good…….

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. Genesis 1:31

I  like to think of that first day after creation, when God paused and called it very good. The Bible says He rested, but we all know that God neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:4) so it wasn’t that He needed a rest. He did it for us. To show us the pattern we needed to live successfully on this earth. So today, I pause as the Trinity did on that day. I like to imagine that day and when I do, I imagine all three members of the Holy family in a circle with Adam and Eve, the animals looking on curiously from the fringe……

I imagine them dancing in the sunlight, and yes a bit of resting too, as they sat back to enjoy the fruits of their labor. That was the first Church service for Adam and Eve as they reveled in everything they saw around them. As they praised and thanked their Creators for giving them life, lavishing on them, loving them…….It was a perfect day.

So today, I pause and thank Him for all of the same. Bringing me to the end of yet another week in good health…..able to enjoy some time off and remember where all this comes from. To praise Him, to thank Him yet again. To remember that He could have created all this in a nanosecond, but instead He did it in seven days just for me and all of us. For us to remember that this day is different from all the rest……
 

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Genesis 2:1-3

photo credits: google images

The "S" Word

play_w2(“S0846900”)
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:21

sub·mit (səb mit′)

1.to present or refer to others for decision, consideration, etc.
2.to yield to the action, control, power, etc. of another or others; also, to subject or allow to be subjected to treatment, analysis, etc. of some sort: often used reflexively
3.to offer as an opinion; suggest; propose

“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church”—Ephesians 5:21-29

This is a tough concept for us, even in the Church, although it shouldn’t be. I think that these verses are some of the most misused and misunderstood in the Bible. They have been used by men, including clergy, to make women feel quilty about leaving abusers. They have also been used by women against other women…..but when we think of submit, we have to think of Christ first. He submitted Himself unto death. He submitted Himself to His Father for our good.
 
Likewise, in a Christian marriage, somebody has to be the deal breaker when it comes to major decisions, and that would be the husband. This is not to say that wife must ask her husband if she can spend the money for a broom, or ask him what brand of peanut butter to buy! (I actually knew of a woman whose husband made her ask for money for household items, and he had to approve the amount!)
 
This is not what this means…… 
 
To break it down very simply, in my own opinion and understanding of Scripture it looks like this: In a Christian marriage, both man and woman submit to Christ as He is head of the church. The husband and wife each have a responsibility. The husband has the responsibility to love his wife and be willing to die for her as Christ died for His church. That puts a huge responsibility on the husband, since he also must be accountable to God for how he treats his wife. The wife has a responsibility to let that rest on the husband’s shoulders and not try to wrestle it away.
 
This is as far as I want to go with this, it is Saturday and I am really in the mood for something more like this today!
 

Or this:

cartoons from Far Side….

Advice on Marriage from a Single

I realize I am stepping out on a precarious limb today. You may ask, can a person who has lived most of their life single offer advice on marriage? Well, the Apostle Paul was unmarried and he had much to say about it. His advice came straight from God. The Bible is clear on what marriage should be: A beautiful picture of Christ and the Church. So how come the divorce rate is much the same in the church as outside the church? This statistic is very troubling and I wonder how that can be? I think it is because as the church has moved away from teaching directly from the Bible, marriage has suffered the conquences. That and the fact that nobody wants to yield anymore, we all want our rights. Even in the church, we don’t want anyone telling us what to do, and then there are all the outside influences that wreak havoc on relationships. Throw in blended families and the difficulties increase……

Marriage is extremely difficult, that much is clear, even Paul says:  “But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.” But marriage done God’s way is a beautiful picture of Christ and the Church.

There is so much focus on what people do wrong in marriage, here are some things I have observed from very strong marriages that are wonderful examples of things done right: (*note I said strong marriages, not perfect marriages!)

Go into it for life, and never threaten divorce. It would be even better in my opinion if divorce were not a topic at all, why go into something already defeated! (My folks have been married 60 years and it was never an option for them.) 

Be able to apologize and not just say “If I did something wrong” but “Will you forgive me?” This I learned from a Bill Gothard seminar years ago.

Be best friends first, be able to talk to each other. Your husband or wife should be the first person you want to share something with. Passion is great, but it will not last forever. Sooner or later you have to talk.

A sense of humor is a must. Find at least one thing you can laugh about together every day.

Be aware of your differences. Yes, despite what our culture says, there are distinct differences between men and women as well as personality differences!

Kindness, kindness, kindness. A soft answer turns away wrath as the Bible says…….Treat your mate as respectful as you treat your boss, your co-worker, your friends. Sometimes I listen to how married couples talk to each other and I think, no wonder the divorce rate is so high. They bark orders and throw sarcastic barbs back and forth like they are participating in verbal jousting matches. To some people this is normal, but it is a destructive way to live, especially with children in the house.

Stay individuals….don’t turn into the same person. Don’t depend on that person for your well-being or happiness. Be happy by yourself first!

The best advice of all is taken from the book of Ephesians………..Reverence for one another as you revere Christ.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

More thoughts on submitting tomorrow…..

Something Worth Singing About

The best way to honor someone’s legacy is to pass it on……. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 15:12

One of the most valuable things I learned, and am still learning from my parents is that no matter what life throws at you, you just keep going, press on, never sink into defeat. You tighten the straps of your backpack and hit the trail again.You can despair for a time, but ultimately you get up and start doing what has to be done, keep the rhythm of life going. For as long as I can remember, my Mom has started the day singing. She does it a bit less now…..her days are long and she has many aches and pains, but she still gets up before everyone else. She presses on. She has always found something worth singing about. She knows the song of redemption.

Love is showing through demonstration that there is always a reason to sing because life is a gift. 

I was raised with music, singing. I was raised with people who believed that there was always something worth singing about. My Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, all of us gathered around while somebody played the piano or organ…..I can still hear their voices even now all these years later, my Grandmother’s warbly soprano, my Aunt’s alto harmonies, the plink-plink of my Uncle Bill’s banjo. What wonderful memories those are, they weaved themselves into the fabric of my very being, they are part of who I am today.

There is something about singing that lifts the spirit when nothing else can. There is power in song. This is part of our very DNA set there by our Creator. He first put the song in our hearts and He sang the stars into existence! Ever notice that kids find it very easy to sing? It just comes naturally. But life can really stifle that song right out of you at times…..you don’t have to let it. Heaven is filled with music we can scarely imagine, and when we sing in spite of how bad things may get down here, we bring part of Heaven down on earth. Turn that old music master Satan’s instrument against him!

I think of the Slaves, singing out through the depths and horrors of bondage, of death all around them. I think of soldiers singing as they march into battle……I think of Paul and Silas’ song in prison and Jesus and His disciples singing a hymn before they went out into the black night of sorrow. They were all thinking of the joy set before them as Jesus was……Freedom, peace, deliverance, Heaven…….

This morning I remembered all those songs. They made me sad for times past, but also encouraged me to pick up the song and sing with them. As I was pouring my coffee, The Holy Spirit breathed a little song into my heart that I had completely forgotten about and I found myself singing it on the way to work, though I had a hard time remembering the melody for the first few bars…….The lyrics say……”You are the reason I sing, You who taught all bells of Heaven to ring, I had no song just drifted along, but now You’re the reason I sing……”

Yes, that redemption song. That’s the best way to honor all who have gone before, and those still with me, I choose to keep singing the song of hope and never stop.

Book recommendations…….

I thought I would post the two books that most impacted my Christian walk in 2010, so here is the first, Radical by David Platt. This book knocked my socks off. Several moments while I journeyed through this book it brought me to complete silence……sit in a corner and stare at the wall kind of silence. David points the way back to the heart of what Jesus said, what He meant, and it answers the important question: What does God expect from me? Many times we puzzle over God’s will and the answer is right there in front of us in Scripture…..we just don’t want to do what it says. This book will impact your life, your walk with God, and challenge you to think differently about your responsibility to people in need.

The second one I just finished. It is One Heartbeat Away by Mark Cahill. This book was a perfect one to read after “Radical.” The former took me outside the bounderies of my own comfortable little safe world, and this one took me back around to the person I meet right outside my door. The service person who works on your washer, the person on the plane next to you, your neighbor…..Mark brings us right to the heart of the big question: What lies on the other side of eternity and what happens when we die, and more importantly, if we know the answer to these questions, why aren’t we telling others? Both books rest on the solid foundation of Scripture.

Two books, two questions…..

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

What happens after we take our last breath?

Read them both with an open heart, and I believe they will have a great impact on your life and challenge you to grow, they did that for me! Happy reading……Lori

Challenge: Make God part of your day

Are you making God a part of your plan today? You are in His plan, and thoughts…….This is what the Bible says:

“Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, and He will hear my voice.” Psalm 55:17 NAS

“Thou hast taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Thy bottle; Are they not in Thy book?” Psalm 56:8 NAS

“You know when I sit and when I rise; you percieve my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down.” Psalm 139:2,3

“See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” Isaiah 49:16

Get up early, find some time, get alone with the One who wants to know you……I am convinced that the heart that honestly seeks Him, finds Him. Just talk to Him, prayer is just that, talking to Him like you talk to your best friend. Pour everything out in your own words. He likes plain honest talk and He doesn’t care if you leave out the Thees and Thous, He just wants real honest prayer from your heart. He already knows your innermost thoughts, but it is amazing how much better you feel when you tell Him anyway!

Thank you, Lord for meeting me this morning. Thank you that I am always on Your calendar, even if You are not always on mine. I love you, God.

I continue counting toward one thousand today with many others in the Gratitude Community……….Glorious sunrise this morning, warm beds and heaters that come on, all the many promises in Your Word, for loving me even though I don’t represent You very well many times, for Your unending patience and grace towards me, for answered prayers always, for the knowledge that You hear my prayers, for family and friends that pray, for physical health and strength, for the stars that follow the cosmic dance You set in motion, the north star that always makes me think of You, Your glorious nature that speaks constantly of You……#585-597

holy experience Photo credit: icanhascheezburger.com

Who is in the boat with you?

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:35-41

They had already seen multitudes healed, and the command and depth of knowledge that Jesus had in the Scriptures, but was it possible that they weren’t really sure who Jesus was until He calmed that sea? Imagine being in that boat, small boat I should say, they didn’t have cruise ships back then, and being tossed by a violent storm. It must have been bad, for they feared for their lives. These were men who were used to being out in a boat. This had to be something like a Perfect Storm.

Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.

He wasn’t worried, he was fast asleep on a comfortable cushion no less……..He knew who He was. But when He calmed that raging sea, something clicked for the disciples. Nobody has that kind of power, that even nature itself obeys. But Jesus is the creator of everything, He created nature and everything in it, along with the Father and the Spirit. All three were present at creation.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness……” Genesis 1:26

I don’t blame the disciples for being afraid. I am always just a little uneasy in boats, I tend to get seasick. I have felt the panic, the clammy skin, the feeling you may have to head for the side of the boat…quick!

When storms rage in life, it is easy to forget who is sleeping in the boat with you. He taught the disciples a valuable lesson that day, and I don’t think they ever forgot it.

No matter what storms rage in your life today, remember He is in the boat with you. I pray calm and peaceful waters for you today, may you enjoy the view of the sunlight sparkling off the water, the warm breeze and the cry of the sea birds, the sun on your face, the lapping of the gentle waves against the side of your boat.