Apprehending Grace

2008-04-12T05:47:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

After getting my feet wet with a Yahoo 360° blog and a Blogger blog, I felt ready to move to something else. Both provide a great service, and I appreciate them. But I've moved my blogger to my own domain: www.apprehendinggrace.com. I hope you'll visit me there.

Grace & peace,Sandy

Not Always Faithful

2008-03-15T07:34:00.001-07:00

I've been avoiding my blog! I'm in the process of transferring from one blog service (Yahoo) to another (we'll see which one wins out!). Hence, whatever I write here must be transferred there, wherever there is. I know others who have decided to write a blog and have it up and running in what seems to me to be minutes. And of course, all the blog services make that promise. But what is minutes to others has been months for me. Aargh!

So lately I've been reminding myself a lot that God has uniquely gifted each of us and no, I'm not particularly lacking in intelligence just because I can't get my new blog to work! :-) And even if I were inordinately lacking in intelligence God would still be over-the-top wild about me! And in order to avoid reminding myself of these things over and over again I've been avoiding blogging.

I've been avoiding blogging so that my self image doesn't take a hit each time I try and fail at making the conversion. I'm not proud of this. I'm not proud that not being able to accomplish this technical task makes me feel stupid (there, I said the word instead of couching it kindly as "lacking in intelligence"). I'm not proud that my approach has been to avoid the issue altogether.

One maxim I've learned is that when things seem to be happening in an unusual way, look for what's behind it. Is God at work? (Well, the answer to that one is always "yes" because God is always at work in our lives.) Perhaps better stated, the question should be "What is God trying to teach me by getting my attention with these unusual circumstances?"

It doesn't make sense to me that transferring blog services should be so difficult for me, so this morning I am asking "what might God be trying to teach me?" I can come up with several thoughts on my own, but the answer requires listening for His voice and to His Spirit. Here are my potential thoughts...

God is giving me opportunities to practice not becoming frustrated when things don't move as quickly as I'd like or when I'm not able to accomplish what I think I should be able to accomplish -- and by giving me opportunities to practice this, He is teaching me patience

God is reminding me that I'm not as smart as I would like to think I am (a little dose of humility is always good for us)

God is teaching me about my need to rely on others (after all, we are a Body that is to work together, not just individual parts that work on their own)

God is demonstrating how little it takes for me to be unfaithful to a task He has called me (revealing that I lack perseverence and that my heart condition is not as undivided as He would like it to be)

God is teaching me about His faithfulness by demonstrating to me my own lack of faithfulness (His faithfulness so far surpasses my own -- and this lesson translates to every other area -- His mercy so far surpasses my own, His goodness so far surpasses my own, His love so far surpasses my own, His justice so far surpasses my own, etc.)

Wow! Since all of those possibilities occurred to me in the short span of five minutes or so, I'm guessing that He's doing all of those things. The one that shouts at me the loudest, however, is the last one. I am thankful that the God I serve is so infinitely more faithful than I am. Praise His precious Name. And if a little technological frustration is what it takes to remind me of that, I'll take it. Lord, You are so infinitely good to me! Thank You!

(And to my readers...I apologize for "being gone" for the past 6 weeks and I'm working on being faithful to you! Be blessed!)

Morning Prayers

2008-02-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

Something God reminded me this morning...staring at my prayer list and praying are two very different things! Oops! Forgive me Lord, that my mind so easily wanders.

Cursed or Blessed? Jeremiah 17:5-8

2008-01-28T21:38:00.000-08:00

I’l bet many of you know Jeremiah 17:7-8. It’s an often quoted passage. I love to read it.

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. (NIV)

Did you know that it follows Jeremiah 17:5-6? I’m guessing maybe you didn’t. Or at least you don’t know verses 5 and 6 as well as you know verses 7 and 8.

This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. (NIV)

This is not the only place in Scripture where God clearly lays out the basis for blessings and curses. I’m so thankful He does that. He doesn’t make me wonder what it takes to gain His approval. And He doesn’t bury His instructions in the middle of complicated discussions I can’t understand. He says simply "This is what the Lord says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man...But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord..."

Such a simple statement...sometimes so hard to implement. I’m afraid that I put my trust in mere humans more often than I think. I may not consciously turn my heart from the Lord, but there is a subtleness to turning our hearts away from God and toward humans or things humans have made that creeps into my daily life.

When I need to finish a work project before the end of the day am I trusting in my own strength or am I trusting in the Lord? When I have to see a doctor, am I trusting in the doctor or in the Lord? Don’t hear what I’m not saying. I’m not suggesting that I don’t work hard to finish the project or that I don’t see a doctor when I’m sick. But even doing those things, I can have an attitude of trusting God or trusting in man.

What keeps this attitude alive in you from day to day, moment to moment? Here’s 7 ideas. Pick one or two and begin to practice or work on improving in that area:

Start every day by greeting the Lord and acknowledging Him as sovereign over all that will happen that day.
Train yourself to pray often — when things are going well and when things are falling apart. Quick sentence prayers connect you to God on an ongoing basis.
Put things in front of you that will remind you to look to God. That might be a note in your DayTimer or on your bathroom mirror, a screensaver on your computer, or a bracelet around your wrist. Use anything that will remind you to seek God.
Learn to see God at work and in nature. Learning to see Him requires looking for him, so train yourself to look for Him by pausing several times to look around and ask God to reveal Himself to you in your surroundings. (Yes, that means pausing from your busy-ness.)
Read about spiritual formation and spiritual disciplines. Try any of these books: The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. There’s an updated version in modern English. The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People by John Ortberg Celebration of Disciplines: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
Stop reading and practice what you’re learning!
Be grateful. I think grateful goes beyond thankful. It’s easy to be thankful but grateful goes all the way to the heart. The difference in the definition of these two words in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary (www.m-w.com/dictionary/) is interesting. Here’s an example:

thankful: conscious of benefit received
grateful: appreciative of benefits received b: expressing gratitude
Additional definitions carry the same theme — thankful is a consciousness of benefits while grateful is an appreciation of benefits. I want to not only be thankful for what God has done, is doing and will do; I want also to be grateful.

I love the illustration God uses earlier in Jeremiah: "As a belt clings to a person’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me," says the LORD." (Jeremiah 13:11a, NLT).

Lord, we were created to cling to You. Help me to cling to You every minute of every day!

Let me know if there are things you'd add to my list of 7. Which of the 7 is easiest for you? Which is most difficult?

I Don't Make New Year's Resolutions...

2008-01-24T20:21:00.000-08:00

I don't make New Year's resolutions...especially when I don't get around to blogging about them until January 24. Oops!

New Year's resolutions just seem like things that are destined to make me feel bad about myself because I can pretty much assure you that whatever I resolve to do or not do, I'm going to weaken at some point. And then I'm going to feel like a failure. So why set myself up for that?
That doesn't mean I don't pursue growing and improving. It's just that I don't consider them to be resolutions. Resolutions always seem to be something I'm going to "try" to do. I prefer to approach growing and improving through training not trying.

Here's what I mean: I could try to run a marathon tomorrow. There is a 100% probability that I'd fail! A better approach would be to begin training tomorrow for a marathon that is sometime this summer. If I train consistently and well, I reduce my probability of failure considerably...perhaps down to zero! Resolutions feel a lot like trying.

Instead there are two areas in which I hope to train myself this coming year. Both involve my language, but I know the words I use also impact on how I think and how I influence others.

1) I frequently say "I’m so stupid." That’s not a true statement. I am not stupid. Sometimes I do something stupid, but not nearly as often as I accuse myself of it. I usually use the phrase when I’ve made a bad play in a game, forgotten how to accomplish something on the computer, or done something equally as inoccuous. That's not stupid, it's just not being perfect. And guess what!? I'm not perfect! I'm not even close. I know that...so why do I beat myself up for it?

2) I frequently say that "I have to" do something when referring to something that I am privileged to do. When I use the phrase, it often sounds like I’m complaining about it. That’s wrong. For example, I’ll often say "I have to prepare for a Bible study" or "Saturday I have to prepare for the nursing home service on Sunday." Instead, I’m going to say "I’ve set aside Saturday to prepare for our church service on Sunday." or "I'm studying tonight to prepare for our Bible study on Wednesday." It's the difference between conveying that I'm upholding my end of an obligation and conveying that I am preparing for something I'm blessed to be a part of.

Words mean things and they impact how we think about what’s happening around (and inside) us. I know that my "have to's" sometimes impacted my attitude toward things that I am really blessed to participate in. I want my words to have a positive impact on me and those around me.
So I've put myself in training to no longer use either phrase. I've asked the people around me to correct me and when I do slip up I'm correcting myself by reiterating that I'm not stupid, I'm actually quite intelligent or reminding myself how blessed I am to have opportunities to participate in the things I'm involved in. If you catch me mumbling that I'm stupid or talking about things I "have to" do, please correct me.

How's your language? Are there phrases you use that subtly (or not so subtly) change how you view yourself, others or activities in your life? If so, I invite you to join me "in training!"

Want to read more about training vs. trying? Authors John Ortberg, Laurie Pederson and Judson Poling give a great discussion of it in their book aptly titled Growth: Training vs. Trying (Pursuing Spiritual Transformation) (copyright 2000 by The Willow Creek Association, published by Zondervan).

God Any Advice for God?

2007-12-22T08:17:00.000-08:00

"Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to be his teacher or counselor? Has the Lord ever needed anyone's advise? Does he need instruction about what is good or what is best?" Isaiah 40:13-14 (NLT)

As I read this passage this morning I was struck at how often I am guilty of "giving the Lord advise" in my prayers. Does He need my advise? Obviously not. Does He need my counsel? Somehow, I don't think so!

I'm very thankful that we have a God who regularly overlooks my poor choice of wording when I pray, that He sees my heart instead of just hearing my words. Sometimes I mispeak and God hears the good in my heart instead of the poorly worded request that comes from my lips. If I'm honest with myself, though, I know that there are other times when I've "cleaned up" the words I speak but the sentiment of my heart truly is to manipulate or "instruct" God in what needs to happen in a given situation. How arrogant of me!

Have you ever prayed "Lord, please help this other person ____________________" (fill in the blank), when what you mean in your heart is "Lord, let this person do what I want them to do"? Were you secretly trying to give God instructions or counsel about what He should do? You may have convinced yourself that you were praying what's best for that person, yet what you were really praying was the equivalent of giving God instructions.

Although I often fail, I try to pray Scripture rather than solutions. Once while teaching on this subject I was asked the following question: "I have a friend who is about to lose his job. Shouldn't I pray for him to keep his job?" My response was that while we know that it's God's will for the man to provide for his family, we don't know that it is God's will for him to have that particular job. As we learned more about the situation it became clear that the friend was in jeopardy of losing his job because his boss was asking him to do unethical things and he was refusing. In the midst of the crisis of needing to provide for his family both he and his friends were losing sight of the fact that God may have orchestrated these circumstances to move him into a new position. If I had prayed that he not lose his job, I might have been praying against the will of God. Rather, if I prayed that God would enable him to continue to provide for his family, enable him to see the "way out" (1 Cor 10:13) of this situation, continue to teach him His ways and conform him to the image of Christ, I would clearly be praying in God's will.

This doesn't always come easy for me. I'm a person who seeks solutions. It's the way my mind works. I see or hear of a problem and my mind immediately begins to brainstorm solutions. It's one of the ways I tend to be more like men than women. When women share problems with their husbands they are often frustrated because their husbands go into "fixit" mode immediately instead of just listening and being compassionate. I am more like that husband. When I hear a problem I automatically go into "fixit" mode. I've had to train myself to listen longer and then make my suggestions in a milder way than comes naturally to me. (I am admittedly better at this sometimes than at other times.)

This personality trait serves me well in many areas of my life. But it's totally inappropriate in my relationship with God. God doesn't need me to offer suggestions about how to solve a problem. He has already put the solution in motion. Scripture teaches us that He is always at work in our circumstances, past, present and future. My job is to watch and to listen. If my prayers were more "watch and listen" focused, I undoubtedly would have a more Christ-like walk with the Lord. (Ouch!)

Lord, as I look to 2008, help me to NOT (advertently or inadvertently) give You advice and instructions. Your wisdom is greater.

A Season of Thanksgiving and Praise

2007-12-01T10:14:00.000-08:00

The Thanksgiving and Christmas season offers so many opportunities to crash and burn! Over Thanksgiving weekend I was in a department store and saw the holiday decorations and I promised myself that this year I would NOT over plan. I promised myself that I would build in time to enjoy the season. Almost immediately things began to pop up that want to take a bigger bite out of my time than I thought they would. Many are good things. More work is good. Visiting with friends is good. Leading a New Year's Eve worship time is good. But I am resolved to be like Mary and choose the "better part," not just the good part.

So I am building in "holiday enjoyment" time this year. Some of that will be just plain fun. Some of it will be spending more time with God, reflecting on His message for me this season. I'm not going to feel guilty about what I'm NOT doing so that I can do these things because I believe that doing these things will honor God MORE than being harried and hassled all season. That's what choosing the better part means.

Resist Stress

One of the things I'm doing is actively resisting stress (is that in and of itself stress-creating? it can be if you're not careful) and practicing enjoying the season. But I don't always get it right. Last week one day I said to Phil "I'm really stressed about meeting this deadline." His response was priceless (if not original). He said "And how's that working for you?" In other words, "is being stressed about meeting the deadline helping in any way?" Of course, the answer was "no." So I took a deep breath and asked God to help me release the outcome to Him as I did my best to meet the deadline. I'm working on "apprehending" or "taking hold of" the grace that God has for me each day (but that's a blog for another day).

Stop Grumbling

Our pastor has helped, as he's preached 2 messages on being grateful and not grumbling. I need to be reminded of that from time to time and I appreciated the messages. When I'm overly busy or tired, it's easy to fall into the trap of complaining. And once fallen in, it can be hard to snap out of it. Something inside of me actually enjoys grumbling! Isn't that horrible? But I bet you're like that too. I've found that most people are. Yet when we can get out of the trap, life is SO much more enjoyable. And of course we are much more a reflection of God's grace and peace to the world.
Say "Thank You" to God...In Writing

Here's one activity I recommend. Find a time (or make a time) to sit down and actually write a Thank You letter to God. I find that writing it down makes me think more and makes the whole process more "real" or "true" than just praying silently or aloud. I was amazed at how quickly I was able to create a Thank You letter to God that was 2 typed pages. I was also amazed at how far-reaching it was. I thanked Him for things that I don't routinely thank Him for (because quite frankly my thank You's are often quick and a prelude to what's next -- Ouch!). What that really means is that I was thankful for things I don't usually reflect on. And what that means is that I am more thankful after writing the letter than I was before writing it because I am more aware of the things I have to be thankful for.

Try it...you'll like it...and you'll glorify God more.

Sacred Ephods or Idols?

2007-11-09T05:31:00.000-08:00

22Then the Israelites said to Gideon, "Be our ruler! You and your son and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian." 23But Gideon replied, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD will rule over you! 24However, I have one request. Each of you can give me an earring out of the treasures you collected from your fallen enemies." (The enemies, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.) 25"Gladly!" they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each one threw in a gold earring he had gathered. 26The weight of the gold earrings was forty-three pounds, not including the crescents and pendants, the royal clothing of the kings, or the chains around the necks of their camels. 27Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family. Judges 8:22-27

Gideon made a "sacred ephod" in good faith from the spoils of the victory the Lord gave him. He meant it as a memorial, a reminder of the faithfulness of God...but "soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it." How easy it is for us to worship the thing we’ve created instead of the One who made it possible for us to create it! How easy it is for us to worship the thing we can see instead of the One who is unseen! How easy it is for us to worship the past instead of the One who gives us a future!

Wow! each of those last three sentences could be a sermon or sermon series! No sermons or sermon series here, but how about a few thoughts to touch your spirit.

What might you or I have created that we are tempted to worship instead of worshipping the One who made it possible? We can make an idol out of anything. Has your career or position in society (or the church) become your idol? How about your marriage (or pursuit of marriage) or your children? Maybe you’ve made an idol out of your leisure time or hobby? Then, there’s always the house and/or car. Perhaps you’ve made pain and/or suffering your idol.

Are you more concerned about any of these things than you are about pursuing God wholeheartedly? Do you make sacrifices for these things that should really be made to God (or not be made at all)? Everything we’ve received in our life has NOT been received by our own efforts alone. It has all come from the hands of a loving and merciful God.

How is one to worship the unseen? I don’t know about you, but it’s WAY easier to worship the thing that is seen, than the One who is unseen! The Message Bible describes Jesus as "this invisible but clearly present God" (Romans 8:9). Worshipping the Invisible begins with acknowledging that He is present. He is everywhere all the time (omnipresent), but unless I seek His presence, I miss it. In the winter 2007 issue of "Christian History and Biography" Richard Foster writes of a book by Jean-Pierre de Caussade called The Sacrament of the Present Moment saying that it "changed forever the way I look at ‘ordinary’ life" (page 50).

Caussade urges us to experience each moment "as a holy sacrament, a visible sign of invisible grace." Is this perhaps the connection...the link that allows us to worship the One who is unseen by seeing Him in what is seen? That’s whag Caussade is suggesting. What an adventure it would be to embark on such a journey, because it would be an adventure of constantly seeking God (the Invisible). And God’s Word tells me that this seeking will result in finding: "If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you," says the LORD." (Jeremiah 29:13-14a, NLT)

Letting go of the past to worship the God of our future: David Seamands has a book called Putting Away Childish Things. It’s an excellent book about identifying and dealing with past hurts, attitudes and wrong thinking that yield responses in our lives today that limit what God wants to do with our future. You migth be more familiar with the book by Joyce Meyer, The Battlefield of the Mind. The premises for both books are similar, but I found Seamonds’ book to be the more insightful/thoughtful. In reading his book, I was able to identify incidents and patterns from childhood that shaped how I responded to situations today. Identifying them was the first step toward "putting them away" (1 Corinthians 13:11).

Sacred ephods...things created in good faith that have become objects of worship, idols. "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." (Jonah 2:8 NIV) Let’s not settle for worshipping the ephod. Let’s worship the One who gives perfect gifts.

Of Storks, Ostriches, Horses and Joy

2007-11-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, but they cannot compare with the pinions and feathers of the stork. She [the ostrich] lays her eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand, unmindful that a foot may crush them, that some wild animal may trample them. She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers; she cares not that her labor was in vain, for God did not endow her with wisdom or give her a share of good sense. Yet when she spreads her feathers to run, she laughs at horse and rider. Job 39:13-18, emphasis mine

When I read this scripture I am amazed at God’s joyfulness at each unique thing He has created – each bringing Him joy in their own way. He doesn’t judge the ostrich for her lack of sense and wisdom or her inability to fly like the stork. He simply acknowledges it as part of how she was created. But then He points out the joy that is her own. He says, “But, Oh, when she spreads her wings to run, she laughs at the horse and rider.” That brings to my mind the picture of a woman riding a horse as fast as it will gallop, her hair flying behind her while she’s laughing in the wind at the fun she’s having. The laughter of sheer freedom, joy and even victory. That’s how the ostrich feels when she runs. And God, in writing about it, takes great joy in the ostrich for what He has given her, without finding fault in her for what she may lack.

I think God sees all of us similarly. We each bring our own unique joy to Him. He is not critical of our human frailties because He knows how we were made. We beat ourselves up for our failures before God, not really expecting ourselves to be perfect all the time – just this time. But God knows how we were made and He expects more failure from us than we expect from ourselves. And He has made a provision for it through His grace.

I'm not excusing sin. Sin is serious and we need to repent and return to God. But not all failure is sin. Sometimes, failure (or perceived failure) comes just from doing something God has not endowed us with the wisdom or good sense to do. Instead, he's created us to shine in other areas, and when we find those areas, our service brings us and God great joy.

Grieving Progresses — Bittersweet and Missing Dad

2007-10-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

Bittersweet
Saturday morning at Niagara Falls was a bit bittersweet for me. As I sat in the observation lounge and watched the Falls I realized that the first time I had been to the Falls my dad had taken me there. I am thankful that my grieving has progressed and I can call the morning bittersweet. It took awhile for me to be able to experience the sweetness. But I remember how we had to get up in the middle of the night, because Dad was a truck driver and truck drivers NEVER start trips when it’s daylight. They want to be at their destination by daylight. At least that’s how my dad was. So we three kids put on warm clothes and piled into the back seat of the car. I don’t remember much about the Falls themselves. Just the trip.

I’ll Have to Tell Dad
Lately I frequently seem to have the thought "I’ll have to tell Dad that." And then I realize that I can’t. I don’t remember thinking that I should tell Dad something very often when he was alive. I guess it’s reached the point where I miss talking to him. When he was alive I visited regularly, but we didn’t talk much. He wasn’t a talker and we didn’t have much in common. Early in my adult life I didn’t tell him things about my life because I knew he’d let me know that he thought whatever I was saying or doing was foolishness. Later in my adult life I’d tell him those things just to enjoy him telling me what foolishness it was. Maybe that’s part of growing up. I’d learned that what was foolishness to him was often right for me. I reached a point of knowing that’s just how Dad was and that we were very different. Him telling me it was foolishness was his way of trying to protect me from doing things he would never do. I miss it.

God's Mighty & Beautiful Power

2007-10-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

After visiting a client on Friday, Phil & I spent the weekend in Niagara Falls, Canada. We love looking at the Falls. After being there a day or so, both Phil & I look out at the Falls and think "they haven't turned them off yet!" Now I know that's pretty stupid, but it's the reaction we both have...the Falls are ALWAYS tumbling over the edge with unbelievable force! When you go down and see them at street level the power (and sound) is amazing. I'm mesmerized by it. And every five feet or so, the view is different.

As we stared at the falls on Saturday afternoon, Phil said “I wonder how many times that water has flowed over the Falls. That made no sense to me, having the non-scientific mind that I have. How could the water back up and go over the edge again? He then explained that the water at the bottom of the Falls is picked up as condensation, winds can carry it back to the top side of the Falls where it can then rain into the Niagara river and go over the falls again. (Yes, I knew about this process, it just never occurred to me.) What a wonderfully self-replenishing world God has made for us!

God Holds Creation Together
Sunday morning I went up to the observation area of the hotel and watched the sun rise over the Falls. I was thinking about how Phil & I both have this "they haven't turned the Falls off yet!" reaction. And then it occurred to me that God could turn them off in an instant if He wanted to. It'd be nothing for Him to stop the tremendous force of the rushing, falling water. In fact, it'd be nothing for Him to REVERSE the flow.

It then occurred to me that the only reason they continue to flow is because God holds the world He has created together. Colossians 1 tells us:

15Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. 16Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see — kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. 17He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.

Christ holds all creation together. That means that if he didn’t hold the Falls together, they wouldn’t continue to fall. I don’t know what they’d do, but I think it’d have something to do with no gravity and things tearing apart.

God Speaks
As I watched the sunrise, the sun was hidden behind the huge mist that rises from the falls. It is so dense and large sometimes that it obscures the Falls altogether. It even blocked out the sun…but it couldn’t obscure the beautiful colors created by the light and the mist. I was able to see the outer rings of a horseshoe-shaped rainbow that encircled the mist in front of the Falls. Imagine it…white, smoky mist rising from the surface and puffing out from its center with a brilliant red, orange and yellow “crown” around it.

You know, I can’t always see the Son, but I am so very thankful that when He is hidden, there are brilliant “crowns” that display His glory.

Psalm 19 says it best:
1 The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.
2 Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.
3 They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies;
4 yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world. The sun lives in the heavenswhere God placed it.
5 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroomafter his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.

Passionate about...

2007-10-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

Back in February, I read the following on a website for a hip fast food restaurant chain. As most hip places do, they've totally changed their site since I copied the text so I can't send you there to read it for yourself. It's a great place, but I thought I should conceal their identity to protect the innocent! Take a minute to read what they've written.

[XXX is] a company out to create a new kind of business: a business about great people, breakthrough brands and passion for what we do. We’re not talking about your everyday, run of the mill type of passion, either. This is a passion verging on insanity. Our goal is simple, to create a world of [XXX] Fans, one mouth at a time. We’re always on the lookout for partners who can help us make this a reality.

What sets us apart is originality and vision. Our "why not?" attitude challenges us to take risks others in the industry won’t take. The result? Groundbreaking concepts consumers love and opportunities franchisees can’t wait to be part of.

Each of our breakthrough concepts is unique in its own right. We combine braggable food with a healthy twist to create fresh, innovative concepts in environments that resonate with consumers.

Does this describe how Christians should be or what? How the church should be or what? I was so struck by this description when I read it that I had to copy it into my journal. Lord, make us more like the world in ways that we should be like the world! Give us more passion for you than the world shows in their business. I want to be a part of a group of Christians who are as passionate about Christ and the Gospel as these people are about their business!

Consumed with the Gospel

2007-10-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday evening we studied Paul's pastoral epistles -- his letters to Timothy and Titus. As the pastor was giving an overview of the three letters, I found myself distracted by the content of the letters! (Being distracted by the Word of God -- what a great thing!)

What caught my attention is that the Apostle Paul presented the Gospel in nine of the thirteen chapters of these three books. I was amazed by this. Remember the setting. Paul is writing to leaders of churches, men he had discipled and set in place as pastors. Paul calls both Timothy and Titus "my true son" in the faith (1 Tim 1:2, Titus 1:4). Undoubtedly these men know the Gospel message. Undoubtedly Paul knows that these men know it. Yet Paul repeats it ten times in thirteen chapters.

The question I have to ask is "Why?"

To encourage himself? (Remember, he was in prison and soon to be executed)
To encourage Timothy and Titus? (They were young and had their share of struggles)
To reinforce the many facets of the Gospel? (watch for a future post on this)
Because he was consumed by it -- it was what he lived and breathed?

It was probably a combination of all of these, but as we discussed this discovery at the end of the study, we concluded that the most prominent reason was probably because he was consumed by it. Paul lived and breathed the Gospel.

I love to watch interviews between secular media and Billy Graham. He very naturally includes the Gospel message in almost every answer. I watch amazed that he can do it so frequently without coming across as preachy or avoiding the questions. Politicians put forth the same message but it's often at the expense of answering the question. Billy Graham was able to answer questions while including the Gospel.

The same was true of the Apostle Paul. I want to say "it's their gift." But I think that's a copout. I think it's much more like that they were/are more consumed with the Gospel than I am. I want my passion to be as Paul's:

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:7-11, NIV

Paul says he considers everything in this life that he might otherwise have considered of value rubbish! And that what he wants is only to know Christ. I'm not there. I am not consumed with Christ as I'd like to be. There's still way too much rubbish in my life!

The Unforced Rhythms of Grace

2007-10-15T21:43:00.000-07:00

OK, so I’m stealing the title from my pastor’s sermon yesterday. But he stole it from Scripture, so I think that’s OK!

I’m not a big fan of the Message Bible. It’s usually a little too hokey for me. But read this passage:

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. Matthew 11:28-30 (emphasis mine)

Tonight on "Dancing with the Stars," several couples will dance the Viennese Waltz. It’s a beautiful dance with graceful swirls amidst the rise and fall of the dance. It appears effortless. It flows with the rhythm of the music.

"Learn the unforced rhythms of grace" Jesus tells us. Here's the Sandy Hovatter amplified version: "Learn to dance with me to the music I’m playing as the backdrop for your life. The music will have it’s own tune, unique to your life, created especially for you with crescendos and decrescendos, measures to be lived quite softely and others to be lived with great gusto. I’m writing it uniquely for you, note by note, to lead you into and through the purposes I have for your life."

Wow!

Lessons from Ballroom Dancing
Phil and I have taken ballroom dance lessons periodically over the past ten years. We love it, but we’re really not very good at it. In all these years, we’ve barely progressed beyond beginner. But even a beginner learns a few things:

1) Only one person can lead! When two people lead you are constantly fighting one another and you’re likely to end up on the floor as you lead each other in opposite directions.

2) If the wrong person leads, the dance doesn’t flow properly. It just looks (and feels) wrong.

3) Find someone who knows more than you do and follow them.

4) Finding and following the flow and rhythm of the music covers a multitude of wrong steps.

5) Quit stressing about getting it perfect — you’ll get better each time, so enjoy the process and laugh at your mistakes. (Every teacher we’ve had has told us that we have to do every step a thousand times to really learn it — and they all suggest practicing the steps as we walk down the street! People who love to dance don’t seem to care if others laugh at them.)

I doubt that you need me to make the spiritual applications here, but how can I resist?

• When following Jesus, only one person can lead — the Lord! When I take the lead, falling is never far behind. At the very least, the flow of my dance (i.e., my life) disintegrates rapidly.

• I’ve always found that being around people who love God more than I do greatly enhances my love for God. I try to find these people and hang around with them.

• Walking in grace covers a multitude of mis-steps. Keeping my connection with the Lord strong allows me to flow in His rhythm, so even when I miss His lead, I don’t get far before sensing that He’s changed directions.

• A question I try to ask often is "In the light of eternity, how important is it?" Almost all the time, the answer is "not very." So let it go. Don’t get angry because your husband is doing that thing that annoys you...again. Don’t be discouraged because you’re not the person you want to be yet. Keep practicing. You’ll get the steps down. Don’t give up. Laugh at your mistakes (not at your sin, at your mistakes, there’s a difference) and try it again.

I’m ready to treat life as a wonderful dance between my Savior and me. Who knows, it might end up looking a whole lot like a Viennese waltz.

An afterthought: When Phil and I are dancing, I am most likely to "steal" the lead when I become bored — when we're not doing anything interesting. If I were to examine my life, I bet I'd find the same to be true of the times I've "stolen" the lead from Christ. As if I know what's best for me, right? Wrong!

Three Funerals and a Blog

2007-10-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

The father of a friend died last week and we went to the funeral service yesterday. It’s my third funeral in six months. But it was the first of the three in which I didn’t have a role and I wasn’t overwhelmed with grief. I was able to participate in the service without being consumed by the content of it. It gave me an opportunity to hear some "new" things from God. (Granted, these may not be new to you, but they are new for me.)

On Heaven
The service began with worship because the man had loved God and loved to worship. The church was arranged with two sections of pews and a center aisle. As the crowd began to clap, I had a vision of those clapping around the finish line of a marathon, cheering the runner on to victory and to completion. What a different way to view our entrance into heaven! I had always thought of it as being met by Jesus or an angel or perhaps one or two family members who have gone before me. It was a "slow, gentle" welcome. But this "new" pattern is more exciting to me. Not because I’m looking for adulation, but because of the joy that it holds — the "welcome home, hero!" kind of feel it has to it. It’s a celebration at the finish line with friends and family who have gathered to share my joy and cheer me on as you make my final steps. And everyone in heaven is my family and friend, even those I don't know yet. We are kin in the Spirit.

Of course, the difference between this finish line and the finish line of the marathon is that as you approach the finish line of this life, you are restored with each step. No longer pulled down by the things of earth, you are stronger, lighter, healthier, happier. You are whole in every sense of the word. Can you see the scene in your mind's eye?

I want to hold this new perspective on entering heaven in my mind. It is much more encouraging to me than the quiet, gentle leading by a loved one talking softly to me as we enter the Gates of Heaven. You may prefer the soft, gentle entry into heaven and that’s fine. But I’m looking forward to the celebration! Fortunately, Our God is not a one-size-fits-all kind of God. He is unique and creative in every way. I’m sure He’s arranging the entrance into heaven that is beyond best for each of us, just as He is creating mansions unique to each of us, and just as He creates a life — and purpose in life — that is unique to each of us.

On Hell
As the funeral service progressed and the father of the deceased spoke, I remembered the very difficult days after my dad died. What struck me the hardest at that time was the absolute separation. How very strange it seemed to me that the separation should be so painful when in a way separation from my dad was normal — we lived 50 miles apart, so we were only "together" about once a week. But it "felt" different. This was an "absolute separation."

I’ve come to the conclusion that there is some kind of spiritual connection among the living and when someone dies that connection is broken. When Phil’s mom died, he came up with this analogy: when a computer network is turned on, the system is always sending out impulses to other computers, checking to see if they are still connected. This is called "pinging" and it's a continuous process. Without us being aware of it, it seems that our spirits "ping" for the spirits of those we love constantly and we receive an unconscious knowing that they are there. When someone dies, that ping goes out from us but is not returned. At an unconsious level there is a brokenness, a void, a missing connection that pushes itself into our consciousness and alerts our brain that "something is very wrong here." Our brain then transmits that information to our emotions.

That missing connection creates a kind of darkness (a void, a black hole), of internal pain that doesn’t go away quickly or easily. It’s a very strange pain because it really hurts, but there is no physical attribute to it. In other words, you can’t say "my arm hurts" or "my head hurts." I guess saying "my heart hurts" would be the closest, but even that misses the mark because I’m sure it’s not like the physical pain of a heart attack.

As I thought about this during the funeral, I had a greater insight into hell than I've ever had. Hell is eternal separation from God. I’ve known that for years. But now I have a greater understanding of the pain of it. Hell is that absolute separation from the Giver of Life for all of eternity. It is the constant pinging that is never responded to. It is the darkest of darkness, the largest of black holes. And as time passes, it doesn’t lighten or soften as the pain of separation from a loved one who has died. Instead, it deepens, it grows because there is never hope of escaping it. There is never a lessening of it.

On Hope
I’m reminded of two passages of Scripture:

Romans 7:24-25 (NLT)
"Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord."

1 Corinthians 15:51-58 (NLT)
51But let me tell you a wonderful secret God has revealed to us. Not all of us will die, but we will all be transformed.... 53For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die.
54When this happens—when our perishable earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die—then at last the Scriptures will come true:
"Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory?O death, where is your sting?"
56For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!
58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Uncomplicating the Complicated...I'm Not There Yet!

2007-10-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

I have this recurring theme in my mind...simplify, uncomplicate, rest...

Yet the world is screaming "more, more, more."

I’ve begun a new venture...we’re adding a book publishing capability to Data Designs, in part because writing books is something I’ve always wanted to do and my dad’s death kind of pushed it to the forefront (but that’s a long story that would lead to complicating this blog!).

One of the books I want to write is about honoring the Sabbath and as I meditate on the subject, I think it has a whole "uncomplicating life" component to it...hence, the recurring mantra in my head.

It’s just that I can’t quite get there...

Anyway, today I’m researching some topics that it feels like the rest of the world knows about and I’m stupid about. RSS Feeds and Feed Readers is one of those topics. The problem is that everywhere I end up I find nothing but overwhelming details about way too many options describing features that I’m not knowledgeable enough to compare. (How important is that feature compared to this other feature?)

My point...admittedly made in quite a round-about, complicated way...is that life offers so many options these days that we are constantly being barraged with "opportunities" to enhance our lives. And for each opportunity, as I see it we’re faced with three options: Ignore all of them, evaluate each one of them, or evaluate only those that have been created by someone who knows how to write a great grab-your-attention headline. I hate those choices! I guess what I want is a great personal assistant who will evaluate all of them and only forward the great ones to me! :-)

But life doesn’t work that way for most of us. Most of us have to make our own choices.
It occurs to me, though, that the Holy Spirit really is (or can be) our personal assistant. Now don’t get upset at that sentence...I mean no disrespect whatsoever. But Scripture says that the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us. And while He will clearly lead and guide us into spiritual Truths, He can also help us "number our days aright," (Psalm 90:12, NIV). Isn’t that what I’m really looking for? Someone to help me make right decisions about even the most mundane (or technical) of issues.

The problem (or at least ONE of the problems) is that I often forget to ask for help. I often get bogged down in the details and begin to feel like I have to make a decision. And if ever there was wrong thinking, that’s it. Thinking that I’m responsible for everything in my life. God never intended it that way. Yes, I’m to be responsible for my actions, but He never intended me to go it alone. He truly wants to be a part of all the decisions, whether they seem to have "spiritual" implications or not...because when all is said and done, everything has spiritual implications.

I’d like to make a renewed commitment to asking the Holy Spirit to help me "number my days aright" — beginning with time with God and continuing all the way through to the decisions about which DSL speed to upgrade to. Care to join me?

Comment from dansdesk
Great thoughts! I have two comments: one spiritual and the other not so much. I, too struggle with asking for the Spirit's help in the simplest to the most complex of decisions. Several recent studies reinforce the need to do that. In Just Walk Across the Room, Bill Hybels emphasizes that we need need to begin conversations, take an interest in people, and then let the Spirit guide us. That assumes that our relationship with God is good enough to hear the Spirit.My more practical comment is that I've developed a system in how to decide what new things things I need to research or do. I never go cutting edge on anything -- technology, ministry, theology, fads, etc. I let the dust settle, the bugs to be worked out, the systems in place, and the prices to go down. RSS is actually rather simple now at least compared to what it used to be. Those are my two cents. Have a great day. Keep writing and I'll buy a book of yours but I would expect it to be autographed! Dan
Tuesday October 9, 2007 - 09:28am (EDT)

Response from Sandy
Great advice. We agree...never buy totally cutting edge. Version 1.0 never works well. :-)And your spiritual advice is right on...but how easy it is for us to fall into the trap of forgetting to have the conversation with God on the mundane stuff. Lord, lead me out of my self-sufficiency, even in (or especially in) areas where I could be self-sufficient.Be blessed! And thanks for your comments and I'll hold you to your promise to buy the book! :-)
Saturday October 13, 2007 - 03:24pm (EDT)

Worship

2007-09-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

I wasn’t feeling well over the weekend and they were having a "So You Think You Can Dance" marathon on television. So I watched (and watched and watched).

I was struck by something one of the dancers said. One of the judges asked what kind of formal training she had. Her response was "I love dancing so much I’ve dabbled in all styles. There’s probably not a style that I haven’t had some training in."

Wow! That’s how I want to be as a worshipper! I want to love the Lord so much that there’s not a "style" of worshipping Him that I haven’t dabbled in.

Caveat: Yes, I know that worship is more than music. I’m focusing on worship through music here, although the concept can be applied to all areas of worshipping God, whether through prayer, Bible study, service, etc.

I believe that a true worshipper ought to be able to worship God to any kind of (worship) music.
Sure, there will be a few styles which are easiest for you to worship God through, but if you can only worship God through a specific style, it seems to me that you’re limiting your worship experience — and that means you’re limiting how God might speak to you. God is an infinitely-faceted guy, so I believe He can speak to me through hymns, contemporary worship, yes, even worship music with a country sound (horror of horrors, my style is much more rock-n-roll). And I also think that it’s quite possible that what He has to say to me (or perhaps it’s what I might hear) will be slightly different when I’m worshipping to hymns, rock-n-roll worship music, and reggae worship.

I want to be able to say "I love worshipping God so much that I’ve dabbled in all styles of worship music for the glory of God and to know Him better."

Will you join me in this endeavor?

The Honor to Suffer – Philippians 1

2007-09-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him..." Philippians 1:29

We've been "granted" two things: To believe in (on) Christ, and to suffer for Him. Some translations say we've been "given the privilege" or "given the honor" to do these two things. I surely count it a privilege and an honor to believe in Christ and to serve Him. But do I count it a privilege and honor to suffer for Him? Clearly Paul did, but...

In preparing for our Bible study on Philippians, Phil looked up the word that is translated "granted." Are you ready for this? It will knock your socks off! At least it did mine.
The word is "charizomai" and it's a derivative of the word "charis" that was translated "grace" in verse 2 of this chapter. See Grace, the Double-Powered Prayer for more on that.

Charizomai means "to freely give something out of kindness or as a favor, which will help or rescue the person receiving it." OK. Let's put it in context:

"I have (you have) been freely given (out of the kindness of God) the privilege of believing in Christ and that belief will help or rescue you." Cool! I like that!

"I have (you have) been freely given (out of the kindness of God) the privilege of suffering for Christ and that suffering will help or rescue you." Say what?

My suffering has been given to me out of the kindness of God...that means it's not always from the enemy, but from the hand of God, out of his kindness! (Kindness?) And it will rescue me. (Rescue me?)

I think it's important here to point out that we're not talking about receiving the discipline of God. We're talking about suffering for Christ. Suffering injustly simply because of our faith in Christ and/or serving Him .

And (amazingly) this is found in Philippians, the book commonly referred to as "the book of Joy." I repeat...Say What???

We asked our group how this could possibly be...how can suffering rescue us? How can it possibly be out of the kindness of God? Here's some of the answers we came up with:
- It teaches us to focus on Christ and things of eternal value - It gives us more opportunity to know the goodness of God when He rescues us - It gives us more opportunity to know the goodness of God's people when they support us - It teaches us compassion for others - It strengthens our "love muscle," teaching us to love when it's not easy to love (Don't look now, but I think that list comes awfully close to defining spiritual maturity.)

All of this is consistent with the message of joy that Paul presents in chapter 1. Over and over again we see that the joy Paul possesses is a joy that comes out of seeing what God is doing in others, rather than a joy that comes out of our own circumstances.

In other words, if we want to experience joy, we must "get outside ourselves." And sometimes suffering is what God brings into our lives to shock us out of our self-absorption.

Caveat...this is what God is teaching us...it's not what I've learned yet! I'd much prefer for God to teach me these things through easy, patient circumstances not suffering. I realize that what I need is a change in perspective on suffering. And quite frankly, I'm afraid to ask for it! Because God is true to His Word and I'm afraid He'll say "Ask and you shall receive." And I'm not quite ready (willing? – Ouch!) for more suffering. So please pray for me what I can't pray for myself – pray for a change in my perspective on suffering. (If you'd like me to pray the same for you, let me know.)

Reasons for Joy — Philippians 1

2007-08-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

As we study Philippians, widely known as the "book of joy," we're praying specifically that God would teach us more about joy as we walk through difficult circumstances. Having completed chapter 1 in our study, I am most impressed that the things Paul takes most joy in are:

(1) that the gospel is preached regardless of his circumstances (or perhaps even because of his undesireable circumstances); and

(2) that God is working in the lives of people in whom he has invested.

Over and over again Paul takes joy in what is happening or will happen in the lives of the Philippians, the church he founded ten years earlier. Paul is saying that investing in others and seeing God work in their lives is a source of joy that transcends our circumstances. Further, the Philippians will rejoice with Paul when he is released from prison and able to be with them again. They will rejoice in what God does in Paul's life.

The joy of Christian fellowship is the ability to rejoice in what God is doing in one another's lives. There's no place for competition or jealousy. There's only place for rejoicing at the goodness of a God who works in all our lives to accomplish His purposes.

We were talking about how undoubtedly not everyone in the Philippian church would have the growth or consistency in their lives that would seem to be a reason for rejoicing. Someone in the study said that's when we need to have vision, not sight (thanks Matthew). In other words, look for what God is doing in the lives of others, don't just see what's on the surface; look for what God is doing in a situation, don't just see how a situation is affecting you. When you have God's vision, not just earthly sight, there is always cause for rejoicing.

Hallelujah! My circumstances might be sad or scary or less than I'd like them to be in any number of ways, but God is working (remember Grace, the double-powered prayer!) and when I can't have vision for what He's doing in me, I can look around at what He's doing in the lives of people I've invested in over the years. And I can see the goodness of a God who is always good.

Next blog: The goodness of a God who "gives us the opportunity" to suffer for Him!

On Obedience

2007-08-03T15:56:00.000-07:00

We recently studied the book of Jonah. One of the lessons from the book is that obedience (and disobedience) to the Lord impacts those around us significantly. Jonah’s obedience impacted not only his life, but the lives of the sailors on the ship to Tarshish and the Ninevites. In the Old Testament we see God working hard to instill this principle in His people by establishing community rules, community blessings and community punishments. One man sins in secret (Achan) and the army loses its battle at Ai. One woman helps the spies and she saves not only herself but also her family. In doing so Rahab became a great grandmother of David — that puts her in the direct lineage of Jesus! Her obedience has had a direct impact on my life! Now that’s far reaching affects!

Yes, Your Obedience Impacts Others
We forget this in our society. "I’m my own person" we think. "I can do what I want with my body" we hear. And we live our lives oblivious of the wear and tear on those around us — both those we know and those we don’t know.

It’s a scary thing to think that my obedience to the Lord can impact people I’ve never met and will never know. But it can and I would even go further to say that it does. Because when I only say "it can" that leaves an "out" for me to think "well, yeah, it CAN, but will it really?" Yes, it really will.

A.W. Tozer was saved in Akron, Ohio after walking past a church and hearing the preacher say "If you want to know Jesus, go to your attic and ask God to reveal Him to you." C.S. Lewis was curious so he followed the preacher’s instructions. And He came to know Christ. Every single person who has been impacted by anyone who has been impacted by anything C.S. Lewis wrote or said owes a debt to that unnamed preacher in Akron, Ohio. Mr. No Name Preacher’s obedience to the Lord has impacted my life.

Your Struggles in Obedience Lead to Your Maturity
I have occasionally had people tell me that something I did or said really impacted them and strengthened their walk with the Lord. My typical reaction is "really?" or "who, me?" Now I’m Christian-ized enough to actually say something like "Praise God!" or "God is good, isn’t He?" But I’m thinking "are you kidding me? I didn’t do anything? I’m just struggling to live out my own walk with Him."

But it’s in that struggle of everyday living that we rub shoulders with others and that rubbing sometimes offers encourages, sometimes sharpens edges that have become dull and sometimes rounds off overly sharp edges. "Maturity flows form the mundane," our pastor said last week. The getting up and going to work every day, the taking care of the family, the give and take of a good marriage. The mundane.

God Has Already Figured Out All There is to Figure Out in Your Obedience
Sometimes I’m not quickly obedient because I think my obedience will have a negative impact on others around me. How wrong is that thinking? If God has told me to do something, yes I need to be sensitive to those around me, but I also need to trust that He has (or will) use my obedience to work in their lives — regardless of what it seems to me the (negative) impact of that obedience will be. Because He's already figured out all that stuff. All I need to do is take the next step of obedience. Because it really does impact those around me...for their good as well as mine.

Comment by dansdesk
Eli starts Kindergarten today. I have this constantly nagging thought about how much my disobedience will affect him and his siblings. I so desperately want them not to repeat my sins. I once heard Rob Bell say that one way to honor your father and mother was not to repeat their sins.
Tuesday August 21, 2007 - 06:28am (EDT)

Response by Sandyhov
Big Day at the Grhamm household!
Tuesday August 21, 2007 - 10:25am (EDT)

Comment by Sandyhov
I've been pondering Dan's last comment...that he once heard Rob Bell say that one way to honor your father and mother is not to repeat their sins. I'm not sure how that works...I guess it's honoring to them because it means we were paying attention? I agree that a life well-lived honors our parents. Otherwise, I don't quite get the connection. Anybody out there have any thots?
Thursday August 23, 2007 - 10:55pm (EDT)

Abounding in Love

2007-08-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

Philippians 1:9-11 records Paul’s prayer for the Philippians. Out of all the things he could have prayed for them, he prays this "that your love may abound more and more." Notice that he didn’t pray that their holiness would abound more and more, or that their sanctification would abound more and more, or even that they would abound more and more in Christ-likeness. He prayed that their love would abound more and more.

Now granted, abounding in love is incredibly Christ-like...actually, I’d say it pretty much defines Christ-likeness. Yet what we tend to focus on in prayer and in holiness/sanctification doctrine and teaching is behaviors, not love. Yes, love involves our behavior. Paul goes on to pray that their love would abound more and more "in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best" — in other words, that our abounding love would lead us to making right choices that would make us "pure and blameless...filled with the fruit of righeousness that comes through Jesus Christ." But I wonder if we often put the cart before the horse by trying to teach and monitor and reward behavior instead of love.

Of course, that begs the question — how do you teach, monitor and reward love? I really don’t know. I suppose for a start we ought to recognize selfless, loving acts more than Bible knowledge, preaching, teaching or worship leading. In our culture, we clearly "applaud" great knowledge, preaching, teaching and worship leading more than we "applaud" demonstrating love.

Any thots?

A Lightness in My Heart

2007-07-31T09:01:00.000-07:00

I woke up very tired this morning...too short a night that followed a week of very long days and short nights. Perfect prescription for crankiness. But God is greater and I am thankful.

I woke up with a lightness in my heart this morning. I am singing to the Lord and finding nuggets of wonder in His Word. I haven't felt this lightness of heart in a long, long time.

So my mind wants to know "what changed?" "what did I do that made the difference?" Was it our study in Philippians (the "book of joy")? We made a hard decision last night, but was it having the decision behind us that brought a certainty (in the midst of uncertainty) that lightened my heart? Was it a major new project that I've committed to that has given me joyful energy this morning?

I think the most accurate answer to the question "What did I do that made the difference?" is that I did very, very little. God is sovereign and in His sovereignty, He said "now." He said "enough" to the heaviness and "now" to the joy. Yes, I obediently and to the best of my limited ability put myself in a place where He could bless me — I continued to read, pray, join with other believers, worship, journal and study — but I have been doing those things all along with seemingly little impact or result. But God.

In that last paragraph is one of the biggest lies the enemy feeds us — "with seemingly little impact or result." Last week as Phil & I talked about this decision we needed to make I said (clearly speaking through the Holy Spirit because my heart was discouraged at the time) "We are fools if we don't believe in our hearts that God is working behind the scenes in this and has or is preparing a perfect answer for us." Those little actions that seemingly have no impact have impact in the spiritual world — impact that we can't always see or know. But they have impact! It just takes God's timing for us to see the result.

Yep, I know this is motherhood, but it' motherhood that I need to be reminded of over and over again. That God is moving on my (and your) behalf and that my prayers and my obedience have impact even when when I don't see it.

Because one day I woke up with a lightness of heart. Will it stay light or will the first three phone calls snuff it out? I don't know, but I do know that it's lighter than it's been and I trust that it'll be lighter still as I continue "keeping on" in Christ.

Grace and peace! Coming to a heart near you...

Grace, The Double-Powered Prayer; Peace, Restored to Oneness

2007-07-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

A small group of us are studying the book of Philippians. Last night we did chapter 1. So much good stuff, I had to blog a little about it. Today I'll share briefly about Paul's greeting. Tomorrow (or at least some day soon), I'll share about "abounding in love."

Paul's greeting in the letter is twofold — a salutation and a blessing. The blessing is "grace and peace to you." Pretty simple. But we looked at the words.

Grace — The word for grace is "charis" which means not just the unmerited favor we receive from God, but also it's "reflection in [our] life" according to Strong's Greek Dictionary. I don't often think of that when I think of grace. When I pray "grace," I'm not just praying for God's favor to be shown to someone (or myself), I'm also praying for the reflection of that grace — the outward expression of it in our lives. That's pretty cool! It's like the prayer is doing double-duty or has double power. I'm not sure why, but this has me pretty jazzed.

Peace — Not the absence of conflict, but a restoration to oneness, quietness and rest. That sounds a whole lot more like a spiritual thing to me than a relational thing. My spirit so often needs to be restored to oneness with God, to experience quietness and rest in the midst of a crazy world. I'm reminded of the spiritual formation "exercises" or practices that I've largely allowed to fall by the wayside.

Paul blessed the Philippians with grace and peace at a time when they were experiencing persecution — being falsely accused, arrested and thrown in prison. He was saying "may your soul be at rest with the Father and your life be a reflection of His grace in your life." Wow! all that in just 3 words — "grace and peace."

Grace and peace, friends.

God's Whisperings

2007-07-23T23:27:00.000-07:00

Today God’s been whispering to me ...how many times have I prayed ..."make me more like Jesus"..."I want to know You more, Lord"...how could that possibly happen without difficult times in which I can reveal God’s character and qualities? ...how could that possibly happen without people treating me in such a way that I must learn, practice and demonstrate patience and forgiveness? ...how could that possible happen without facing uncertainty and confusion so that God can show me His faithfulness?

Lord, it’s hard. I don’t want to practice those things. Help me to rejoice in You. Help me to choose to rejoice in You.

Hard things to hear (because I know I haven’t been revealing Christ as much as I’d like to be)...yet I love it when God whispers in my ear.

Thank You, Lord.

What Is God Really Like? How Does God Act?

2007-07-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

While reading this morning, I was struck by the differences between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament and the God of today. Yes, I know...God is the same yesterday, today and forever. I know that. I believe that.

Yet even a surface read of the Bible reveals that He doesn’t always look and act the same way. I’m currently reading the Bible in three places. In John I've just read about have just seen Lazarus brought back to life. In Joshua I've just learned about the various parcels of land that were given to the different tribes. In Zephaniah I read a prophetic message of radical destruction delivered to the Baal worshipers in Judah. Those passages provide pretty different images of God. We know that Jesus wasn’t anything like what the Jews of Israel were expecting in a Messiah.

It makes me wonder what misconceptions we have about God because we only see what He’s doing in our generation. Just thinking about this a little makes makes a really strong case for studying Scripture (both Old and New Testaments) — so that we get a more well-rounded understanding of God. It also makes a strong case for checking out what God is doing in other areas of the globe and especially in churches outside our own. I've found that we get so "me" oriented in our own churches that we become blind to what God is doing outside our church.

It's so easy to begin to believe that our church does it best! Every pastor (and probably every committed church member) I've known has been bipolar in their presentation of this message — every pastor specifically conveys both that there are many churches in their area and different churches are the best choices for different people AND that their church is the best. Perhaps that's just a function of needing to believe that what we're doing has value.

But I digress. I hope that everyone is in the church that God wants them to be in. But I also have great hope that everyone recognizes the value of other churches and I even secretly hope that occasionally people take a break from their church to see what God is doing in other churches. Because it helps us to see that God is more than what we see Him as in our own church. He's doing more. He's got more facets to His personality.

Has your image/perspective of God been challenged lately? If so, let me know. If not, take a walk on the wild side and visit a different kind of worship service sometime in the next few weeks. Ask God to reveal how He's working in such a different environment. I bet you'll be glad you did. Let me know!

Comment by dansdesk
I'm going to be posting a past sermon soon called "God in a box." It is very similar to what you are talking about. Good stuff!
Thursday July 19, 2007 - 04:22pm (EDT)

Response by Sandyhov
I'm looking forward to it.
Monday July 23, 2007 - 11:25pm (EDT)