For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. Heb. 13:14
A few years ago, my friends traveled the world. Along their journey, they had some great experiences, and some not so great. But at each stop along the way, they purchased various souvenirs – clothing, jewelry, household items. One purchase was a beautiful but large Italian mirror. They couldn’t carry it with them and so had it shipped home. That decision led to other purchases from further destinations being sent home. When they finally arrived home, they had a house full of treasures awaiting them.
Eventually, those treasures lost their newness. The mirror chipped, the souvenirs collected dust. Fortunately for my friends, those tangible items weren’t their true treasures. Still, they relished the memories made, the relationships forged, the lessons learned.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" Is. 43:18-19
Isaiah's words from God seem like the perfect verse to usher in the new year along with Paul’s words from Phil 3:13-14 =
“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Seems like starting a new year gives us opportunity to do a lot of forgetting.
Yet I also recall verses that tell me to do just the opposite – remember!
Repeatedly in Scripture the Lord urges His people to remember – His covenants with them, what He has done for them (and us), what they (and we) had been, how they (and we) angered God, how He forgave.
In fact, Isaiah himself who wrote “forget the former things” also wrote “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” Isaiah 46:9
Not long after our church’s Easter breakfast finished, sounds of the worship music filtered down from the sanctuary as everyone settled into their seats. Well, not everyone. Liz and I were still in the kitchen with the last of the cleanup detail. There was that one last pan, the one covered with baked on egg.
I scrubbed, “sudsed,” scoured, and rinsed. Each time I thought I got it all, but the rinse revealed the truth - still more work to do.
Liz looked over at my struggle and said, “Just let it soak. We’ll get it later.” Which is just what we did.
How much did that pan remind me of my life?
When the pan was full of fluffy eggs, I couldn’t see the crusty residue practically laminated to the pan’s bottom and edges. When I’m busy and so full of activity, I don’t notice other deep down issues that start getting embedded and ingrained in me. Things that begin to corrode and cause destruction. Things like selfishness, jealousy, pride, anger, bitterness.
But in His graciousness, God uses struggles and hardships as tools to reveal to me areas that He wants to work on. Then too often, in my own strength, I start scrubbing and scraping trying to remove and improve like I did with the eggs. After much elbow grease, I thought I had gotten it all. But the rinse revealed that while I made some progress, there was still more work to be done. And I can’t do it by myself.
With the eggs, I needed the dish detergent to do chemically what physically I could not. And I needed to fill and immerse the pan in water and just let it soak. Let the water do the work of softening the hardness.
In life, I find myself trying to clean up my act in my own strength which isn’t very effective. I need to be immersed in the Lord and His Word to soften my hardened heart and to remove the impurities that are stuck inside. I must partner with Him in the transformational work He wants to do. Paul says to “…be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. ... Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Rom 12:1-2
MY job is to present myself “a living and holy sacrifice … and not copy the behavior and customs of this world,” and then GOD will “transform (me)into a new person by changing the way (I) think.”
It won’t happen in an instant any more than a rinse of the water released the caked on egg. It’s a process that took time in the sink. And it’ll be a process as I soak in His presence and His promise:
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 Himselfas a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Eph. 5:25-27
What a beautiful promise that is! A scrub-free eternity! What do you think about that?
60 years ago a man named Bob Pierce prayed these words in a prayer: “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” Dr. Bob Pierce founded World Vision after traveling to China in 1947 when his heart was broken with the needs of one little girl.
Yet I think there are other things, personal things, that break the heart of God. As I continued to mediate about this lyric, God whispered: You can love people around the world, but can you love the person sitting next to you?
Ouch!
What breaks God’s heart? Not just the children dying in poverty. It breaks God’s heart when my attitudes and actions represent the enemy more than they represent Him. I believe God is not as grieved by sinners who act like sinners as He is by Christians who act like sinners.
Please join me over at Laced With Grace today for more on what breaks God's heart ~ and how not to!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2
It’s a sad promise that we WILL go through the overwhelming waters and the burning fire. The verse above doesn’t say “if,” it says “when.” Jesus said, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you WILL have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Fortunately, when we pass through the waters and the fire, the Lord promises to be with us and we will not be swept away or burned or in any way destroyed by the trials we experience.
But it's more than that....
For the rest of the post and a story about a little "bling", click here to visit me at Laced With Grace.
For as long as I can remember, that four letter word fear has been a most unwelcome companion of mine, a curse you might say. I've tried to raise my children to be strong in the face of fear so that they would not have to deal with some of the stuff I've endured. But my dog? Well, she's just a scaredy-dog!
Visit me over at Laced With Grace today where I share what my little Roxie taught me about that nasty four letter word ~ FEAR!
At Yankee Stadium last week, my hubby wanted a photo to share on facebook. I offered to take it, but he wanted me in it. That was the last thing I wanted as I sat in the drizzle, sensing my hair frizzle.Grumbling, I asked a man seated nearby to take our picture. With some consternation of his own, he snapped the photo on the left.
As the shutter snapped, another man rushed over, practically leaping over fans seated in the row. "Wait! Let ME take your picture!!"
He grabbed my iPhone and showed us the picture just taken. "Will anyone know where you are?" he asked.
"Ummm, it does show the blue YANKEE STADIUM letters. There on the left."
"Oh...... Humph....Well, that's not what I was talking about. Go back there and let me take your picture. I'm a professional photographer."
Really? Is that what I need? A professional photographer for a facebook photo? A photo I am only begrudingly agreeing to?
Not to be rude, we returned to our spots in front of the railing, forced a smile, and snap!
Mr. Photographer handed me back my phone and strode away up the stairs, never to be seen again.
One look at the picture he took told us he indeed was a pro. Not only did he get the Yankee emblem behind home plate (his intention), he also captured us swathed in light. And what a difference that made.
Tony and I stood in the same place for both pictures. The difference was the direction we were looking.
Same truth applies to life.
No matter our situation (where we are), we choose what direction to focus on. We can lurk in the shadows of self-pity, complaints, judgmental attitudes, discouragement, need I go on? Or we can face the Light. Seek Him in His Word, in the fellowship of believers, in praise and worship, in serving Him. The choice is ours.
What will you choose today?
This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. Eph. 5:8
It seems like yesterday but 20 years ago, Lauren took her first dance lesson starting a lifelong love of dance and all things "arts". Middle school spirit team introduced her to worship dance.
In high school, she started teaching others what she had learned. Mission trips expanded her understanding of the world and increased her compassion for those in need.
This month, she graduated college earning two degrees - a BFA in dance performance and a BA in dance education. And now she's off to study Leadership in Dance Ministry at Hillsong in Sydney.
Why?
Why study more?
Why so far away?
Everyone asks these things [especially her dad wondering why she wants to go to the other side of the world for a year - and possibly meet some nice young Aussie gentleman - horrors!]
She smiles when she responds. Actually she more than smiles. She glows.
She has a dream, has had it for years. It sprung up from seeds planted and has grown and developed in unimaginable ways.
Her mission trips have taken her to remote undeveloped areas of the world. And she wondered what she can bring these people whose basic needs of water and food are barely met. Don't you need to feed them before you can share the gospel? Yes. But she discovered something else. Through her dance and the arts, she was able to communicate love, and everyone needs love. Dance and art transcend language barriers. They connect different cultures.
Here is Lauren last year teaching preschoolers in northern Uganda, a region slowly healing after the world's longest civil war: http://tinyurl.com/74dye2r
Lauren's dream, in a nutshell, is creating an Arts Center - a place for students to hang out, learn dance, art, acting, all varied ways of expression. But there's more...
In 2006, a young man named Blake Mycoskie founded a shoe company with a new premise: "With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for one." Blake traveled to Argentina, saw the disease and the dire need for shoes for the children there, and founded a company that would provide a quality product and also meet that need.
Lauren wants a "One for one" program for her future Arts Center with a "sister school" in Africa. Every student here will support a student in Africa. Lauren has the vision. Her studies this year will provide the leadership training she'll need to bring it to fruition.
I'm traveling to Australia with Lauren, spending a few days helping her get established.
My next post is a review of Blake Mycoskie's book Start Something That Matters. As part of the review, I will be giving away 2 copies. It tells the story of TOMS shoes and inspires us all to purse something that matters. Keep tuned!!
In the restaurant last night, I spotted a boy with his new Christmas gift - an ipad. And what was he doing with this valuable gift?
Playing Hangman.
Hangman? - on an iPAD? - really????
As a kid, I played Hangman - using pencil & paper, chalkboard & chalk, dirt & stick.
And here was this 21st century kid using one of the most powerful devices currently known to man to play the simplest of games.
But could we be doing exactly the same thing with the gifts that God has given us?
He is Emmanuel - God WITH us.
He declares us to be His temple and so His limitless power dwells WITHIN us.
And yet too often we are content to live a limited life.
We are satisfied with less than best.
We play with dirt & sticks when the Power that created the dirt resides inside us.
He calls us to use the gifts He has so freely given for Kingdom work. He wants us to step out of the boat with our eyes fixed securely on the One who keeps us from sinking. He desires to reveal Himself in us and through us. As a believer, His power within us is greater than an ipad or any man-made device. Where we are weak, He is strong.
Rather than settling for mediocrity, I want 2012 to be the year I climb out of my comfort zone. How about you?
ps - If uncertainty is holding you back from serving, and if you live near northern NJ, please join me and my Bible Fellowship class as we embark on a 9 week study "What's So Spiritual About Your Gifts?" by Blackaby. Shoot me an email if you're interested in participating.
Driving home tonight listening to K-LOVE Radio (96.7 in NYC area), I heard the dj (JD Chandler) read the following. You can hear him read it on his webpage: http://www.klove.com/blog/jd/ Scroll down to Oct. 31. It undid me.
"Lord Undo Me"
I don’t really worship these day I don’t really stand up to praise you with songs Or prayers or actions or with anything I am full of all the right moves I am full of all the right words I am full of all the right religion But it is all just illusion I am really Lonely Lost Calloused Jaded Cynical Too religious Too realistic and well really just to lazy to worship you anymore I have lost my first love I have lost the joy of your presence But most of all I have lost the fear of your glory
Father I need to see you again Like Isaiah I want to stand in awe of your glory To fall down at your feet To come face to face with your Perfection, Radiance, Goodness, Holiness, Awesomeness I want to stand before you and see you for who you are and me for who I am I want to be undone
I want to know me for who I really am I want to see the depths of my heart And know that you are the only way You are the only truth You are the only life I want to see me and understand What it really must have taken for you to Love me Care for me See me Speak to me Want me Communicate with me Die for me Die for me Die for me
Lord, I want to stand in that place where all I can see is your glory And my sin Because in that place I can’t help but worship you. Lord let me come undone Undo my heart Lord, undo my heart break down these walls that I love so much No, wait don’t, I’m scared I don’t know if I can handle this don’t But I can’t live this way anymore I can’t stand here in this half-life this going through the motions life this not really alive life Father, I need you so come in and do what you must Cut out the tumor on my heart Break down the walls that I love Lord let me come undone Undo my heart let me worship you again
Looking ahead over the next four weeks, the so-called Advent season, what do you see coming? It’s so easy to get swept up in the “what” - the seemingly endless tornado of cooking, decorating, shopping, wrapping, partying – that we miss the “Who”.
I've been digging, sorting, and clearing out stuff.
I bagged it, washed it, and carted it to the car to be donated to Ditto, the "upscale resale thrift shop" that raises funds for my kids' alma mater.
Felt like a real accomplishment.
The problem is Ditto's hours of operation aren't in sync with my hours of operation ;D I can't seem to get there before closing time.
And so I have been driving around with my discarded stuff for a week. I went through it - did the inventory. I identified and separated it. I even moved it. But I haven't really gotten rid of it. I plan to, but it's still there hanging around. Moving around. I stopped short yesterday to avoid a car that ran a stop sign, and heard a symphony of shuffles as the stuff in back slid toward the front.
In order for me to actually get rid of this stuff, I have to make a change. I need to change my habits and rearrange my schedule. I have to move out of my comfort zone.
I have some other stuff I'd like to get rid of. Fear, anger, resentment, jealousy. I have done some soul-searching. Taken inventory. Identified what needs to be addressed. Felt some pride and a sense of accomplishment in that.
But that stuff is still hanging around. An unwelcome remark or a difficult situation becomes like that car running a stop sign bringing all that stuff toward the front, a symphony of emotions sliding around my interior. So how do I actually get rid of it - for real?
Paul says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice." But he doesn't leave it at that. He continues with, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you." (Eph. 4:31-32)
James instructs us, "Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent" And like Paul he goes on, "and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, .. Do what it says." (James 1:21-22)
To get rid of these unwanted emotions and behaviors, I need to move beyond identifying them. I need to replace them with desired behaviors. Clearing out the old creates a void and the old will slide right back in if there isn't something already in its place.
Replace resentment and anger with forgiveness. Replace doing evil with doing what the Word says.
Then I'll be getting rid of it - for real!
How about you? Do you have unwanted stuff hanging around? How can you clear it out? For real? Let's talk about it.
It’s October 31st and millions of people will spend billions of dollars to eat candy and dress up as someone (or something) else today. It may be fun to dress up as someone else for an event. But what about when we habitually wear an invisible mask to hide who we really are, when we pretend to be someone we’re not.
To read more, click over to Laced With Grace. And please leave me a comment. You know I love to hear from you!
When my son was little, he found a crayfish in the nearby Glen. He and my husband set up a fish tank abode, and Sebastian lived with us for many years. Not exactly the most cuddly pet, but the very low maintenance was a plus!!
One day, I looked in the tank and darn near fainted. There were two Sebastians! Exactly the same 4 inch size! How on earth????
A closer look revealed that one was merely the shell of the other. It seems Sebastian molted – he shed one complete perfectly shaped “skin.” What looked like two identical living crayfish was in reality one living crayfish and one imposter, a mere specter of the real thing.
Today, my friend Marja’s blogpost, reminded me of this episode of our family history. She wrote about religion, and her aversion to using the word “religious.” That is until she looked up the word in her Penguin English dictionary.
[Rilijon] n. belief in and worship of God or gods; specified system of theology ritual and morality based on this; outlook and way of life based on this…
Way of life → It’s not the system or the theory or the rituals that the key. It’s the way of life. Marja said, religion “is not a bad word if we allow it to jump off the page and become alive, if we choose it as a way of life.”
James says “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (Jms 1:27)
Marja noted the two principles here:
- benevolent love for people in need
- a holy life
How often do we mis-use that word religion? People who consider themselves religious often miss its true meaning if their ways of life are just ritual and no relationship with the One they purport to worship. They go through the motions and, like the empty shed Sebastian, they look like the real thing but are missing the life inside. Similar to the Pharisees whom Jesus called “white washed tombs” who look righteous and pure on the outside, but inside are filled with dead men’s bones.
As a reaction, you, like me, may be quick to say “It’s not about religion. It’s about relationship.” The truth is – if it’s about relationship, we will demonstrate our relationship with our pure religion. James talks about worthless religion (1:26) and faith without works being dead (2:14-26).
Paul tells us that we were made as His masterpiece and are saved by faith alone, but that we were made to do good works that he prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph. 2:8-10).
The conclusion – it’s not what we do that saves us. But it’s what we do and how we do it that demonstrates to others the love of the One who saved us. Our religion a byproduct of our “way of life.” An empty shell of a religion cannot impart life into another. Only the one who has received the Lifegiver can.
Marja wonders “how difficult we have made ‘our’ religion sometimes…”
Heading to my brother's home a few weeks ago, I passed a line of newspaper boxes. A closer look made me laugh out loud.
In the center was a box selling The Times,
with a sign stating "No. 1 with Readers."
To the left of The Times was a box selling The Trentonian,
boasting a sign declaring "AHEAD of the TIMES."
.
Reminds me of some people I know - the "Can you top this?" syndrome:
"I had a such a busy day today. Couldn't even stop for lunch."
"Well, myday was so busy, I didn't have breakfast, lunch or dinner."
"My daughter played varsity soccer."
"Mydaughter was MVP in soccer, basketball and lacrosse."
"I enjoyed my trip so much, I took over 100 pictures."
"Well, on my last trip, I took over 400 pictures."
"My mom was such a good cook, we never wanted to eat out."
"My mom was such a great cook, she was featured in Gourmet magazine."
"My son was on the honor roll."
"Well, my son was valedictorian."
"As a kid, we were so poor we didn't have paper to do our homework."
"Well, I was so poor, we didn't have toilet paper."
You know people like this. As you start to share your story, their minds are only half-listening, just waiting for the moment to share their own better-than-yours story. They can be sad/sadder stories OR good/better stories OR funny/funnier stories. It doesn't matter. What matters is that that person's story tops yours in some way.
I imagine the people who lived in Corinth were like this. One-third of all the references of the word "boast" in Scripture can be found in Paul's two letters to the Corinthians. His many comments on boasting can be summed up like this:
Love doesn't boast. But if you must boast, let it be about the Lord or about your weaknesses in which the Lord's power is glorified.*
Can you top that? ;)
*Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:31
*Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 1 Corinthians 13:4
*But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
What did you first think when you read the title of today's post? - Leprechauns? Shamrocks? Pot of gold? - Drunken revelry? Celebrations out of control? - Green bagels? Green beer? Green painted people?
After working in NYC for years, I've seen it all. I find it most curious the way that people "honor" St. Patrick on March 17th. I once witnessed a near-fatal showdown between mounted police and carousing, green-faced partygoers who spilled out of a bar and blocked 33rd St. and nearly became a casualty myself!
Since St. Patricks Day in Ireland is a religious holiday, I wondered how these American traditions developed. MSN.com provided a few answers:
Leprechauns -In Irish folklore, leprechauns were cranky tricksters who you wouldn’t want to mess with. The cheerful, friendly ‘lil fairy most Americans associate with St. Paddy’s Day stems from a 1959 Walt Disney film called Darby O’Gill & the Little People. The Americanized, good-natured leprechaun soon became a symbol of St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland in general.
Shamrocks - You may have worn a shamrock tattoo or donned a clover-covered necklace on some St. Patrick’s Day past. According to Irish legend, St. Patrick used a three-leaved clover, or shamrock, to illustrate the idea of the Holy Trinity, versus the good luck associated with the four-leaved variety, a mistake many Americans make.
Green Milk Shake - Introduced in 1970, and discontinued in 1990, the deliciously minty McDonald’s Shamrock Shake returned to select stores in 2008. Only available for the month of March, the shake has received rave reviews by milkshake connoisseurs, who have entire websites dedicated to finding all of the shake-selling McDonald’s outposts.
Chicago's Green River - Chicago has dyed its river green for St. Patrick’s Day every year since 1962, when city workers realized that the dye they used to trace illegal dumping would provide a fun way to celebrate the holiday. They released 100 pounds of dye into the river, which kept it green for an entire week. Chicago now uses just enough dye to last one day in order to be kinder to Mother Earth.
Parades - The First St. Paddy’s Parade didn’t take place in Ireland but in the U.S. in 1762, when Irish soldiers serving in the British military marched through the New York City streets playing music. In America today, New York, Boston and Chicago boast the biggest St. Paddy’s Day parades, with New York being the longest-running civilian parade in the world. (Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day parade is a wee 75 years old.)
Drinking … a Lot - While Americans associate St. Paddy’s with binge drinking, the Irish consider it a religious holiday. Until the 1970s, a law required all Irish pubs to close every March 17th. Drinking on St. Paddy’s really only became popular in Ireland post-1995, with the start of a national campaign to attract tourists for the holiday. It worked — over a million people now attend Dublin’s five-day festival.
Corned Beef - Those who celebrate old-school by eating a meal of corned beef and cabbage are only really getting it partly right: The dish was originally eaten with bacon, not corned beef. Irish immigrants in America couldn’t afford the traditional bacon, so they substituted it with corned beef, a cheaper option they picked up from their Jewish neighbors. (Too bad they didn’t grab some bagels while they were at it!)
The prayer of St. Patrick adds the right perspective to this celebratory day. After reading the words and sensing the heart of this godly man, it grieves me to see the misunderstanding that the celebration of his life has become.
I arise today through God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear for me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
Christ be with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise.
Christ in the heart of everyone thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me.
Christ in every eye that sees me.
Christ in every ear that hears me.
"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13
Oh that Christ would flow through me in such a way that people would see Him when they "think of me, speak of me, see me, or hear me." May your day today be filled with His presence. And may His presence flow through you to those around you today and everyday.
On Thursday night, my family, friends and I went to a Hillsong United concert, part of the tour promoting their new album Aftermath.
It was a worship encounter that rivaled any I've ever experienced. During the final song, I glanced up and saw the massive painted ceiling of the Hammerstein Ballroom, a vision of heaven that brought my spirit right through the roof to the clouds. I sensed the prayers of the people rising up to heaven as incense.
The next morning, I awoke to the news of the tragedy in Japan. My heart is breaking for the loss and suffering over there. And in the days since, the word "aftermath," so often repeated, has taken on new significance.
The album was titled Aftermath because "instead of living in the aftermath of our mistakes and sin, we can live in the aftermath of what Jesus has done for us."
What is the aftermath? According to the dictionary, it is:
af.ter.math - noun
something that results or follows from an event,
especially one of a disastrous or unfortunate nature;
consequence: the aftermath of war; the aftermath of the flood
After natural or man-made disasters, there are the expected devastating consequences.
After the cross, there was and is the unexpected consequence - what appeared to be total destruction and loss one tragic Friday 2000 years ago was complete victory the following Sunday. A victory that is ours today. At the concert, Joel Houston of Hillsong shared, "The cross was a symbol of sin and shame, but Jesus turned it upside down into a symbol of grace and forgiveness and hope."
"A perfect God sent His perfect Son to an imperfect people in order to perfect them through His perfect love." Heb 10:14 (Hillsong U. version)
