Thinking...

Yesterday at work I was working near by as a couple of my Catholic co-workers were talking. One of them was trying to remember what the mass would be that evening and she was getting confused. They were giggling like little girls as they worked together to remember which service was on what day of this "Holy Week." I admit it made me smile as I heard them talk and the thought even went through my head that it was a bit sad that they didn't know as they were both adult women and one of them stated clearly that she went to Catholic school as a child. This morning however, it strikes me that although I am not Catholic I am in much of the "same boat."  I have had the privilege of growing up with Christ in my life. I accepted Him as my Savior at the ripe old age of 6 and have never looked back. The church I grew up in did not really make a "big deal" of Christmas and Easter but always told the story and explained it's meaning in our life today. However in my adult life I have participated in many a "production" for these holidays. I have to admit it has at times been more of a time of doing something for someone else than a time of reflection and appreciation for myself. Today will be a bit different. We have a new experience going on in our life. I'll explain it all at some other time, but it means we are going to a different church this year. Tonight we will attend their Good Friday Service which we had no part in arranging. I'm believing I will be more attentive and will very likely "see things" in a fresh way.

That thought was already going through my head when I read from a book that I've been using in my quiet times lately. The book is not written around the theme of Easter but today my reading time took me to John 13 where the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet is. The author made this comment, "Jesus is about to let flesh be broken with nail, heart be broken with rejection,  the chains be broken with bleeding love. And in His last hours before His earthly end, He doesn't run out to buy something or catch a flight to go see something, but He wraps a towel around his waist and kneels low to take the feet of His forsakers gently in hand and wash away the grime between their toes." -Ann Voskamp, "One Thousand Gifts" He breaks bread with His disciples. He serves them by washing their feet. He doesn't ask for them to serve him, give him his favorite food or a massage or even play his favorite music. He is very present with them. He loves them and tells them what is going to happen, for their sake.

Isn't it amazing? The God of the universe became man. He lived on earth and he died on earth. As he prepared to die he served man. He did take quiet prayer time following that act of service. Why? To talk to his Father, God. To ask his Father if this was for sure the right thing to do. He was very deliberate in every action saying "not my will, but thine be done."  It encourages me to be intentional. To serve and to take time to confirm that I am "on the right path." To pray to my Father God, being honest, telling Him what I think I would like but asking that His will be done. That means I have to trust Him enough to be willing to do His will and the truth is I have no reason not to trust Him. So today my goal is to be more aware of God's sacrifice through His son Jesus. To dwell on the fact that He served man until his very last breath and to ask the Lord to help me be a good servant in my life. What about you? What does this make you think about?

What are You Asking for?

I'm reading a book by an acquaintance of mine, Skye Jethani.  In it he tells a story of he and his father walking down the streets of New Delhi with a skinny,young, handicapped boy with "huge calluses on his knees" from waddling on them staying just ahead of them in their line of sight. He was dressed only in "tattered blue shorts." He was shouting "one rupee, please! One rupee!" Skye says that he and his father kept walking ignoring the boys shouts but finally his father realized the boy wasn't going to give up so he stopped. He looked the boy in the eye and asked him, "what do you want?" "One rupee, sir," the boy answered while bowing his head. Skye's father replied "How about I give you five rupees?" Do you know what the boys response was? Not one of immediate joy and thanksgiving. Instead he became immediately defiant. "He retracted his hand and sneered at us. He thought my father was joking, having a laugh at his expense. After all, no one would willingly give five rupees." The boy actually started to leave! Skye's father reached into his pocket and rattled his coins. When the boy heard the coins he stopped and looked back. He approached the boy, gave him the coin and then Skye and his father proceeded on their way. A moment later the shouting started again. This time the boy was yelling, "Thank you! Thank you,sir! Bless you!  Then Skye wraps up this story with these stunning words; "This, I imagine, is how our God sees us - as miserable creatures in desperate need of his help. But rather than asking for what we truly need, rather than desiring what he is able and willing to give, we settle for lesser things. And when God graciously says "no" to our misled desires and instead offers us more, we reject him. We turn away, cursing him under our breath. We simply cannot imagine a God who would give five rupees when all we desire is one."  "The Divine Commodity"

My husband was a seminar teaching on worship leading a couple of weeks ago. As he was telling me about it one statement stuck in my mind. He said they were told "most of the people sitting in the audience WANT you to SUCCEED."  But speaking from experience that is not always what you feel. You focus on some time from the past that you failed in some way and embarrassed yourself. Or you see that "crabby face" in the audience and you are immediately frightened. 

God wants us to succeed. His Word says He has a plan for us to prosper. This doesn't necessarily refer to money and status but it does refer to our life and all the things that really count. Are you like the little boy, only focused on what you need for the next minute or two rather than looking to God who can care for you for your lifetime?

The Glory of God in the Gift of Disability

The Glory of God in the Gift of Disability
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-glory-of-god-in-the-gift-of-disability

If you have known me for very long you know that I have never felt that anyone should have to "re-invent the wheel." I believe that God designed us for relationships and that we are to learn from each other. Out of God's grace He has enabled me access to wonderful people and written or recorded words. It is my desire to share them to all those in my world.

The above attached link is one such thing I came across while actually researching something entirely different. We know several families with family members with physical or mental disabilities. We have learned much from all of them. Pastor John Piper spoke to this tough issue. Sometimes people struggle with understanding a God who loves us but doesn't "fix" everything the way we believe it ought to be "fixed." From the first day of our son-in-law's diagnosis of untreatable cancer we all knew our God could heal him. He (our son-in-law) was the first to say, "I will be healed either here on earth or in heaven". God was glorified in Mark's life and in his death as he died fully trusting that God's will was being done.

I've not read this couple's book therefore I can't endorse it personally but their video and this blog post spoke volumes.

God's Will for Our Lives

Why would God have a will for our lives?  He doesn't need anything from us. He can do it all. But the fact is He created us for relationship, with Him first and then with others. The fact is He is revealed to others when we have a relationship with Him.  2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says," But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body."

That is God's will for our life. We are to live so that His all-surpassing power shines out of the cracks in us. If we put a fake-front over those cracks His light does not shine out.  At my brother-in-laws, mothers funeral a few years ago the pastor used a beat up, actually driven over, old gas can to represent her life. It was bent out of shape, peeling in paint and had cracks and holes.  He talked of Mary Ann telling how as cancer beat up her body she still had a shining spirit of love for others.  He then turned out the lights in the room and turned on the gas can.  Lights from within shone out of every crack and hole.  That light would not have shone out if their had been some sort of sleeve that looked much more "presentable."  God's will is we honestly live the life we have, with all the good, the bad, and the ugly. Not glorifying our mistakes, that's not the point. The point is whatever we "look" like if our goal is to live out God's will for our lives, is to let Him shine through us.

Praying for God's Will

It sounds so right to pray for the Lord to reveal His will for our lives.  Just saying that you are praying for God's will to be done and therefore are "waiting" until you "know" sounds very spiritual.  I believe that God has a plan for our lives and I do believe we are to look for it. However, I don't think it is God's plan that we spend all of our time "looking/waiting" and therefore "doing" nothing!  Sometimes I think we just keep praying because it's safe.  As long as we "don't know" no one will expect anything from us, right? Wrong. We have a God-given life to live. (John 10:10) God wants us to live our life with all of it's ups and downs, having peace that He is with us in all of life's circumstances.

Could it be that we are using our quest for God's will in our lives as a diversion from actually doing what we know we should or because we are just plain scared of what it might be?

Check out Galatians 5:16-26.  For now think on this:
"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:25 NIV
"Let us keep in step..."  that implies walking, moving, following.

God's Will

God's will, we say we want it. We talk about it. We "search" for it. We read about it. We are very busy about it.

"We focus on what God wants us to do and forget what kind of people He wants us to be."  Francis Chan,  Forgotten God.

I've heard others say the same thing over the years. So the challenge is to quit just hearing this message and start living, being the person God created me to be.

God's Will for My Life

Yesterday I had a long wonderful talk with a friend regarding possible changes in their life. She called me (and another friend) because we have traveled down a similar path in our past. She was wondering how God showed us His will for our lives at a point of decision making similar to where they are at now.  How many times have you asked "what is God's will for my life"?  I may not always use those exact words but I've asked it 100's of times I'm sure.  That said, I was recently challenged that that may not be a great question.


When I think about Biblical examples I can't think of one story I've read where God told his people everything at once. For example, He anointed David as king as a kid and then David went back to the fields with his sheep with no further instructions recorded as to when or how he would get to be king. God told Abraham to take his family and leave. He didn't give him an exact map and destination, just leave. The list could go on and on. The point is God gives us pieces. Do we act on those pieces?

Maybe a better question would be God, what is your will for my life TODAY? Francis Chan says in his book Forgotten God, "It's far less demanding to think about God's will for your future than it is to ask Him what He wants you to do in the next ten minutes. It's safer to commit to following Him someday instead of this day."  Hmmm, that's a challenging thought. What do you think?