It's all about LOVE!

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and love your neighbor as yourself.  This is the first and greatest commandment"...This is not an option if we are a follower of Jesus, this is a requirement!

Love as defined in a dictionary states in part; " a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.  Devotedness".

Love is not about following rules.  Following rules is simple, black and white. It is a line in the sand, a clear demarcation of when we have hit the mark and when we have not.   If you do right, then you are okay, if you do not, then you have some penance to do and some changing to do...  Love is much higher than this and much, much harder to put into practice. It's more about being led by God on a moment by moment basis, being open to take a detour to help someone.   Being kind to those that are very difficult to love is no easy task.  The fruit of the Spirit "is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; against such there is no law".  Galatians 5:22, 23.  

Jesus loved the unlovely.  He loved those that were a stench to the Israelites  those who did not have the beliefs that God ordained.  He loved those who were in sin.  He loved those who did  not love Him.  He didn't force the truth down people's throats.  He confronted them with their sin lovingly.  He challenged them to sin no more.  He was actually much more "in your face" with the religious, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, those that thought they were so right.  He called them "white-washed sepulchers (or tombs)".  They were quick to judge those they thought were not "towing the line", the line that they had established as they had added laws to the laws that God had ordained in the Old Testament, breaking the backs of those around them with their rules.

I am thinking about how Moses interceded on behalf of the Israelites numerous times when God had apparently just had had enough- often God spared them and did not do what he intended on doing to the full measure that He had planned because of Moses' intercession on their behalf.  Frequently the people rose up and rebelled against both Aaron and Moses and still they prayed on behalf of them, pleading for mercy, now that is love!  They did not argue with God to destroy them although they were angry with them.  I am sure that Moses did not have a tender affection for the Israelites many times- this definition does not address the aspect of unconditional commitment even when the feelings of love wane and appear to be lost.  Our feelings are so fickle, nothing would ever have hope of lasting if we followed our ever changing emotional tides.

Again, love is the higher way and the harder way.  Much harder way!  It is much easier to judge another for their choices than it is to walk with them through the mud and mire of life and lend them a hand.  Life is messy even for the 'best' of us!  As the religious leader walked on the other side of the road for the Samaritan man who was lying on the side of the road.  It reminds me of the recent saying, "What would Jesus do?"  How many condemn even their own brothers and sisters in Christ for supposedly not having the understanding that they do in certain areas (me included) rather than loving them in these areas?  Walking down the potholed riddled life of another human being is no easy task when their choices fly in the face of all that we believe...but would Jesus do any less?  He died for us WHILE we were yet sinners.  We serve Him out of a greater revelation of what He has done for us, not the other way around.  We don't serve in order to be accepted.  We are accepted and therefore our desire is to serve!  It is so easy to get this all mixed up especially as we get involved in our churches, etcetera.  It is the natural bent of man to find his own way out and forget that he needs help....

Galatians says that we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh if we walk in the spirit.  God is the author and perfecter of our faith...He is the author of it, the beginning of it when we first realized our need for a Savior and came into agreement about our need and repented, but it does not end there.  He is continuing to perfect us day by day.  We will never arrive to that place of perfection until we sing, "Oh Happy Day" in the presence of our God, it is from "glory to glory".  

"It is by grace that we are saved, through faith and this not ourselves so that no one can boast".  Grace.  Grace for yesterday, when we were first saved.  Grace today for my every blunder and misunderstanding and misguided way and grace for our future, so that I can actually made it to my Heavenly home.  

"Love one another as Christ has loved you".  It's as simple and yes, as incredibly difficult as that!

What Would You Have Me Do For You?

Have you ever considered that question?  Can you imagine the God of the universe asking you this question?   It amazes me that He would ask me what I would like Him to do for me!  In the Old Testament I remember God was very pleased with Solomon for praying and asking God to give him wisdom...and what happened? He received lots of wisdom and everything else too!  (Though what happened to that wisdom at the end of of his life, it is hard to tell).  Yes, I agree with Solomon, I could use a huge dose of wisdom in my life and have asked the Lord many times for it.

But that question is so far reaching- world peace, how often have we prayed for that in one way or another for our neighbors, our friends, our family, ourselves?  That would be an amazing gift.  What about love?  Surely we could use more love in our world, in our households, and dare I say it, more love in our churches. We are all under construction so maybe we should ask for instant deliverance and healing?  I don't truly know how to answer that question for myself although I have pondered it for some time now.  It is a vast question and I always end with God knows what is best for me in the end, maybe I should pose the question back to Him, "What would You have You do for me?"  He sees the implications for everything in my life, not just my own experience of my life, but the ramifications that would affect the generations to come behind me and the lives around me.  As I said, it is more far reaching that this little brain can fathom from my finite perspective.

Am I over-spiritualizing this question?  Maybe.  Why couldn't He narrow the field just a little bit though.  You know, kind of like  with a young child..."Would you like this blue shirt or the white one?  Do you want to go the park or go for ice cream?"  He is so grand and I so small.  "His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts" He says in His Word.  How do I distill everything in my heart with just one thing or maybe He is not asking me for just one thing, maybe I can ask for whatever comes to my mind,maybe the sky is the limit, He is God after all and owns everything on the planet and has more wisdom to solve every problem we could think of "Lord, can I have healing for my friend, finances, a new job, restoration for our family, healing, direction....and the list could go and on"  I think He is saying yes, but His yes may not look like what I think it should look like or be in the timing that I am hoping for...

What do you think?  If you could ask God for anything, what would it be?   Do you have the faith to believe?

John 11- I Will Choose to Trust

My brother, Curt is hosting a poetry contest and I decided to try and write something about this passage.  This is where Mary and Martha are grieving over the loss of their brother Lazarus and knowing full well that if only Jesus would have been there, he wouldn't have had to die...this was written from the perspective of one of the sisters...

" 'I am the Resurrection and the Life"
So the Master said to me--
Then why did my brother have to die?
These are the questions swarming in my head...
Oh Lord, I choose to trust even when I cannot see...

Does He not see the pain I hold?
My memories of him just aren't enough--
If Jesus could bring sight to the blind,
Then why couldn't He prevent his death?
Oh Lord, I choose to trust even even when things get tough!

I thought He said whoever believes would not die--
I don't understand what happened here.
My head is swimming, this just doesn't seem to make much sense!
Then I saw Him weeping and I knew Jesus loved him too--
Oh Lord, I choose to trust even when things disappear that I hold dear!

Maybe He was talking about eternity...
I do know there is Heaven for those who believe.
Then He came and I wept and He saw my face etched with whys.
He then said Lazarus was just asleep, could it really be?
Oh Lord, I choose to trust even when I grieve...

Why did He wait so long to call my brother forth?
I'll never fully grasp why we had to wait all those days--
But that doesn't matter now--He is alive!
His timing is always perfect--His glory is now revealed!
Oh Lord, I will choose to trust, I will worship You always!"

Unquenchable Fire

This is my prayer....

Unquenchable fire
Consume me I pray...
Take this stubborn will of mine,
And change my heart today.

Unrelenting fire
Please do not grow dim,
for I shall surely fall,
If my eyes should turn from Him.

Oh, Eternal Holy Fire,
Engulf this sin-stained soul,
Replace this darkness with Your light,
And melt this stone to a heart made whole.

Oh, glorious fire,
Stoke the flames that my flesh would die,
And forever through each road I take,
My praise shall reach Your throne on high.

Oh, Holy fire.  Oh, glorious fire.
Oh, Holy fire. The Spirit of the Lord.

One second to Heaven....

So, I was driving down highway 35 on my way to Bigfork.  The speed limit is 70 mph on most of that road.  I got to thinking about how if I took my eyes off the road for a mere moment to adjust the radio or try to pick something up as I drove that at my car going 70 and the oncoming traffic going 70 would equal 140 mph effectively ending in a crash that could wipe me or someone else out.  I don't know why I was thinking about this except as I noted just how close each opposing car was to my own, it seemed like mere inches at times...one slip of the steering wheel, just one wrong move so to speak and it would be all over.  All over.  What would be all over?  Life as I currently know it.  How I relate to those around me, my husband, my son, my brothers, my parents, my friends, my church- would be a shadow, a memory.  This life is truly a vapor as the Bible observes, here today and gone tomorrow.  The life hereafter, I suspect, will be more life like than anything I have ever know thus far- More real than I could have imagined it to be.

I am not afraid to die, well, let me rephrase that-- I am afraid of the process of dying, the physical pain or method of passing from this life to the next and the thought of having to say good bye to those I love and those who may be saddened to see me go...but I am looking forward to that day when I shall see Him face to face.  I cannot wait to shed this body that is saddled with the cares of this world, the pain of a body that sees more and more years added to it and the tears, frustrations, regrets that weigh a soul down.  I am looking toward the day where I shall be truly free in every sense of the word, some days, it cannot come soon enough and yet I know it is in God's perfect time.  I can relate to Paul when he vacillated between staying here and going there.  I see more and more everyday that I long for home, my true home and yet also want to run the race marked out for me well and to be there for those that are important to me.

Yes, while I am here, I need to be all there, present, appreciating every moment and as our Pastor said today- don't miss one moment of the gifts that God has to give everyday.  Don't let the discomforts, the inconveniences or the pain of our life allow us to be blinded to the joys, the fellowship, the natural wonders and gifts of a sunset or a waterfall or simply a spring rain or any other of the myriad of treasures God gives us each day.  What about a friendship, a kind word, laughter, communion with another.  It is so easy to get sidetracked and miss all that God has for us in each moment of our lives...

So, if I have not said how much I appreciate my family, my friends, all those who have encouraged me, took the time for me, believed in me, befriended me, then let me say it now-- thank  you, I do not want anything to be left unsaid before that vapor called my life turns into a fading mist and I am finally reach my home, the home I have spent my life looking towards and waiting for...see you when you get there, what joy unspeakable that will be!!

Sandy Hook Family tribute- Brokenness and Hope

How difficulty to put into words what horrific angst these families are going through- this is my feeble attempt at shedding hope in a very, very dark place of the soul.  Lord, bring comfort to the hurting.  God of all comfort, comfort!

When I heard of the shooting
At Sandy Hook Elementary;
My heart fell to my feet
As I learned of such grave tragedy.

Why would someone do this?
What could the reason be?
We will never know or guess
The meaning of this mystery.

What does one say to a mother
Who has lost her precious son?
The screams and the anguish on her face
Questions: "How can I go on?"

How can we comfort a father
Whose daughter leaves a mournful cry?
Nightmares taunt as sleep envelopes-
Wishing he would die...

We will never really know
What brokenness these souls now carry;
The heartache and the loss
Lives etched forever-- in catastrophe.

But, there is hope beyond the grave
Although the tough walk home seems long;
Our loved ones wait with open arms,
Our memory of them encouraging-- us along.

Although we are left with souls shattered and torn
Reminding us that evil still remains-
Our resolve to love and not to hate is tested
An undying song of hope flickers and sustains.

Good or Better?

My husband and I were talking the other night and the thought that came to me to contemplate is; are we choosing the good or the better?  What do I mean by that?  There are so many things that we can spend our time doing, we all have twenty-four hours in a day and each of us must decide how we are going to spend them...there are a myriad of things we can do in any given moment, too many in fact.  I know when I have a few minutes to do anything I want, there are many times that I really do not know how to use to that time to its fullest advantage.  Should I read a book (oh, then there's the question as to which one), watch a movie, write a poem or a song, play my guitar or the piano, take a nap, clean some corner of the house that has been neglected, take a walk, call a friend, write in my journal, pray, I think you can see what I mean, after all, I am sure that you too have found yourself in this quandary.  Maybe the decision-making process is easier for you than for me, but do you ever feel like if you have chosen one thing that you are now missing out on something else?  The question that I pose again is this?  Am I (or you) choosing the better, among so many "good" things, by good, I mean nothing that is inherently evil or bad, but maybe it is just a distraction from the "best" thing.  Okay, so who decides what is the best thing and even if we think we have chosen the best thing, is it really the best?  How would we ever know?  I know, I know, I'm talking in circles here and I am definitely not trying to be legalistic or put anyone under a load of guilt.  I think I just think of this sometimes because of all the distractions in our world today, particularly in our day and age.  I think of how much simpler life used to be before iPods, cell phones, tablets, computers, and even dishwashers (do we really save time putting dishes in the dishwasher and then taking them all out again rather than just doing them by hand... just thinking out loud).

I am reminded of the scripture where Mary and Martha are in a tiff- Mary is practically demanding our Savior to "tell Mary to help me!"  And how does Jesus respond? "Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her".  What was Mary doing?  She was sitting at Jesus' feet, listening to Him, probably in awe of her master who she was sitting in front of.  What was Martha doing?  Nothing "wrong" per se and yet she had chosen the good in place of the better or best...Is Jesus clueless about all the things that we have to do in a day?  Is He without compassion to our mounds of laundry and loads of dishes?  I don't believe so, I think it was a timing issue- Remember the scripture about not the disciples not needing to fast while their Master was with them.  I think it was a similar case.  I think Martha might have gotten her priorities a little out of whack.  Did she really know who was sitting on her couch, in her very own living room?  I think she meant well too, but she was almost trying so hard that she ended up focusing on the wrong things.  She too could have just sat with Mary at Jesus' feet.  Would they have really gone hungry if she didn't rush up to take care of things?  After all, Jesus IS the bread of life!

This is what we forget so often, that Jesus is the author AND perfecter of our faith.  We cannot live this life for one minute without our Savior!  Sure, it often feels like we are doing it on our own, but the fact is that He gave us the very breath that we are breathing right now!

I want to choose the better.  I think I am mulling this over, not because I will ever have the perfect answer.  I will never get the proverbial "A" on the test called life. The reason I bring this question up is so that maybe I think twice about what I am choosing to do at any given time and maybe I will look to my God who has "my times in His hands" and ask Him what He would like for me to do- to be spirit led and spirit directed in how I use my time and talents.  I want the better even as Mary did.