tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32008059966747552052024-03-06T00:52:38.361-05:00Pressing OnThis blog follows our family's journey to life after death. Our daughter Anna died November 25, 2007. In Jesus' name we press on.... to a new job, a new state, a new home, a new life. Come with us as we start a new chapter in our lives and as we press on to our eternal home.Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.comBlogger285125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-28506833266103424652015-12-05T09:08:00.003-05:002015-12-05T09:08:59.509-05:00Christmas confessions<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Have you read the Christmas story in Mark lately? There’s no manger. No Mary and Joseph. No baby Jesus. No star or angels. No heavenly hosts or shepherds. No silent night.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">If Mark was the only one who wrote about Jesus’ entrance to the world, Christmas would look a lot different.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">There would be no gifts.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">There would be no Hallmark Christmas movies.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">There would be no twinkling lights.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">We would be eating locusts and honey instead of turkey and dressing. Instead of a manger scene, there would be a wild looking man dressed in leather and camel hair, preparing the way for Jesus by preaching one message. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">A message we don’t usually hear at Christmas. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">A message of repentance.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Mark’s good news of Christ’s arrival begins with a call for a change of mind that results in a change of actions.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><b><i>And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him (c)onfessing their sins</i></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">How many of us have Christmas confessions on our ‘to do’ list?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">According to Mark’s gospel, the way we need to prepare for Christmas is to repent.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><b><i>“I will send my messenger ahead of you,</i></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s2"><b><i> </i></b></span><span class="s1"><b><i>who will prepare your way”—</i></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><b><i>“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,</i></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><b><i>‘Prepare the way for the Lord,</i></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s2"><b><i> </i></b></span><span class="s1"><b><i>make straight paths for him.’”</i></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">John prepared the way for the arrival of Christ by leading the people to turn from their sinful ways.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i>Forgive me.</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i>I’m sorry.</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i>Heal me.</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i>Restore me.</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i>Change me.</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">But today, instead of repenting, we shop, we decorate, we bake, we party, and then we compare our gifts and decorations, and activities with everyone else’s. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">Our path is full of distractions and detours, and we miss out on God with us. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">This Christmas take the time to prepare the way for the Lord by preparing your heart and not just your house.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><b><i>Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.</i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIagd4YYfy_2SLBu9NXIQ-3iYh42vFoMUPO439bUXs7xVOl4N5Zk9NS2quuT0w-3DS_QkYrXv9y2tVpAkqq83MB8W_S_lAlui_IYO4pC0z14_QjBpxYX9uqWM0EI1CNk81O6_lkN3Y6ET/s1600/repentance.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIagd4YYfy_2SLBu9NXIQ-3iYh42vFoMUPO439bUXs7xVOl4N5Zk9NS2quuT0w-3DS_QkYrXv9y2tVpAkqq83MB8W_S_lAlui_IYO4pC0z14_QjBpxYX9uqWM0EI1CNk81O6_lkN3Y6ET/s1600/repentance.jpeg" /></a></i></b></div>
Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-30086087090489942172015-09-25T13:16:00.000-04:002015-10-02T08:25:08.907-04:00Love does not rejoice<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="text-align: center;"><i>Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. (1 Corinthians 13:6) </i></span></blockquote>
<span style="text-align: center;">This verse is tucked inside the famous "Love Chapter"of 1 Corinthians 13. We have all heard it read at weddings and held up as the perfect kind of love we should aspire to... patient, kind, long-suffering, not boastful or rude. We can all agree that those things are loving. But there is some controversy in our society over verse six. </span><i style="text-align: center;"> Love does not rejoice at wrongdoings. </i><span style="text-align: center;">Another translation says </span><i style="text-align: center;">love does not delight in evil</i><span style="text-align: center;">. The Bible clearly states that it is not loving to celebrate sin. It is not loving to approve of actions that God says he will punish. </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">The world says that Christians are haters because we don't applaud those lifestyles and choices that deviate from God's design. </span>The world says Christians who support the biblical model of marriage and fidelity are intolerant bigots. But God says it is the <u>opposite</u> of love to applaud wrongdoing. Wouldn't it be more hateful to believe what God says about sin and death and hope and life and NOT tell people?<span style="text-align: center;"> How much do I have to hate someone to approve of something they are doing that God says will bring condemnation? </span>Even <span style="text-align: center;">if you don't agree with me, you have to admit that according to 1 Corinthians 13:6, if I love you I cannot rejoice in your sin. If I love you I will speak truth and not say what you want to hear. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="text-align: center;">The argument is that we should all just love each other because Jesus loved everyone. That is true. Jesus loved the tax collectors and sinners, but <u>he did not rejoice in what they were doing</u>. He loved the tax collectors and told them to give back the money they had stolen. He loved the prostitutes and told them go and sin no more. He loved the greedy man and told him to be generous. He loved the gossips and told them to say only those things that build up and not those things that tear down. He loved the prideful and told them to consider others better than themselves. He loved the busy woman and told her to focus on what was really important in life. He loved the woman who was living with a man who was not her husband and told her how to worship in spirit and in truth. Jesus never rejoiced in wrongdoing or said it was okay to continue in sin. <b>Jesus loved people where they were and then said, "Be holy as I am holy." </b></span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">It's not surprising that Jesus wanted to eat with sinners. That's why he said he came--to seek and save the lost. What is surprising to me is that sinners wanted to eat with Jesus. He was perfect, righteous, and holy... and sinners flocked to him. Most of us don't enjoy being around perfect people because they highlight our imperfections. So what was it about Jesus that drew people to him? </span>The reason sinners were attracted to Jesus was because he was full of grace <u>and</u> truth.<br />
<br />
Most of us lean one way or the other. If you are full of truth, but no grace, no sinner is ever going to want to eat with you. A grouchy legalist is not approachable. I sat by one the other day and I wanted to get away as soon as possible. We cannot sit and condemn people and expect them to be attracted to our Savior.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, if you are full of grace without truth, you are like a bandaid on a gaping wound. You do good things and you try to make people feel better by covering up their brokenness without offering the truth that will truly heal them.<br />
<br />
Jesus was not either/or. He was both/and. He was holy and he was loving. His holiness was not a barrier to people because it was paired with love. Jesus met people where they were. He knew their sins and loved them anyway. He did not rejoice in their wrongdoing, but showed them a better way. If we are going to be like him, we have to approach people the same way.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnm66EfdAzqAY2dIhdaiykNwUSXIHCUHQsmCfp26oN8KuIXX9arSlrckwk75JvgypHZrlFwFPOoc71oL0r8CMlxcfLq0cu-EsajgnPjS1hMJto8-bp3VZ1QQvJAV1V4lVKk4f6xmzqNgBO/s1600/love.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnm66EfdAzqAY2dIhdaiykNwUSXIHCUHQsmCfp26oN8KuIXX9arSlrckwk75JvgypHZrlFwFPOoc71oL0r8CMlxcfLq0cu-EsajgnPjS1hMJto8-bp3VZ1QQvJAV1V4lVKk4f6xmzqNgBO/s320/love.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;"><i>Do you think you will escape the judgment of God? Do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that <u>God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance</u>? (Romans 2:3-4)</i></span>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<i>I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked <u>turn from his way </u>and live, declares the Lord. (Ezekiel 33:11)</i><br />
<br /></div>
Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-25155165909693489662015-09-02T11:28:00.000-04:002015-09-02T11:51:53.029-04:00Can you read the condoms on the wall?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPccRLCiAXNCjIINz6nfZxNzpvMiQ2ITbAsdcT5xRMAiFpQ2znN3leP6VNIyIFJixQ1-L64uml5z6wTnh3p-VjqidfofbiWfCpUJ5kueT4UXEe_0F6_Fcf_cVghFwA_AYrsh5iw6bRutV/s1600/dorm+move+in.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPccRLCiAXNCjIINz6nfZxNzpvMiQ2ITbAsdcT5xRMAiFpQ2znN3leP6VNIyIFJixQ1-L64uml5z6wTnh3p-VjqidfofbiWfCpUJ5kueT4UXEe_0F6_Fcf_cVghFwA_AYrsh5iw6bRutV/s1600/dorm+move+in.jpeg" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:13-14</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Dear University,<br />
Last week when I was moving my son into your dorm, it reminded me of when I moved into my own college dorm 25 years ago... the newness, the excitement, meeting my hall mates... and then I saw the condoms on the bulletin board. We did not have those in my dorm 25 years ago. I am not naive enough to think that no one had sex when I was in college, but the university did not go out of their way to make it easy. Single sex dorms with curfews and limited visitation were all attempts to protect us from ourselves. What are you doing to protect your students? Condoms on the bulletin board? Where has this form of "protection" gotten your university? The first week of school you start promoting your campaign against relationship and sexual violence. You expect your students to have sex, but you tell them not to hurt anyone.<br />
The unwritten message is, "Boys, this is what we expect of you, and girls, this is what you can expect on your dates." Where is the message that says they have the right to say no? Where is message that says they have the right to have fun and get to know a person and then say goodnight at the door? Where is the encouragement to abstain from a world of one night stands and broken hearts and bodies? I didn't see any of those messages. The only message I saw was "Wrap it before you tap it." Nice.<br />
Perhaps if purity was pursued rather than parodied, or if students were protected by policies and procedures rather than confronted by condoms every time they walk down the hall, you could do away with your campaigns and your t-shirts against sexual violence. Perhaps if you made "no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" you would have more people studying and less people "tapping it". I know you will say that I am old fashioned and that times have changed. You are right, times have changed. But there is an ancient way that leads to rest for your souls. How many of your students long for that? How many are being counseled for depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Instead of giving them a Rock to cling to, you gave them a condom.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.' Jeremiah 6:16</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span>Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-14966159981619668162015-08-29T16:53:00.000-04:002015-08-29T16:53:40.019-04:00Where do you love?Last week I got a text from a new friend asking me, "Where do you love?" I knew it was an auto-correct error, but it made me think... <b>Where do I love? </b><br />
Is my home a place where I cook and clean and sleep or is it a place where I love? Is it a place where I love the ones closest to me and reach out to those far away, or is it a place where I retreat to myself. Do I spend more time on Facebook than I do loving? Am I more concerned about the weeds in the yard or about the love in the room? If the beds are made and the dishwasher is unloaded, but I have not love, I have gained nothing. If my kids' rooms are clean and I serve gourmet meals, but I have not love, no one will look forward to coming home. <br />
<i>Lord, I don't just want my house to be the place where I live. I want it to be the place where I love.</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGGC0kd1RMDl7uZmlR6aLjDe9B95qS4tgnncULg6nIXP1dFul_sBo39E6xU5oS6rxoqYe-FocoqD5ZRTQrOODNrZVl3i0PSCiXjGQr0tXEKzdt5XugkVV_u7MpK371_1sMjIQhTXGttG7/s1600/love+hands.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGGC0kd1RMDl7uZmlR6aLjDe9B95qS4tgnncULg6nIXP1dFul_sBo39E6xU5oS6rxoqYe-FocoqD5ZRTQrOODNrZVl3i0PSCiXjGQr0tXEKzdt5XugkVV_u7MpK371_1sMjIQhTXGttG7/s1600/love+hands.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-39811122308995745292015-06-08T16:37:00.000-04:002015-08-29T16:54:04.375-04:00Feelings are not facts...If I don't <i>feel</i> like being a mom, it doesn't change the fact that I have three kids who need my attention.<br />
If I don't <i>feel</i> like being married, it doesn't change the fact that I made a covenant with my husband 21 years ago.<br />
When I was pregnant with my son, I <i>felt </i>like I was having a girl, but that didn't change the fact that he was a boy.<br />
When a girl with anorexia <i>feels</i> fat, it doesn't change the fact that she is so malnourished that her hair is falling out and her period has stopped. We don't encourage the anorexic to continue feeling fat. Instead we do what we can to help her see herself the way she really is.<br />
This week I heard about trans-abled people who <i>feel</i> the need to be disabled. Just because you feel like you should be paralyzed doesn't change the fact that you are able bodied. I would not encourage someone who felt like they should be an amputee to cut off their own arm. I would encourage them to see and accept themselves they way they are.<br />
Suicidal people <i>feel</i> like dying. We don't encourage them to act on their feelings. We do everything we can to change their feelings.<br />
So why is it when a man <i>feels</i> like a woman the world says those feelings are right. The world says those feelings trump the fact that <u>every single cell in his body has an X and a Y chromosome--which cannot be changed by any amount of surgery</u>. The world says his feeling are more important than the fact that he has a wife and kids who also have feelings. I do not understand this.<br />
Feelings are not facts. Feelings can and do change. The world tells us to follow our hearts. But the Bible tells us, <i>The heart is deceitful above all things. (Jeremiah 17:9)</i><br />
We must do what is right... whether we feel like it or not.Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-84604419357638020192015-03-13T13:37:00.000-04:002015-03-13T14:13:39.049-04:00Fasting and failing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk45ajwBGDUDlDsIs_nYLjf08kabsMNUvyumEElpeGQ4EqqK4z0GEzU4qawkXJZRFv2aooE4K6-L9pYbb2bZMVfsgY5duF-soHEjvQ2qf3b8A1OZEGo_1PR34H5FtYu2u9MxpqvoJ_pm3i/s1600/fasting.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk45ajwBGDUDlDsIs_nYLjf08kabsMNUvyumEElpeGQ4EqqK4z0GEzU4qawkXJZRFv2aooE4K6-L9pYbb2bZMVfsgY5duF-soHEjvQ2qf3b8A1OZEGo_1PR34H5FtYu2u9MxpqvoJ_pm3i/s1600/fasting.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today I am fasting. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh, it's not like I'm going without food for 40 days or anything, I'm just skipping ONE MEAL for goodness sake.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today I am failing.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today I yelled at Will when the bus was here and he couldn't find the note he needed for school.. the note I had written just a few minutes before.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today Richard told me I didn't need to yell... and so I yelled at him too.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today I can't comfort myself with food. I must deal with my sin on an empty stomach.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So I asked for forgiveness from Will. I asked for forgiveness from Richard. And I asked for forgiveness from God--the only one who sees the yucky stuff that I am able to hide from others most of the time, but not today.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Then since I couldn't eat, I vacuumed the couch. (I cannot explain this.) What I found was the yucky stuff that had slipped between the cracks. No matter how many times I have tidied the living room the past few weeks, I have missed the stale popcorn and fuzzy jelly beans under the cushions. It's much easier to straighten the pillows than to deal with the stuff underneath, but that stuff never goes away on it's own. It has to be uncovered and swept away. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Fasting does that too. It reveals the yucky stuff that I manage to hide most days. It's easy to hide my irritability and self-centeredness... until I'm hungry apparently. But when what is hidden inside comes out and yells at my family, it's time to deal with it. It's time to admit it's there. It's time to call it what it is. It's time to realize that as clean as I get the outside of the cup, the inside is what needs a good washing.</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="red">“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.</span> <span class="red">Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. "(Matt. 23:25-26)</span></span></i></blockquote>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Good news! Along with the yucky stuff in the couch, I also found Audra's Ipod that she has been searching for. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Fasting doesn't just reveal what you are trying to hide, it also reveals what you are searching for. It helps you find your satisfaction in God rather than food. It helps you focus on what is important. It's a reminder that man does not live on bread alone. It's a way to show myself that I want God more than I want a bowl of cereal. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="color: #001320; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You satisfy me more than the richest of foods. I will praise you with songs of joy. (Psalm 63:5)</span></i></blockquote>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div>
Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-47708275223970084762015-02-20T10:00:00.002-05:002015-02-20T10:25:25.689-05:00For my wilderness friends I was reading this morning about the Israelites after they left Egypt. In Exodus 16 it says they "came to the wilderness of Sin." Apparently this particular wilderness is located somewhere between Elim and Sinai and it just <i>happens </i>to have the ironic name of Sin. Your wilderness may be located inside an empty house, a hospital room, a cemetery, a school, or a doctor's office. It may be caused by sin (yours or someone else's) or it may just be an unwelcome part of your journey. <br />
<br />
When the Israelites got to the wilderness of Sin they were hungry and they grumbled because they remembered how it used to be. When I'm in the wilderness, I grumble too. I want things the way they were before. I'm needy. I'm sad. I'm angry. I'm empty. And I want God to show up! Look at God's response to their grumbling, "<i>I am about to rain bread from heaven for you.</i>" What? They just wanted to go back to Egypt. They didn't know there was another way to survive the wilderness. But in the morning they looked outside and saw something covering the ground and asked, '<i>What is it?</i>' Moses told them, '<i>It's the bread that the Lord has given you to eat</i>.' It was like nothing they had ever seen before and a new supply fell every morning. There was enough for everyone and it kept coming as long as they were in the wilderness.<br />
<br />
Manna sounds a lot like grace--new every morning, sufficient for the day and enough for everyone. When I was in the wilderness of cancer, people would say that there was no way they could do what I was doing. They were right. Unless you are in the wilderness, you don't have the manna you need. Unless you have breast cancer, you don't have the grace God gives to sustain you in that sick bed. Unless your husband has moved out, you don't have the grace that is sufficient for you in that empty house. Unless your child has died, you don't have the grace you need to survive a trip to the cemetery. But when you are in the wilderness--of loneliness, of pain, of depression--that is when God provides the grace to sustain you. You might have to look for it and it may not look like anything you've ever experienced before. You may not think it's enough. You may be like the Israelites who wondered how they could survive without all the food they wanted. But God says, '<i>My grace is sufficient for you.'</i>(2 Cor. 12:9) As you journey through your wilderness, God's grace may not look like what you thought you wanted, but it is all you need.<br />
<br />
If you are wandering in the wilderness, keep moving. In chapter 17 it says that the people moved from the wilderness by stages. Those Israelites moved from place to place to place before they finally got to where they were going. If you are in the wilderness, press on. Don't give up. Moses named one of those intermediary places Massah (which means tested) because it was there that the people tested the Lord by saying, '<i>Is the Lord among us or not?</i>' Excuse me? Did they forget about the manna? Did they not see God with them every morning when they looked outside their tent?<br />
<br />
When you are camped in a place that seems far from where you want to be and you are wondering if God is there, look for the manna. Look for the mercies that are new every morning. Look for the bread. God's response to our need is still bread from heaven. Jesus said, '<i>I am the living bread that came down from heaven.'</i> (John 6:51) <i>This is my body which was broken for you... take,eat. </i>(1 Cor. 11:24)<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Manna...bread...grace...Jesus.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XmJ4ExHzKYHX0ItouamkjOBicd7lLZODhQq2pJKf9vuUQYY8JGKyt5oGGuwGkKYSQZqVdtut1h0M1ezLCh4-QGHogHsK487EG1T4Jdm3rou0sCqTLKk07CJWInEOOlu_l_V4MsgtQz7q/s1600/bread.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XmJ4ExHzKYHX0ItouamkjOBicd7lLZODhQq2pJKf9vuUQYY8JGKyt5oGGuwGkKYSQZqVdtut1h0M1ezLCh4-QGHogHsK487EG1T4Jdm3rou0sCqTLKk07CJWInEOOlu_l_V4MsgtQz7q/s1600/bread.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-18930044211166505802015-01-30T11:49:00.000-05:002015-01-31T09:33:00.366-05:00Discontent can kill you<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Genesis 30 is an interesting story full of competition, jealousy, and sex. If you have read the story of Jacob, you know that he married two sisters. (This was not a good idea then and it's not a good idea now.) As it was bound to happen, Jacob loved one sister more than the other. (The fact that he was tricked into marrying one might have something to do with his feelings.) The Bible says God took pity on the one who was unloved and gave her sons--lots of sons. </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;"><i>Now the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. (Gen. 29:31)</i> </span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">Of course this drove Rachel crazy with jealousy so she "gave" her husband her handmaiden to sleep with. (Apparently surrogacy is not a modern concept.) After the maid gave Jacob two more sons, Rachel said</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">, “<i>I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won</i></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><i>.</i>" There are many wonderful reasons to have children, but competing with your sister is not one of them. Although the babies were technically Rachel's, there was still a stigma attached to not being able to bear her own children and she longed for a son. When she <u>finally</u> gets pregnant after her husband has 6 sons from Leah, 2 from Rachel's maid Bilhah, and 2 from Leah's maid Zilpah (but who's counting), Rachel exclaims, "<i>God has taken away my disgrace."</i> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Her long wait is over. She has a son! Her heart's desire has been granted. The thing that she most wanted in life is hers. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">She should be happy right? </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">The child she prayed for is in her arms. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">She should be content right? </span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">SHE'S NOT! </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">I know this because she named the baby Joseph which means "may he add" and then she said, "May the Lord add to me another son." The birth of Joseph doesn't satisfy her, it only makes her want more. Shame on Rachel for not being content. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Shame on me. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">How many times do I desire more than I have? How many times have I been dissatisfied with the life God has given me and wanted more? How many times do I get one thing only to want something else? </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Rachel eventually got what she asked for, but it killed her. She died giving birth to her second son Benjamin. I'm not saying that she shouldn't have had Benjamin. I'm just saying that she should have enjoyed Joseph.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #001320;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Another example of someone who let what he didn't have steal the joy of what he did have is Haman. If you read the book of Esther, you'll know that Haman is a bad guy. For some reason the King elevated him above all the nobles, gave him a seat of honor and commanded all the officials to bow to him. Haman was probably very smart and very rich (or perhaps just very manipulative.) He was also very prideful. There was one man who refused to bow down to him and that drove him crazy. It made him so angry that he didn't want to kill just the one man (who was a Jew), but he wanted to kill the entire Jewish race. He got the King to endorse his extermination plan, not knowing that the Queen was Jewish. </span></span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Haman had everything he could ever want. </span></span></span><span class="text Esth-5-9" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="text Esth-5-9" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;"><i>But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage... </i></span><i style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Esth-5-10" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Calling together his friends,</span> <span class="text Esth-5-11" id="en-NIV-12791" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span>Haman boasted<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-12791M" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-12791M" title="See cross-reference M">M</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> to them about his vast wealth, his many sons,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-12791N" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-12791N" title="See cross-reference N">N</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials...</span> "<span class="text Esth-5-13" id="en-NIV-12793" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-12793P" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-12793P" title="See cross-reference P">P</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>”</span></span></i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Haman bragged about what he had, but said NONE OF IT MATTERED as long as Mordecai refused to honor him. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;"> Shame on Haman for being discontent.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">Shame on me.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">Yet all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I...</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 24px;">I struggle against this when I fail to be content with what I have and instead focus on what I don't have. If I think I can't be happy without Anna, then I can never be happy. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">How would you fill in the blank? What is it that you don't have that is keeping you from enjoying what you do have? What are you so focused on getting that you fail to see what is in front of you? Can you enjoy what you have even if you never get... that promotion, that boyfriend, that car, that house, that job, that dress, that part in the play, that award, that recognition, that vacation, that WHATEVER.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">Haman's discontent led to his downfall and his death when he was hung on the gallows he built for Mordecai. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">Discontent probably won't kill you like Rachel and Haman, but you will be miserable. It is possible to live a long discontent life... but why?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyt658m_79CNLUo5VHizy_nIL5wn_R4vSXLWX4hb1fGOPW-MuWkXocWjrC0sNYS6RU7vAta1Kbw4rMbbgnsmnkj-rE7nU3kdmd9OVH89NUar6iCoL6Bc7X8MK01n7q2XG9Ovq0yMw_59s/s1600/contentment.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyt658m_79CNLUo5VHizy_nIL5wn_R4vSXLWX4hb1fGOPW-MuWkXocWjrC0sNYS6RU7vAta1Kbw4rMbbgnsmnkj-rE7nU3kdmd9OVH89NUar6iCoL6Bc7X8MK01n7q2XG9Ovq0yMw_59s/s1600/contentment.jpeg" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></blockquote>
Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-50909193429504485932014-11-25T15:46:00.002-05:002014-11-25T15:46:37.316-05:00Seven years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EM7axWvducXRvrSeZGPSGUhfZwX1alpSi5IFd8qPqvzz3Ord-NXk-IruNB69gOZ_9CQmaznAM5dPUedBamozSreAlbKbmzp2g-6PZGXQQJv3hCbqoYHOHdiYMKRtw8T7Vfx_kwpZDGp0/s1600/IMG_8590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EM7axWvducXRvrSeZGPSGUhfZwX1alpSi5IFd8qPqvzz3Ord-NXk-IruNB69gOZ_9CQmaznAM5dPUedBamozSreAlbKbmzp2g-6PZGXQQJv3hCbqoYHOHdiYMKRtw8T7Vfx_kwpZDGp0/s1600/IMG_8590.jpg" height="252" width="320" /></a></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I’m thankful to have had the life changing experience of being Anna’s mom.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
I’m thankful that after 7 years, I wake up with joy.</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
I’m thankful for a marriage that survived the storm.</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
I’m thankful for deep friendships grown in the rich soil of suffering.</div>
</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
I’m thankful for the chance to comfort others with the comfort I’ve received.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I’m thankful for a God who can make beauty from ashes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I’m thankful for the people who remember and those who can never forget because their lives were also changed.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I’m thankful for the knowledge that life on this earth is temporary.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I’m thankful for a future and a hope that does not depend on my circumstances.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm thankful that Anna is safely home.</div>
</span>Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-64927125147592784602014-09-08T14:07:00.000-04:002015-09-02T22:07:11.350-04:00By these thingsThis summer I read Isaiah chapter 38 which chronicles King Hezekiah's response to God healing him and giving him 15 more years to live,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>But what can I say? He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my years because of the anguish of my soul. Lord, <b>by these things men live; and my spirit finds life in them too</b>... Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. </i><i>(vv.15-17)</i></blockquote>
I have read those words before and I confess that I have struggled to make sense of them. Does it really mean that suffering is for my benefit? How do our spirits find life in suffering? Can anguish be good for me?<br />
I have seen spirits languish from a life of prosperity and ease. I have noticed that when things are good, we still find things to complain about... the neighbor's car parked in front of our house; my friend not calling me back; the price of gasoline; the weather. When times are good, we take life for granted. When there is no suffering, we can get petty and picky. <br />
<u>But</u> when we are humbled by suffering, we start being thankful for small mercies... hot tea with honey; a sunrise; a day at home and not in the hospital; being able to breathe. When we are humbled by suffering, we become kinder and more generous. When we are humbled by suffering, we are forced to let go of our pride and self-sufficiency. When we are humbled by suffering we become better people than we were before.<br />
I know I am a better person because of Anna and the grief that I suffered. My brother-in-law is a better person because of the physical injuries he suffered. Joni E. Tada is who she is today, and able to help millions of people, not in spite of, but because of what she suffered. <br />
Unless we choose bitterness and despair, we can become better because of our suffering. And even though we wish that bad things never happened, we can be thankful for the good that results from them. That does not mean that I will ever desire suffering. It's hard; it hurts; and it's humbling. I don't seek it, but when it comes (and because we live, it will come) I can lean into it and learn from it and be transformed by it.<br />
<br />
On July 23 we left Virginia for our vacation at Beaver Lake. We were looking forward to a week of boating and fishing with my sister and her husband. There was another family there doing the same thing and on July 25, on a huge lake with 500 miles of coast line, our lives intersected. We were taking turns with the wakeboard and we had just paused to switch skiers when we heard screams. A young man had been thrown off a jet ski and run over by a boat just a few yards away from us. Because our boat was faster than theirs and because my brother-in-law knew the lake, we told the man's family that we would take him to the marina (18 miles away) and they could call 911 and have the ambulance meet us there. We pulled the man (and his mother) onto our boat, wrapped him in our towels and tried to stop the bleeding. It seemed like it took forever to get to the marina. Although the young man was talking and struggling to get comfortable during the ride, by the time the EMTs got there they had to start CPR. We didn't know if he would make it. But he did! He is still in the hospital, but he is out of a coma and he will be transferred to rehab soon.<br />
<br />
I read Isaiah 38 on July 23 and on July 25 I wrote in my journal, "I trust that E's accident will also be for his good." That's a lot of trust. That's a big order. But I have a big God. I don't know the rest of E's story... yet, but I expect that this will change his life forever and that someday he will be able to see good come from his suffering and his spirit will find life in this too.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-48098144099821055132013-11-29T09:10:00.000-05:002013-11-29T09:10:44.398-05:00Get with the times...Get with the times.<br />
Things are different now.<br />
That was then, this is now.<br />
<br />
We see and hear all the time that things are changing. What was once considered taboo is now broadcast on prime time. What was considered normal is condemned as being old-fashioned and out-of-date. We are not allowed to call anything sin because "society has changed" and the old rules are "out of date."<br />
<br />
<i>Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Our culture may be changing, but the Bible says that <u>God doesn't change.</u> With God there is no variation because <i>Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8</i><br />
<br />
Why is that? Why doesn't God change with the times? If he's so smart, then why isn't he enlightened like the rest of us?<br />
<br />
God doesn't change because God is <u>perfect.</u> <i>You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48</i><br />
<br />
The definition of perfect is "being entirely without fault or defect; flawless; satisfying all requirements; pure; total; complete."<br />
<br />
If something is perfect, it doesn't have to change. If something is perfect, it can't be improved upon. If something is perfect it is flawless, total, and complete. God doesn't have any defects that need changing. His ways cannot be improved upon and his ways <u>do not change.</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
We change because we are not perfect. Society changes because society is not perfect. But God does not change. He does not have to get with the times; he created time. He is not old-fashioned; he is eternal. He is not out-of-date; he is the same yesterday, today, and forever.<br />
<br />
Am I perfect? No I'm far from perfect. Am I old-fashioned and out-of-date? You bet I am.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-16208451757949947262013-11-25T11:43:00.001-05:002013-11-25T11:43:37.907-05:00Day 25--<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3qBI5Vz0955tqhHTZg-ZL0gZ85pozxkzRNcVwrwinpdIW1Q7cMmXVBZ8IYcWTZq0RbG5Md_nbDAJssio8c9F-lsoUViVlwMkbDQTORgYSxiuypaiSUJXaj4ERsf9CHFyBJm_P32S0QnS/s1600/proof030b_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3qBI5Vz0955tqhHTZg-ZL0gZ85pozxkzRNcVwrwinpdIW1Q7cMmXVBZ8IYcWTZq0RbG5Md_nbDAJssio8c9F-lsoUViVlwMkbDQTORgYSxiuypaiSUJXaj4ERsf9CHFyBJm_P32S0QnS/s320/proof030b_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Every day in November I post something I'm thankful for on facebook. Day 25 is the day Anna died. What is there to be thankful for on this day?<br />
<br />
I am thankful to be Anna's mom. It was an honor and a privilege and a blessing beyond measure.<br />
<br />
I am thankful for the people that I met along the way--doctors, nurses, art ladies, and other parents are people that I would never have met if I hadn't entered their world.<br />
<br />
I am thankful for Junie B. Jones and butterflies.<br />
<br />
I am thankful for the lives that were changed through our story.<br />
<br />
I am thankful for the wisdom gained through suffering.<br />
<br />
I am thankful that I have received comfort that I can use to comfort others.<br />
<br />
I am thankful for a marriage that survived the death of a child.<br />
<br />
I am thankful for my other children whose lives were forever impacted, but not defined, by their sister's death.<br />
<br />
I am thankful for tested faith that is more precious than gold.<br />
<br />
I am thankful for an eternal perspective. What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.<br />
<br />
I am thankful that I learned to trust God even though I can't understand him.<br />
<br />
I am thankful for the 'missing feeling' that reminds me that this world is not my home.<br />
<br />
I am thankful for a reunion to look forward to.<br />
<br />
I am thankful that Anna taught me to live life while you can and to go to Sam's when you feel like it.<br />
<br />
I am thankful for good friends who walked through the valley with us and who remember.<br />
<br />
I am thankful that God can make beauty from ashes and change mourning to dancing.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
I will always be sorry that she died, but I will never be sorry that she lived.<br />
<br />
<br />Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-31849221987094318942013-09-03T17:59:00.000-04:002015-09-02T18:42:58.381-04:00A woman's choiceSex is good. Sex is a gift. Sex was created by our Creator.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is in the beginning. Man. Woman. One flesh. Sex. It's not bad. It's not dirty. It's a part of life. (But contrary to popular media, it is not the goal of life.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Why did the Creator gift us with this gift? Why did he make us this way with these body parts and these hormones?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Be fruitful and multiply... Genesis 1:28</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sex has a purpose... BABIES!!!!! Oh sure, sex is fun. Sex is pleasurable. But it's not <u>just</u> for fun. It was designed for multiplication. God made it feel good so that we would do it. (If getting pregnant was as painful as having babies, there would be a LOT less babies in this world!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Babies are the result of sex. Babies are miracles. Babies are people. And babies are known by GOD.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="line1" style="color: #001320; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; padding: 0px 25px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white;">For you created my inmost being;</i></span></div>
<div class="line2" style="color: #001320; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; padding: 0px 25px 0px 50px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white;">you knit me together in my mother’s womb.</i></span></div>
<div class="line1" style="color: #001320; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; padding: 0px 25px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white;">I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;</i></span></div>
<div class="line2" style="color: #001320; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; padding: 0px 25px 0px 50px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white;">your works are wonderful,</i></span></div>
<div class="line2" style="color: #001320; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; padding: 0px 25px 0px 50px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white;">I know that full well.</i></span></div>
<div class="line2" style="color: #001320; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; padding: 0px 25px 0px 50px; text-align: justify;">
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">My frame was not hidden from you</i></div>
<div class="line2" style="color: #001320; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; padding: 0px 25px 0px 50px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white;">when I was made in the secret place,</i></span></div>
<div class="line2" style="color: #001320; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; padding: 0px 25px 0px 50px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white;">when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.</i></span></div>
<div class="line1" style="color: #001320; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; padding: 0px 25px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white;">Your eyes saw my unformed body;</i></span></div>
<div class="line2" style="color: #001320; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; padding: 0px 25px 0px 50px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white;">all the days ordained for me were written in your book</i></span></div>
<div class="line2" style="color: #001320; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; padding: 0px 25px 0px 50px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white;">before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:13-16</i></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 21px;">Even before babies are born, God sees them. He knows them. He <i>knits them together</i>.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 21px;">The politicians debate a woman's right to choose. Do I think women have a right to choose what they do with their bodies? YES! Women have the right to choose to go outside God's original plan for sex. Women have the right to choose to reject becoming one flesh for life. Women have the right to choose to have sex whenever and with whoever they please. But when a woman's choice results in another person being created--someone who is fearfully and wonderfully made--that person has a right too. That person has the right to live. </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; line-height: 21px;">A</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 21px;"> woman's right to choose is not greater than another person's right to live.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #001320; line-height: 21px;">So, yes a woman has a right to choose what she does with her body. But the choice is made in the bedroom, or the back seat, or behind the school, or on the couch. It's not made in an abortion clinic. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-52125292361364659252013-08-03T10:49:00.002-04:002013-08-03T10:49:45.917-04:00Taking time to give thanks...<i>From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. John 1:16</i><br />
<br />
Over two years ago I started a journal of things I am thankful for. Today I have over two thousand entries! If you have the gift/curse of seeing what's wrong instead of what's right (like I do) I recommend starting your own journal as a way to record and remember the good things in life.<br />
<br />
Things like....<br />
<br />
Church potlucks<br />
Saturday morning walks with a friend<br />
12 year old boys playing games in the pool<br />
Sonic happy hour<br />
Friends we haven't met yet<br />
The Cheese Shop in Williamsburg<br />
True stories<br />
A movie at the Byrd theater<br />
Making people laugh<br />
King sized beds<br />
Country fried steak at the Pink Cadillac Diner<br />
An emergency room decorated with butterflies<br />
Reading a book in the shade<br />
Funny texts from Jacob<br />
The first night of VBS<br />
Dinner from a friend<br />
Meeting heroes<br />
Flowers in the kitchen window<br />
Chick Fil A by the pool<br />
A husband fixing breakfast <br />
<br />
Don't ever stop giving thanks and counting your blessings--even on bad days. Some days you just have to look harder.<br />
<br />
<i>In everything give thanks... 1 Thess. 5:18</i>Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-60822167152157465812013-05-29T07:03:00.002-04:002013-05-29T07:03:52.663-04:00How to live on days you would rather stay in bedToday is Anna's birthday. <br />
I LOVE birthdays, but what am I supposed to do for this one? Is it a day of celebration or a day of mourning? Is it a day of laughter or a day of tears? Do I need to make a birthday cake?<br />
<br />
How now then should I live?<br />
<br />
These are the answers I found...<br />
<br />
<i>Live</i> and keep God's word (Ps 119:17)<br />
<i>Live</i> by faith (Hab 2:4)<br />
<i>Live</i> and believe (Jn 11:25)<br />
<i>Live</i> in God (Acts 17:28)<br />
<i>Live</i> to the Lord (Ro 14:8)<br />
<i>Live</i> for Christ (2 Cor 5:15)<br />
<i>Live</i> by faith (Gal 2:20)<br />
<i>Live</i> by the Spirit (Gal 5 :25)<br />
<i>Live</i> and bear fruit (Phil 1:22)<br />
<i>Live</i> free (1 Pet 2:16)<br />
<i>Live</i> as a servant of God (1 Pet 2:16)<br />
<i>Live</i> through him (1 Jn 4:9)<br />
<br />
I am not supposed to stay in bed today. <br />
<br />
I am supposed to <i>live</i>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGtLSXBZiewvvNtxUdJtgfjHXKKT7WicjnbtPe0Cy6UDWZRZ7XIHvLC42QLfcFgZKCCVfv4x4nqoY1npo640R36D-hHVNxc1d4ZysVxvchctbNqwIag-1gv28tF2suYcjyy5IZrI7H_1T/s1600/DSC_0237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGtLSXBZiewvvNtxUdJtgfjHXKKT7WicjnbtPe0Cy6UDWZRZ7XIHvLC42QLfcFgZKCCVfv4x4nqoY1npo640R36D-hHVNxc1d4ZysVxvchctbNqwIag-1gv28tF2suYcjyy5IZrI7H_1T/s320/DSC_0237.JPG" width="220" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Anna Jane Salamy 5/29/02-11/25/07</i></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-88503599752116236992013-05-17T12:12:00.000-04:002013-05-17T12:25:09.445-04:00Mama needs a new pair of shoes...I <i>needed</i> a new pair of shoes, so last month for my birthday I got these.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QzrQic-H4_yyk7-qrWwSS9u56zXZoUALEfSzY1sbR0chy_YTeuyoHE2uCeauTSZ9mbi4Wlorpte0HLfjvc36VvAWsLIXJagRajMZ7l6aFzuACJ55qhQfYH-LcHllD2j9WiL87h-rOIae/s1600/pink+shoes.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QzrQic-H4_yyk7-qrWwSS9u56zXZoUALEfSzY1sbR0chy_YTeuyoHE2uCeauTSZ9mbi4Wlorpte0HLfjvc36VvAWsLIXJagRajMZ7l6aFzuACJ55qhQfYH-LcHllD2j9WiL87h-rOIae/s1600/pink+shoes.jpeg" /></a></div>
They weren't the most expensive shoes and they weren't the cheapest either, but for some reason I had a hard time wearing them. It wasn't that they didn't fit or that I didn't like the color, I just couldn't bring myself to wear them. So I kept wearing my old shoes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghswmuM8fUqFpQiTCOkzpUki2gNm1_pS8biPenmfOYxZKyyLR8p9mmOVb1MLFmPG-sbVXoUzNZJNLw7Msx05JSSO0xPQV9o-0DeHHo4fo0fjpIhtefK6jo9dlNKKVSH8t7HNLsKdF-Fy1p/s1600/old+shoes.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghswmuM8fUqFpQiTCOkzpUki2gNm1_pS8biPenmfOYxZKyyLR8p9mmOVb1MLFmPG-sbVXoUzNZJNLw7Msx05JSSO0xPQV9o-0DeHHo4fo0fjpIhtefK6jo9dlNKKVSH8t7HNLsKdF-Fy1p/s1600/old+shoes.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Ok, they are not quite this bad, but Jacob has my camera and I can't take a picture of my real shoes.)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Then last Sunday they announced in church that they were collecting shoes for the homeless. I thought about my pink shoes--the ones I hadn't worn in two weeks; the ones that were still brand new. <i>Oh no Lord, Not my pink shoes! You don't want me to give up my pink shoes do you? I need new shoes. Do have to give up my pink shoes?</i> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We were at Monroe Park and helped pass out shoes to the homeless last year. I remember how happy the people were. It was fun to bless them. It felt good to give. After church, Richard told me that he felt like he needed to donate a pair of shoes. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sigh.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Really God? TWO pairs of shoes? </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The next day I took my pink shoes back to Dick's and exchanged them for another pair that I liked that were less expensive. I got back $30 in cash. My new shoes cost $40 (I had a coupon) but they were the cheapest they had at Dick's. Where could I get a pair for $30? I thought about Walmart, but I didn't think it was right for me to buy my shoes at Dick's and buy someone else's at Walmart. Then I thought about Kohl's. I buy shoes there <u>and</u> they have a clearance rack. So I drove straight to Kohl's and on the way I prayed, <i>Lord could you help me find TWO pairs of shoes for $30? Can you do that for me? </i>That was a crazy thing to ask for, but I needed two pairs--one for Richard and one for me. When I got to Kohl's I headed straight to the clearance rack. On the first rack there was a pair for $33 dollars. On the second rack there was a pair for $23 dollars. Then there on the bottom row of the last rack were two boxes of Avia tennis shoes. One was size 11 and one was size 8.5 and they were marked 80% off. I took them to the register and the total was $29.38. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Two pairs of shoes regularly marked $69.99 each, for $30.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1emBg1-xaoAOpm43F_HwCwGEbfphAM_EM1cET_XSKzvnBC5q5ExoNMHU6HCYVG6UTXXIhtzzvIqXBv7XvNATQkUfP9Q13j-1nv_EKgmidZ9HctEO_oqOEicpa1qANHw4zXF128VkKHXYI/s1600/avia+shoes.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1emBg1-xaoAOpm43F_HwCwGEbfphAM_EM1cET_XSKzvnBC5q5ExoNMHU6HCYVG6UTXXIhtzzvIqXBv7XvNATQkUfP9Q13j-1nv_EKgmidZ9HctEO_oqOEicpa1qANHw4zXF128VkKHXYI/s320/avia+shoes.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1emBg1-xaoAOpm43F_HwCwGEbfphAM_EM1cET_XSKzvnBC5q5ExoNMHU6HCYVG6UTXXIhtzzvIqXBv7XvNATQkUfP9Q13j-1nv_EKgmidZ9HctEO_oqOEicpa1qANHw4zXF128VkKHXYI/s1600/avia+shoes.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1emBg1-xaoAOpm43F_HwCwGEbfphAM_EM1cET_XSKzvnBC5q5ExoNMHU6HCYVG6UTXXIhtzzvIqXBv7XvNATQkUfP9Q13j-1nv_EKgmidZ9HctEO_oqOEicpa1qANHw4zXF128VkKHXYI/s1600/avia+shoes.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If I had held onto to those pink shoes, all I would have is pink shoes. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If I hold on to my stuff, then all I have is stuff. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
But if I hold on to God he will take care of my needs... and the needs of the people around me.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Matt. 6:33.</i></div>
Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-40133499662769931692013-02-19T11:46:00.001-05:002013-02-19T12:05:27.266-05:00The cure for what ails you...Feeling down? Give thanks.<br />
Feeling prideful? Give thanks.<br />
Feeling jealous? Give thanks.<br />
Feeling lonely? Give thanks.<br />
<br />
Don't underestimate the power of thanksgiving!<br />
<br />
Are you still counting? I am up to 1,660. These are a few of my recent blessings...<br />
<br />
A free bunny rabbit<br />
Singing praises with the residents at Madison House<br />
Meeting a blind Nepali with a heart for God and for her people<br />
Jacob getting a part in West Side Story<br />
The whole family singing the Jet song while riding in the car<br />
A good cry<br />
Our annual game night with friends<br />
Richard cleaning up after the game night before I came downstairs the next morning<br />
Belly laughs<br />
Candy bar cake<br />
Free Starbucks<br />
Audra wearing my mom's 60 year old dress<br />
Legs to walk<br />
Someone to walk with<br />
Snuggling up with blankets and beanbags in front of the fire<br />
Quiet mornings<br />
Sunrises over snowfalls<br />
A God who never sleeps, who watches over me while I do<br />
Letters from a nine year old girl in Ecuador<br />
Sending invitations<br />
Two hour Moms in Prayer meetings<br />
A sympathy card from the vet<br />
Talking to Will about right and wrong; hearing that he has done the right thing<br />
Standing on the porch in the rain drinking hot tea<br />
Eating outside at Carytown Burgers in January<br />
Second chances<br />
<br />
<i>From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. John 1:16</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyKm2V9sFrwc5_vXcLDOp3kr6Kl7gvAmYYhU0YXql8eDd_A2pFtn7bvfK3q3pDtRAV3iZBxLsmUpMmBZlKXayYXiJfeNQcs5Nzk_dtmGZIXqVxrkdT_kCtYLXhC-kls68eWtzhqw2nS_p/s1600/IMG_0659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyKm2V9sFrwc5_vXcLDOp3kr6Kl7gvAmYYhU0YXql8eDd_A2pFtn7bvfK3q3pDtRAV3iZBxLsmUpMmBZlKXayYXiJfeNQcs5Nzk_dtmGZIXqVxrkdT_kCtYLXhC-kls68eWtzhqw2nS_p/s320/IMG_0659.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-3248116448114875722013-02-14T22:10:00.000-05:002013-02-15T18:25:02.912-05:00You can't always get what you wantValentines Day is overrated. <br />
For the last nine years, we have spent this day in the hospital or at home with a sick kid. Whose idea was it to put a romantic holiday in the middle of cold and flu season? Today no one was physically sick, just grumpy. And grumpiness is contagious. Tonight after a dismal attempt at a dinner date, I ended up leaving the restaurant in tears. The pressure had been building all day, but the back breaking straw was Richard pointing out that he dreads gift giving holidays (which may explain why Thanksgiving and Easter are his favorites.) Apparently I don't receive gifts well. I always knew that my sister was more fun to give to because she always gets excited and cries at everything, but I didn't realize that I was <i>impossible</i> to buy for. At Christmas, after giving me a personal pie maker and seeing my reaction (or lack thereof), my friend commented, "You are hard to impress." Then tonight Richard tells me how he can never find a gift that "touches my heart." We've had versions of this conversation before and I always promise myself to act more excited next time. <br />
Try giving me something and watch my reaction. You will get a forced half-smile and a "thanks so much," before I set it aside. It's true. I am no fun to buy for. <br />
The night went downhill from there as we drove home and started talking about the video of our Valentines Day breakfast in 2005. While filming the kids opening their gifts, you can hear me saying, "Anna is sleeping in because she doesn't feel good this morning. We'll let her open her gifts later." It was before we ever heard the word CANCER. Blissfully ignorant. <br />
As I thought about Anna, I burst out in tears again, "I wonder if I liked presents before she died?"<br />
And then I got it.<br />
That's why I am so "hard to impress."<br />
That's why nothing I get ever "touches my heart." <br />
That's why everything I get feels like "stuff." <br />
It's because I never get what I really want. <br />
It's because I can't.<br />
Not in this life.<br />
Because what is seen is temporary and I long for the eternal.Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-82817038733931482912012-12-15T11:03:00.001-05:002012-12-15T11:15:36.407-05:00Why? How?My mind and heart can't grasp the horror of what happend in Connecticut yesterday. I know what it's like to lose a kindergartener, but I don't know what it's like to not be able to say goodbye. I understand the evil of cancer. I don't understand the evil in the hearts of men. The numbness is a coping mechanism I suppose. How else would I be able to go to the grocery store with visions of children being gunned down running through my head? How else would I be able to cross things off my 'to do' list when my mind is screaming, "Why? How?" As a society, we are all having a hard time coming to grips with something that before yesterday was unthinkable. <br />
<br />
WHY?<br />
<br />
Why do things like school shootings, mall shootings, theater shootings, and murder/suicides continue to happen? <br />
I think they happen because when you take God out of the school, the work place, the government, and the entertainment industry, you take God out of people's daily lives.<br />
<br />
Listen to some of the ways God is described in the Bible...<br />
<br />
a refuge for the needy in his distress<br />
a shelter from the storm<br />
a source of strength<br />
a stronghold in times of trouble<br />
a father to the fatherless<br />
God of all comfort<br />
God of hope<br />
God of love and peace<br />
God who gives endurance and encouragement<br />
the one who is able to keep you from falling<br />
our shield<br />
strong deliverer<br />
a hiding place<br />
<br />
If you take God out of people's lives, you take out all of those things. Where can people find shelter from the storms in their lives? Who will be a father to the fatherless? Where can people hide? Who will keep them from falling? How can people live without hope and peace and love? <br />
The answer is, they can't. <br />
They turn on themselves and then they turn on others. <br />
<br />
We have made it illegal to post, "Thou shalt not kill," on the walls of our schools. Why did we think it was a good idea to stop teaching our students to honor their parents, to always tell the truth, to not steal, to not have sex with someone who is not their spouse, and to be content with what they have? (Exodus ch. 20) We stopped because those commandments are preceded by ones that say, "You shall have no other gods before me." "You shall not worship idols." "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God." We stopped teaching God's commands because in our society we don't want to have to submit to any authority but our own. We want to be free to worship football players, playboys, and presidents. We want to use God's name as a curse instead of a blessing. We don't want to allow anyone to acknowledge a higher power by praying in public. We don't want anyone to tell us that pre-marital sex, abusing drugs and alcohol, bending the truth, abortion, pornography, or homosexuality is wrong. We like doing those things. We approve of those things. We promote those things. But prayer--no way. A Bible on a teacher's desk--outrageous. A Christian club meeting on campus--hateful.<br />
<br />
HOW?<br />
<br />
So how can we prevent something like this from happening again?<br />
I heard one commentator say that we need more guns. If other people at the school had guns, this wouldn't have happened. Another person said the answer is fewer guns. If it was harder to get a gun, this wouldn't have happened. There are no answers from the media or the government or the 'talking heads' that will solve this problem. 1 Corinthians 3:19 says, <i>the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight... The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are <b>futile.</b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
There are two kinds of wisdom described in James chapter 3...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealously and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.</i></blockquote>
The wisdom of this world says to look out for yourself. The wisdom of this world says it's okay to want what other people have. The wisdom of this world says that if it makes you feel good, it's okay. The wisdom of this world leads to <i><u>disorder and evil of every kind.</u></i><br />
<br />
But there is another kind of wisdom.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. </i> </blockquote>
But the world says "No" to wisdom from above. The world says "No" to wisdom that comes from submitting to a higher authority. The world says "No" to wisdom that would require them to change. The world clings to the empty life handed down from our ancestors.<br />
<br />
It doesn't have to be this way.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. and the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. (1 Peter 1:18-19)</i></blockquote>
We can make a choice to invite God to be our strength, our hope, our peace, and our strong tower by trusting in his wisdom and submitting to his authority. <u>Or</u> we can continue to push God out of every school, work place, court room, legislature, sports arena, and theater by relying on the wisdom of man and submitting to no authority but our own.<br />
<br />
We are Americans and we are free to choose.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="first-line-none" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="text Jas-3-18"><sup class="footnote" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="[<a href="#fen-NLT-30298a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]"><br /></sup></span></div>
Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-23697229706539008182012-11-24T08:07:00.001-05:002012-11-24T08:54:52.492-05:00Five years<div style="text-align: center;">
Five years ago today I was holding my daughter while she died. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I don't want to remember.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I don't want to forget.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It felt like I was in labor. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hours and hours of painful waiting.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Holding her in our bed.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
My other children coming in to say goodbye.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kissing her over and over.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Whispering love in her ear.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Crying out to God.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"I can't do this!"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Not believing that it was really happening.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Waiting for a miracle.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Waiting for death.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
When it finally came there was sweet release.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It is finished.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Birthed from this life to the next.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For her</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Freedom.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Restoration.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Redemption.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For me</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Grief.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Loss.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Emptiness.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Learning to live without a part of myself was hard.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Is hard.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. </i><br />
<i>What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. </i><br />
Today I wait with hope.<br />
I press on with perseverance.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I laugh.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I love.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I live.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcC0HyEmI2juwUSireKRrJt3HaTHNLYN9lyDZE0e98Qn_QVgo9C8nwE4zjuOfVYpTT-TgVhiU29btPza5BplLm_lrQViP-OFpOsEEU08v9FvVT8wlyB526ZRH056FOL4hpOkGdCPoUXITU/s1600/proof023_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcC0HyEmI2juwUSireKRrJt3HaTHNLYN9lyDZE0e98Qn_QVgo9C8nwE4zjuOfVYpTT-TgVhiU29btPza5BplLm_lrQViP-OFpOsEEU08v9FvVT8wlyB526ZRH056FOL4hpOkGdCPoUXITU/s320/proof023_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And I remember.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(2Corinthians 4:18)</i></span></div>
</div>
<span style="text-align: center;"> </span>Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-76891941997145852822012-11-09T12:15:00.001-05:002012-11-09T12:18:45.705-05:00Blank pagesWow. I hadn't realized how long it's been since I posted. My mom asked me why I hadn't written and I paused and said, "Well, I guess it's because I didn't have anything to say." <br />
The only reason I got on the website today was because I was having people over this morning. <br />
I was having people over so I needed to dust. <br />
Because I was dusting, I put things away. <br />
When I put something on the shelf with the photo albums I saw that the Christmas Memories book was crooked. <br />
When I took it out to straighten it, I opened it up. <br />
When I opened it up I was struck by the fact that 2008, 2009, and 2010 are blank. Empty. After someone dies, the holidays become something to get through--not something to remember. <br />
So today I am looking back through my blog entries trying to find something to remember...<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>2008</b></i></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><i>Merry Christmas from the Salamys!</i></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><i>The presents have all been unwrapped. Breakfast is in the oven. Audra is playing with her new hamster. Jacob is putting together his guitar stand. Will is playing his electronic drums. Richard is looking for a missing piece to something. All is well.</i></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><i>Yesterday we delivered pumpkin bread to the neighbors. We found out that the husband two doors down is dying. His wife came to our house later to thank us for the card and the verse we had written on it..."May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him." (Rom.15:13) I wrote the same verse on every card, but she was the one who needed to hear that yesterday.</i></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><i>Last night after church we met our friends the Webbs at the hospital to deliver presents to the kids on the 10th floor. There was a six year old girl who reminded us of Anna. I helped pick out her gifts because I knew the kinds of things a six year old girl would like. There was a boy who was just diagnosed and admitted yesterday---Christmas Eve---single mom----cancer----can you imagine? </i></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><i>I am so thankful for the peace in our home today because I know how precious it is. I hope you have a blessed day and MAY THE GOD OF HOPE FILL YOU WITH ALL JOY AND PEACE AS YOU TRUST IN HIM.</i></span></div>
</blockquote>
<i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>2009 </b></i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Christmas is supposed to be a happy time, but it's not always. I have friends who are celebrating without their loved ones for the first time. I have friends who may be celebrating their last Christmas with their child. I have a friend whose father passed away last night. I have friends who are separated from their husbands. Maybe Christmas is hard for you too. Maybe you need to be reminded of the hope that we have because of Christmas.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span class="s1"></span><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning,</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>more than watchmen wait for the morning." (Psalm 130:5-6)</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span class="s1"></span><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I read words in Revelation this week that filled me with hope and encouraged me to keep pressing on...</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"Only hold on to what you have until I come." (Rev 2:25)</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name...(Rev. 3:8)</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have..." (v.11)</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span class="s1"></span><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>As I join the throngs in their Christmas buying frenzy, I aknowledge that I cannot hold on to anything I own. I cannot hold on to the people I love. The ONLY thing I can hold on to is the truth that I believe. I put my hope in His word and I press on to the open door before me THAT NO ONE CAN SHUT!</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Wait.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Hold on.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>He is coming soon.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span class="s1">Come quickly Lord Jesus</span><span class="s2">.</span><span class="s3"> </span></i></span></div>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>2010 </b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>What are you hoping to find underneath the tree this Christmas? Much more exciting that the gifts you will receive next week, is what the Bible says is in store for those who overcome. So don't get discouraged by your circumstances today. And don't place your hope in the things of this world. </i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"I hope I get an ipad for Christmas." </i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"I hope I get married." </i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"I hope I have kids." </i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"I hope I get better." </i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"I hope I get that job." </i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"I hope I'll be rich." </i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">All of those hopes are fleeting and fading. Timothy Jones says that "We cannot live rightly until we aim past life. Eternity provides the only goal that makes ultimate sense of our lives."</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>So make it your goal to overcome.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span class="s1"></span><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>To him who overcomes</b>, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Rev. 2:7)</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>He who overcomes</b> will not be hurt at all by the second death. (v.11)</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>To him who overcomes</b>, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. (v.17)</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>To him who overcomes</b> and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations... I will also give him the morning star. (v.26,28)</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>He who overcomes </b>will...be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. (3:5)</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Him who overcomes</b> I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God...and I will also write on him my new name. (v.12)</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>To him who overcomes</b>, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. (v.21)</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I may or may not get what I want for Christmas. I may or may not get what I want in this lifetime. </i></span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span class="s1"></span><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>But someday....</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I will eat from the tree of life.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I will not hurt again.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I will eat the bread of angels.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I will have a new name chosen by my creator.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I will have authority over the nations.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I will have the morning star.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I will be dressed in white.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I will be acknowledged before God and angels.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I will be a pillar in the temple of God and serve in his presence.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span class="s1"></span><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>WOW! I don't understand all of that. It is beyond what I can imagine. But I do know that I have something greater in store for me than the new winter coat and the Ginger Peach tea that I asked for. </i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>And you have something greater in store for you too. </i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Keep going! </i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Don't quit! </i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Press on!</i></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Overcome!</i></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
I may not remember any of the presents I received or what we had for Christmas dinner or any of the parties we attended. But there are things I learned during those years of grief that I hope I never forget.<br />
I want to remember to press on when I feel like giving up. <br />
I want to remember to reach out to those who are worse off than I am. <br />
I want to remember to not get upset over things that don't matter.<br />
I want to remember to be thankful.<br />
<br />
Those blank pages in our memory book mean that there is room for new memories.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-10011731175449540452012-08-28T09:02:00.001-04:002012-08-28T09:02:47.992-04:00In everything give thanks<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Slapping a sloppy brush of thanksgiving over everything... leaves me deeply thankful for very few things. </i></blockquote>
I am often guilty of slapping a sloppy brush of thanksgiving over everything,<br />
"Thank you God for this day. Thank you God for your blessings. Thank you for my family and friends. Amen" <br />
Don't get me wrong. Those are all good things to be thankful for, but do I take the time to notice (and name) the myriad of "little" things I have to be thankful for each day? <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The sound of waves</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Laughing with my family</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Rain</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Eating outside</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Having enough food for an unexpected dinner guest</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Do you struggle with discontentment? Do you spend more time thinking about the what you want instead of being thankful for what you have? <br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Gerbera daisies</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Chocolate chip cookie dough</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Boys playing wiffle ball in the back yard </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Seeing a friend at the store</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Being invited</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The habit of discontentment can only be driven out by the habit of thanksgiving.</i></blockquote>
<br />
Make thanksgiving a habit. This year, instead of having your kids make a list of gifts they want for Christmas, have them make a list of gifts they already have.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
A full house</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Time alone</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Moms sharing prayer requests around the table</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Someone to sit next to</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A late night talk with Jacob</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>We don't have to change what we see, only the way we see it.</i></blockquote>
<br />
(Quotes from A. Voskamp, "One Thousand Gifts")Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-39639852737635928612012-08-23T13:56:00.001-04:002012-08-23T15:07:28.356-04:00Celebrating 3 years in Virginia!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VBNtq3TSIH6YNJewiNElfmtrRMBrQuZpDb1AmagdVxlS4YjVO6xTz7fkzqh7lEOCJOQufa9yuL7aLRpmiZlKy3-VcFkX9f9DL8_GlTdnL6zl3dn424y6wXjv5NSyIq_2zjKybovlRinZ/s1600/IMG_4885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VBNtq3TSIH6YNJewiNElfmtrRMBrQuZpDb1AmagdVxlS4YjVO6xTz7fkzqh7lEOCJOQufa9yuL7aLRpmiZlKy3-VcFkX9f9DL8_GlTdnL6zl3dn424y6wXjv5NSyIq_2zjKybovlRinZ/s320/IMG_4885.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
Three years ago this week we left our home, our family, and our dearest friends to move across the country. It was exciting (I love change), but it wasn't easy. There were many tears and many fears as we exchanged the familiar for the unknown. This week we took the time to name some of the things we like about living in Virginia...<br />
<br />
Trees<br />
People<br />
Beach<br />
Friends<br />
Weather<br />
Music<br />
Schools<br />
History<br />
Curvy roads<br />
Our house<br />
Carytown<br />
The Byrd Theater<br />
The Goochland Drive-In<br />
The James River<br />
The Daily Grind (Favorite coffee shop)<br />
<br />
What do we miss about Oklahoma? <br />
<br />
The people<br />
Our trampoline<br />
<br />
We loved our 10 years in Oklahoma. It was the best of times and it was the worst of times--literally. But the only things that can't be replaced in our new State are our friends and family (and apparently our trampoline). But fortunately our relationships are also the only things we can carry with us as we move. We are thankful for our old friends, new friends, and the friends we haven't met yet. We know that someday if we move again, it's the people we will miss... and maybe the drive-in theater.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-42266082004012837832012-07-02T09:46:00.001-04:002012-07-02T09:46:23.451-04:00Special attentionIn the 13th chapter of Luke, Jesus tells this story:<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="background-color: white;">A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed</i></blockquote>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">I'm assuming that this is referring to God and that He</span><span style="background-color: white;"> is looking to see if there is </span><span style="background-color: white;">fruit in our lives. He comes again and again to see. </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Finally, he said to his gardener, 'I've waited three years, and there hasn't been a single fig! Cut it down. It's just taking up space in the garden.'</i></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white;">When God looks at my life, is he disappointed? </span>Am I just 'taking up space' or am I bearing fruit?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The gardener answered, 'Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I'll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get (fruit) next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.' (vv. 6-9)</i></blockquote>
I am picturing a scene where God is fed up with those who are 'taking up space' and Jesus is interceding on their behalf. <i>Give (them) one more chance. </i>The gardener promises to give the tree <i>special attention and plenty of fertilizer. </i>Fertilizer is defined as 'a substance added to increase productivity and growth.' I am assuming that represents the Word of God. But what does <i>special attention</i> mean?<br />
<br />
I remember when Anna was sick and Richard thought God was giving us too much attention. He begged God to leave us alone--to stop working on us--to give us a break. He echoed the words of Job,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention, that you examine him every morning and test him every moment? Will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant? (Job 7:17-19)</i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white;">What if 'special attention' involves difficult circumstances. </span><span style="background-color: white;">What if suffering is what makes us better/more useful/deeper/compassionate/wiser? </span><span style="background-color: white;">I can list hundreds of examples of people who have born fruit as a direct result of their suffering. </span><span style="background-color: white;">In my own life, losing a child was the worst thing I could imagine, but even that produced fruit.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>No (hardship) discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later however it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11) </i></blockquote>
The harvest/fruit is righteousness and peace which is produced by suffering. I would never choose to suffer. If you gave me a choice to have Anna or to have righteousness and peace I would choose Anna. I'm human. I don't like suffering. But Jesus said that in this world we would have trials and tribulations. It's part of life. It can destroy us or it can be what transforms us from a tree that is taking up space to one that bears fruit.<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
Perhaps you are going through a difficult season in your life. What if you are receiving 'special attention' from the gardener? It doesn't feel special. It's painful. But just because something is painful doesn't mean that it's bad for us.<br />
What if suffering keeps us from just taking up space? <br />
What if suffering is what makes us fruitful? <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">We pray for blessings</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">We pray for peace</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">Comfort for family, protection while we sleep</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">We pray for healing, for prosperity</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">All the while, You hear each spoken need</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">What if Your healing comes through tears</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">What if a thousand sleepless nights</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">Are what it takes to know You're near</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">We pray for wisdom</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">Your voice to hear</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">As if every promise from Your Word is not enough</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">All the while, You hear each desperate plea</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">And long that we have faith to believe</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">What if Your healing comes through tears</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">What if a thousand sleepless nights</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">Are what it takes to know You're near</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">When friends betray us</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">When darkness seems to win</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">We know that pain reminds this heart</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">That this is not our home</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">What if Your healing comes through tears</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">And what if a thousand sleepless nights</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">Are what it takes to know You're near</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">What if my greatest disappointments</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">Or the achings of this life</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">And what if trials of this life</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">The rain, the storms, the hardest nights</span><br style="color: #202020; text-align: center;" /><span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;">Are Your mercies in disguise</span></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #202020; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(Blessing, by Laura Story)</i></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200805996674755205.post-51343597032453617522012-06-15T09:52:00.002-04:002012-06-15T10:03:51.002-04:00Redeem the day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoG6mndBJlT5XQMqp9RCgR7XyLuRyOry4okm6NbLGgMtkhAsIRVXa829tgaA1gy53Iklo0yMxiYrMxVnHBYphKyKMLxhCSzABEBnyq3NVqgqZJPTMIr5VuyieutPgYHLLBar2BfLcVA6Un/s1600/IMG_4201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoG6mndBJlT5XQMqp9RCgR7XyLuRyOry4okm6NbLGgMtkhAsIRVXa829tgaA1gy53Iklo0yMxiYrMxVnHBYphKyKMLxhCSzABEBnyq3NVqgqZJPTMIr5VuyieutPgYHLLBar2BfLcVA6Un/s320/IMG_4201.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
On Anna's birthday I prayed, "Lord, redeem this day." <br />
To redeem means<br />
...to buy back<br />
...to free from what distresses<br />
...to change for the better<br />
...to convert into something of value<br />
...to make worthwhile<br />
<br />
I wanted May 29 to be free from distress. I wanted it changed for the better. I wanted it converted into something of value. I wanted it to be made worthwhile.<br />
<br />
That morning I listened to the song "Unredeemed".<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord it will not be unredeemed... You never know the miracle the Father has in store. Just watch and see. It will not be unredeemed."</blockquote>
<br />
I prayed for a miracle.<br />
Because there was no birthday breakfast, I fasted.<br />
I toured the cemetery.<br />
I had lunch at one of Anna's favorite restaurants.<br />
I cooked dinner for the people at the Ronald McDonald House.<br />
I played Anna's High/Low game.<br />
<br />
The next day I wrote, <i>What was the miracle? </i><br />
There were no big surprises. <br />
There were no moments of great joy. <br />
<i>Perhaps it was a miracle that I didn't stay in bed all day. Perhaps the miracle was that Jacob told his friends about Anna. Perhaps God touched the heart of the tour guide when I told him why I was at the cemetery. Perhaps the miracle happened <u>after</u> we dropped off the food and prayed for the people at the Ronald McDonald House. Perhaps I can't always see the miracles God is doing. </i><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The most beautiful lives are the outcome of anguish and tears [Ian and Larissa Murphy, Nick Vujicic, Lorraine Patterson, Patrice Williams, Jamie Spangler, Joni E. Tada, etc.]... <b>The elevating and perfecting of character come largely through sorrow</b>... I falter sometimes when I try to say, 'It is good for me that I have been afflicted.' [Ps. 119.71] But I can now and then catch a glimpse of the truth of it." (Mrs. C Cowman, <u>Consolation</u>)</blockquote>
<br />
Beauty from ashes.<br />
That's the miracle.Marlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562961657244994862noreply@blogger.com2