‘Down Under’ Wisdom.

Going through a phase.  I’m glad for phases – mostly because they are not permanent.  Some certainly seem permanent.  Nevertheless, knowing  ”this too shall pass” is sometimes enough to keep one hanging on through the ‘this.’  As I get older, and hopefully wiser, I am coming to believe that while navigating this life - it’s good to pray the Serenity Prayer, and mean it.  We simply must have the ’serenity to accept what can’t be changed, courage to change what can be changed, and the wisdom to differentiate.’      lovell paraphrase

I confess I have spent some time fretting my way through.  Most of the lessons I have learned along these lines have been a result of my enrollment in SHK – the School of Hard Knocks.  But, after much contemplation, experimentation, and aggravation – I can say with complete confidence – fretting is ineffective, counter-productive, and essentially useless.

Jesus once asked the question, “who of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”  He wasn’t just speaking to short people.  He was speaking to all of us, reminding us that worry is a waste.  So what are we to do with all the time and energy redeemed to us as a result of the cessation of worry?  ALOT!!

First off – worry is self-focus.  It usually involves fear, lack of trust, need for control, and a degree of self-absorption.  When we cease such activity, we are able to see past our own little world to the needs of others.  We are able to worship God more readily, recognizing Him in the midst of our circumstance, and acknowledging Him as the One who will see us through.  Avoiding worry causes us to gain the right perspective, and though some of our mountains remain mountains – some are thusly reduced to mole hills because the worry lens is often a magnifying lens.

Our Australian friends have, as a part of their vernacular, a phrase that we would do well to adopt as our own – ‘No Worries.’   That would be  No  – as in None, Zero, Nada, Zilch.

You’re  just going through a phase.  No Worries.

 

 

Welcome Home.

It’s the whirring of the fan or the aroma of coffee, or maybe the restful way the tree limbs dance outside the window.  It’s the sound of familiar voices and the knowing that all is well in this comfy place I call ‘home.’  Home is where the heart is, they say…I say – even better when it is where the body is too.   Don’t misunderstand – I love to go…to ride for the sheer enjoyment of riding – not necessarily going anywhere.  But, how I love to come home.

I was thinking about home earlier this week – my other home – the one where my mother resides.  I can only go so long before I have to load up the suitcases and head across the mountains eastward towards a little North Carolina town so familiar I can almost drive it with my eyes closed.  The trip is spiritual for me.  It’s so much more than mile markers  and scenery between the ‘from’ and ‘to’ on my GPS.  It’s a journey into my soul’s time machine.  It’s going back to where I came from and stopping time long enough to recharge my batteries.   I know the way.  The landmarks on the seven hour trek are like long-time faithful members of an imaginary welcome committee – bowing ever so slightly as I pass and greeting me with a smile…as if to say – “Nice to see you again.”  As the car nears the driveway, I can almost smell my mother’s perfume as I anticipate our embrace.  Yes, I have to agree with Dorothy, “there’s no place like home.”

All this thinking ’bout home makes me know why I love Psalm 91.  “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge…” 

How beautiful the imagery born of words like “dwell…secret place….rest in the shadow….and refuge.”  He is our safe place.  Our familiar place.  He is home….and home is never far away.

Until.

After Jesus was raised from the dead  – the account in Acts tells us that for forty days He “appeared to them and spoke about the Kingdom of God.”  It also speaks of one such occasion when Jesus was eating with them and said, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait here until you receive the gift my Father promised.”  He was referring, of course, to the Holy Spirit.  He had spoken to them in the days leading up to his death that He would go to the Father and send the Holy Spirit to comfort, teach, remind, convince, and empower. 

So, they asked Him while they were eating – “Are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”  The short answer was – “it’s not for you to know times and dates  – the Father knows all that…but, when the Holy Spirit comes – you will receive power and become my witnesses.”  Then He vanished from their sight.

If you are a parent – you are familiar with what I call the ‘top two.’  Children want to know the answer to these two questions – “Why?” and “When?”… and not necessarily in that order.  Why…does wind blow…is the sky blue…do I have to go to bed now?  And, When…are we going to Target…is Santa coming…are we going to get there?  Children are not the only ones who ask why and when.  I confess I occasionally feel the need for an answer to the ‘top two.’

I have often wished that God would give updates at least twice a year.  Just a status report to bring me up to speed from time to time.   God, in His infinite wisdom, has always known what it takes to keep us following hard after Him.  If we knew we were going to get updates – we would not feel the need to rely on Him moment by moment, 24/7.

It is in the pursuit of God, and His righteousness, and His will and ways - that we learn of Him and come to know Him.  When He says “wait here, until…” our hearts are fixed on His next move, His next word.  We depend on His power to sustain us, to cause us to be able to move ever forward, to walk out this journey with Him.

When you break it down – there are many things in life that fall in the “Not for me to know – God knows“ category.

The disciples wanted to know if the ‘next big thing’ was going to be Jesus restoring the Kingdom to Israel.  Jesus wanted the disciples to know the ‘next big thing’ was going to be them receiving the power of the mighty and precious Holy Spirit, so that they could become His witnesses and take the news of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth.  The account says He answered them and then vanished.  You can almost see the question marks hanging in the thin air that filled the spot Jesus occupied only moments ago.

Maybe you’re waiting.  Maybe you’ve been waiting for a very long time.  The good news is the promise has no expiration date.  The promise is that He will strengthen and empower. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.”  That familiar question does arise…  ’How long do we wait?’   The answer is still the same -

Until.

Without a Doubt.

Who hasn’t heard of ‘Doubting Thomas’?  He is remembered for his ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ attitude.  I admit I have often felt sorry for him.  I wonder if he knows his first name is now ‘Doubting.’

Well, for whatever reason, D.T. has been on my mind for a few days.  I suppose it’s because we just celebrated Resurrection.  Shortly after Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to a small group of his followers, and Thomas ‘outed’ himself as a doubter.  He felt he needed to see the scars to believe it was really Jesus standing before him.  I remember as a young girl in Sunday School thinking Thomas was ‘bad’ for not having faith.  We learned the song, “don’t be a ‘Doubting Thomas’ – just stand upon His promise.”  How hard could it be to just believe?

It wasn’t until I was all grown up that I realized how easy it is to doubt.  Jesus spoke about doubt throughout His entire earthly ministry.  In Mark 11, He says, “Have faith in God…..If you say to this mountain – ‘be removed,’ and do not DOUBT in your heart, but believe that what you say will happen, you shall have what you say.”  Or if you prefer the King James – “He shall have whatsoever he saith.”

There has been a great deal of controversy over the years with regard to ‘name it-claim it’ theology.  And…I have no intention of trying to sort all of that out this morning….too little time and too much to do.  However, I will say that though I don’t believe I should expect to be able to say to that Cadillac, ‘move from there to here’ – I happen to believe that most of the time, “we have not because we ask not.”  That’s a quote from another follower of Jesus – James.  In James’ writings on the matter, he goes on to say – “a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways…and he who doubts should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”  Notice double-minded and doubt have the same root.  It’s not a good root.

I do feel sorry for Thomas, but the truth remains – this was not the first time Jesus had need to remind the disciples of their lack of faith.  Faith is a prerequisite for any move of God.  Remember, Jesus could do no miracles in his hometown, because they did not have faith – the home folks had their doubts that this familiar Jesus could possibly be the Son of God, and that’s where the story ends for them.

In Hebrews 11, we read that “without faith it is impossible to please God….he who comes to Him must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.“   We can spend a lot of energy trying to please God…but, sometimes He would say to us, “Just BELIEVE.”

As for me – I’m there.  I have walked with Him long enough and trusted His word long enough to say with the Hebrew guys – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego…”I know that my God will….but even if He doesn’t – I’m not bowing.”  (paraphrase)

God is not on trial.  He has proven all He needs to prove.  Just believe.

What a difference a day makes.

Jesus had tried to prepare them.  When you look at His teachings in the last half of John – you can see that He was beginning the goodbye – the transition – if you will.  He said things like, “He who believes on Me will do what I have done – and even greater things will he do.”  He prayed for the disciples, and for those of us who would come to believe in  Him because of their message.

There’s one thing Jesus said that may have been hard for them to understand….”It is better for you if I go away.”  Jesus was talking about going to the Father and sending the Holy Spirit, and how much better it would be because He would not be limiting Himself by inhabiting a human body anymore.  The Holy Spirit would be everywhere  – all the time –  and most importantly in them…working in them, and through them, and with them….all the time.

They could not see how being separated from this One they so loved could be better….but we can.  We are on the side that is commonly known as the other side.  The other side is where hindsight is activated….and it’s hindsight that gives way to better understanding and the ever popular ‘aha’ moment.

We can look across time and see from all the post Resurrection accounts in the Bible –  that though it was glorious to walk with Jesus in person -  the glory that was revealed in those who believed was even greater after Resurrection Day.  After the Holy Spirit came upon them, they became His witnesses – everywhere.  The same power that raised Jesus from the dead was at work in them, and the gospel of the kingdom spread like wildfire. 

The Resurrection is the event that proves that Jesus is who He said He is.  The Resurrection is the culmination of the Plan of Redemption that was announced in the Garden of Eden when God cursed the serpent and foretold that the Son of Man would crush his head. 

The Resurrection ushered in a New Era…an all-access-pass to the power of God.  If Carly Simon were telling it – she would break into song….”These are the good ol days.”

In Between.

It’s Easter Saturday.  The in-between part. 

I usually am not a fan of the ‘limbos’ in life.  The parts where you know you are in limbo.  In actuality – we’re always in limbo, but many times – blissfully unaware of it.  The limbos to dread are the ones where one is fully cognizant of the fact that there was a beginning…and there is a specific desired end  – that just can’t come soon enough.

I think of Mary – the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the beloved disciples today. Jesus had said – in so many words – that He would ‘rebuild the temple’ – indicating His resurrection on the third day – but I rather think they missed that one.  It is clear they were shocked when the tomb was empty and Jesus appeared.  So, safe it is to assume they were ‘blissfully unaware of the limbo.’  But, wait – if it was as they had believed – over and done with – that was worse.  If they had known what was about to transpire the next day – they would have been filled with hope and anticipation. 

This whole thought process has caused me to see ‘limbo’ in a new light.  When the news is bad all around, and there seems to be no end in sight – all clouds with no silver linings – thank God for ‘limbo.’  Don’t you want to hear Him say, “this too shall pass” sometimes?  It’s not over til it’s over, and on Easter weekend – we celebrate the fact that in God’s ’nothing is impossible’  kingdom –  it’s not over even when it’s ‘over.’

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

If you are ’in between’  – hold on –  ”He is your very great reward.”

 

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Family Meeting.

Relationships.  They are the fibers that hold together the human tapestry.  God proclaimed, “It is not good for man to be alone.”  And so it was, that God gave Adam, and thereby the world –  relationships.  The Adam/Eve /husband-wife thing was soon followed by the parent-child thing which was also the brotherhood thing as Cain and Abel arrived on the scene.  And, from there – the relationship ‘thing’ exploded.

You can almost hear them singing, “We are fam-i-ly, I got all my [people] with me.”  

I love family.  I have been blessed with two wonderful parents, two sisters, a brother, precious grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.  It’s a beautiful thing.  We all grew up in a small town in North Carolina, and we learned how to be in relationship with each other through the good and the not-so-good.  Those days prepared me for my own little fam – my hubby and three beautiful sons.  Based on my experience, I am inclined to be in agreement with God – lonely is no good.  I enjoy solitude, but don’t want it forced upon me.

God gave Adam  – Eve.  He gave Moses – Joshua and Aaron, who held up his tired arms so battles could be won.  He gave Esther  – Mordecai.  In modern times,  He gave Billy Graham – Ruth Bell Graham.  He gave Ronald Reagan his sweet Nancy.  He gave me – Joe. 

The Bible says, “God sets the lonely in families.”  God has always been in the business of connecting people.

Such was the case a few years ago, when we moved back to Nashville and reconnected with some old friends who invited us to check out their church.  In doing so, we found a church home and our boys got involved in Youth Group…and connected with Brian.

Brian was, and is, by all accounts – a dear young man.  He’s what every mother would choose as a friend for her sons and a husband for her daughter.  He immediately won my heart with his polite, generous, kind nature.  There were several moments when he blew me away over the course of the years.  One that stands out is when my oldest son was preparing to leave for Australia to work with a mission team for two years.  The night before he was to leave, we were all hustling around the house – finishing laundry, packing the last items, and making a ‘comfort food’ supper to enjoy together.  The doorbell rang and there was Brian.  He had remembered this was the last night before the big day, and drove thirty minutes across town to extend well wishes and say goodbye.

Brian went on to a prestigious military school and flight school, graduated, joined the military, married his sweetheart and has served his country well – most recently in Iraq.

Fast forward a few years….

Recently, I was stricken with double pneumonia.  I had joined a social network site the week before, so when I was unable to sleep one night while battling this malady, I got out of bed, and rounded up the laptop to see if any of my ‘friends’ were on at 3 A.M.

There in the ‘chat list’ was Brian’s name.  I quickly ‘messaged’ him to let him know I was up and would  be honored to redeem the lost sleep time by praying for his safety.  He promptly responded by saying he had moments before learned that one of his fellow soldiers – a young woman had just perished in a helicopter crash.  He asked if I could pray at that moment for her husband whom he was communicating with and for her father, his platoon sergeant, who would escort her remains back to the states.  Praying was the least I could do, my heart broke for all involved.  I was filled with sorrow and tremendous gratitude.

I love divine appointments and counted it a privilege to come along side Brian in this crucial moment.  He said, “I know God did not give you pneumonia, but He definitely sent you to me tonight.”

I am so amazed that modern technology has made it possible for an insomnia-plagued woman in Nashville to have instant access to a soldier in Iraq in the middle of the night….and that God is constantly at work through whatever means – even the worldwide web - to get His children connected at just the right moments.

We are never alone.  God’s watchful eye is ever upon us.  He knows just when we need to be patched through via the switchboard of Heaven to someone who is available to simply be there.

You’re already on the family plan – just stay connected.

About Face.

“I’m gonna carry the water to the desert, and stop this hauling water to the sea.”    These words, penned by Reba Rambo McGuire over 20 years ago,  are ‘stuck’ in my head this morning. 

I can’t help but wonder sometimes if we’re getting it right.  So much of what we do in the name of Christianity is seemingly in the category of ‘hauling water to the sea.’

I speak not as one who judges, but as one who is under conviction.  When I examine scripture - an activity I highly recommend  -  especially for Christians….I see Jesus coming on the scene in the days of his earthly ministry.  He came with a rebuke for the religious establishment of the day – justly pointing out the error of their ways, and the evils of religious tradition carried out by hollow, loveless, white-washed-tomb types.

He came with an invitation to the poor, oppressed, sick, sinful, ‘uncleans’ – an invitation to the Father’s table, and an announcement that ‘whosoever will’ may become a citizen of the Kingdom. 

He spent time in the synagogues.  He did some teaching there.  He went there to worship.  Then, there was the table-turning thing when He came upon the religious folks making a consumerist free-for-all of the house of prayer. 

But, most of His time was spent ‘carrying water to the thirsty.’  He went to where they were. 

The Establishment hated Him for it.  They tried to trap Him on multiple interviews asking all manner of trick questions.  They were like a cameraless paparazzi stalking His every move and talking to the folks who were the beneficiaries of His goodness – looking for something …anything – with which to ‘nail’ Him.  The very God they claimed to bestow all their ‘loyalties’ upon was the God they sought to silence and destroy. 

These misguided religious fools were a bunch of self-promoting, self-seeking, self-preserving, self-loving, church attenders with no intention of letting an ounce of truth get in the way of their agenda to keep things the way they had always been.  The ‘water’ was theirs.  Hoarding it and keeping it from seeping out to the undeserving ‘thirsty’ was their chief obsession.

Enter – the Son of God.  He didn’t just preach about the problem – He solved the problem.  The Living Water went about distributing Water.  He said – “If you are thirsty – drink.  You’ll never thirst again.”

What a message for the ‘waterless’ masses.  I often think that so many of them had to have known deep down that their religious leaders had it all wrong…but, lacked the courage to say so.  Jesus’ message was one with which they identified – because they were thristy…because it rang true…and, because they had suffered in silence for so long.

That message is the same even now.  The message to the church is – ‘the Water is not exclusively for you.  If you are my Body – do what I did.’  The message to the world is – ‘If you are thirsty – come.’

I mentioned that I am under conviction.  I’m revisiting my ‘job description’ in the Kingdom of God.  We are carrying Living Water – some of us just need to do a U-turn. 

If you are facing the ocean – you’re going the wrong way.

Simply Put.

Simplify.  It’s a wonderful word.

The older I get – the more I purpose in my heart to simplify my life.  I get tired of life’s ‘clutter.’  It’s like my closet.  About twice a year – I have to go in there and start ripping clothes off hangers and putting them in bags to give away.  It annoys me for clothes to just hang there.  If I stop wearing it – it’s got to go.  In the same way, I sometimes feel the need to de-clutter my life.  Get rid of activities that I am doing for the wrong reasons – maybe because I feel obligated, or pressured.  Rid my mind of toxic thoughts.  Put boundaries on relationships that ‘drain my batteries.’  Anne Ortlund used the phrase – “Eliminate and Concentrate.”  Eliminate the useless, space-consuming stuff – and concentrate on the important, relevant, needful stuff of life.

I believe Jesus came with a simple message.  I also believe He came – in part – to simplify our faith and our relationship with God.  The religious leaders of that day were all about complicating things…making them more difficult – if not downright impossible.  In Matthew 23, Jesus said this about them – “Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces.   You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”

Jesus set the record straight in His teaching and by His example.   He came to show us the Father, saying, “If you’ve seen Me,  you’ve seen the Father.”  One of the first verses I ever learned in Sunday School was, “Jesus went about doing good.”  Simple.  So simple – we often miss it.

I believe the world is waiting – even longing for so-called Christians to begin to “go about doing good.”  What would happen if every one that professes to know Christ would get up everyday and pray for God to show them what good they can do for that day?   Can we really say that if they’ve seen us – they’ve seen Jesus and the Father?  We can all do some good.  Some of us can do more than others. 

Simple truth is often relegated to children’s Sunday School hour.  I say it’s time to return to the things we learned at first.  It’s not complicated.  It is, however, of utmost importance.  James 4:17 reminds us that “he that knows the good he ought to do, and doesn’t do it, sins.”

Time to sort through the spiritual ‘clutter’ in our lives – throw out the useless religiosity and rediscover pure and simple faith.  There’s so much good that can be done if we will simply  – do it.

Thank you note.

I have become more acquainted with pneumonia than I preferred these last two weeks.  I used to think pneumonia was a really bad cough.  It’s definitely more than that. 

I did, however, learn more in the last two weeks than the symptoms and treatment of the ‘p’ word. 

I learned that I really don’t want to lay in bed and do nothing for days on end.   I find myself being thankful for the strength to do laundry, and take the dog out again, and even scrub the bathroom.  I am thankful that I have the option of getting out of bed.   I really like breathing….so I am thankful for clear lungs.  I am thankful for people who love me when I am sick, and rejoice when I get better.  I am thankful for a comfy bed upon which to lie while recovering – and I thought of those in places like Haiti who had a mat on the ground in an open-air clinic. 

So I would like to go on record today as one who is thankful….for the absence of sickness, for the simple pleasures of life, and for all the many blessings I usually take for granted. 

Can I get a witness?