Hammer on Anvil '

My youngest, Bug, has always given me the hardest time about sleeping. He is a snuggle Bug and requires either his Daddy or myself to lie down with him, a full bottle of milk, white noise machine and all the planets in the universe to align. He will toss and turn and wiggle and wriggle until he has wedged himself perfectly between my back and the pillow. Sometimes he will babble “play ball” and swing his arms as if to hit a baseball. While all of this is quite precious and noteworthy for future storytelling, it gets old being a twice a day requirement.  This process can take anywhere from 5-40 minutes. Some days I have endless patience with the process and soak up every last snuggle. Other days it is so maddening that I want to stab myself in the eyeball. Meanwhile, the four year old is unsupervised in the house doing God knows what. (Thank you, Jesus, for NickJr)

Yesterday naptime was a 35 minute process. The Bug wiggled and flipped and babbled and oh my Jesus. “Be still!” I said again and again.  As I felt myself growing impatient, God spoke to me.

God: “Yes, Dear One, be still.”
Me: “But I don’t have time for this today, Lord.
God: “Child, be still and…”
Me: “Did I send that email?”
God: “Daughter, be still and know…”
Me: “Ugh, this is so annoying. I’m going to blow my top. Will I ever conquer the giant of rage?”
God: “…Know that…”
Me: “How will my children describe me? Do they know I love them?”
God: “…know that I am…”
Me: “Dude, seriously? How hard is it to be still?”
God: “Ahem! Beloved, be still and know that I am God.”
Me: “Oh…whoops.”

Be still –a nearly impossible request for this modern day American woman. Have you seen my schedule? Have you met my two boys? Don’t you know I’m repelled by idleness? Who can rest with a to-do list like mine?

The Lord knows how busy my life is. He gave me those kids. He knows how rowdy they are. He sort of knows everything right? Why then is he commanding me to be still?

Oh yeah…to know Him.

Just like this Momma knows it’s best for Bug (ok, for everyone) to take a nap, my Lord knows when I need rest.

Where are you? Let me encourage you today to be still before the Lord. I know if you are anything like me every bone in your body will fight against you. Just do it anyway. Lie there until His stillness finds you. Find rest for your weary soul.

As most are aware, it is tornado season. There have been some terrible storms already in both Texas and Oklahoma. Towns leveled...homes destroyed...lives lost. It's tragic. People question, "Where was God? Why did he allow this to happen?"

The simple answer is that God is where He always is...everywhere. He wasn't just not paying attention or daydreaming or busy when the storms hit. He remained seated on his throne loving, caring and drawing all creation to himself. The difficult answer is that we live in a broken, fallen world where the consequences of sin had been unleashed long. Now that is another post for another day. Read Genesis for the history.

"...for the wages of sin is death." --Romans 6:23

Honestly, tornadoes freak me out. They are too unpredictable, fast forming and powerful. I come from Southeast Louisiana where we have hurricanes...predictable, slow-moving, hurricanes. I know it's coming and have time for a hurricane party with all my podna's before I get the heck out of Dodge. What fascinates me are the folks who stick around a tornado to take pictures and video. Or those loony storm chasers. What the what? You can find me hunkered down in our safe room equipped with bottled water and canned Spam (ok, maybe not the Spam. That's just gross. If I'm ever that desperate for food just use the can to club me in the head and end it.).

Both of these responses to storms are a bit extreme...the crazy and the crippled by fear.

So I'm just going to say it...What would Jesus do?

The first example from the life of Jesus that pops into mind when thinking about a storm is found in several of the Gospels -- my favorite Luke 8. Jesus and his friends, the disciples, get into a boat to sail to the other side of the lake. Midway, a terrible storm hits. Water is pouring into the boat and the disciples are scared for their lives.

What was Jesus doing?
Snoozing.
Say what?

The God of creation, Yahweh, the Messiah was asleep.
Well then he must not have cared about what happened to his dearest friends.
Wrong.

Jesus was WITH the disciples IN the storm. He didn't tell the boys to load up and send them alone into a raging storm. No, Jesus said, "let us go over to the other side of the lake." (Luke 8:22) Let US go.

Word.

The Moore tornado not only devastated a town, it claimed lives. Yet in God's mercy the death toll dropped from 51 to 24 after many more were found among the rubble. That is nothing short of a miracle, people! See, Jesus knows all about the storm coming your way. While he doesn't always choose to prevent it, he promises to sit tight and ride it out with you. Don't get me wrong... 24 lives sounds like foolishness to me. My heart breaks for these families and the towns of Cleburne, TX, and Moore, OK.

Jesus come quickly.

The second example of Jesus facing a storm is also found in the Gospels -- Luke 22 -- the Lord's supper. Follow me here. I know you are thinking, "It wasn't raining on the Passover." I'm not talking about a thunderstorm, people. I'm talking about the Son of Man being crucified to once and for all atone for the sins of the world. Remember the verse from earlier...the wages of sin is death? All of history has been leading to the very moment when Jesus would reconcile a fallen world to the Father by paying the price for our sins. He would die on a cross for us. Alone.

Yet first, he observed the Passover meal with his beloved disciples. I love the glimpse into the heart of Jesus we get in verse 22 where it says, "Jesus and his disciples reclined at the table." Really? First he was snoozing and now he is reclining? This Jesus is a pretty laid back dude. Did he know what lie just ahead of him in the night? The religious leaders would have Jesus taken prisoner, wrongly accused, mocked, beaten, and sentenced to death by crucifixion. That was going to be incredible difficult. It was going to hurt. A lot.

And yes, Jesus knew it.

Yet what was his demeanor? He reclined and enjoyed the sacred Passover knowing that he would become the ultimate Passover lamb.

Behold the Prince of Peace. Amen?
Amen!

Is there a tornado headed your way, friend? Are you hunkered down in your safe room crippled with fear and frantic? I don't blame you.

My family and I are theoretically driving right into a storm. Like I said...there is something crazy about driving into a storm. My husband will have a major surgery this summer that will effect every aspect of our life. It will be the most difficult time our family has ever had to face together. It's a  whole different thing to be driving into a tornado... when you can see the beast in front you. We have run the gambit of emotions from anger to complete and utter terror.

But then there is Luke 8 and 22. We are reminded of Yahweh -- God with us. Yes, the Jesus who slept and reclined is in our boat. He's go this. And with a word, the winds die down. The waves calm. And just like Jesus promised, we will be on the other side.



 

man, we sure think highly of ourselves.

^{While all these words are applicable, they don’t even come close to  the Biblical meaning of The Church. In Ephesians 1:22 Paul explains, “God placed all things under his (Jesus’) feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”}

It's 11:26pm Thursday evening. I am just now beginning my Friday post.

Oy.

I don't really know where to begin. Life has been so crazy lately. Satan is on full attack of my family and while most days we are held afloat by prayer and God's mercy...some days we're just bobbing for air. The beauty of it all is that the more crap satan throws at me and my family, the more drawn I am to my Savior. This wasn't always the case with me in the past...I've had my tantrums, my fits, my complete withdrawals and depressions. And by His grace, they have all prepared my heart for such a time as this (Esther).

Thank you, Jesus, that you never give up on me.


The Bible says that in this world we will have troubles. Yeah you right. You have probably seen troubles of your own...maybe you have some now. Yet even though we will live a life in this fallen world where we will experience loss, sickness, rejection, pain, heartache, and sorrow...Jesus offers joy.

What? Joy in my suffering? That's crazy talk.

It is...no doubt...crazy sauce. But my Jesus is a little crazy like that. He takes what you think you know and flips it on its head. I love that about Jesus.

My Jesus has joy.  In every tempting from satan, in every persecution, in every circumstance, Jesus persevered. Jesus, who for the joy of redeeming a lost people to the Father endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2).

And he graciously offers that same joy to us, his friends.

John 15:9-13 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

So on this busy, exhausting, worrisome, complicated day...I choose joy.

Nehemiah 8:10 Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

I'm working through a Bible study with an amazing group of Jesus-loving folks. Seriously, I adore these people. We meet in the home of the teacher and his wife. I love everything about their home...the aesthetics, the coziness, the evidence of toddlers found in every corner of a room, and the very foundation on which it was built -- Jesus.

We are a diverse group of various ethnicity, churches, and backgrounds yet have everything in common in Jesus. We represent a people who have stepped out in obedience to answer God's call to the Harvest (Matthew 9:37).  Jesus calls his people to be disciples who make disciples (Matthew 28:19). Our time together is rich, God-breathed, and sacred. The Bible says that when two or more gather together in the name of Jesus, He is also present (Matthew 18:20).

Several weeks into this study now and we have found ourselves in the deep waters of the Scriptures (aka Holy Bible, the Word, the Gospel). God's Holy Word -- God-breathed, sacred, mysterious, revelation and Truth. Hebrews 4 says that the Word of God is alive and active. Amen. We are learning how to share God's Word with others in a more authentic, personal, and loving way. It is evident that when sharing the Gospel with others it is imperative to interlace our own experience of Christ's power in our lives with the Scripture truths.

For me, sharing my past struggles helps me relate to the other person. It lets her know that she is not alone in her pain. My vulnerability encourages her to be vulnerable before the Lord because He is a safe place to find refuge. He is mighty to save (Zephaniah 3:17). This kind of relational evangelism is displayed for us in the life and teachings of Jesus. He is a personal Savior.

Jesus showed us how to share our scars with others in a very literal, authentic, and practical way. After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples. He greeted them, "Peace be with you!" (for Jesus, the Prince of Peace who had paid for our sins and conquered death, was now with them) Then he showed the disciples his scarred hands and side.

Just like that.

His scars (stripes) on full display. Oh my soul, I want to be that type of Christian! What an impact we could have on the lost if we all lived so transparently. People need to know that even though we will suffer injustice in this life...painful, unbearable, hurts...Jesus has overcome. The worst of pains...even death...will be only a scar if we surrender it all to the power and authority of Jesus Christ. In Him alone we find a hope and a future.


My paraphrase of John 20:19-29...

"Peace is with you now for I am the Prince of Peace! I have gone through the worst torture and death for you. So what may seem so unbearable and heartbreaking in your life today, know that I have conquered it. I am the Resurrection and the Life. You will live beyond the pain of this circumstance. See my hands...my side? There is hope. Disciples...my dear, doubting Thomas...believe in me, your resurrected Savior. There is hope."


Ask God to reveal to you who needs to see your scars. Relieve them of their loneliness and doubting. Lead them to the Gospel of Truth...to a hope found only in the Savior Jesus Christ.

Holy week... my absolute favorite holiday season. I can’t get over it. The Easter story. My Jesus.
I just can’t get over it.

Holy week is a Christian reference to the last days in the life of Jesus. It begins on Palm Sunday
with the Triumphal entry. Jesus rides into Jerusalem seated on a humble donkey while crowds
gathered waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosana! Hosana! Blessed is the king who comes
in the name of the Lord!” Yet he was not the kind of king they imagined.

On Monday he enters the temple area to find money changers and loiters. He was outraged. He
overturned their tables and drove them out with a whip saying to them, “It is written, ‘my house
will be a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it into a den of robbers’” (Mark
11:15-17). Jesus cleansed the temple. He can cleanse your soul.

Tuesday Jesus curses a fruitless fig tree as a demonstration of the great faith he calls us to have
(Matthew 21:18-22). He teaches in parable about obedience (Matthew 21:28-32) and the eternal
bounty in heaven God has prepared for us (Matthew 22:1-14). Jesus wants us to get it. We are
called to a life of abundance, of faith, that points souls to their Savior.

Jesus preached his last sermon on Wednesday. He warns the people, “Keep watch, because you
do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42-44). What do you believe about
a Creator? A Savior? Eternity? What do you believe about this Jesus?

Jesus is betrayed. Judas conspires with the chief priests to arrest Jesus. In other words, Judas
sold his soul to the devil. (Luke 22:1-6) Who owns your soul?

Maundy Thursday. Jesus and his disciples celebrate the Passover, a traditional Jewish feast,
in what will be known as the Last Supper. Jesus, the Servant King, humbly washes the feet of
his disciples. He encourages them to love one another through acts of service (John 13:1-17).
Beautiful, radical, servant love.

Good Friday. Jesus the Messiah, King of the Jews, is arrested, brutally beaten, and hung on a
cross. As the guards beat him and spat on him, he loved them. As they nailed his hands and feet
to a cross, he prayed to God for them, “Forgive them Father. They know not what they do" (Luke
23:34). He loves us so much and wanted nothing more than to do the Father’s will – to reconcile
a fallen people (Luke 22:54-23:56).



I just can’t write about it. I don’t have the words. I’ve agonized for hours trying to finish this
post. The beauty of Good Friday, the cross, and the sacrifice of my Jesus…it’s just too much for
my soul. I can’t get over it.

And it doesn’t end on Friday. God’s plan is not carried out in full until Easter Sunday (Luke 24).
I pray as you read this Gospel of Jesus Christ, you never get over it.

I realized something today... a revelation, if you will.

My boys were being rowdy as usual and upsetting their Father who was trying to rest. As I escorted the boys out of the room, I felt an unfamiliar wave of peace wash over me. It has literally been years since I have held my tongue or tamed my temper. At first I blamed it on pregnancy hormones, then exhaustion once my youngest was born. Then I blamed my behavior or my hard-wired upbringing. And hormones. And exhaustion. And lack of exercise. I pretty much blamed everything and everyone instead of taking responsibility myself. Honestly, I was beginning to believe that this is just the way I would feel until my kids grew up and I wasn't being pulled in a zillion directions. I half-heartedly prayed that God would relieve me of this thorn in my side -- the thorn that I am. But in this moment of unfamiliar calm...it all made sense.

Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Mark 8:25

All this time Jesus was shaping me. He shown light into dark corners of my selfish, prideful heart that I didn't want to admit existed. He pruned my fruitless limbs down to a stump with little more than the root system in tact. He poured mercy on me, relentlessly loved me, spoke gently to me, and even kicked my butt when I more than needed it. He never gave up on me. Now I see.

Jesus is calling me to rise up.

He commands me to rise up and live into the roles He wrote for me as wife and Mother. To open my eyes and SEE what He says is important and worthy and righteous. And in his amazing grace, He longs to pour strength, peace, and patience over me if only I would draw near to Him...fix my eyes on Him.

His Spirit ministered to me today in a way I had never before experienced. My eyes were opened. Sneakers in the middle of the living room floor do not warrant a full-blown fit... sibling quarrels can be diffused with a gentle word (or shiny distraction)... laughter really is the best medicine... these toddler years do fly by and are so precious... laundry can wait... and Jesus should be rightly placed at the center of all we do as a family.

The days of untamed tempers and selfish motives are over. I behaved so foolishly. I was so blind.

God forgive me.

Do you know that you and I have been given permission as sons and daughters of God to draw on the same power Jesus used to calm a raging storm? Are you a raging storm like me? Or has a storm brewed up in your life that has you franctic with worry? Call on Jesus, my friend. Call on his power.

If you re-read the story in Luke 8, Jesus says to the disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." That is a promise worth holding onto, friends. With Jesus, we WILL get to the other side...of any circumstance, of my sinful rage, of your whatever. What Jesus did NOT say was how the journey would go.

Jesus, give us the faith to trust you to be all that we ever need at any moment in any circumstance. Amen.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his MIGHTY power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:10-18 (emphasis mine)

Ok people...this post is more food for the thought than revelation.(a pun you will appreciate by the end of this post) It's been a really busy week. Honestly, I almost completely forgot to post at all. This week we celebrate the best Valentine's gift I'll ever receive..Turtle. Yes, my funny little Valentine is now 4 years old! There is one stellar Spider-Man party in the making and an agenda of other fun birthday week adventures. Life is crazy. I am presently typing this in the center of what has been declared a 'construction zone' by my two littles with a blaring TV, spontaneous crying from the ignored 20 month old, and what may or may not be a food fight starting in the kitchen ( I refuse to look). Can I girl get a little grace?

Like I said...this post will be short and sweet...er...ok, maybe just short. Love you all!


The original Valentine. Be still my heart.



Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Did everyone splurge appropriately on chocolate, jewelry, flowers, and dinner? I mean, how else would your significant other know you even love them unless you spend gobs of money? Nothing says loving like a little bling? Can I get an amen?

What you may or may not know about all those indulgences is that someone paid a high price for them. I’m not just talking $$.

This week Americans spend around $345 million on chocolate, 3.6 billion on dining out (reuters.com) and a pretty penny on diamonds and jewelry (a statistic I just couldn't seem to nail down in my very limited research). If these numbers don't phase you, then let me put it another way...

-800 million people around the world do not have access to drinkable water (researchamerica.org)
-there are currently about 150 million orphans in the world (worldorphans.org)


-more than three-fourths of all the world's cocoa comes from West Africa – but the entire continent of Africa only accounts for about 3 percent of its consumption.more here

These are staggering statistics folks. What does it all have to do with you? me? 


Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:27

Remove the heavy yoke of oppression...Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. - Isaiah 58:9b-10

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ - Matthew 25:37-40

Sisters and Brothers...this has everything to do with you and me. Jesus didn't waste time with chit chat in the scriptures. God made sure that every word we needed to hear in order to navigate through life was recorded in the pages of the Bible. When my Jesus says to look after orphans and widows, relieve the oppressed, feed the hungry...He means it. Go. Now. Do these things. On every occasion and in every capacity. 

Are you still wondering what this all has to do with Valentine's Day? For one, chances are the chocolate you purchased and consumed is from one of the many large chocolate manufacturers who buy their cocoa from slave farms along the Ivory Coast of Africa. BBC has done a remarkable job at investigating the trafficking associated with cocoa. Please take the time to view at least a few of these videos. If not because I'm asking, then because Jesus commanded.


I know. I know. I'm such a Debbie Downer. I just ruined all your Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas candy fun forever! Oh well.

Truly, my hope is that more Christians will become conscious consumers. We are plagued with consumerism as Americans. Christ calls his people to 'not be polluted by this world.'

As for me and my crew, we have broken up with non-fair trade chocolate, coffee, bananas, etc. We try to be as conscious of the cost others have to make for our indulgences.  

...and if I've killed the sugar buzz you have from all those yummy chocolates...good!

Jesus, open our eyes to see the suffering and hurt all around us. Help us to look further than the American bubble. Jesus, break our hearts for the least. Remind us that we are responsible for our decisions and actions that cost others so much. Remind us, above all, that we are called to love.