Hammer on Anvil '

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:1-3).

In the ancient Roman world, little children were least important. But when Jesus came, old ways of measuring greatness were no longer valid. Jesus turned the world upside down when He told His followers they must become like little children.

To become like children, we have to know something about children. Here are some observations that came to mind as I meditated on this passage from Matthew:

• Children are marvelously simple human beings. They don't wake up in the morning and immediately start worrying about what the day might hold. They don't wonder what they're going to eat or wear -- those things are their parents' concern.

• Children don't lie awake at night and worry; their sleep is sweet.

• Children aren't concerned about what others think of them; that comes later, when society begins dictating how we should look and act.

• Children are joyful, and possess a delightful wonder about things. They are like sponges who crave learning to the point of saturation. Their needs are simple. They fall asleep when they're tired -- whenever and wherever that might be.

• Children forgive quickly and easily. They are not prideful. They don't sweat the small stuff.

• Children don't fear lack. They have implicit trust that their parents will meet their every need.

• Children are pure in heart, unsullied by the world.

• Children don't have an agenda; they look to their parents for direction and wisdom.

Our oldest son, Josh, and his wife, Bethany, are school teachers. Before Bethany took a sabbatical when their third daughter was born, I cared for our older two granddaughters full-time. When Evie (whose recent photo adorns this blog) was not quite one year old, she would wake in the morning, stand in her crib and reach for me with a huge grin on her little face. It's as if she was saying, "I'm ready, Grandma! What great adventures are we going to have today?" As you can see by the photo, she still embraces life with joy and gusto.

Imagine if WE began our days like Evie, excitedly looking to our Abba Father, breathless with anticipation about where He might lead us and how He might use us! This, I think, is the heart of a child: never losing sight of who our Father is, and that He is the source of all life. He created us, He leads us, and He equips us to do whatever He calls us to do.

I heard a story once about an elderly lady who was well-known for her boldness in faith. She loved to give glory to the Lord and felt everyday was a day meant to praise Him. She would, daily, stand on her front porch and shout to the busy morning traffic, "PRAISE THE LORD!"

Hebrews 11:1 proclaims, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

I really enjoyed Hannah Jones' recent blog about rest. It sort of goes hand in hand with my subject today: simplicity.

It blows me away that our huge God, who created a universe beyond our wildest imagination, is all about simplicity. It grieves Him to see His children running themselves ragged, living at breakneck speed, thinking that if we do more and get more and BE more, we will somehow be fulfilled. Sometimes we are so "busy" that we don't have time for God, and that is tragic.

Why are we all in such a hurry? Remember Jesus' admonition to us in Matthew 6:33? After He tells us to not worry about what we will eat or drink or wear, He says:

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

There you have it. We are not to worry about anything, because God will take care of our every need (Philippians 4:13). In fact, that's what Jesus meant when He said we need to become like little children. Do children worry about what they're going to wear or where their next meal is coming from? Do they sit around and fret about whether their mutual fund is going to lose money? Do they worry that someone else is going to swoop in and take their job away? Of course not, because they're children. But the point remains the same: whatever is important to us is important to God. He tells us to trust Him like little children trust their parents to provide for them. Our part is to seek His kingdom and His righteousness.

Did you ever notice that a lot of the people Jesus took note of were what we might call "simple"? He cared not for the rich or famous. Instead, in the gospels our attention is drawn to:

• the poor widow who gave all she had (Mark 12:44)
• the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4)
• the Good Samaritan (Luke 10)
• the woman with the issue of blood who pushed through the crowd to touch Jesus because she knew He could heal her (Mark 5)
• the men who dug a hole in a roof because it was the only way they could get their sick friend to Jesus to be healed (Mark 2)

As I read about these otherwise unremarkable people, I realize that though they were simple, they demonstrated great faith. Can you imagine being so determined to get your friend to Jesus that you put a hole in the roof of somebody's house? Can you imagine having been sick for over a decade and crawling through the crowd on your hands and knees, because you know if you can simply touch the hem of Jesus' garment, you will be made well?

Then there's the Samaritan woman. It was unheard of in Bible times for a Jew to even speak to a Samaritan, yet Jesus spoke to her. This woman always came to the well alone, because nobody wanted to acknowledge her existence. They knew her past, checkered with multiple marriages and sexual indiscretions. When she encountered Jesus at the well, she no doubt expected a lecture about her morality. Instead, Jesus instantly recognized her real thirst. She was parched not just for the water she drew out of the well. She needed a Savior. Jesus offered her compassion and a way out of her messed-up life, because He cared enough to look beyond what everyone else knew about her.

Jesus is not interested in how many church boards you are involved in, or whether you teach youth or give money to charities -- if you are not first rightly related to Him. Very simply, seek Him first. Trust Him to provide for all your needs. Come to Him as a child comes to a loving parent -- with no doubt whatsoever that your Father knows your every need, and has your best interests at heart always. Will His decisions  always coincide with what YOU would like to have happen? Probably not -- but remember He is GOD, and He really does know what is best.

My wife and I have been watching The Bible series that's currently airing on the History Channel on Sunday nights. We have really enjoyed it.

Yes, I know they have not showed all the stories. Yes, I know not every single detail is exactly correct. But think about the opportunity it now provides you to have those conversations with people in your community who may not go to church but who watch TV!

Anyway, last night Jenny and I were talking and she started sharing thoughts about how she felt some people in the OT had to have some strong faith.

Abraham had God speak directly to him. He heard God's voice, so either he could have thought he was going crazy, or he needed to follow God! But all those people who followed Abraham never had God speak to them. They just had to have faith that Abraham knew what he was talking about.

Isaac had a connection with God similar to his father's and Jacob did as well. Joseph could interpret dreams. But everyone else had to trust that this family wasn't just being egotistical, but that they actually heard God and wanted what was best for everyone.

Think about that happening today. Most of the time we would brush somebody off. "Well how come God hasn't said anything to me?! What? You think you are more special than me?"

I'm sure some felt that way, but they still followed! It didn't make sense. It was against the norm. They never heard the audible voice of God. They still followed!

We have the very words of God written out for us. Any instructions we need are in the pages of the Bible. He speaks to us. Often calling us to a life that doesn't make sense. A life where we have to step out and trust that God isn't going to let us fall. It reminds me of this:


Following is hardly ever easy. It often makes no sense. Sometimes we don't even have all the details ("Go to the land I will show you" "Um God where is that?" "I'll show you later...just go."). Other people may think you are crazy for following with such passion. But God will reward it.

God loves us and will always take care of us as we live out our faith. So don't let your fear stop you. Take your leap.

On Tuesday morning, after a few days of feeling like poo, Doug got up and went to go pick up his reserved copy of some game called Black Ops 2. It's apparently a big deal and my husband is really into his game right now. And yes, eventually this torrid affair will fizzle and he will go back to talking about the lawn or a new gadget he wants to save for, but for a few days, it's fun to watch a hardworking and incredibly faithful man act like a total kid about something he simply enjoys.

I love it! I love it when my husband gets caught up in a new video game. He gets enthralled. It's adorable. And I am not being factious here. I genuinely love watching grown people get really excited about something in their lives. It can be anything. Needlepoint, gaming, cosplay, barbecue, traveling, Christmas, Halloween, parades, Lord of the Rings, tools, coupons...I dunno, something. I love watching people get excited about something that brings them joy!

Sadly, though, some of us forget to simply enjoy life. We are so busy just living that we forget to notice that life, even when it's ugly, is still oh-so-wonderful.

This is not an opinion shared by most. I remember as I kid my love for all things cute was met with jeers and snide comments. "One day you'll grow up and see that Happy Meal toy is just a gimmick, sweetie," a counselor said to me while we stopped at McDonalds on the way back from a week of church camp. All my friends were ordering huge portions of nasty food. I decided to order a smaller portion with a nice price tag and added bonus - I got a wee Cruella de Vil toy with the food. Neat! Then I had four different people try to tell me how bizarre and immature my choice was. Really? Of course it is, but I was just a kid enjoying some junk for a few minutes. I knew brussels sprouts would be on the dinner table later, but I just wanted for a brief moment to be excited and enjoy the cheap toy and junk food my parents rarely allowed me to get.

A few months back, one of my dearest, best, good friends, Katie (from KatieMade Baked Goods & Confections) came over to bring her tasty baked goods, her brilliant wisdom and her much needed humor for my weary soul. (Oh friends, everyone needs a friend like Katie. She is a friend that makes even the heaviest of hearts rejoice.) In the middle of my over dramatic tangent about something absurd, she points out that I might not be crazy, but I may just be a personality type that is not often understood. She then found a web site and, like a shrink, began to ask me questions on how I feel about various things. Ten minutes later I read the results of a profile for a INFP personality. And let me tell you: It was the closest thing I have ever read to describing me. Way to nail it, Myers Briggs personality test. The weirdest part is that even my oh-so-accurate personality profile references Star Wars. Yes, I can't even get profiled without some nerdy charm. Like I was saying, it's me to a tee.

Anyway, the point is this profile stated something that I have always held dear to my heart as a great resource. Sure, it makes me seem a tad off, or a bit kooky, but I believe God gave me this personality for a reason. The beginning description for an INFP personality type states: "INFPs never seem to lose their sense of wonder. One might say they see life through rose-colored glasses. It's as though they live at the edge of a looking-glass world where mundane objects come to life, where flora and fauna take on near-human qualities."

Whoa. This makes me sound like Alice in Wonderland, but it's the truth. That's how my head feels. I am not all rainbows and butterflies all the time, but I try to keep my head as cotton candy and Disneyland as possible. Now, this does not give me a pass on hurts and fails, but in most cases I can look past the current struggle and find something magnificent.

Children are a lot like that. Despite what is happening around them, children have this inane ability to find something fun, something good, something to hope for, even when things are falling apart.

Last week our family was passing around some stomach funk. My son Indie had been dealing with a brand of tummy yuck for days, and despite the fact he felt gross, he was still up, ready to play and, as he says, "ready for an adventure." And in between jaunts to the toilet, he was still so cheerful.

Oh Pretenders, please find that childlike joy. Let's look for good in things, instead of always being on a witch hunt. That's the point, friends, we can stop searching and planning to see evil around every corner!  And we are supposed to. Philippians 4:8 says,"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

Maybe it's time to take your statistics about this sick, sad world, and simply find something enjoyable. I hope that joy is in the Lord, but at this juncture, I will be pleased as punch to see you get excited about Black Ops 2. I just want to see that you are still able to feel, express and extend joy and excitement about something in your life. And the world needs to see that, too.

Oh honey, I get that there are evil things out there. I know there are bad people. I know good people do bad things. I further know that just because we claim to love Jesus won't stop us from being terrible humans sometimes. I know this. But this does not mean we need to stay planted in front of Fox News all day, writhing about how the world has gone to crap. Darlin', the world has been crap since people were put on it. It's nothing new, but the object of our faith is to show light and salt to a world that is so dark, bland and stale. We should try to shed light on the truth and then while adding flavor we will preserve that childlike faith in others. That's not easy, but it's vital.

"The opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is proof." A friend of mine quoted these words (I know not from where) during a group meeting last week.


I used to think that doubt was a sin. I thought If I didn't believe in God and His promises at all times, with my whole heart, that I wasn't truly saved. As followers of Jesus, we are supposed to trust Him with everything, and not worry about anything, right? Well, maybe there is hope for us worry-warts after all.


First of all, Jesus' own disciples didn't fully understand Him. There are so many stories in the Gospels of how they struggled with envy, pride, and a me-first attitude. They disbelieved Jesus' words and doubted His power. How can we, 2000 years later and far removed from the physical person of Jesus, expect to do any better?


Then there were the recipients of His miracles. In Mark chapter 9, Jesus encounters a man whose child is possessed. Some of His disciples had attempted to exorcise the demon, but without success. The man pleads with Jesus, "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." " 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes."
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" v. 22b-24


Those words are like a cry directly from my heart: 'Help me overcome my unbelief!' I look at the world around me, I experience stressful circumstances in my life, and I struggle to let go and trust God. So many of us go through this; and we think that God has abandoned us.


The Lord put me through a time of testing a couple years back. Many months went by in my life where I couldn't feel God near me. Doubts didn't just creep in; they flooded over me. I found myself praying, "God, if you really exist, reveal yourself to me." No response. The funny thing I didn't realize for the longest time was that, although I claimed to not know whether God was actually real, I was still praying to Him, still talking to Him on a daily basis. I was crying out (on a Davidic scale) to a God I doubted.


God tells us He will never leave us. When we follow Him closely and pursue His ways and purposes, our faith in that promise grows. But as we think on the fact that proof, not doubt, is the opposite of faith, we must realize that uncertainty will come over us from time to time. It is in those moments we must cry out in prayer to God: "Help me overcome my unbelief!"

For a couple summers I had worked at a high ropes course, Windermere's The Edge, which Nick has also worked at. It featured zip-lines, a cargo net, a couple rock walls, a giant swing, etc. There was one particular element that I always disliked the name of: the "Leap of Faith." I described this element in last week's post but I wonder about the name. Without jumping there is no hope of reaching the trapeze, so it is quite literally a leap, which is likely the reason for the name choice. However, a leap of faith is generally has a negative connotation. To trust Wikipedia could be one, but anyway it describes it as "act of believing in or accepting something intangible or unprovable, or without empirical evidence." This is very much the opposite of what is done in this element.

When facilitating the "Power Pole" as it's otherwise called, we remind the participant that they are 99% safe (harnessed, hooked to a rope and other equipment) and we give them all the facts, the trapeze is 8feet away, 1foot up, etc. We are not asking them to jump blindly and without caution, though some do climb blind-folded. Rather on the basis of past participants' success and the evidence of their safety, we invite them to jump. If we apply this idea elsewhere, what does your faith look like? Is it more characterized as a blind leap or a reasoned step?


"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life."

Brett

I've heard it said that people who give their lives to the Lord at a time of crisis have a stronger faith later in life. The idea behind this theory is that the more difficult and hopeless the situation, the larger impact God's redeeming power has in the mind of the person. For those who have been delivered in such a way, it is easier to hold onto the promise that God will never leave them nor forsake them.

This seems like bad news for those of us who did not come to the knowledge of Christ in this way. Reports abound of teenagers, raised in the church with Godly families, falling away from the church as soon as college begins and they are out from under the authority of the family who taught them to love the Lord. God Himself spoke of people whose faith faltered: "So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." Revelation 3:16. Sounds like a promise of abandonment if we don't work hard enough to love God, huh?

Which is why I believe it's important to attend church regularly. We can't get through this Christian life alone-we have to be plugged into God. That, I think more than anything else, is the key to faith-acknowledgement that we need to rely on God for all our needs.

I have recently seen the effects on my life of missing a Sunday meeting at God's house. My youngest was sick, and so I sent off the rest of the family and stayed home with her. "It's only one week," I told myself. "I will be fine." It was one of the worst weeks I've had in recent memory.

Consequently, I can't wait to be back in church this weekend. I need to re-center my perspective. I need to hear what God has to say to me in my current circumstances. Maybe it is true about faith during crisis: I haven't anticipated God's grace and mercy this much in a while.

See you there!

In four years of high school, I managed to qualify to skip one quarter final. ONE. That was the most glorious day of my young life! For some reason, the idea of a school-sanctioned day off was more attractive than a parent-sanctioned one. As my daughter celebrates (or not) her first quarter final (yeah, she had to go) it reminds me of another type of test-one that is just as unpleasant, and can last for much longer than one school day.

Have you ever felt like God has abandoned you? Even though He tells us over and over in the Bible that he will never leave us nor forsake us, we will, inevitably, feel alone.

The Bible records that God removed His hand from Job; He allowed Satan to influence the circumstances of Job's life. This test of Job's faith hurt. It was agony for Job to have his world crumble, but ultimately, Job was molded by God through his time of testing.

Times of testing happen in the life of every Christian. God uses these times to help us grow. Unfortunately, in our human minds, it can feel very much like we're stuck. We feel left out on a limb, waiting for a rescue that seems like it will never come.

Don't give up. The Lord promises that He is with us, even when we can't feel His presence. During times of testing, it's so important to remember what Paul tells us: keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. It is the only way we can endure the pressure, the sculpting power of the potter's hand making us who we will be.

A couple of weeks ago, I started looking at a few of today’s myths and the truth behind them. I’m continuing that this week by looking at the last myth:

4) If I believe in God, I will go to Heaven.

This is a difficult myth to touch on, because the Bible is very clear that we are saved by faith alone and in Christ alone. Just take a look at Galatians to see verses galore to that effect. In no way do I want to suggest anything different. Rather, I want to look at belief and what it means to really believe. Today’s society is full of people who “believe” in God, but how deep does that belief go? Does it affect their actions in any way? Probably not. The book of James is particularly blunt to these people.

“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.” - James 2:19

Clearly, demons will not be invited into Heaven, so we know that it takes more than belief to get into Heaven.

At first glance, the Bible contradicts itself on this point. Consider Titus 3:5, which I shared on my first week of looking at myths, “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” Now compare that with another blunt verse from James. “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” – James 2:26

Wait, what? These two verses seem to say completely opposite things. In reality, though, they aren’t saying different things, but rather they are emphasizing different parts of the same thing. The verse from Titus is saying that there is nothing we can DO to earn salvation; it is a free gift from God (see my first myth, The Myth of the Basically Good).

The verse from James doesn’t disagree with this point, but instead is saying that there is more to faith than belief. True faith demands action. Even though you can’t DO anything to earn salvation, true faith means that you will DO things differently. You will back up your words of belief with your actions of faith.

A common explanation for this is to imagine an airplane. You can look at an airplane and believe with all of your heart that it will take you to your destination, but until you actually step onto the airplane and let them shut the door and take off with you onboard, it’s not going to take you anywhere.

So now is the time for each of us to “examine [our]selves to see whether [we] are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Are you living a life of belief or a life of faith? Jesus is very clear when he says, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30). You may believe in Christ, but are you gathering with him? Be honest with yourself, because you are the one with the greatest to lose or the most to gain.

In summary, true faith (and so true salvation) is expressed through action.

Today, I want to share with you a song that has been really powerful in my life. The song is a new one from Mat Kearney on the Young Love album.

Interesting side note on Mat - his name has one "t" because of an error on his birth certificate. His mom accidently spelled it Mathew. Then in red ink added the other "t" some time later. He saw it as a kid and embraced the single "t."

Random? Yes, but interesting! :)

OK - this song is basically the testimony of his father. In the link I have embeded, he tells the story a bit.



Pretty powerful stuff if you ask me...
the power of the gospel and how it changes your life.
the power of Jesus and how he redeems what is lost.
the power of Jesus and his love for the lost.
the power of a person who is determined to break out of their frame.
the power of starting over and making much of God.
the power of change in your life.
the power of grace and mercy.
the power of being stubborn and not letting circumstances determine your life outcome.
the power of a success story in one life and how it can encourage us.

Each of us must make choices every single day that determine whether we will live life to the fullest for God or choices that compromise who we really are in Him.

Choose today - to make the most of every situation and to glorify God in all that you do.

Ivan Denisovich Shukov is a character in a novel by Russian author Alexsander Solzhenitsyn. Denisovich was a laborer in a work camp in post World War 2 Russia that was taken in part from some of the real life experiences that Solzhenitsyn had himself while living in the Russian gulags and work camps. We get to see one single day in the life of this prisoner during the course of the book. Nothing extreme, nothing extraordinary happens on this day, but it certainly gives a person a good idea about what it must have been like if only on the very good days, to put it mildly he doesn't live an easy life even on these "good days".
Towards the end of the book one of the other prisoners, Alyosha, observes Denisovich at the end of a long day offer a sort of generic prayer,
" Glory be to Thee, O Lord. Another day over. Thank you I'm not spending tonight in the cells. Here it is still bearable."
…
Alyosha heard Shukov's whispered prayer, and, turning to him: "There you are, Ivan Denisovich, your soul is begging to pray. Why don't you give it its freedom?"
…
"Well, Alyosha," he said with a sigh, "it's this way. Prayers are like those appeals of ours. Either they don't get through or they're returned with 'rejected' scrawled across 'em."
Alyosha goes on to encourage him, "But, Ivan Denisovich, it's because you pray too rarely and badly at that. Without really trying. That's why your prayers stay unanswered. One must never stop praying. If you have real faith you tell a mountain to move and it will move…"
Ivan retorts that even with his faith and praying that the political turmoil and war still found Alyosha in the same work camp as himself trying to imply that his own prayers weren't effective at all. What good has it gained him if it could not save him from the same fate? Alyosha replies that that is not what they prayed for, but instead simply for our daily bread.
"Our ration, you mean?" asked Shukov
…
"Ivan Denisovich, you shouldn't pray to get parcels, or for extra stew, not for that. Things that man puts a high price on are vile in the eyes of Our Lord. We must pray about things of the spirit--that the Lord Jesus should remove the scum of anger from our hearts…"
Ivan goes on to talk about the hypocrisies and corruption of his old home town priest and how horrible of a person this priest was.
"Why are you talking to me about priests?…It's because their faith is unstable that they're not in prison."
Ivan continues that he's not really against God, but why should anyone be filled with the idea of paradise or hell. Why do you take us for fools? That even still however much Alyosha were to pray that it doesn't shorten his term in the work camp, that he is still very much here in the same condition as himself.
"Oh, you mustn't pray for that either," said Alyosha, horrified. "Why do you want freedom? In freedom your last grain of faith will be choked with weeds. You should rejoice that you're in prison. Here you have time to think about your soul. As the apostle Paul wrote: 'Why all these tears? Why are you trying to weaken my resolution? For my part I am ready not merely to be bound, but even to die for the name of the Lord Jesus.'"
Shukov gazed at the celiing in silence. Now he didn't know either whether he wanted freedom or not. At first he'd longed for it. Every night he'd counted the days of his stretch--how many had passed, how many were coming. And then he'd grown bored with counting. And then it became clear that men like him wouldn't ever be allowed to return home, that they'd be exiled. And whether his life would be any better there than here--who could tell?
Freedom meant one thing to him--home.
Alyosha was speaking the truth. His voice and his eyes left no doubt that he was happy in prison.
"You see, Alyosha," Shukov explained to him, "somehow it works out all right for you: Jesus Christ wanted you to sit in prison and so you are--sitting there for His sake. But for whose sake am I here? Because we weren't ready for war in forty-one? For that? But was that my fault?
They're interrupted for a time, but then Ivan continues shortly there after. - Alyosha returned. Impractical, that's his trouble. Makes himself nice to everyone, but doesn't know how to do favors that get paid back.
Denisovich allows the distraction to jolt him out of introspection and writes off what Alyosha had to say because he thinks his impracticality discredits the message. He lets back in the realities of his everyday habits and struggles. Granted these are genuinely what he must face each day, but the message of something greater beyond these toils he cannot bring himself to hope for. He fails to recognize that Alyosha's hope in Christ is the most practical thing of all. "Exactly at the instant when hope ceases to be reasonable it begins to be useful"-GKC
Has our freedom cost us our souls? No one has it truly easy, but for instance relative to those in the gulags and work camps certainly our lives are quite easy. Has our easy living cost us something we didn't even realize we were paying such a high price for? Our constant distractions, busy lives, material possession; have they lessened our focus and our attention on the truly important teachings of Christ?
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”