Hammer on Anvil '

"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD" (Exodus 34:29).

This passage of Scripture was highlighted in an Andrew Murray devotional that I read last week. It was about unbroken fellowship with God through prayer, and how people should be able to sense God's presence in us.

Moses, of course, didn't know his face was "ablaze with light" (International Standard Version) when he came down from the mountain. We, too, will be unaware that God's light is shining from us. But to others, it should be evident.

The question, then, is this: Does YOUR face glow with the presence of God? Or does your countenance reflect a sourness and negativity?

Recently my husband and I went into a Christian bookstore where we trade in books we no longer want, and sometimes purchase others. This particular time, we bought some great used DVDs for our granddaughters.

When we took our sacks of books to the man (I'll call him Bruce) who decides what they're worth, he was pitifully morose. But this is "normal" for him, unfortunately. He works in a Christian bookstore, and he exudes not joy but a spirit of sullen dissatisfaction. He hardly makes eye contact, and can be snippy and unpleasant. I was saddened last year when a friend of mine who is not yet a Christian went in there to look for a Bible. She said the staff there didn't seem to care if they helped her or not, and she turned around and walked out.

This particular visit, I was determined to make Bruce smile. I ducked into the restroom to pray. I asked God to help me view Bruce with compassion, and to put words in  my mouth that would put a smile on Bruce's face.

It took Bruce a while to sort through all our books, during which time we found our DVDs and some other books we wanted to purchase. When we were checking out, I joked with Bruce that he deliberately takes a long time so that we'll buy more of his merchandise. And he DID it! He smiled and even chuckled!

Friends, please don't profess to be followers of Jesus if your countenance says otherwise. How can we hope to attract non-believers and share the hope of the gospel with them if they see nothing attractive about us? I can count on one hand the number of people I know who genuinely exude the joy of the Lord. People are drawn to them like a moth to a flame, because they sense something extraordinary and are curious to find out what that "something" is.

So how do we GET this glowing exterior? It's simple, yet requires a great deal of discipline. It's called 24/7 communion with our Father. Murray explains it like this:

Close and continued prayer fellowship with God will in due time leave its mark and be evident to those around us. When the abiding presence of God's presence has become the aim of the morning hour, then with deep humility and in loving conversation with those around us, we will pass on into the day's duties with the continuity of unbroken fellowship. This continuance of the morning watch can be maintained by quiet self-restraint, by not giving the reins of our lives over to our natural impulses.

It is vital that we begin each day in His presence, brothers and sisters. Remember that in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28), and that without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh and anew each morning, so you will be empowered to do whatever God asks of you. Pray for divine appointments, and opportunities to share the hope of the gospel with others. Take time to quiet yourself before God, and pray for your ears to be attuned to hear His voice throughout the day.

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.

Being a parent has taught me a lot about the character of people and big things in life, but what it has taught about the Heavenly Father is life-changing.

God wants a personal, unique relationship with you. He doesn't want you to be Beth Moore or Billy Graham; He already has relationship with those people. He wants a relationship with you.

Last week I had the honor of going to see Macklemore and Ryan Lewis preform at MSU. I admire Macklemore's words and the album "The Heist" has brought more truth into my life than the last 10 years of "Christian" albums combined.

Now, before you get all hot and bothered about me saying God spoke to me through a "secular" artist, hear me out. God made a burning bush (Exodus 3) and an abused donkey (Numbers 22) speak His message. He says He will make the very rocks cry out to praise Him if we don't (Luke 19), so what makes you think God can't use Macklemore's words to speak truth into my life?

In high school I met a guy, we dated for almost three years. We went everywhere together, including my family's VW bus road trip to the beach. We made plans for life after high school; however, not too long after graduation, we broke up and I was in absolute disarray. My whole life was planned with this guy in mind. For days I sat in my room and played the Smashing Pumpkin's version of Landslide on repeat and wrote tragic poetry. My parents were growing weary of always seeing me mope around and they asked often if there was anything they could do. I just quoted Over The Rhine lyrics to them and went back to moping, writing and lamenting. I was embarrassingly sad.

 Eventually, I began to open up about the hurt and disappointment I had felt. My friends and family listened and tried to comfort my crazy, but I was so wrapped up in my own problems that I lost sight of who I was and what I was becoming. I let hurt turn into bitterness and I was becoming a terrible example of the joy we should have in the Lord. My dad suggested that perhaps I should remove myself from my own dark drama and plug into something that is more illuminating.

These kids were probably fine five minutes later.

That week at church, there was a desperate need for nursery and children's church workers. I signed up and I was promptly placed on rotation to help teach.

My first day on the rotation, a little three-year- old was amazed at the "shine-ees" on my face. He loved to point out my facial piercings and he told me often that he "liked me anyway." I needed to hear that.

The next time I was placed with infants. I snuggled up to a cranky little guy that I was determined to soothe. I prayed, swayed and sang for an over an hour, and eventually he cuddled himself into a nap on my shoulder. I needed to feel that peace after some big fussing.

On my next rotation, I was leading praise for the preschoolers. We set out a box of tiny instruments and we sang, marched and made noise for the Lord. At the end of one song, a robust four-year-old ran up, almost knocking me over. He enthusiastically hugged me and thanked me for being "fun."  When it was time to go, he excitedly told his Mom, "Miss Hannah makes loud like a kid, because she loves Jesus a lot." I needed to hear that Jesus could be seen through my joy and silliness.

During one stormy night at VBS, there was a tornado siren blaring. Instead of panic and chaos, a group of six-year-olds huddled around me and asked if we could pray. We prayed and then lights flickered before going out. A little girl spoke up and said, "Well, since we've already prayed, can I sing you a song I made about a Popsicle? It would be funner than just waiting in the dark." I needed to see that faithfulness in action and joy through patience.

The times I wasn't working, I spent praying and on a mission to renew my spirit. I prayed for fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and hoped that working with these little kids would make me overflowing with childlike faith. Kids, however wild and crazy they can get, are still more loving, joyful, gentle, thankful, patient, peaceful and kind than 90% of the adults I know. Sure, some of them need to work on self-control, but really who doesn't? When they are upset or hurt, they get over it amazingly quick. They do not mope for days. They get up and do something about it. They are resilient like nobody's business. They aren't ashamed to seek help. They don't let disappointment turn into bitterness. If they hurt someone, they are quick to apologize. They are amazed by things we adults scoff at and they find hope and have faith for all things. Even during the roughest times, children will find something to be cheerful about ... and this is the message I needed to witness. This is what Mark 10:13-16 illustrates so clearly. Jesus said we must become like children. At the end of each shift I left thinking, Man, I've got a lot of work to do.

Now, I am still learning to be both mature in faith and childlike in hope, and I still have mopey sad times, but Proverbs 26:11 has already called me out on that. The Proverb says, "As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly." Ew. I want to be fun like a child, but I am real tired of acting like a fool. This is  why I still volunteer for children's ministry at my church and precisely why I cherish it so dearly. It also may stand to reason, also, as to why I tweet so many of my children's, The States', quotes. We all have a lot to learn from children.

So here's your mission, should you choose to accept it: Whatever you are going through, whatever is happening in your life, I want to encourage you to remove yourself from your drama and plug into the Lord. Find something else to do that isn't sitting around and pouting about how things did not turn out the way you had planned. It's fine to feel sad sometimes, but don't be high school Hannah. Find something to be cheerful for, friends. Get out and do something different. I mean, if it is making you so mad/sad/bad and indifferent, change it. And if you can't change it, find something else to focus on.

Friends, you cannot control what happens to you, what others do, or the success of your plans, but you can control your attitude. Today, pray that the Lord ignites childlike faith, wonder and hope in your life.

I would love to hear from you! Have you been renewed by removing yourself from the focus? Do you have verses that helped you through a time you needed hope and peace? Let me know! I would love to rejoice and praise God with you.
 

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 coolest thing about working at the Edge (high- & low-ropes challenge course) was talking people through their fear and do something they wouldn't otherwise do. This could happen on any of the elements, but the zip-lines were the two that you could actually be right behind the person listening and talking to them. Most are just hesitant, but then go on after a few moments. Others take a bit more coaxing, convincing, advising, etc. though never an actual physical push. One such occasion, a boy was on the zip line platform and I was talking to him about going. He was quite fearful and it seemed the longer he took, the more scared he got. The saddest/funniest part was when a well-meaning girl from his youth group shouted up from the ground, "Remember, 'I can do all things..." and the boy shouted "SHUT UP! Just SHUT UP!" We heard this verse quoted a lot at the Edge and elsewhere. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (NKJV)

Like the previous time I talked about My least favorite verse, it is not that I hate or do not believe in the veracity of the verse, but dislike the way it is often mistakenly construed. I heard it the most when I was in high school with FCA. People would say it after they had completed a game or event successfully. At the Edge, people would use it to encourage others to try an element or work through their fear. This is closer to the meaning, but not quite. When we read the verse, we hone in on the "can do all things" when the context of the rest of Paul's letter refers to something else. In the verse just before, Paul says he has learned to be content in any and every situation. A bold statement considering he was in prison at this time. And it is in light of this that the verse gets its true power. It is not the promise of being able to do great things that is big here (though God can work wonders through us if He so chooses). The strength in this verse is knowing that no matter what the circumstances, we still have Christ strengthening us, and so we can withstand it, can still be joyful, etc.