An Instructive Moment About Our Lives

"Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it."

I never understood that until just recently. It's so funny how, when you don't yet know what the words mean, they seem like complete and total gibberish. It's odd that, on first sight, if you never dug for the true meaning or asked anyone the questions, you'd never see the real meaning? It's right there in front of you, yet, it's so easy to miss. It's like God is saying to us, "If you'll just put forth a little effort and I'll share the entire kingdom with you."

Lot's wife couldn't stand the thought of leaving her old life behind. I can understand that. It's a hard thing to do to pack up and leave your life to move halfway across the continent only to start all over again. Ask any kid whose dad is in the military service. Not that much fun being an army brat.

But let's stop and look at the real meaning. What is this really saying? It's saying that if you don't give your life over to Jesus Christ and change yourself from being that of a worthless sinner to that of a Christ follower, you will eventually die - not only a physical death but a spiritual one as well. But, if you are willing to hand your life over to God, mind, body and soul, then you win eternal life and, oh, how that beats ANYTHING you will ever have here!

Now, let me all just freak you out a bit. :-)

Today, I went back to church at 2 pm for our mentoring match-up meeting. This is where they tell the people who want to mentor and the people who want to be mentored what this process is all about. I came pulling into the church parking lot and right behind me came Patti, my new mentee. We walked in the building together and as we did, I said to her, "So, I hear you just got a new job?" She said, "Yes, I'm starting tomorrow. I'm going to be an office manager-type person for an engineering company called CRB."

She had just been hired to do the exact same job that I do - only for one of our competitors.

We sat in the meeting and listened to everything they said, asked questions and filled out all the forms. We told the woman in charge that Shannon had suggested we work together through this next three month period and she said that Shannon had relayed that message to her and that, yes, we would be paired together. When the meeting ended, we headed out the door together.

Patti told me about how many questions she has about God and religion and how she was going to be a royal pain in my backside over the next three months. I laughed. I said, "That's okay. I was a royal pain in Shannon's backside for three months; I guess I got that coming." We stood outside and talked for an hour and a half! We kept finding coincidence after coincidence between our two lives.

I gave her a link to my new website (!) and told her to go over to Faith or Fiction so she could read more about what I went through in order to get to where I am now. We talked about suicide at one point and I said that I had been right on the edge of killing myself just a year ago. I told her, now that I look back, I'm not even that same person anymore. God had transformed me from the inside out and she'd see that when she started reading my old archived entries. She looked at me and said, "Maybe God spared your life so that you'd be here to spare mine?" My entire body broke out in goosebumps...

As we got to our cars in the parking lot, we burst out laughing. We even drive the EXACT same car!

Then I came home and cracked open the book to read today's chapter and I get to the end of the section right before the prayer and it says:

"And remember that one day you will be remembered too. By someone struggling along life's path. By someone groping to find their way. By someone for whom your life has become a parable."

God was there in that room with us today. He was standing there between the two of us in the parking lot outside the church doors, too. He was even with us in the parking lot laughing when we realized we drove the same car. And he is standing here right now watching me break out in goosebumps because I know that in some small way, he DID save my life so that I could help save Patti's.

God help me, I could just burst out crying. I "lost" my life so that Patti might keep hers. Not only that, but now I get to pay back Ken for what he gave to me.

I need all three of you to promise me that over the next three months, every time you think of me, that you'll stop and say a little prayer for me and Patti. She's questioning and wondering but she can't quite buy into this all yet.

It just keeps sneaking up on me that she's me - she's just a year behind. Wow...

(There goes those goosebumps again!)

Instructive Moment About Death

The words that intrigue me the most are these: Death. It is the most misunderstood part of life. it is not a great sleep but a great awakening... (we) see things at last the way God has seen them all along.

Every once in a while I get that sense... Brushes with the Holy Spirit, where I see things differently, and imagine that the new way I'm seeing then is closer to the way God sees. I wish those times came more often, but they are scary. This story is scary. There's no redemption for the selfish rich man. There's no redemption for his family left behind. The one time when he actually thinks about someone besides himself... that request is refused as well.

There are many levels to this parable... the obvious reference to Jesus' own death and resurrection is apparent: "Neither will they be convinced if someone rises from the dead." And it's so true. We just can't seem to learn from other people's mistakes or successes. Living a peaceful, comfortable, even luxurious life is a good thing, or so it seems. Our advertising certainly promotes the virtues of the affluent lifestyle. "VISA... it's everywhere you want to be."

The prayer echoes Gire's insight about death. The problem is it ends on a somewhat false conclusion... "if I do something for the least of these..." what does that imply? That as long as I've met my quota of ONE who is the least of these, I'm cool? I can accept that my lifestyle is in line with God's will. I was kind to a homeless man and gave him a dollar. I didn't need to give him five dollars, he might have used it to buy drugs. I'm cool. I visited some stranger on my way to a friend in the hospital, I'm cool. I wrote a letter to some guy in prison. I'm cool. The only point I'm making here (for myself) is that it's very easy to justify how little I actually do for the poor, by saying I did it for one.

An Instructive Moment about Death (Luke 16:19-31)

"Death. It is the most misunderstood part of life. It is not a great sleep but a great awakening. It is that moment when we awake, rub our eyes, and see things at last the way God has seen them all along." ~Gire, Moments with the Savior, pg 257.

Christ taught that in Hell, the wicked suffer terribly, are fully conscious, retain their desires and memories and reasoning, long for relief, cannot be comforted, cannot leave their torment, and are bereft of hope (Luke 16:19-31). He could not have painted a more bleak or graphic picture. And, just how long will Hell last? Christ said they "will go away to eternal punishment" but "the righteous to eternal life" (Matthew 25:46). In the same sentence, Christ uses the same word translated "eternal" (aionos) to describe the duration of both Heaven and Hell. The biblical teaching on both destinations stands or falls together.

Let me be the first to admit that if Scripture were not so clear and conclusive, I would certainly not believe in Hell. Trust me, trust me, when I tell you I do not want to believe in it...at.all. However, if I make what I want, or what others want, the basis for my beliefs, then I am a follower of myself and my culture, not a follower of Christ.

The most basic truth is that there are only two possible destinations after death. They are Heaven and Hell. Each is just as real and just as eternal as the other. Many believe it is more humane and compassionate to deny the existence of an eternal Hell, but in fact it is arrogant that we, as creatures, would dare to take what we think is the moral high ground in opposition to what God the Creator has clearly revealed. I think that we don't want to believe that others deserve eternal punishment, because if they do, then so do we. But really, if we we understood God's nature and our own nature, we would be shocked, not that some people could go to Hell, but that anyone would be permitted into Heaven. By denying the endlessness of Hell, we minimize Christ's work on the cross. Why? Because we lower the stakes of redemption. If Christ's crucifixion and resurrection didn't deliver us from an eternal Hell, His work on the cross is less, less potent, less consequential, and therefore, less deserving of our worship and praise. Satan obviously had motives for fueling our denials. His biggest desire is for unbelievers to reject Christ without fear; he desires Christians to be unmotivated to share Christ, and he wants God to receive less glory for the radical nature of Christ's redemptive work.

Jesus asks a haunting question in Mark 8:36-37, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

For me, I choose to believe what God says. In my way of thinking, I figure He knows tons more than I do or than I ever will. He is infinite and I am finite. I'll believe what God says. In fact, I'll trust my eternal destination to Him.

An Instructive Moment about Death

Man, the one day I don't get my home work done early and everyone shows up for the party!

Okay, I haven't read all the other posts yet and I don't have my book with me and man, am I frazzled from work (I HATE Fridays!) but here goes...

I don't care who you are - if you can walk by a dying man and not give a fig - whether you know him or NOT - you are more dead than he is!

Okay, heaven and hell...

Do I believe in heaven and hell? Yes, I do.

Do I believe that there are different "levels" to hell? Yes, I really do. I think there is a hell for those who don't come to know God before they die but who were, otherwise, wonderful, beautiful people. I think there is another hell for those who turn their backs on other people; who commit genocide and infanticide and so on and so forth. And I think there is another level of hell for those who dabble in the occult and give Satan room to come into this earth and do His damage. Those people I think are the ones who are going to get the full meaning of "gnashing of teeth."

As for heaven. I take the bible literally but I don't think any human can begin to describe what heaven will be or will look like. I think it is going to be so much more than we can emotionally or physically imagine that is almost silly to even try to describe it. What's funny is the way we think the streets will be lined with gold and the sun will be out all the time, etc. Like we'll notice ANY of that? I have a suspicion the only thing we'll see is HIM.

Okay! That's going to have to do for today!

An Instructive Moment About Death

how interesting that our last discussion starting over Lazarus should be helped along by the story of another Lazarus - the very one that has seen the things we were discussion, even though it is just a parable...

Gire brought out a good point that the rich man knew Lazarus' name, he wasnt just a random beggar that he barely knew.... which makes me think that Jesus was implying that it doesnt take us being "nice" on just a large scale, but rather a more personal one.... we all know people that are hurting, what are we doing to alleviate that?

For me, this was a good lesson b/c alot of times I get caught up in the big picture - how am I supposed to help a bunch of people I dont know - isnt that dangerous anyway.... I think I just need to stay in my comfort zone..... and with that, I also forget about all the people I know personally that are hurting and lonely... how long is our prayer list at church - how many of those people are on it every week.... how many people are not on that list but are still hurting? And how often am I missing out on an opportunity to serve?

More often than I care to admit, I am the rich man. Caring more for myself than the ones sitting right outside my door...

*on a sidenote: I was really wanting to send Micah's family (the baby who just passed away) something, but have absolutely no idea what to send as I dont know them personally, even though Ive fallen in love with them.... do you have any ideas, or should I just not send anything?

Incredible Moment with Lazarus

This is one of those times when Gire and I part ways on interpretation. While I do believe Jesus knew the gist of all that was going on, I've never been convinced he was sure of all the details. I think he trusted God to fill in the blanks, and this was one of those times. He knew Lazarus was dead and he was going to Bethany to work a mighty miracle... I'm not sure he knew how mighty it would have to be... to raise someone four days dead.

Everyone else he had raised had been fresh. Now he was going to deal with rotting tissue, brain damage, collapsed blood vessels. No wonder he was troubled. But the fact that he courageously gave it over to God to handle all those "little" details, is for me, a greater miracle. Yes, he was the Son of God. But that same Son later asked that the cup of suffering might pass him by, and that request was not granted. How did he know God would grant this one? I don't believe he knew for sure. But as he had told so many of the people he had healed "your faith has made you well", HIS faith now worked on the same principle. God granted the request. Lazarus awoke.

An Incredible Moment with Lazarus

Okay, somebody help me out here before I get into the meat and potatoes of this story.

I thought the Mary that put the perfume on Jesus' feet was Mary Magdalene? In this chapter, Gire is saying it is Mary of Mary and Martha. Am I missing something??? So, am I at least right that it was Mary Magdalene and Jesus' mother, Mary, that were the two Mary's at Jesus' crucifixion? If so, where was Mary and Martha then? (Don't you think they would have been there?) Or would that have simply put too many Mary's in one place??? Somebody give these women middle names so I can keep them all straight!

On to the chapter...

Gire writes:

"Why then does the sight of the tomb trouble him? Maybe the tomb in the garden is too graphic a reminder of Eden gone to seed. Of Paradise lost. And of the cold, dark tomb he would have to enter to regain it."

I'm sorry, but I don't think it's any of those things. I see a man who knows he is about to bring a friend back to life but, at the same time, knows that this friend has died while he was away.

Think about it. If you could bring back someone you loved, would it erase the pain you felt when you initially lost them? No, it wouldn't. You can't take back that depth of pain. You can't forget that heartache. Even if you could turn it all around as Christ was about to do, I think he would still feelt what all men feel - that horrible, terrifying, dizzying sense of loss. Before Jesus can bring Lazarus back from the DEAD he has to first realize and process that his friend IS dead - hence, the weeping.

It is this crying that makes me realize that they didn't all just fake Lazarus' death to make Jesus look good. This was no magician pulling another great prank. This is Jesus going back to resurrect a friend that had actually died - and had died while he intentionally stayed away.

I'm pretty sure you all have heard me talk about my friend, Jack, before. He battled cancer for three years and died at the age of 26. He died the day I left on a 4-day trip to the Bahamas and he was buried a half-day before I returned. I missed his death. I missed his burial. And when I got home and found out that he had died I thought I was going to go break in two. But - when I realized he died without me by his side - breaking in two would have been a step up. I didn't break in two...

I completely shattered.

It is Jesus' reaction to closing in on the tomb of Lazarus that convinces me like no other place in the bible that Jesus was both man and God at the same time. The God in him knew he was going to raise his friend from the dead but the man in him knew his friend had died - and, what's worse, he died without him.

How can you explain his reaction except to say that this man was God and man simultaneously? He wept and then he saved him.

I grew up thinking that God stood back and watched us all - putting different circumstances before us to see how we would react - manipulating us to get us over to His side. I never knew about the side of God that cried for us. That saved each and every prayer we ever wrote to Him. That would be able to recall every time we ever sang His praises or glorified Him.

I always thought that I had cried alone for Jack.

But, once Julie D. explained the story of the Prodigal Son to me, that's when I knew who God really was - that as soon as my heart completely and totally emptied out all of its pain and pride and stubborness, God instantly rushed in to fill it up with His love so the other stuff would have no place to come back to - there would be no room for them now. But it was in her explanation that He saw me coming towards Him in that moment and that He RAN to me - RAN TO ME - that changed who God was in my life.

In some weird way, I knew that fact twas true the very moment that she said it because I knew that it was true the night this all happened. In my total state of despair, pills in hand and ready to give up, I could hear God's thunderous footsteps roaring across heaven to catch me once my heart had finally opened up to Him in the minute before all this. Can you imagine? God running to YOU? To catch YOU? To save YOU? You, who had squandered the better part of 45 years of life putting yourself above Him? And He still hears your cries and runs to YOU?

If you can believe that, then you can certainly see why the one who would raise Lazarus from the dead would also weep in grief for his long devoted friend.

That's how deep His mercy goes. That's how forgiving His character is. That's how much He loves us.

An Incredible Moment with Lazarus

This story was just part of our Sunday School lesson on Sunday about prayer, and it was about the person who brought Jesus the message of Lazarus' sickness....

I think, for me, the most intriguing part of the story are Martha's words, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." Then Jesus tells her, "Your brother will rise again." And then she answers him back, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

I am puzzled by the part of "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask" - to me, it sounds like she is asking Jesus to bring Lazarus back, what else would she want Jesus to ask God for, but when Jesus tells her this is what He has planned, she doesnt seem to understand.... she seems to have the faith when it comes to the words, but not her heart (oh how I relate)

next we see Mary, I find it interesting that the only place we ever see Mary is at Jesus' feet - listening, washing his feet with perfume, and now grieving.... how I wish I could relate to Mary more on this point

and then we have Jesus crying... Gire makes it out to be like he was mourning Lazurus' death, and I suppose He could have been... but more than for Lazarus' death, I think Jesus was crying for the rest of the people left - at their unbelief and their grief... when you love someone, it is hard not to be moved by their pain, even if you know that it will end in joy.... I have a hard time going to funerals or hospitals myself b/c even if I barely know the people grieving, it just knocks me off my feet every time.... I think Jesus cried more than the Bible reveals, and I do think like Gire that it is amazing that my God would cry... how tender and loving must this Diety be....

An Incredible Moment with Lazarus (John 11:1-44)

This is another one of my favorite passages in Scripture. Maybe because of the certain hope it shows me. Truly it shows me a life regiven. In fact, this will be a difficult post because I have so much to share. To condense it down, well, I'll give it my best shot. May my recall be poor! ;D

Lazarus and Jesus' relationship must have been very, very close. Lazarus must have been a very special man, and not just to his sisters. He was dearly loved. The message sent by his sisters sums it up clearly, "Lord, the one you love is sick" (John 11:3, emphasis mine). I'm sure everyone, Lazarus' sisters and the disciples, thought that Jesus would get there in time to heal him. After all, Christ said to the disciples, "this sickness will not end in death" (John 11:4). However, God had something far more significant in store.

I'm sure if we had our own way we would just rather life functioned like a dot-to-dot drawing. Where all we needed to do was to go to each dot in the order they are meant. We have a sense of what the picture will be but the details don't fully emerge until all the dots are connected. But, that isn't the way God works, is it? God's will doesn't always proceed in a straight line. I don't always see a clear connection between point A and point B. Isn't it neat how God wraps up my good with your good and the good of both of us with the good of others? The plot lines of our individual stories weave together to form Him master plan. I guess what I'm trying to say is each of our stories matter to Jesus, just as the individual stories of Mary, Martha and Lazarus mattered to Him.

Why would Jesus allow such sorrow to come to a family who loved Him so much? Why would He withhold His power to heal when He had healed so often before? We are not guaranteed any explanations however, we are given a promise: "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

For me, I tend to want rational reasons for everything. But, I have found out that God's love sometimes tarries for our good and His glory. Think of the blind man and the rabbis questioning of Jesus who had sinned, this man or his parents? Because of a fallen world, a man was born blind. But because of that man, Jesus Christ was glorified. We are cherished and highly loved.

Another lesson from Lazarus that I pull out is God's ways are not our ways, but His character is still dependable. If anyone is struggling to hang on in the midst of a difficult circumstance, let me gently remind you to go back to what you know about God. Open the Bible and find scriptures to cling to. Scriptures which reveal the heart and faithfulness of God. Remind yourself that God is your strength. He is your source of comfort. If someone is struggling to trust God, then it may be because you don't really know God. Questions will always arise out of our lives. The answers are always found in Him and His Word.

The whole emphasis in chapter 11 of John is on faith; I find some form of the word believe at least eight times in this account. Another theme is "the glory of God" (John 11:4, 40). In what Jesus said and did, He sought to strengthen the faith of three groups of people...the disciples, the sisters and the Jews.

The time line is interesting in this account. One day a messenger arrived with the sad news that Lazarus was sick. The messenger would have made the trip in one day if he had traveled fast. Jesus sends the man back with the encouraging message in John 11:4. Then Jesus waited two more days before He left for Bethany; and by the time He and His disciples arrived, Lazarus had been dead for four days. This means that Lazarus had died the very day the messenger left to contact Jesus!

Think what the message would convey to the sisters who are now grieving. Jesus was urging them to believe His Word no matter how discouraging the circumstances might appear. God's love for His own is not a pampering love; it is a perfecting love. After all, the Father loves His Son and yet the Father permitted His beloved Son to drink the cup of sorrow and experience the shame and pain of the Cross. When we find ourselves confronted by disease, disappointment, delay, and even death, our only encouragement is the Word of God. We must live by faith and not by sight.

What about our Lord's delay? Jesus wasn't waiting for Lazarus to die for he was already dead. Jesus lived on a divine timetable (v 9) and He was waiting for the Father to tell Him when to go to Bethany. The fact that Lazarus had been dead four days gave greater authenticity to the miracle and greater opportunity for people to believe, including His own disciples (v 15).

For the disciples, He did not say He was glad that His friend died, but that He was glad He had not been there. Now, you see, He could reveal to His disciples His mighty power. The result would be glory to God and the strengthening of their faith.

Now, it wasn't just the disciples He was concerned with but also Mary and Martha. I see each experience of suffering and trial ought to be increasing our faith, but this kind of spiritual growth isn't automatic. I believe we must respond positively to the ministry of the Word and the Holy Spirit. You see, Jesus had sent a promise to the two sisters (v.4), and now He would discover how they had received it.

I love how quick Martha was to affirm her faith in Christ (v 22), and Jesus responded by promising her that her brother would rise again. Don't you love it? He was thinking of the immediate situation, but she interpreted His words to mean the future resurrection in the last day. Here is another instance of people lacking spiritual perception and being unable to understand the words of Jesus.

Our Lord's reply is the fifth of the I AM statements. Now, understand that Jesus did not deny what Martha said about the future resurrection but in His I AM statement, the Lord completely transformed the doctrine of the resurrection and, in so doing, brought great comfort to Martha's heart. How He transformed the doctrine of the resurrection is a whole other post. [Aren't you glad? ;) ]

Martha was looking to the future, knowing that Lazarus would rise again and she would see him. Her friends were looking to the past and saying, "He could have prevented Lazarus from dying!" But do you see Jesus? He tried to center their attention on the present: wherever He is, God's resurrection power is available now (Romans 6:4; Gal 2:20; Phil 3:10). Martha did not hesitate to affirm her faith. She used three different titles for Jesus: Lord, Christ (Messiah), and Son of God. The words "I believe" are in the perfect tense, indicating a fixed and settled faith. "I have believed and I will continue to believe!"

But what about Mary? Mary is found three times in the Gospel record, and each time she is at the feet of Jesus. May I learn to be more like Mary in my every day! She sat at His feet and listened to His word; she fell at His feet and poured out her sorrow; and she came to His feet to give Him her praise and worship. Mary's only recorded words in the Gospels are given in John 11:32 and they echo what Martha had already said.

The Lord's response to Mary's weeping was to groan within and be moved with indignation. Why? I wonder, could it be at the ravages of sin in the world that He had created? Death is an enemy, and Satan uses the fear of death as a terrible weapon (Hebrews 2:14-18). No wonder Jesus was indignant!

I find the mystery of the Lord's incarnation so very interesting as is seen by His question in John 11:34. Jesus knew that Lazarus had died (v 11), but He had to ask where he was buried. Our Lord never used His divine powers when normal human means would suffice. Also, His was a silent weeping, not the loud lamenting done by the other mourners. (The Greek word is used nowhere else in the New Testament.) Do you wonder why He wept at all? Especially since He knew He was going to raise him from the dead? For me, it reveals the humanity of my Savior. In fact, I believe with Him being the perfect God-Man, Jesus probably experienced these things in a deeper way than we do.

Perhaps Jesus was weeping for Lazarus, as well as with the sisters, because He knew He was calling His friend from heaven and back into a wicked world where he would one day have to die again. Jesus had come down from heaven; He knew what Lazarus was leaving behind. The spectators thought His tears showed how He loved Lazarus. Nobody present really expected a miracle!!! Certainly nobody could accuse Jesus of "plotting" this event. The one person who declared her faith was Martha and she failed at the last minute. "Open the tomb??!" Jesus gently reminded her of the message He had sent at least three days before and He urged her to believe it. True faith relies on God's promises and thereby releases God's power. Martha relented, and the stone was rolled away.

Finally, the emphasis is shifted to the spectators who had come to comfort the sisters. Jesus paused to pray and thanked the Father that the prayer had already been heard. When had He prayed? Don't you just love it? He probably prayed when He received the message that His friend was sick. The Father then told Him what the plan was, and Jesus obeyed the Father's will. His prayer now was for the sake of the unbelieving spectators, that they might know that God had sent Him.

I read by some author somewhere that if Jesus had not named Lazarus when He shouted, He would have emptied the whole cemetery! Jesus called "Lazarus" and raised him from the dead. Now think about that. Since Lazarus was bound, he could not walk to the door of the tomb; so God's power must have carried him along.

Isn't this experience of Lazarus a good illustration of what happens to a sinner when he trusts the Saviour? Lazarus was dead, and all sinners are dead. He was decayed, because death and decay go together. All lost people are spiritually dead, but some are more "decayed" than others. No one can be "more dead" than another.

He was raised from the dead by the power of God, and all who trust Christ have been given new life and lifted out of the graveyard of sin (John 5:24). Lazarus was set free from the grave clothes (Col 3:1ff) and given new liberty. We find him seated with Christ at the table (John 12:2), and all believers are "seated with Christ" in heavenly places (Eph 2:6), enjoying spiritual food and fellowship.

Wow! Because of the great change in Lazarus, many people desired to see him; and his "living witness" was used by God to bring people to salvation (John 12:9-11). There are no recorded words of Lazarus in the Gospels, but his daily walk is enough to convince people that Jesus is the Son of God. Some did believe but, of course, there were some who reported what had happened in Bethany. These "informers" were so near the kingdom, yet there is no evidence that they believed. If the heart will not yield to truth, then the grace of God cannot bring salvation.

Chapter 11 reveals the deity of Jesus Christ and the utter depravity of the human heart. Miracles certainly reveal the power of God, but of themselves they cannot communicate the grace of God. Now we can look back in history during which man would do his worst and yet, God, would give His best!!!

Puzzle Pieces

Addie's comments today about our "styles" of posting here at CCC made me remember that CJ and I were talking about this a week or so ago. I told her that whenever God brings a new person into my life I always wonder to myself, "What is it that this person is going to teach me or give to me that I don't already have?" I know he's dropping them in my lap for a reason so I look forward to seeing how all the pieces of my relationship with them are going to come together.

I know we've all probably noticed how much our writing here has changed since we first we started this bookclub. At first we were kind of staunch and proper - analyzing things like we were being graded on them. Little by little, we grew to know we were going to be accepted no matter what we found waiting for us in each chapter and we began to let our guard down some. CJ and I shared about our friends that had died of AIDS. Addie came out with her personal revelations about living with OCD and being pregnant (!!!) and Claire has talked about her mom and her relationship with Jesus...

In other words, we went from being four strangers to being four friends.

I think if you had put the four of us in a room and we didn't know anything about each other other than we are all Christians, we would have been hard pressed to find something in common, but look at us now! He's grown us into a group of women that really care about and learn from each other. We're experiencing viewpoints that are outside our normal "comfort zone" and looking at things from a whole new perspective - even if we decide to stick with what we felt and believed before we had a particular discussion. These entries have stretched our minds, our hearts and our imaginations and - most importantly - I think they've helped to stretch our faith a bit, too.

So, now I know why you are all here with me. CJ pushes me to see outside the box. Claire teaches me things I might never learn for years yet with her unbelievable catalog of knowledge! Addie shows me what it's like to see the world through the eyes of someone that has never been unaware of God's presence in her life and how she can still be challenged to grow - even after all this time. These are all three perspectives of life with God I never would have had before I "met" you all. I think it's incredible that He uses us to connect to Him and, in doing so, connect to one another.

Maybe we should rename the blog "Pieces of the Puzzle?" :-)

An Instructive Moment about our Father (Luke 15:1-3,11-32)

I wish Gire had included the other two parables but I understand that would have made this chapter way too long. However, all three parables teach the same thing which is God is vitally concerned with the repentance of sinners. But the story about the prodigal son goes beyond the other two parables, applying the truth to the situation in which Jesus found Himself; being accepted by the outcasts of society while being rejected by the religious leaders.

Let's face it, the religious leaders were disgusted that Jesus associated with those people who were thought of as hopeless and, that dirty word, "sinners."

Some people I know view these parables as teaching a believer's restoration to fellowship with God. I prefer a different understanding, which I hope I will support. I believe it teaches that lost people, (i.e., people who are not believers) can come to Christ. This view seems to be supported for two reasons.

1) Jesus was speaking to Pharisees who were rejecting the message of the kingdom. Their objection was that sinners were coming to Jesus and believing His message. In no way could these two groups be adequately represented in the prodigal parable if the point of the parable is a restoration to fellowship by a believer.

2) Verse 22 indicates that the son who came back received a new position which he did not have before. The Jews were God's "children" in the sense that they had a special covenant relationship to Him. But each individual still had to become a believer in God. It was their responsibility to accept the message Jesus was preaching...that He was the Messiah and that He would bring in the kingdom for the nation.

The main point of it all, to me at least, is the sinners with whom Jesus was associating were extremely valuable to God and that He is inviting all people to enter the kingdom.

In the parable of the prodigal the contrast between the father's two sons is the point of the parable I see.

The younger son requested his part of the inheritance and went away and squandered it by living a life that was wild, with seemingly no restrictions...anything goes, so to speak. It's interesting that the son asked his father for his share, thereby initiating the act. This shows an arrogant disregard for his father's authority. As the older brother pointed out, he involved himself with prostitutes. Now, Jesus had been criticized for associating with sinners. The sinners were considered people who were far away from God, squandering their lives in riotous living. In contrast with the younger son, you see the older son who remained with their father and didn't engage in such 'practices.'

When the famine occurs is probably my favorite part of this parable because it shows how the Lord uses the "negatives" in our lives (at least what we perceive as being negatives). Because of the famine, the younger son ran out of money. This in turn required him to go to work for a foreigner, feeding pigs. Feeding pigs was detestable to a Jew. He was so hungry he longed to eat the pods which were fed to the pigs. He really couldn't have stooped any lower as a Jew. During this 'rock bottom' time he decides to return home to his father. Even the servants were treated better. If he could just be treated as one of them he would be much better off than he was right then.

I love the section where the father sees the son a long way off. He is so full of compassion for his son, he ran to him and embraced him. There follows a great celebration...another one of those banquets (are we getting the message yet ladies?). Look what the father gives to the son...a new position, a robe, a ring and sandals. Remember Friday's story? Jesus used a banquet there to symbolize the coming kingdom so I think Jesus' use of another banquet is intentional. The people listening would immediately recognize the significance of this feast. Sinners (whom the young son symbolized) were entering into the kingdom because they were coming to God. They believed they needed to turn to Him and be forgiven by Him.

But let's look at the older brother. To me, his attitude describes the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. They had the same attitude toward the sinners as the older brother and toward his younger brother. He comes home from the fields and finds out what is happening which, in turn, causes him to be angry. Similarly the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were angry with the message Jesus was out proclaiming. The didn't like the idea that people from outside their nation as well as outcasts and sinners were to be a part of the kingdom. Just like the older son refused to go to the party, the Pharisees refused to enter the kingdom Jesus offered to the nation.

Jesus ate with the Pharisees as well as sinners. He didn't desire to exclude the Pharisees and teachers of the Law from the kingdom. The message He preached was an invitation to everyone.

The older brother was angry because he had never been given a feast. He saw all the years that he had been doing right by his father. Aren't his words interesting? "Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends" (Luke 15:29). Those words betrayed the fact that the older brother thought he had a relationship with his father, not out of love, but out of a desire for reward. He even thought of himself as being in bondage to his father. I find that very interesting, personally.

I like how the father pointed out that the older son had had the joy of being in the house all the time. Now he should rejoice with the father at his brother's return. When the father says in verse 31, "Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours," suggests to me the religious leaders privileged position as members of God's Chosen People. They were the recipients and guardians of the covenants and the Law (Romans 3:1-2; 9:4). Rather than being angry they should rejoice that others were joining them and would then be part of the kingdom.

May I rejoice just as greatly over the repentance of a sinner. May I welcome them with open arms, trusting in the work which Christ has accomplished in their life. May I reach out in fellowship, making them feel welcome into the family of God. After all, we will be with them for eternity....let's begin on the right foot.

Instructive Moment About Our Father

This is one of the first meditations that Gire has written that's actually given me new insight into the story of the Prodigal Son. (And I've read literally hundreds of pages about this parable and heard countless sermons.) I never thought of the older son as an analogy for the Pharisees... waiting just outside the doorstep.What a slap that must have been. Yet it's true. The father could have just as easily said "Fine, don't come in and join the party. Sit out there and sulk." He didn't do that.

This story touches each one of us in different ways at different times: I can see myself as both the prodigal and the goody-two-shoes, depending on what day it is. I've related to the jealousy and indignation of the older child, the total unfairness of the father's response to his younger son's return... and I can especially relate to the selfishness and need for freedom of the younger. I can only occasionally relate to the utter joy and forgiveness of the Father in all of this. Yet there have been times when, as a mother, I have quit resenting certain omissions in my sons' behavior and just loved them for who they were.

An Instructive Moment About Our Father

I know most people relate to the prodigal in this story more than the other, but I always relate more to the older brother. Still do, alot.

It took me forever to understand that there was anything wrong with how the older brother acted. Why shouldnt he be mad? No one even bothered going and getting him out of the field to tell him his brother was home. They didnt even wait for him for the party. And then they want him to go in and be happy?

Guess you can tell Im the older child. Im the good one, the smart one, the pretty one... the responsible one. My sister is the baby. She was born 3 months premature. She always seemed to have it easy. They cuddled and coddled her. There were no high expectations. I could never understand why if I did everything right, I got (what seemed like then) such minimal praise b/c that was what was expected of me, but if my sister did anything remotely right, it was highly celebrated.

Maturity and becoming a parent myself has prevailed. I can see now what the big deal was, and how selfish I was at the time as well. But.... as human nature sometimes does, those thought still sneak up on me every once in awhile, when I read this story.

I guess that is also why Ive thought of myself more of a Pharisee than a prodigal in the church sense too... I was saved very young, grown up in church, in a Christian home and a Christian school. I never really had the chance to rebel, nor really wanted it. I enjoyed being the good one. But it also made me prideful in my knowledge. Still does at times. I still work to break those chains of bondage of religion.

*You know it just occured to me that starting this book club we all had alot of the same ways of writing and takes on the stories... we all have developed very specific ways of posting.... mine always seem to be very personal and how they relate to the past or present for me, Claire gives a wonderful insight into the story itself and all the little history points that most of us didnt know, CJ usually thinks outside the box and gives a totally fresh approach, and Julie puts its all out there from the viewpoint of a person on fire and a new Christian....

** also I must admit that this probably is not one of my best entries... my heart and mind are somewhere else today.... one of the babies that I pray for passed away yesterday, and he was starting to really show signs of improvement, so I am sincerely grieving today for him and his family (a mother, father and older brother about 3)... please pray for Micah's family, this will be a hard struggle for them, I am so thankful that they are so close to God right now....

An Instructive Moment About Our Father

Julie D., over at "The Happy Catholic" was the first one to make me understand what had happened to me during my conversion back to God. I couldn't really make sense of what had happened to me and I also couldn't understand why He would take me back after 25 years of turning my back on Him.

She did it by telling me the story of the Prodigal Son.

And then, it clicked - It all clicked. Everything in my world just tumbled into place.

So, as you can imagine, I'm a bit emotional about this one parable. :-)

Mercy and grace. Are there two better words in the entire human language? (Okay, I'll give you the word love but only because it is the source where mercy and grace originate from.)

That God would take me back after all the disrespect and sin and deceiving I did is truly a perfect example of mercy. That He did it and then said, "Here, I'm also going to point you to a great church community full of people who love you and then I'll bless your writing and surround you with wonderful Christian bloggers; oh and why don't you take a new puppy while you're at it..." Well, that's the perfect example of grace. It's the same as the story of the Prodigal Son except I am the Prodigal daughter (so I got a puppy instead of a robe!)

However, my favorite line of the prayer this time was:

"I confess there is inside me not only a prodigal son, but also a critical older brother."

It's a great reminder that, although we are God's chosen ones, we must never act like we are better or more deserving than anyone else because we aren't. We are still sinners. We are still critical. We are still judgmental. We are still way short of whoever God has planned for us to be. We must strive to keep our hearts open and remember that anyone outside the flock could be the next prodigal son about to return to our Father and our family. We are no better. We are no worse.

We all just are.

And we are because of God's love for mercy and grace...

Instructive Moment About Mercy

"The world would be a wasteland" say Gire, without the river of mercy. Yet on our planet there are still many wastelands. Our Western lifestyle not only allows them, it promotes them. Our American Dream is realized at the expense of everyone we exploit to achieve it. Half of us don't know the half of what we do to exploit others... it's covered up, given a fresh spin, justified with all the same excuses the banquet host was given. We are too busy buying and selling, celebrating our blessedness to look around at the wilderness of poverty in our own back yards. Our mercy trickles like a leaky water faucet. God may break the pipes and make it gush when we least expect it...

An Instructive Moment About Mercy

this is one of those parables that I feel like one of the disciples on, I mostly just dont get it or really how to apply it.... I mean I get the whole thing about healing on the sabbath, and not always trying to be first, but throwing a banquet for the people in need?

I get that you are supposed to help the people who are down, and love the unlovable, and feed the hungry, etc, and also, that that is who is going to make up the kingdom of heaven... but I dont get the part about throwing them a banquet here on earth - does that mean just showing them love? inviting them to be a part of the whole? making them feel like they belong?

how do you apply that to today's day and time? Its not really safe to go around inviting people you dont know into your home... Its not exactly socially sound to bring food to people in the hospital you dont know?

I know Im probably missing the whole point, but I guess though thats part of being a Christian though, is always learning....

An Instructive Moment about Mercy (Luke 14:1-24)

This passage of Scripture is excellent in showing the difference in being "religious" (which there are many) as opposed to being in a relationship (which there are few). So often the religious are doing things to look good to man and to God. They are earning points, so to speak, to get that invitation into heaven. So sad. They totally miss the point that the good works are a result of a heart full of gratitude to God because He has already saved me, justified me, adopted me into His family. I love Him and wish to show my love for all He has done for me freely by His grace.

An inheritance in the Kingdom of God is not given on the basis of our works or righteousness. An inheritance in the Kingdom of God is the gift of God given to undeserving people simply because it is God's purpose to demonstrate His love and mercy in doing so (Ephesians 2:7).

In the banquet parable this person was assuming that he and the other people present would all be present in the kingdom. [I think we will be so surprised when we arrive!] Jesus took the opportunity to explain that many of the people there would not be present in God's kingdom. There would be not only many outcasts but Gentiles as well.

This parable reinforces His previous teaching that He would abandon Jerusalem (Luke 13:34-35). The people who originally had been offered a share of the kingdom had rejected it, so now the message was going to go out to others including Gentiles. The excuses seemed good, of paramount importance, to the ones who gave them, but in all actuality, they were inadequate for refusing Jesus' kingdom offer. Nothing was so important as accepting His offer of the kingdom, for one's entire destiny rests on his response to that offer.

What a burden to be in a position where one has to strive to gain God's approval, or even worse, once they "have it", they may lose it by not doing all the right things! What a tremendous burden! I know many who are in just that position and my heart goes out to them. I imagine you all know people who are like that, too. These Pharasees who are seeking honor not only from God but from man. I would think they would want to exchange that burden of continually striving after "worthiness" for the worthiness of Jesus Christ.

It's so late now, I have no idea if any of my ramblings even fit in with Gire's chapter. But, it seems like this was being laid upon my heart to share, so share I have. For me, it wasn't so much Gire's take on the chapter this time. In fact, not at all, but I did get a lot out of his prayer.

There are many types of hunger out there. It doesn't always deal with food. There is the hunger for human touch, for acceptance. There is hunger to just be acknowledged as a human being with worth. Hunger comes in the desire to be fed out of God's Word, maybe someone who cannot read would like the joy to be revealed to them. "Help me to see the landscape of your kingdom in the background," Gire says. He finishes with, "Melt my heart so I could be a river of mercy in their lives."

Lord, all I can say is Amen. Here I am, use me.

An Instructive Moment About Mercy

It always cracks me up when something shows up in my world at the exact time that I need to see/hear/read it most. Funny how that happens, isn't it?

Today, I posted about how I'm great with comments condemning others but not so great at getting off my fat butt and doing the actual work myself. Oh sure, heart condition and all...blah, blah, blah.

And then I read this tonight - about doing for those that can't do for themselves and I don't know - it makes me feel so sad inside. We all talk about helping. Some of us even go out and do it from time to time but a life that is truly "of service?" I fall so short.

And yes, I know...I'm still at that stage where I have my Christian training wheels on but, cripes you guys, it's been a year. And I've done nothing...

Still, there's hope for me. There's hope because I see the handwriting on the wall. I know that serving fancy food at a fancy dinner for my fancy friends is an honor not many people can afford. However, serving food that came from a 5 lb can or a box of something that had to be reconstituted in order to be used would be a dinner that would cost me so much more. It would cost me a piece of my heart while I watch these less fortunate people eat their meal. It would cost me a piece of my pride while I see that they are really no better than I am. It would cost me a piece of my security that this could never happen to me.

It all costs. It's whether I am going to be a follower of Jesus who throws money at a problem or one who gives of herself, instead. I've found my place in this church. Now I need to find my place in this world.

Mercy. I need it just as much as all the homeless people - maybe even more.

Instructive Moment About God's Kingdom

Hey, didn't we already post on this one? Is Gire losing it or is he just lazy? Oh...never mind.

"...the present insignificance of God's kingdom..." now there's a current thought. Just a few days after Easter it's business as usual in the world. The fact is, even people like me... people who believe in the mystery of the sacrifice and the resurrection, can't keep up the pace. The mountaintop experiences give way to the blaahhs. Otherwise we would blaze our physical bodies to cinders standing face to face with God.

Life goes on and we must find our solace in the little things... hoping against hope that they will sprout inside us and grow us spiritually. I liked the prayer: And if it be your will that their conditions continue, give them stronger faith so they may bear their burdens, and stronger friends to bear what they cannot bear themselves. Help me be a stronger friend, O Lord.

An Instructive Moment about God's Kingdom (Luke 13:10-21)

A mustard seed. Something so tiny becoming something so large. Do you know that it took 725-760 mustard seeds to weigh a gram (28 grams equal one ounce)? Can you now envision better just how small that is? Yet, within weeks it becomes the largest of all garden plants. It reaches a height of 12-15 feet in a few weeks.

What a contrast of the insignificant, even enigmatic beginning of God's kingdom, embodied in the presence of Jesus, to the greatness of the end result which will be established at His Second Coming when it will surpass all the earth's kindgoms in power and glory!


Do we think we are insignificant? Do we feel like we have no purpose? That God can't use us? I'm telling you that we do have importance to God. If a person doesn't know Him personally, then He is accutely aware of your need. But, for those of us who do know Him, He has great things planned for us. You and me. Ephesians 2:10, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that would walk in them." We are God's workmanship (work of art, masterpiece). Our salvation is something only God can do. It is His powerful, creative work in us. If God considers us His works of art, we dare not treat ourselves or others with disrespect or as inferior work.

From the mustard seed, Christ moves on to the parable of the yeast in the dough. I love how Gire describes it, "It starts with a little lump of grace hidden within us. And slowly, silently, it permeates our life, lifts it, transforms it." He goes on, "It worked that way for a tax collector in the temple courtyard. And for a prostitute on the street corner. And for this bent-over woman in the synagogue."

To be honest, I don't know if I have ever pondered this parable in this light. So often I have heard of the yeast likened to sin...which can insiduously work in the same way in one's life; slowly, silently, permeating our life. For me to ponder on this in the reverse was quite refreshing.

I like how Gire pointed out that Jesus didn't set out to make a "political" agenda but was content to "plant the tiniest of seeds in the unlikeliest soil, to hide a lump of grace in the life of a nobody." Ladies, those "nobodies" are now somebodies as in you and me.

I cannot think that just because I stay home and don't work outside of my home, I cannot have an impact on the world around me. I most assuredly can. Every single person I come in contact with I can share Christ with them. Verbally? Sometimes, but more often than not it will be in my actions, a smile, a helping hand, a listening ear. The grace which God poured out in me should be like pouring tea into a cup and letting it overflow. It should spill out all around me, touching each person I come in contact with. It may not seem like much. I know when I met Christ personally, November 6, 1972 at 11:30 at night, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be where I am today, be the person He has fashioned me into, having shared Him with countless people...some of whom I won't know about until I go home to heaven. All because of a little bit of grace.... Can any good come out of Nazareth? (John 1:46) Only the very BEST!!!!

An Instructive Moment About God's Kingdom

I didnt get as much out of this lesson as I was hoping - I guess b/c its a continuation of a story that I did get something out of....

the one phrase that did make me stop for a minute was the last line of the prayer. "how invisibly the yeast works, yet how transforming is its power"

I want to be the yeast - the influence that forces people around me to rise up...

I think this is one of the best descriptions of Christianity, at least to me, because I think so many people get confused by the "Christians" who are loud and out there and in your face. Its always the ones that are living their lives righteously and proclaiming their faith through their deeds much more loudly than their words that seem to make the biggest difference. I think its because they dont have to convince people by yelling what their lives are all about - its quite evident. That is who I want to be.

An Instructive Moment About God's Kingdom

"It starts with a little lump of grace hidden within us. And slowly, silently, it permeates our life; lifts it, transforms it."

"Heart by Heart, that's the way the kingdom of God grew. Quietly reaching for the sun. Spreading throughout history so people from every tribe and nation could one day roost in its branches."

"A Mary. A Martha. An old woman with a bent-over back. Expanding, impreceptibly, like a loaf of rising dough...and filling the world with the aroma of freshly baked bread. "

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I really don't know what to say that could possibly mean more than these three statements that Gire came up with - I really don't. For all the stuff he wrote in this book that we all questioned as far as it being scripturally correct, you can't dispute the truth of these three statements.

The first one: "It starts with a little lump of grace hidden within us..." I read that and my heart skipped a beat. (Skipped a beat!) That is exactly how it felt to me. Like, at one point, He slid a lump of grace inside of me and then stood back and waited. Waiting for the darn thing to take root like the mustard seed. Waited for it to get watered on by my tears. Waiting on it to fall on fertile soil and take nourishment from my body. Waited for the lump of grace that I did not earn but got anyway to take hold and choke off all the crap that Satan had been feeding me and that I had been lapping up like a puppy to his mother's teet. It did take root - finally. It did permeate my life. It DID transform me.

The second one: "Heart by Heart, that's the way the kingdom of God grew." Well, of course it did. Because the currency that God deals in is not that of spices or grain or money - but in human hearts. He grew his kingdom the way we grow our 401K's or our stock portfolios. He took a little and turned it into many. One here, one there; building layer upon layer, member upon member. And why did it keep growing so sucessfully? Because when something is right, you know it. People didn't hear Jesus speak or watch him perform his miracles and then go home and say, "Nah...I'm not buying it." They realized its worth and they never looked back.

And the third one: "A Mary. A Martha. An old woman with a bent over back." I instantly changed the wording in my head mid-sentence...

An Addie. A Claire Joy. A Julie and a Claire. Filling the world with the aroma of freshly baking bread. I only have one more thing to say...

You all bring out the yeast in me - and I couldn't love you more.

Incredible Moment with a Bent-over Woman

It feels weird to be posting about Jesus in the synagogue the day after Easter. That was then. This is now. He died, he rose, he's on his way to Galilee to cook fish... what's he doing back in the synagogue?

But the whole point of Gire's meditation was not lost on me: too often we stay stuck in a Good Friday world... where there is no room for miracles, or bold belief in the Good News of the resurrection. In this way we are all bent low to the ground, shuffling through our daily grind, hoping for, but not really believing in, a change of heart in ourselves or our fellow man. Oh that we really were resurrection Christians...

An Incredible Moment with a Bent-Over Woman

now, I could draw out the comparisons between the womans physical state and our spiritual state but I wont b/c thats too easy and it didnt outright speak to me, even though it is a very viable comparison...

what stood out for me is Jesus calling her up in front of everyone and how embarrassing this must have been, and yet - she didnt hold back, she went up in faith and received a huge blessing because she obeyed...

now let me compare myself to this woman.... how many times have I NOT obeyed simply because I thought God was asking too much, I was too embarrassed to receive, or because I just didnt want to - telling myself that it couldnt be God, so I could feel free to ignore that calling.... and how many unbelievable blessings have I talked myself out of as well?

And how often have I been forced to grow like the religious leader? You know, for forever I saw the church as a holy place which should be respected, and I got so anxious with the kids crawling all over the altar rail - shouldnt their parents be controling them? God gave me a son to change my mind on that one - he doesnt care about the altar rail or what it is supposed to be used for, he likes to hold on to it and climb up on the ledge so he can see the preacher when he does childrens church - its a place of joy for him - and I never understood this until I let go of the "religion" of that spot and opened up my eyes to what all it can mean... although, dont get me wrong, I still think of the church as a holy place, and I think kids should be taught the reverence of things, but when I only concentrate on the rituals & traditions of things, I tend to miss the greater joys and blessings

Another thing that rang true for me was the prayer and how I could think of someone easily who fit the description given.... "all those who are in some way bent low... bodies are bent... imprisoned between the rails of hospital beds... confined to wheelchairs... the crippled... the bedridden... the young whose bodies have stolen away their childhood... the elderly whose bodies have refused to let them grow old gracefully", and it makes me long for the day that all of these physical bodies & ailments will be put to rest, and we shall stand hand in hand, praising God for what He has done....

An Incredible Moment with a Bent-Over Woman (Luke 13:10-17)

This is another episode which demonstrates Jesus' passion. He spent an extraordinary amount of time fulfilling His mission...praying for those who were suffering, including the poor and disenfranchised...but He did so fearlessly, moving in ways that were guaranteed to create opposition. The most notable was His healing people on the Sabbath. He openly broke the law of the Sabbath, as the religious leaders of His day understood its correct observance, and they hated Him for it.

This particular time with the crippled woman who was bent over is a prime example. How easy it would have been for Him to have healed her privately! Instead, He stood her up in the middle of the synagogue. Then He laid His hands on her and at last she was free.

Now, if He did want to heal her publicly, why didn't He wait one more day until the Sabbath was over? After all, she had been that way for years and years, and her arthritis wasn't life threatening. Why risk His life? I bet if He had asked her if she minded waiting one more day, she would probably have agreed. Ordinary people rejoiced when they saw the healing take place, but the religious leaders were furious.

Since people are no longer killed for breaking the Sabbath, it is hard for us to imagine what this experience must have been like for Jesus. Basically, He wasn't just getting into a verbal argument with the synagogue leaders; He was throwing a public challenge in their faces.

And, He did it more than once. Along with the woman set free after 18 years of suffering, the gospels describe four other individuals whom Jesus healed on the Sabbath.

Now, I don't think these particular religious leaders were wicked...they were just dedicated to keeping the Sabbath, as they understood it. They were ready to die in defense of their law, in contrast to Jesus, who was ready to die to break that very same law!

As I looked at and read this story over and over again this week something finally emerged. It was Jesus' mission among the people of the nation to loose them from crippling influences and bring them to uprightness. Here is a very graphic example of Jesus' touch, bringing the woman to a position of uprightness. Jesus healed her by His words and by touching her. Immediately she straightened up and praised God. This act of praising God was the proper response to the work of Jesus. It showed that people were understanding His mission.

Of course, in stark contrast is the religious leader who appealed to the crowd to reject Jesus' miracle. This attitude of his supports what Jesus had already said about religious leaders keeping others from entering the kingdom.

The good news is when Christ returns, He will put an end to all disease and disability. Hallelujah!

***Housekeeping*** Hey Ladies! I will be gone for a doctor's appt this morning and then straight to one of two funerals this week. After that I may be taking my mom out for some errands so I may not be on the computer until later, like early evening. I'll try to get in on any discussion when I pop home to pick up my mother. With it snowing tomorrow she may decide to stay home, in which case I'll be online in the afternoon. Now, don't go getting all wild in the commenting with me not here to participate!!! ;D Lol!

An Incredible Moment with a Bent-Over Woman

I have to admit, this is the first time I've run into this particular story. It was kind of fun to get to see one for the very first time with no pre-conceived notions already built up in my brain.

I think the best line (from a writer's standpoint anyway) was:

"Such an ironic picture. The sudden flexibility of the woman's physical posture juxtaposed to the rigidity of the religious leader's spiritual posture."

Ohhh...that's good!

But right below it was my moment to agree with Gire when he writes:

"Why is it that so often the most religious are the most resistant to the power of God? Is their theology so neatly boxed that there is no room for miracles? Is their order of service so structured that there is no room to be surprised by the spontaneity of a supernatural God?"

Ya gotta know I had a nice little chuckle after reading that one. :-)

But, of course, it was the prayer that stirred up all the emotion in me. Ii never used to understand why it was so all fire important for someone to dress up my grandmother, load her into her wheel chair and go to all the trouble to drive her to church so she could sit and stare at things. I really didn't get it.

I get it now.

I thirst to be in church so much that sometimes I want to just go and sit in the empty auditorium just to be inside His house. I'm overjoyed on the weeks when we have a mid-week service because it means I don't have to go a whole week to be back in that building with those people and that music. I crave it now. And now I understand why it was so important to my grandmother as well as all the other older and/or infirmed people that attend my church services. Now I see how they must struggle to bathe, to get dressed, to get someone to take them...now I see. Now I know. Now I understand.

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Okay, time to give you all a good laugh...

Yesterday at church, Pastor actually quoted from my Stations of the Cross writings in his sermon. It was from the one where I wrote:

Every Christian asks the question and every Christian makes a choice. Was He who He said He was? Did this happen as they say? Did God take on the form of man and come to live among us? Did He purchase our salvation with His blood? Did He atone for all our sin through his death upon the cross? Did he rise up from the grave?

Then he said "A very wise woman once wrote:"

"We need to understand that asking all these questions does not make us skeptics – instead, they are what makes us into Christians, for no where else does our faith matter more than at this exact point in time – this one day in history. Will we search our hearts and say, “I do believe” or will we turn away in ridicule and say, “It couldn’t be?”"

Yep. That would be me. Me - the "wise woman." I almost laughed right out loud in front of a packed house when he said that! To keep from giggling, I had to make smiley faces all over my program so I could at least giggle on the outside! Too funny. Me...wise. I've been called a LOT of things in my day but to have a pastor refer to me as WISE? Well, that was priceless!

And, in case you're wondering why he didn't refer to me by name - why I got called "wise woman" - it's because we have an agreement between the two of us. He can use any material I write in any of his sermons or classes but he can't say who "HeyJules" really is. If people find out about my website or they find out I am the one that writes it, that's fine...one by one. But I do not want to be "the girl that writes that website" at church. I just want to be me when I'm there. Hence, today, I became "wise woman." Oh, I'm still cracking up about the whole thing! Once his sermon gets posted on the internet, I'll link you to it so you can have a good laugh as well.

And, before you go giving me a hard time about me not thinking I am wise...just put yourself in my shoes and imagine that you've been coming to church for less than a year and your Pastor is calling you a WISE WOMAN in front of a packed house of Christians. Go ahead...I'll wait...yeah, see my point? It is pretty ironic. I'm probably one of the newest people at the church today and I got called wise! ***runs off giggling***

Maundy Thursday

(I wrote this for my own blog today, but thought it was relevant for here today, and it looks better in red than green, but its still me)

So its Maundy Thursday, anyone know what that means? It’s the day of the Last Supper and the betrayal of Jesus.

Pretty heavy day, huh? Personally, its weighing on me a bit. Knowing that death was coming – my Savior’s death. A lot of times, this is the part we miss at Easter – we gloss right over it. We concentrate on the rising, which is the whole basis of our faith, I know. But there is something so intimate about the death – if you let it sink in. Walk past the gruesome torture and mocking voices. Look past the actions and look at the motive.

Love.

Jesus gave all He had to you, to me – even knowing if we would take it or not.

Lets go back to the Last Supper. This is what we recounted in Bible study with the youth last night. And they asked if they sat around and joked and had fun. Well, probably. I mean these weren’t the Pharisees just going through the motions. But then again, Jesus and His disciple knew something was going to happen. Jesus, in more detail, Im sure. But I have no doubt that it was hanging in the air. But when you know you don’t have much time left with someone, you tend to take that last bit of time you do have and really see it for what it is, really breathe that person in. How precious the gift of being chosen to share in this moment. Have you ever really put yourself in the position of one of the disciples? Could you see by the candlelight? Could you hear the laughter, or the tears?
Could you taste the wine? Could you smell the fresh bread? Could you feel Jesus’ hand on your arm? Have you ever really thought about it – has your soul ever wept because you knew what was about to happen?

After dinner, they take a little walk out to the Mount of Olives and over to the Garden of Gethsemane. He leaves all the disciples (minus Judas), but three – his inner circle and they go off to pray. And what does Jesus tell them to pray for? Him? No – he tells them to pray for themselves, that they don’t enter temptation. Most people interpret this temptation as sleep which keeps them from praying more. Jesus comes back to them three times and gets on to them for sleeping. Most people think this came as a stern warning, but those are not my thoughts. If you read through all the gospel accounts, you will find that the disciples weren’t sleeping because they were lazy or because they didn’t care. They were tired with grief. They knew IT was coming. Tell me if you’ve ever cried for hours and your body wasn’t worn out…. I think Jesus understood and him asking about their sleep was not a harsh rebuke, but rather, asking saying that the grief wasn’t as important – prayer was what they needed now. After the third time, he tells them that time is up. Their time of trial and temptation, just like His, was about to begin.

And here comes Judas – betrayed by a kiss…. Another intimate gesture…. There are theories about Judas and what he was really trying to do, but it doesn’t really matter as much now – whats done is done

All the disciples flee and leave Jesus to fend for himself – the same disciples who took the same vow of Peter to never leave or deny Jesus. And yet Peter always gets the brunt of everyone’s blame. Even though he and John were the only ones to come back and follow Jesus. In fact, Jesus told Peter earlier that the devil had asked to sift Peter like wheat – Job is the only other person that the Bible mentions that the devil asks permission to go after. Could you stand up to that?

There is much more to the story than that, but that is where will close on the day….

Its Theology Thursday, and there is no question for today. Only a challenge. For the first time in a long time, steal away a few minutes in a “garden” of your own. Read through all the accounts of the Last Supper up to the crucifixion. Don’t read ahead, really stop and take it all in and spend a few days without the immediate happy ending. Read it in the time frame that it really happened and let the sorrow overcome you. Compare the different versions, and see what is mentioned in one and not the others. If you are a Christian, these are the events that lead up to what your entire faith system hangs on. Do you really know what happened? Have you ever really mourned what Jesus went through – what you deserve? Have you ever held Jesus that close as He was dying – seen the blood on YOUR hands?

Today and tonight is full of darkness, mystery, and uncertainty…. It is a day of sorrow and mourning. A day of waiting…

A Blog At Rest

Sure is quiet around here.

I could really use a nap.

Seems like this might be a good place to take one seeing as how quiet it is here.

Anybody got a pillow???

***************

In case anyone out there is wondering - we're all taking the week off for Holy Week activities. Be back next Monday with all our puffy opinions and howlingly funny comments.

Be well and God bless my friends!!!

An Instructive Moment About Watchfulness

this was not a familiar passage to me, or I figured to most people... probably just "walked" right over it without actually getting what it was saying.... when I think of watchfulness I think of the 10 virgins or the warning about the devil roaming around like a lion....

and I was going to do a whole little spiel about God serving us and what a conundrum that seemingly is, but I read Jules' first Station of the Cross piece over at Faith or Fiction and I think she hit the nail perfectly on the head, and I just feel at a loss after reading it... so I think God went ahead and had her post on this lesson without her even knowing it so she could be baptized today and focus solely on that - is God cool or what...

*I dont know who all has been praying for my OCD, but someone has.... alot (but not all) of my overwhelming urges are just suddenly gone - I noticed 2 days ago while driving... this is the first time that I can remember that I have changed not of my own will.... its amazing... so thank you... and thank you Lord....

** an idea - since Sunday starts Holy Week and we all seem to have different church activities that coordinate with that, what do you think about taking next week off for the book and just focus on what the week is, and if you have a revelation or whatever, then post about that.... what do you think?

An Instructive Moment about Watchfulness (Luke 12:35-40)

To be watchful, waiting, alert to His coming. Prepared, not caught unaware. I tend to be task oriented. What I'm doing is what I'm focused on. Over the years I've tried to maintain that perspective but also widen my view so I am not so 'driven'.

I honestly think I do realize that any moment I, or someone I know and love, could be taken at any moment. Periodically it gets reinforced, like with Gayla and her mother. One reason I am so passionate about reading my Bible is that I want to know as much as is possible about my Lord when I get to heaven. Will I know everything? Heavens no! Will there be more to learn? Oh yes, and an eternity to continue learning about Him.

Gire states, "...the quiet, unpretentious work of a common household servant." That's what I do all day. Sometimes I feel like what's the point? No one notices. But I'm not (or at least should not be) doing these daily repetitive tasks for recognition from people. I'm doing them because of Him and what He is calling me to do. If I'm obedient in the small things then I pray I'll be obedient in the large things He calls me to do.

As for the banquet...I am so looking forward to sitting down with each of you at His table and partaking together. Won't that be one unforgettable feast?

OH MY, OH MY, OH MY!!!

Because I need to explain why I won't be posting or really even commenting today, you all are the first ones to know...

I was on email/phone with my Pastor last night and after a few very long discussions, he has agreed to let Shannon BAPTISE me today when I go for our mentoring session at 2 pm.

This is a very rare thing that they are letting me do but, because of the discussion I had with Pastor Rick, he's sure (as I am) that God has been calling me to do this all through Lent and now that I am approaching both Holy Week and the taking of my next set of heart tests, he has agreed to let me do this today.

The church usually only performs baptisms in August and they do it at the nearby lake (they are big on total immersion for some reason) but because of my heart condition and my insistance that this is what God has been telling me to do, they are making an exception.

I'll blog more about this tonight when I have time over at FOF and I'll read this chapter and get it posted some time this weekend. But this morning, I can't even concentrate on anything - I am so overwhelmed with happiness.

Thank you all for your love and friendship. If you happen to look up at the clock around 2 pm Central time, say a prayer for me!

Love to you all,
Julie

Instructive Moment About Watchfulness

It was the last sentence of the prayer that spoke to me ...grant me the grace to take delight in little things quietly done, things that your eye alone might catch and appreciate. This is perhaps the one major thing (little things quietly done) I have learned, experienced and love about my two and a half years in community. In fact, I love it so much that I don't seem to enjoy the more visible acts of compassion or worship we do together. When I was younger I needed other people's approval, appreciation, acknowledgement of just about everything. I was so insecure, I couldn't make a decision without checking it out with someone else first. Sixty years has given me some time to get past that. But now my innate introversion has taken over, and all I want is to be behind the scenes... so maybe my prayer should be for some balance between the two.

Oh, BTW... next week is Holy Week. Our community observes every day from Palm Sunday on, pretty much in silence, fasting, and special services. In some ways the whole attention to the minute details has become a sacred cow. There's a different set of altar linens for each day... lots of polishing, cleaning, ironing. All this to say I may have to skip out on next week's posts.

An Instructive Moment About Life

this is a lesson that I ponder on probably most often....

I go to a fair amount of auctions (I dont hardly buy anything, I just like to go), and it ALWAYS strikes me how tragic it is for people to be bidding on someone else's things. Things they probably scrimped and saved for, things they loved and cherished, and each one goes to the highest bidder...

It forces me to think about what life is all about, and what do my actions say that I believe life is really about.... all of this moving has made me realize how much "stuff" I have and how much I really could live without... it is sad how we hold onto such material things when really, they dont matter in the end.

I often wonder if I am being a good steward with God's money by buying stuff for me - stuff that I dont even use - stuff that just sits on a shelf b/c I thought I must have it? It is hard for Christians to live in such a materialistic world b/c whether you want to or not, you pick up that behavior. I guess once Christ really does become important to you, all these earthly pleasures really do start to fade away - I am looking forward to that day becoming all I see... until then I look to my son as an example....

our church took on a project to help the Society of St Andrew (more info on my site today) - its a Christian organization to end hunger in the US - they take leftover fruits and veggies that farmers are not going to use or sell and give them to the needy, they can provide a meal for a penny... anyway, each family in the church got a cardboard bank to put spare change in during the time of Lent, and we let Gabe put the change in our box because he loves it... one time when he was doing it, as he was putting each coin into the box, he said "thanj joo" (thank you) - I was so touched to realize how money means nothing to him as a child, but just the giving was a privilege for him....

Instructive Moment About Life

Once again Gire jumps to a conclusion not supported by the scripture he references. "...the one who heard the least was the one who worried most—the man who interrupted Jesus in the middle of his sermon." How does he know that? Was he there? Does he have prophetic power to see into another man's heart? Maybe he does, but I don't think so.

But the man definitely knows how to pray. So for all the rest maybe he should be forgiven. Our possessions can become our graven images... the things we worship instead of God, the things we trust instead of God. Even though we know in our heart of hearts that money can't buy love and power can't heal a terminal illness, we keep on keeping on... trying to hedge our bets against the Most High God.

I have very few possessions anymore. I gave them all away a few years ago to join the community. But I have a few things that even though they aren't mine, I act like they are. It irritates me when another sister uses them and doesn't put them back or worse, puts them back broken. I can't get my printer to work from OSX anymore. It crashed after another sister hooked up to it at Christmas time. I'm still steamed about it. That's a wedge between us, whenever I need to print. No wonder Jesus was so specific.

An Instructive Moment about Life (Luke 12:13-21)

Short and to the point. I like that. This guy really missed the boat didn't he?

We always want more than we have, don't you think? The point which Jesus is trying to get across isn't a new point. Solomon, in Ecclesiastes, observed that those who love money and seek it obsessively never find the happiness it promises. Besides, wealth always attracts freeloaders and thieves, sleepless nights and fear. And really, ultimately, it ends in loss because it must be left behind. No matter how much you earn, if you try to create happiness by accumulating wealth, you will never have enough.

God wants me to view what I have (whether a lot or a little) with the right perspective. My possessions are a gift from God. Although they are not the source of joy, they are a reason to rejoice because every good thing comes from God. I should focus more on the Giver than the gift. I can be content with what I have when I realize that with God I have everything I need.

Prosperity isn't always good, and adversity isn't always bad. But, God is always good! If I live as He want me to, I will be content. How shortsighed for this man to work as hard as he had to extend this life and not spend nearly as much time or effort on his spiritual health. God knows and directs everything that happens, and He is in complete control over our lives, even though at times it may not seem like it. How foolish it is for us to contend with our Creator, who knows us completely and can see the future. The profound truth is that we cannot predict what the future holds. The only One who knows what will happen after we're gone is God. No human knows the future, so each day must be lived for its own value. We cannot take charge of our own destiny. In all our plans we should look up to God, not just ahead to the future.

An Instructive Moment about Life

To me, this story is where the rubber meets the road. This, to me, is where what we learn through society totally opposes what we learn from following Jesus. There's no mistaking this lesson for what it is - it comes right out and strikes you between the eyes in an attempt to wake you up from how society has taught you to live your life.

This is also one of those places where you can see a real shift in how the real world is so different now than from 2000 years ago. Some things stay the same through time - this, apparently isn't one of them. If our life span was still about 40 years, I'd say "Hey keep your investments and your portfolios and your 401K plans! I've got a life to live here!" but...knowing our lives could very well last double that amount of time leads us to think of money and possessions in a whole different way. We are almost FORCED to save up for a nest egg because what if we reach age 65 and can't work any more? Who will care for us for free? How would we live for the next 15-20 years?

So there's the connundrum. How much should we save and how much should we give away? How much is careful planning and how much is untrusting hoarding? Don't look at me - I certainly don't have the answer. I've been struggling with this whole money issue since I began thinking from a Christian standpoint a year ago. How do I please God and show trust and faith that He will provide for me and how do I keep from losing my house and being thrown out on the street?

I could go on and on...

The prayer was great for this chapter. Every point made me stop and reflect. Every sentence had real points to go to God with. My favorite line in the whole chapter was in the prayer:

"Teach me that life is more than the things necessary to sustain it."

Amen to that one. Life is not the nouns we fill it up with but the actions that our verbs take on. Two thumbs up for me on this chapter.