Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye

I always said that Toby adopted us.  It was two weeks after my first Chihuahua, Chipper, had passed away at 14.  (I had had him since I was six-years-old.)  I had decided that I would wait before getting another dog.  I already had a chocolate Lab.  One Saturday my family and I were going to Louisiana to see my grandmother.  My dad made a pit stop at a rundown shack-of-a-home in Monticello.  Honestly, it looked like a crack house.  It was dirty and there was very little furniture.  We didn't want to sit anywhere and quite frankly I was ready to leave.  The guy opened the door to a bedroom that was positioned off of the living area.  These tiny little Chihuahua puppies came bouncing out of the room.  All of them went in one direction, but this little fawn-colored, eight-week-old puppy ran to me.  He put his little paws on my shoe and looked up at me.  I looked at my dad and the next words out of his mouth was, "How much?"  He knew I had changed my mind and this little guy was coming home with us.

When we got to my grandmother's, I sat him down to go to the bathroom.  You could barely see him in the grass!  My parents visited with my grandmother and I ran to Wal-Mart and got him some things.  He fit in the palm of my hand.  He was such a good little puppy with lots of personality.  I remember when we brought him home, my Lab took one look at him with the intent to say, "What is this?"  It wasn't long and they became the best of friends.  I was so worried about the Lab getting too rough with Toby, but he was always very gentle.  One afternoon I was dusting the dinging room table, I heard this slam and Toby started yelping.  I freaked, hit my head on the table as I scrambled to get to him.  The Lab was playing with his toy.  Toby grabbed hold and when the Lab went to shake the toy, slammed Toby in the process.  He was fine.  He shook it off and was right back in the middle of things in a split second.

I hadn't had Toby very long when I got sick.  I had a bought with vertigo.  The room was spinning.  I was dizzy.  I was throwing up.   He was only about ten-weeks old.  He was not housebroken at the time.  But I could not make myself get up to let him outside.  It was one in the afternoon before I was able to make it to the door to let him out.  During this time, he stayed close to me.  He never had an accident, but he was certainly ready to go when I sat him outside!  That always amazed me that he held it that long.

He was so full of antics and for the life of me, I can't recall most of them!  I always had a new Toby story for my coworkers.   My secretary at the time suggested that I make a coffee table book of his pics and stories.  I wished I had done just that.  I do remember the time that he and the Lab were playing with a stuffed toy.  Toby shook the thing to death and then tossed it into the Christmas tree.  He sat at the base of the tree and stared at the toy until I got it for him.  Once I got on to the Lab for some reason and sent him to his crate.  When I went to get him, I found both him and Toby in the crate together - partners in crime.

He loved my grandmother and my aunt.  He never forgot my grandmother, even though he only saw her a few weeks out of the year.  Her lap was his spot.  He loved to give hugs.  He would nuzzle his head under my chin and continue to snuggle.  And he loved to go.  Mention the word and he would tuck his tail and do a circle and head for the door.  He knew how to sit and lay down.  I taught him that in one night using treats.  He would also dance for a treat.  He would stand on his back legs and twirl.  I use to tell him that I was going to get him a tutu.  

He was a sweet boy and mama's boy!  Once I had to work all night and he was beside himself.  He refused to eat for three days.  He grieved for me and now I grieve for him.  For fifteen (almost 16) years, he was a devoted furbaby and loyal friend.  He may be gone, but he certainly never will be forgotten.  Until we meet again, baby boy, lots of hugs, love and kisses.  Mama loves you!

And as if he were talking to me, this happened to show up in my feed last night before bed:

TOBIAS "TOBY" HOLLAND

April 26, 2000 - February 22, 2016

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Hezekiah

Hezekiah

Hezekiah was only 25 years old when he became king of Judah.  His first priority was to repair the temple and reestablish worship, helping the people reconnect with God.  In 2 Kings, we're told that "Hezekiah trusted the Lord, the God of Israel.  There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him...And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook" (2 Kings 18:5,7)

Most likely I will not be chosen to rule a country, but I am queen of my castle.  Every morning when I wake up, I pray.  I begin my day by putting my heart in order so I can face the challenges of the day.  The best way to run a home, a business or a country is from your knees in prayer.   "...And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook"  I want them to be able to say that about me.  I want anything and everything I do to be done with Him by my side so I can say that I was successful in my undertakings!

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Ezekiel & The Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel & The Valley of Dry Bones

"Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord arises upon you.  See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord arises upon you and his glory appears over you.  Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn."  Isaiah 60:1-3, NIV

C.S. Lewis once wrote, "If you read history you will find that Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.  It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this."

Ezekiel was a prophet during the exile under the Babylonians, which began under the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar.  He was born around 622 BC into a priesthood lineage.  He is son of Buzi and resident of Anathoth.  Under the direction of Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylonian armies exiled 3,000 Jews from Judah, overthrowing King Jehoiachin in 597.  At the age of 25, Ezekiel was one of those Jews.  Ezekiel and his wife lived in their own home where exiled Judaic visitors would come to seek his prophetic insights. 

At age 30 Ezekiel is called to be a prophet through a vision described in the first book of Ezekiel.  God rode upon a chariot of four wheels guided by Cherubs.  For the next five years, he incessantly prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem.  In 587 his prophesy came true when the Babylonians seized the city.  It was at this time that Ezekiel lost his wife.  It seemed that just about everything was going wrong in his life.

Ezekiel didn't have an easy time.  The people to whom he ministered were thoroughly depressed.  They'd been defeated in battle and permanently removed from their homeland.  They were mocked by their heathen conquerors.  They were riddled with guilt and they were completely overwhelmed by the incredible wealth and strength of Babylon.  Ever felt like that?

The first and third verse of Psalm 137 conveys their feeling of shame, hopelessness and humiliation: "By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion...and they moaned, 'How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?'"  It was in this miserable situation that God spoke to Ezekiel in a vision.  He showed him  a valley with heaps of bones.

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.  He led me back and froth among them and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.  He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

I said, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know."

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!  This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.  I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin;I will put breath in you , and you will come to life.  Then you will know that I am the Lord.'"

So I prophesied as I was commanded.  And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.  I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'"   So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army.

Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.  They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'  Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.  Then ou, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.  I will put my Spirit you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land.  Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.'"  Ezekiel 37:1-14, NIV

Notice Ezekiel's response to God's question.  God's question was direct and should have been reciprocated with a direct answer - yes or no.  Instead Ezekiel replied, "Lord, only you know."  I think Ezekiel might have been afraid to answer.  If he said no, it showed his lack of faith.  And I'm sure he didn't want to say yes at the fear of having to stand before an army of skeletons!

Perhaps we are wondering if we (as individuals, a community, a church or even a nation) can ever be revived.  If we say yes, what proposition must we face?  Like Ezekiel, we haven't the nerve to say "no."  By the same account, we don't have the faith to say, "yes."  But Ezekiel had one thing right - God knows.

Ezekiel's first duty was to persist in the ministry to which God had called him.  Renewal doesn't come through discarding the old and trusted paths where God has led His people in the past.  The prophet is called to keep on prophesying, not to try some new technique in the hope that it will prove more effective.  The young church mentioned in Acts 2:45 "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."  It's not about flashy programs and the latest technology.

Ezekiel was instructed to prophesy a word of hope even if he wasn't exactly sure of its outcome.  God told Ezekiel to tell the bones (1) hear the word of the Lord, (2) I will make breath enter you and you will come to life, and (3) you will know that I am the Lord."  He may not have believed it at the time, but he did it anyways.  And it happened.  There was a shaking and a rattling and the bones came together before his eyes!  Not just that, but miraculously as each skeleton took shape while muscle and flesh formed around them, and then a covering of skin to complete the human form.  Can you imagine?

A vast army of bones stood before him - lifeless corpses as they were.  They posed no threat to him or anyone else in their current state.  Harmless just as a statue or monument, they were useless.  But it wasn't until God formed muscle, tendon, flesh and skin until they were truly alive!  Second Timothy, chapter 3 and verse 5 warns of Christians having a form of godliness but denying its power.  Just like those bones, we can appear like Christians, but we have a lack of faith in Jesus Christ.  If we try to live the Christian life with only our natural resources - without the means of grace, without being in touch with the Lord in prayer and absorbing the Scriptures - we are still living in the flesh.  Paul gave a powerful illustration of this when he wrote to the Christians in Rome, "For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do...For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out...What a retched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?"

Ezekiel had prophesied in the previous chapter (Ezekiel 36:26-28) for Israel to put away their idols, to discard the pollution of the heathen nations.  If they did this their God had a wonderful future in store for them.  "I will give you a near heart...And I will put my Spirit in you...you will be my peopel and I will be your God."

Ezekiel was told to "prophesy to the breath."  He called upon the Spirit of God to "breath into these slain, that they may live."  The breath of God, His Spirit, is seen in the emblem of the wind.  It is His power to blow and bend, to fill and make alive.  Strong trees bend and windmills whirl when the great winds blow in force.  Have you ever experienced the wind of God blowing your doubts away?  Or breathing new life into dead plans?  Rescuing hopeless situations or giving courage and comfort?  That's what He wants to do for each of us.  If there is no Spirit in your life, you are adrift in the sea of life.  And let's face it.  If the wind isn't blowing, you aren't going anywhere. 

The Holy Spirit came in order to reveal Christ to us, to make Christ real to us and to show us what Christ has done for us.  If we're born again, we have been through the Valley of Dry Bones.  We have passed from death to spiritual life in Christ, but only by the work of the Spirit of God.

Ezekiel's prophecy ends with, "I will put my Spirit in you and you will ife and I will settle you in your own land."  The Holy Spirit is given to Christian believers, to give us a longing and a love for Christ.  It enables us to live as Christ lived and conform to His image.

Where are we in the Valley of Dry Bones?  Are we still in the condition of the bones that were made to say, "Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone?"  Or are we in the position of the skeletons with "no breath in them?"  Or are we filled with the Spirit of God, and in the words of God to Ezekiel, "you will know that I the Lord have spoken and I have done it."

The world is looking for God.  Tragically and ironically, as the world is looking for God, God's people are asleep in their pews!  The world wants and needs to know God and how to access Him.  They want to know how to worship Him.  They don't want to know your opinions, but they do want to hear the Word of God.  The world wants models of authentic Christian living.  The world wants to see God in me and they want to see Him in you.  You can spend your entire life in church, saying the right things, doing the right things, but unless you are filled with the Spirit and it truly penetrates your heart and your life, it's meaningless!  Like the dry bones, it's worthless.  It doesn't do you any good.  It doesn't do me any good.  It doesn't do the church any good.  And it certainly doesn't do God any good.

Second Chronicles 7:14 says, "If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgiven their sin and will heal their land."  

"If my people...will humble themselves..."  The church today has a repuation of being too proud.  The church is not led by outstanding people but by kneeling people.  We need to get that through our heads.  Some are more concerned with numbers and programs, being financially profitable or keeping everything nice and neat in the walls of the church.  Christians are more concerned with trivial things than what we are called to do in the first place!  People, we need a passion for God.  We need the world to see Him in us and working through us!  We need to forget being tied to the church building.  We need to be willing to go into the world (out of our comfort zone) for His calling.

"...pray and seek my face."  Our prayer life should be dynamic.  We should have a hunger for God, a desire and longing for Him.  We all know what it's like when you are in love and you want to spend every moment with that person.  That's how our relationship with God should be.  His desires should become ours, meaning we should yearn for the lost.  We should care more about others than we do ourselves. 

"...turn from our wicked ways."  We should not be lukewarm Christians.  We should be hot and on fire for Christ.  We cannot sit on the fence.  Either you are in or you're out.  And to do that, each one of us must repent, confess and be renewed.  According to scripture, only then will God heal our land (our family, our community, our church, our nation).

Ezekiel is a man of God confronted with a congregation of God's people who are discouraged, displaced and spiritually dead.  Revival is the process of bringing to life that which once was alive, but is now at the point of death.  "Can these bones live again?"  Ezekiel obeyed God, preached unto those dry bones and then God breathed His Spirit back into the bodies.  God revived for Himself a mighty army.

Today mega churches exist where people pile in by the droves.  They are about flash multimedia services, loud performances, which appeal to the people.  But they forget one thing.  They are full of people, but many are empty of God.  Too many of God's people have a self-sufficient spirit, an apathetic heart and a dead disobedient lifestyle.  More people go to church, but experience it less.  They are spiritual corpses, or dry bones.

Is there no desire for Bible study or prayer?  Does spiritual conversation embarrass you?  Or do you simply avoid it?  Do you rationalize sin?  You quote scripture and you attend church, but does it make a difference in your life?  Do you care more for money than you do serving others?  Do you care that there are those around you who are in misery and spiritually lost?  Like dry bones we are useless to God.  We have to allow Him to breathe new life into us; to breathe His Spirit into us, thus into the church.  We need to allow God to revive, for Himself, a mighty army!  I want to be like the people in Acts that literally shook the gates of hell!

Is there evidence that the Kingdom of God is set up within your life?  Will you let the Holy Spirit breathe new life into you?  Will you allow Him to change you?  Will you allow yourself to be filled with the Spirit?  Will you allow your life to be set on fire by Him?  Or are you going to turn someone away from Christ because of your life?

 

 

( Labels: Bible Study, Christian Life, Church, Ezekiel, Holy Spirit, Redemption ) Read more

Prayer for Our Country

Prayer for Our Country

Lord, please guide the head of our nation in the way You would have him go.  Give him spiritual, physical and mental strength to fulfill his responsibilities.  Please give him the courage to stand up for his convictions.  Give him patience and peace to endure the pressures of his job.  Please help him to be resolute and determined to do what is right.  Grant him wisdom and insight concerning the decisions he will have to make.  Please give him boldness to lead with integrity and honor.  Give him discernment, understanding and knowledge so that our nation will know stability.  Surround him with wise counsel, godly men and women of integrity who place your agenda and the good of this nation and its people above their own; people whose motives are pure, honest and trustworthy.  Please work in and through his leadership so that we might lead peaceable lives in godliness and honesty.

Please allow our government to make laws that are just by Your power.  Please give our leaders wisdom to make decisions that would strengthen and prosper our nation.  Enlighten them with Truth so that they might make the right decisions concerning the politics, social welfare and the economics of our nation.  Lord, I pray that You help the leaders of our country put aside their personal and partisan agendas and work together and with others for the good of our nation and its people.  Help them to work with the president so together they can introduce and pass legislation that strengthens our nation and supports godly values.  Lord, I pray for revival to spread like wildfire across our land.  Draw our representatives closer to You.  Please give them courage to vote their convictions.  Allow them to be a bold witness for You.  For those of our leaders who do not know You, I pray that their eyes would be opened and their hearts would turn to You.

Lord, I thank you for a nation that was built upon Truth and godly principles.  God, please forgive our nation's sin.  Please help us honor You once again.  Lord, please bring spiritual revival to our nation and its leaders.  I pray that our leaders seek Your counsel and wisdom concerning the issues that face our nation.  Please pour out Your Spirit across this nation.  Allow the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ to come into every state, every city, every home and every heart.  Father God, please deliver us from our sins and restore our heritage of faith.  Please place a desire to pray for our nation within the heart of every Christian.  I pray that our nation's Christians remain faithful and elect godly officials.  Please help us regain the position of a godly nation once again.

Lord, please continue to watch over us and protect us from evil.  We thank you for Your blessings and Your provisions.  These things in Jesus' name, I pray.  Amen.

"If my people, who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heave, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."  2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV

( Labels: Nation, Prayer, USA ) Read more

Easter

Easter

“Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.  For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.”  Luke 18:31-33

Had it all come to this? Miserable, depressed and deserted.  They had given everything to follow Him.  In John, chapter 6, when Jesus asked if they would continue to follow Him, “Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life..” (John 6:68)  Had all their hope ended in failure?  Had everything been for nothing?  How could it have gone so wrong?

Jesus’ final hours on the cross lasted from approximately nine in the morning to three in the afternoon; a period of about six hours.  Jesus asked for their forgiveness while soldiers cast lots for His clothing.  He was insulted and mocked.  And then darkness covered the land.  Three hours later, He declared ‘It is finished.’”

He shook his head in empathy.  “Friday truly was a dark day for the followers of Jesus Christ.”

“And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.”  Luke 23:49

They watched as He was crucified.  Crucifixion was an ancient method of execution in which the victim’s hands and feet were bound and nailed to a cross.  It was one of the most horribly painful and disgraceful methods of capitol punishment.  The word crucifixion comes from the latin world ‘crucifixio,’ or ‘crucifixus’ meaning ‘fixed to a cross.’  Crucifixion was not only the one of the most disgraceful forms of death, it was one of the most dreaded methods of execution in the ancient world.  Accounts of crucifixions are recorded among the early civilizations, but became common under the rule of Alexander the Great.  This type of punishment was primarily reserved for traitors, captive armies, slaves and the worst of criminals.  His friends and family witnessed this gruesome act and watched as Jesus drew His last breath.

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was a high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.  Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.  But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.”  (John 19:31-33)

Jesus was dead.  The Roman centurion had satisfied that Jesus was gone.  The centurion is like the commander of the Roman army.  After witnessing everything that had happened, in verse 47 even he believed Jesus was Who He said He was.

Joseph of Arimathaea went to Pilate and begged for Jesus’ body.  Pilate released the body to him.  He was wrapped in linen and laid in a sepulcher; a borrowed tomb.

Can you imagine the fear and the dread these followers felt?  They were desolate with no leader.  They feared their own persecution.  Never mind the fact that Jesus had told them on three different occasions that all this would happen.  But more importantly that He would return!  Now I don’t know if after all the chaos and heartbreak that they had gone through, they just forgot what He had said.  Because, let’s face it, it happens.  Or maybe they did remember His words, but they didn’t truly understand them.

Early Sunday morning Mary, Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Salome approached the tomb with spices in order to anoint Jesus’ body for burial.  A violent earthquake shook the earth as an angel rolled back the stone.  The guards shook in fear as the angel, dressed in bright white, sat upon the stone.  The angel announced to the women that Jesus was no longer there.  ‘He is risen, just as He said.’ (Matthew 28:6) Then he instructed the women to inspect the tomb and see for themselves.”

What they found changed everything.  The tomb was rolled away.  When they entered, His body was gone.  Perplexed and possibly bewildered, I’m sure they had no idea what they should do.  “And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.  And they remembered his words, and returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.” (Luke 24:5-8)

In the drama ‘The Trial of Jesus,’ John Masefield has the centurion Longinus report to Pilate after the crucifixion of Jesus.  Longinus had been the officer in charge of the execution, and after his official report, Procula, Pilate’s wife calls the centurion to come and tell her how the prisoner had died.  Once the account is given, she asks, “Do you think he is dead?”  Longinus answers “No, lady, I don’t.”  “Then where is he?” asks Procula.  Longinus replies, “Let loose in the world, lady, where neither Roman nor Jew can stop his truth.”

Jesus had to be delivered into the hands of sinful men because that was God’s plan.  For our salvation Jesus had to be crucified.  And He went willingly.  There are many religions and denominations that want to remove the cross from their message; their motif.  Some claim that it’s because it reminds them of Christ's death and they don't want to be reminded of that.  Some because they serve a living God, others want to forget the gruesome details.  And I understand that.  But you can't have salvation without the blood.   And if you remove the cross from your message; if you remove the blood from the message, you have nothing! His death and resurrection mean absolutely nothing!  Our faith is worth nothing.  And we have no hope.

The simple truth is you can't have blood without the cross.  No, we do not serve a God who is dead.  We serve a living God!  But first we have to come to the cross.  It begins with the cross.  For that alone it should be proudly displayed for all to see.  It stands for more than just death as some would say.

We cannot repaint the faith!  If you soften the religion, you cheapen it.  Some would have you believe that you don’t need to repent anymore.  Pray a simple prayer and you’re good.  It doesn’t work like that.  It’s what’s inside us. Sincerity.  Simple honesty.  Do you believe it?  If you believe it, do you live it?  Today’s morality that passes for Christian faith is just a devastating hobby.  Jesus is on the cover, but He’s not in the book.

Then there are those Christians who are so afraid to take a stand; afraid that they might offend someone with their beliefs.  I say offend them!  If you truly believe in the Son of God and His teaching, take a stand!  Homosexuality is a sin!  Abortion is murder!  Take a stand!  Don’t ride the fence just to appease people!  Do not accept less than God demands!  Set your standards higher.  You can still hate the sin but love the sinner!  If you are not bold in Jesus Christ, you won’t be bold anywhere else in your life – not your job, not your relationships, anywhere!  We cannot be timid with the cross!  We cannot be timid with the gospel!  The cross demands a response.  Either we move toward it, or we move from it.  Our salvation depends upon the cross and Jesus’ resurrection.  We cannot have a dead sacrifice!

Salvation is not an evacuation plan.  It’s a restoration project.  You don’t want to go to hell?  Great.  Neither do most people.  But not wanting to go to hell is not what’s going to get you to heaven.  I get so tired of seeing these television preachers asking viewers to pray a few lines at the end of the service and then tell these viewers that they are saved.  They have no clue as to the condition of the viewer’s heart.  There’s no guidance.  There’s no counsel.  They go on and believe that they are saved.  Their lifestyle doesn’t change.  They care more about the here and now instead of the then and there.  They don’t get really excited about the teachings of Jesus Christ.  God desires to restore your life to something more; to create in you a new being.  He wants you to be the person He has called you to be.  That’s what salvation is about.  It’s a journey, not a destination.

Day after day we are faced with reminders of tribulation and troubling news that has most Christians in the dumps.  News of war, murder, drugs, abortion and corruption.  Easter's message of hope and God's power should be pumping through our hearts and our minds every day of our lives; not just one weekend (or one Sunday) a year!  The devil certainly has a grip on this world today and that's no doubt.  But one thing about Satan, he has a bad habit of underestimating our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Satan did his best to destroy Christ.  Jesus suffered, bled and died for every man.  And when He breathed His last breathe, Satan cheered.  He counted Him as defeated.  Christ was dead and Satan had won.  Or so he thought.

Then Sunday came.  And everything he thought he knew was false.  His world was turned upside down.  Jesus Christ rose from the dead to be triumphant over sin and the grave. A staggering testimony that no other faith in the world can proclaim. Witnessed by hundreds and recorded in history as fact. I'm glad to be serving a living God Who simply cannot fail! I will proudly display the cross and declare the blood!  For what He did.  For Who He is.  For what He has created in me.  I am His.  He is mine.

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:  And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:  After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-6)

Donald Harvey Tippet said, ‘If Easter means anything to modern man it means that eternal truth is eternal. You may nail it to the tree, wrap it up in grave clothes, and seal it in a tomb; but truth crushed to earth, shall rise again. Truth does not perish; it cannot be destroyed. It may be distorted; it has been silenced temporarily; it has been compelled to carry its cross to Calvary's brow or to drink the cup of poisoned hemlock in a Grecian jail, but with an inevitable certainty after every Black Friday dawns truth's Easter Morn.”

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.  Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.  For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:14-17)  We serve a living God!  “Why seek ye the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!”

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Let Them Come To Me

Let Them Come To Me

"But Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for such is the kingdom of heaven.'"  Matthew 19:14 NKJV

If I know anything today, its that this world sure can give me a headache!  I read an article this morning on a Christian news site about a Christian pharmacist from Walgreen's was terminated because he refused to sell the "morning after" pill to a customer.  After reading some of the comments posted there, it became more apparent that we are in deep trouble - as Christians and as a nation.

My heart dropped the more I read and then I got angry.  This is what I see.  We are becoming more about what's convenient about us and less about what was commanded by Him.  Following His commandments and our Christian doctrines is easy when its convenient for us.  But the very moment that it becomes tough or stands in the way of what we want, it's easy to rationalize it away.

One Christian stated that there was not one scripture that spoke against using contraceptives.  That very well may be, but I do know exactly what God thinks of children.   The Bible presents children as gifts from God (Genesis 4:1), heritage from the Lord (Psalm 127:3-5), a blessing from God (Luke 1:42) and a crown to the aged (Proverbs 17:6).  I seriously don't believe our God would view favorably on rejecting a gift or blessing from Him.

Another Christian argued that the "morning after pill" wasn't really harmful; that it's often confused with the abortion pill.  She said that the "morning after pill" wouldn't harm a pregnancy that was already established.  I'm going to be honest here.  I don't know much about contraceptives other than the traditional birth control.  I never had a need to.  However, upon doing my own research I discovered that this particular contraceptive works in one of three ways: (1) it alters the normal menstrual cycle so ovulation is delayed; (2) ovulation is inhibited, meaning the egg would not be released from the ovary; or (3) it irritates the lining of the uterus to inhibit implantation.

Lets brush up on our biology for a minute.  Fertilization (the union of a female egg and male sperm) occurs in the fallopian tube.  According to Discovery Health, the fastest sperm can fertilize an egg within 30 minutes of sex.  Some even make it to the fallopian tube and "hang out" until the egg arrives.  Human life begins with fertilization, thus the beginning of the pregnancy.  The newly created child then travels down the fallopian tube to the uterus where he or she implants.  Implantation is necessary for the new child to receive nourishment from the mother and continue developing.  The journey from the fallopian tube to the womb takes between five and seven days during which pregnancy cannot be readily detected.  Therefore, if a woman ingests emergency contraceptive after fertilization has taken place, the third mode of action can occur.  The lining of the uterus can be altered causing the women to reject the living embryo, making implantation impossible and the child will die.  This result is called a chemical abortion.

Again it's easy to rationalize that away, too.  This method is much better than slaughtering thousands of babies in the future.  Killing a living being is still murder and the last time I checked, God was pretty  much against that.  "Kill them now or kill the later" doesn't really sound as sweet.

Face it.  We live in a society that teaches us that we can have it all, be it all, and experience it all.  We are liberated from the rules that, by their philosophy, only holds us back.  We want to do our own thing - with no strings attached.  In this case, we can have sex all we want with no physical baggage to lug around.  But the problem is this:Christians aren't living different from this world.

We are so caught up in what we want and how we want to live.  This way of thinking gets us trapped in habits, relationships and lifestyles that only hurt us in the end. When life is all about us, there is not much room for God.  When there isn't room for God, we live conformed to our culture, thus aligning ourselves with the world.  The world would have us to believe that all life belongs to us.  But God's Word tells us that all life belongs to Him.  We are to conform to His ways rather that that of the world.  Nothing about us belongs to us.  We are Christ's ambassadors.  Living as His.  Christ is Lord over all, including that tiny little embryo.  We have no right to issue a death sentence.  Only God has and should have that power.  We weren't made to control this world or our circumstances.  We were made to trust in God's plan and His guidance.  You can't pick and choose what you want to believe and by what code you want to live.  If you are going to live a God-centered life, you have to first submit to Him.  That means allowing Him to have complete control.  We become living sacrifices.  It's time to stop watering it down and sugarcoating it for the world.  There will come a day when God won't be sugarcoating anything!

The underlying problem is immorality and it always has been.  We, as Christians, need to boldly stand firm, on our faith and on the Word of God (not our interpretation of it!).  It's time we lay down ourselves and stop hopping off the altar.  We are a living sacrifice.  We are His ambassadors and we should be as such.

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Grace & Harmony

Grace & Harmony

I awoke to the bright sunlight shining through my bedroom window.  Despite the chocolate-colored curtains and the fact that it was late January, the light was brilliant.  Never mind that it a chilly Arkansas morning.  It felt like spring.  With a dog nestled under my arm, my husband beside me and a cat meowing in the kitchen, I was focused on my day dreams of what was going on outside.  The cool breeze whistled through the budding trees while birds sang a song of new birth.  The grass was a vibrant green and flowers had begun to bloom.  Instead the reality was the breeze was a chilly 20 degrees; the trees were still barren; and the ground was frozen and the grass dormant.  However, the birds still sang and granted there was signs of daffodils emerging from the frozen tundra, there were no blooms to be found.  They definitely weren’t colorful.

After my thoughts of spring filtered through my mind, I began to reminisce about days long ago.  I was in my teens and things were quite different.  My teen years were not typical.  I didn’t spend my days hanging out with friends or roaming the corridors of the local mall.  My time was split between softball, my parent’s quartet and church.  My life revolved around softball, playing for the league and for a tournament team for much of my childhood.  I loved the game and nothing meant as much.  That was until I turned 14.

I was saved when I was six years old.  My family was members of a local Missionary Baptist Church.  My grandmother was an active member until her health began to fail.  Both my parents were also actively involved and close to the minister and his wife.  Despite all this, I was never truly satisfied at this particular church.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved the pastor and I loved services.  I just didn’t care much for classes.  My grandmother passed away on Tuesday, November 1, 1994.  That following weekend our pastor died.  I was 13 years old.

I honestly don’t remember going back to church after that.  I don’t remember if it was because my parent’s group took us away most weekends or if we simply didn’t go.  Lord knows I wasn’t complaining!  A few months later my uncle approached my mom with a request.  He and his family were members of a small Baptist church in town.  Their piano player was going out of town and he asked if my mom would fill in for her.  My mom agreed.  I instantly fell in love with the church and asked to go back.  We joined Grace Missionary Baptist Church and things seemed to take off.  We quickly became involved in many different areas.  My mom stayed with the music ministry, playing the organ.  She began serving within the women’s ministry as well.  I offered to help with the children’s Christmas program.  I played the piano and helped the kids learn the songs.  I never left the Children’s/Youth ministry.  Having a computer, I began laying out the weekly bulletin for the church.  Shortly thereafter, with the pastor’s approval, I began writing the devotional for the bulletin.  I began teaching the four and five year olds (Sunday morning, night and on Wednesday), while still assisting in Children’s Church.  Managing the music portion of Children’s Church, I formed a Children’s Choir where we performed in front of the church once a month.  I served as secretary for the women’s ministry and for the youth council.  I became the Youth Director, taking over Children’s Church and the children’s ministry.  My mom and her friend spent Friday nights cleaning the church, while my dad maintained the grounds.  I spent my Friday nights cleaning my Sunday School room while copying/folding bulletins.  Saturday mornings would find us back at the church for outreach missions.  We would spend an hour or so in area neighborhood inviting people and kids to church.  One weekend a month a group of us would visit our shut-ins.  My afternoons were typically spent preparing for my Sunday School lesson – visiting Glover’s Bible Book Store, preparing crafts and visual aids along with a devotion or story that coincided with the lesson.  And then there was Children’s Church to prepare for and the music for choir rehearsal.  Balancing this responsibility with softball became a challenge.  I now spent more time at the church than the pastor himself.  And when I began longing to lose games so that I could be certain to be in church on Sunday mornings, I knew it was time to let it go.

I loved the years I spent at Grace.  Since closing her doors over a decade ago, I have mourned for her ever since.  I cannot explain it.  I miss this church.  We grew over 33% in a matter of weeks.  That’s a testament of the spirit of the neighborhood church.  Our official anthem was the hymn “Sweet, Sweet Spirit” and, boy, was that ever true.  Sunrise services, breakfasts, fellowships, special services, gatherings and parties to outings and service.  Unless you’ve been a part of such a close-knit group, it’s hard to explain.  For the past fifteen years I have not found a church that holds a candle to Grace.  I’ve visited larger churches and I’ve visited smaller churches.  Programs are there and so are the numbers.  But you cannot gauge success in numbers.  The preaching is weak and watered down.  We tip-toe around sore subjects in order to make the congregation happy.  We erect magnificent buildings of stature and grander mainly to impress.  It means nothing unless Christ can be felt within both physically and spiritually.  The world is in desperate need of a spirit-led church.

After serving in such a capacity for much of my adult life, I find it hard to just occupy a pew.  Weekends have become a sad reminder of what was.  I miss the hours of dedication to the ministry.  I miss the camaraderie between God’s people.  I miss strong, old-fashioned leaders with conviction and desire.  I miss hymns and harmony.  I miss sitting in my bedroom listening to Ray Boltz or Audio Adrenalin while working on a poster for my class; or spending the afternoon filling plastic eggs with Starburst jelly beans for Easter morning; or spending half the night rehearsing a special with my cousin.  They are fond memories that leave me longing for something more than what is now.  I honestly don’t know if I will ever find the church home that will fill the void left by these two churches.  But I pray that I do.

There's a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place,
And I know that it's the Spirit of the Lord;
There are sweet expressions on each face,
And I know they feel the presence of the Lord.

Sweet Holy Spirit, Sweet heavenly Dove,
Stay right here with us; filling us with Your love.
And for these blessings, we lift our hearts in praise;
Without a doubt we'll know that we have been revived
When we shall leave this place.

"Sweet, Sweet Spirit" by Doris Akers

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