FILE NOT FOUND

FILE NOT FOUND Computers! They are wonderful, except when they are not. They have gotten a bit too smart. I was trying to send a picture to someone the other day. I tried one folder and got the text bubble that said, “File not found.” No problem. I looked in another file and got the same message. Then I tried another file with the same result. Next I tried to find it in the email where I had sent it to someone. “No attachment” said the computer. I am hoping that I don’t have to recreate it because it was a really good picture. It is at this point that I usually resort to calling my computer genius child and asking how I need to word my request to the computer. He has the rare ability to speak both English and techno speak. While there are files that we cannot find, there are also files that have shortcuts. You can find them easily at any time. They might even pop up on the screen to remind us they are available. It can be hard to delete them, or at least turn off the reminders that they are available. What about in our spiritual lives? There are mental files, (beliefs) that are easily accessed. Unfortunately, they are often not the files we should be accessing. In my experience the malware files that pop up all too often are memories of mistakes I have made or of resentments. I have thoughts that pop up that say things like, “You are the weakest link.” “You’re supposed to be a Christian.” And “Your mother/ your dad/ God would be ashamed of you.” What files are hard to find for you? What about the times when God tells us, “I have loved you with an everlasting love?” (Jeremiah 31:3) We are saved by grace through faith, not through works that any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8) How about “I will never leave you or forsake you. You may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear what men shall do to me.” (Hebrews 13:5 ) When I looked this up I found that there are 62 time in the bible where God uses the words “I will never leave you or forsake you. We need to create shortcuts for these files so that they are easily accessible. There are promises that we need to remember in difficult times and we need to meditate on them so we can have them in our spirits when times are hard. Finally, just like I have to call my computer genius child when I can’t translate from English to Tech Speak, we need to rely on the Holy Spirit for help. This is what Paul tells us about him. “And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Life is hard and work is hard. We strive to honor God further his kingdom. Clean up your mental files, add shortcuts for love notes from God, and call the expert when you need him.

Due to Circmstances Beyond Our Control

Due to Circumstances Beyond Our Control… Few things make us feel as helpless as car trouble. A couple of weeks ago my friend and I broke down on the side of the highway. We had no credit card we could whip out and have people rushing to our rescue. God is a good God and we had someone stop and help us push it off the road and even pay for a 30 mile tow. So then what? Just whip out the magic credit card and call the mechanic, right? Oh, yeah. No magic credit card. Once I got a hold of the mechanic, he turned out to be in the hospital for surgery to repair a gash to his leg. I have had to do one of my least favorite things in the world. ASK FOR HELP!!. Lord, how I hate that. I would love to tell you that I am such a good Christian I have been too busy praising the Lord to fret. I would be lying though, and leaving out the part where I cry bitter tears as I walk and snarl when God reminds me of verses like Psalms 46:10. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations and exalted in the earth. At the very end of my rope, I was talking to someone who “just happened” to come in where I was working. He was telling me about totaling his truck on the way to church when he swerved to miss a feral hog. I said that I did not know what I was going to do about my situation and he told me that the person who is helping him was going to be there in about 5 minutes and he would have him talk to me. I talked to him and he said he would go out to where the car was and diagnose it. Then he would help me figure out the next steps. (Much better than people diagnosing it from 30 mile away.) I got my key out of my purse and handed it to him. He left with the key and went to check on the car. I admit that it was hard to hand over the key. I was had to relinquish control to get help. If I had said, go look and see what’s wrong with my car without giving him the power and the authority to do it, I would still be looking for help instead of waiting on an answer. The car is not the only situation in my life that I am powerless over right now. It is not the only situation that other people are trying to diagnose and tell me how to fix. I know I need God’s help but if I am going to get it I have to ask him to look at my problem and help me with it. Then I have to give relinquish my control over the situation. I have to be still and not go running after the suggestions that other people make. Sometimes they give great advice and sometimes their advice makes the situation worse. I have to accept that God is both able and willing to help me. Then just like I have to do in the natural, I have to wait. I DO NOT LIKE IT! I can choose my attitude while I wait. I can choose to trust and I can choose to rejoice. Let’s look at all of Psalms 46 TO THE CHOIRMASTER. OF THE SONS OF KORAH. ACCORDING TO ALAMOTH. A SONG. 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; the burns the chariots with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah It sounds like God is capable of handling our problems. Turn loose of the death grip of the keys to your life and let’s trust him this week.

The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:46 In the “old days”, gentlemen came up with a unique way to settle disputes. They had duels. This is not something we understand well these days unless we have watched Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. 2 combatants would square off. They man being challenged to the duel was allowed to choose the weapon they would use. Unlike Bugs and Elmer, they would pace off 10 steps, turn and fire. Duels could be ended in 3 ways. They could be finished with first blood, when one man was hurt too badly to be able to fight, or when one man was killed. The judge would determine the winner. Each person chose a second, a person to fight for them if they were hurt or killed. So, let’s say you were challenged to a duel. You chose pistols as a weapon. According to the rules of the duel, each uses the same weapon. Unfortunately, your opponent has no sense of honor and pulls out a bazooka. Your choices are run, shoot first and hope for the best, or pull out your own bazooka. This is very much the reality of our spiritual lives. The enemy of our souls has challenged us. We chose pistols because we know how to use them. He is the very opposite of honorable and comes at us with the bazooka. Before we know what happened, we are under heavy fire. Our first instinct is to run. Run from church, run from people who care about us, and run from God. This is usually a bad plan. We may choose to shoot first with our pistols. We may nick the enemy but won’t do much damage. These are things like using will power and quoting Romans 8:28 (For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose.) They will help some but not at the deep level we need. Fortunately, God has weapons and armor that are more than able to conquer. We just need to learn how to use them. Finally, we need to have people to fight with us and for us if we are injured in the battle. Here is the description of our weapons from the amplified Bible. 2 Corinthians 10-:46 The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ, being ready to punish every act of disobedience, when your own obedience [as a church] is complete. Paul describes our protective armor in Ephesians 6. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Finally, fight with your brothers and sisters. If you are injured in the battle they can stand for you until you can go on. Galatians 6:2 tells us to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. As you go into this next week take Paul’s encouragement to heart. “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

Fear

Welcome to first time guest blogger, Stacie Swicegood. Read on for a practical lesson on our old enemy, Fear. I’m sitting here thinking about writing and even talking to a friend about how to get started, and fear sits in. You know, the sweaty palms, heart palpitations, desire to run, avoid or do something else. It's like standing at the end of a very high diving board, looking down at the cold blue water, not knowing if you will sink or swim. If you are reading this, I jumped; whether I sink or swim is now up to God. He tells us in Psalms 119:105 that His word is a lamp to our path and a light to our feet. Have you seen the lamps from 100 BC or later? They are not the flood lights we have now. They light about 2 feet in front of you; the rest remains dark. I could use a flood light right now. The what-ifs are enough to send me packing, but the biggest, what if I fail, that thought is terrifying. Fear of failure is something, like many, I struggle with. I have forgiven my parents for being unable to tell me they were proud of me, but it does change how our brains are wired. We become overachievers, scared to let anybody down, and scared to step out of our comfort zone. This is where Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all submit to Him and he will make your paths straight.” For the overachiever control freak that I am, this verse terrifies me. Trust God? Don’t rely on my understanding? Submit? Let God control everything. Those feelings of fear come back right about now. But God But God promises in many places in the bible and in my own life that when we let him have control and let go of the wheel, he will bless us and take us further than we could ever imagine. He promises us our path with be straight but doesn’t tell us the terrain, only that he will light the steps we are to take. Trust in him, and know that the next step, no matter how terrifying, is exactly what God is asking.

kaleidoscope

Twisted

 

 “Thus says the Lord. My ways are not your ways. Neither are my thoughts your thoughts. As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:4.

I love kaleidoscopes. They are such simple toys, made of a cardboard or metal tubes, an opaque lens and colorful pieces of glass or plastic. When you hold the lens up to the light, you can see the colored pieces for a shape Twisting the tube just a bit shifts the colored pieces and completely changes the pattern. It can be mesmerizing to watch the colors and shapes change and can keep a child, or an adult, entertained. The image depends on the position the pieces are in.

I have discovered something in the last few weeks. What we see in life depends on our viewpoint. One small change in our perspective can completely change what we know and understand. For example, I had an experience the other day when I was complaining about a situation that occurred often when I was growing up. My husband saw the situation from a different perspective and shared with me what he saw. I felt like my memory shifted like the pieces in the kaleidoscope. Things that had made no sense to me suddenly became clear. I could see more clearly why I reacted the way I did. Old resentments and jealousy were shown in a different light, and have become easier to overcome.

The Bible tells us in Isaiah 55, “Thus says the Lord. My ways are not your ways. Neither are my thoughts your thoughts. As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."We think things should work one way but they don't work out that way. There is a country song that says, "Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers." I am not saying that we should use country songs to dictate our theology, but the sentiment does support what we read in this verse.

One reason our thoughts are not like God's thoughts is that we canot see the whole picture, but only a very small piece. Two verses address this The first is 2 corinthians 4:18. We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. There is a whole area of reality that we cannot see but the thing that happen in the spirit realm are as real, or possibly more real as the things that happen that we can see. I have seen it compared to what is going on backstage during a performance that we don't realize.
Loook at this beautiful verse from Isaiah 46.

9Remember what happened long ago,
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me.
10I declare the end from the beginning,
and ancient times from what is still to come.
       I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.

Not only does God see things that we can't but he sees it in the context of eternity. We look at what is happening right now and can't understand. 

You can feel secure when your life is beig twisted and shaken. It is being held by your loving, almighty father. 

 

 What's it worth to you

  “Since you are precious in my sight, since you are honored and I love you, I will give other people in your place and other nations in exchange for your life." Isaiah 43:4

There is no limit to the places we can find lessons for our spiritual lives. Believe it or not, the inspiration for today’s lesson came from THE PRICE IS RIGHT. The item up for bid was a diamond necklace. Contestants were bidding between $750 and $1000. The “actual retail price” was $3025. I was impressed not only by the value of the necklace but by how people undervalued it. Diamonds are used in many industries including automotive and medicine because they are excellent for cutting and polishing. However they have value apart from what they can do. Ultimately, the value of something is based on what someone is willing to pay for it.

I realized as I thought about this that the same is true for us as Christians. I admit that have received my value based on performance and what I could do for God or others. Growing up, that was how I got validation. In school, church and often at home, that was how I got attention and approval. I accomplished things and I succeeded. I have shared before that I loved the gold stars and happy faces on papers and Sunday school charts. I did not learn about grace until much later and it was actually a difficult concept for me. My acceptance and God’s love for me was outside of anything I did or could do. It was because God chose to pay the price for my redemption. I had value to Him outside or what I could do or accomplish.

Isaiah 43:4 has become one of my life verses. “Since you are precious in my sight, since you are honored and I love you, I will give other people in your place and other nations in exchange for your life.

Look at John 15:16. Jesus tells his disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

 In the beautiful passage in Romans 8, Paul tells us …31What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things? 

I am by no means saying not to do things to glorify God or to help his people. I am merely saying that our value is not defined by what we accomplish but in what he was willing to do for us. The world and even people we love will sometimes undervalue us, like the diamond necklace. God gave up his most precious possession to purchase us. May we stand in that value this week.A

ABIDE

 

Abide

When I was about 13 we went to a Navajo reservation to hold a Vacation Bible School. It was a world like nothing I had ever seen. The hogans looked pieced together but they were sturdy and comfortable on the inside. The chapter house had beautiful handmade crafts, offices, meeting rooms and a shower facility. The men built a brush arbor while we watched amazed at the transformation.

We had Vacation Bible School in the morning and Gospel Meeting at night. Afterwards we ate fabulous food that we had never had, including fresh fry bread. The afternoons were reserved for fun. There were impromptu games and hikes. That was the summer I discovered Agatha Christie. I would hike a little way from where the campsite was and sit in on of the shallow caves to read. One day as I was hiking, I saw a fox den with 2 kits inside. We watched each other in silence. They were completely unconcerned. They were sheltered from the sun and mama was undoubtedly nearby and would come running at the slightest yip.

In our Christian lives, although we trust God we feel the need to rush around and figure out a backup plan in case he doesn’t come through. ( Maybe that is just me.) Scripture tells us to Abide in him. Abide means to remain stable or fixed in a state. Like the fox kits we need to be stable and fixed in our trust that God is a good father and will come at our call. Life does not always look like that but we have the assurance that it is true.

Look at this beautiful verse that I found about abiding in God. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalms 91:1) I cannot think of a better place to abide than in the shadow of the Almighty. I long for safety and shelter and I can be sure to find it there. More than that, it is my rightful place. What if a bobcat tried to move into the fox den. Mama fox would make short work of it because the den is not its rightful place. I don’t have to creep into the presence of God as if I am afraid someone will spot me.

 
Not only is God’s presence a place of safety and shelter, but it is a place of power and provision. Jesus tells his disciples, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7” If we are remaining in a fixed and stable state in Jesus and hiding his word in our heart ( Psalms  119:11) we have a flow of blessings in him.

Abiding is not common in our culture. We are taught to strive, to work harder, to be self-made women and men. May we have the courage it takes this week to learn to be still and abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

Just Sit

 

Just Sit

Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heavens and exalted in the earth. Psalms 46:10

The other day, I came home from a long day at work. The dog was glad to see me. He had a list for me since I had been gone. We went out for a walk and he took care of all the necessary duties. We came in and he got his treats. I left out the one that stays in the refrigerator and he informed me that I had forgotten it. We played fetch and he ate some. I figured we were done since all the boxes had been checked, so I sat down with my book. He would be still for a few minutes and then let out one loud sharp bark. This went on for several minutes and finally I told him I was out of ideas. As a last option, I sat down beside him on the floor. He wagged his tail and put his head down.  That was all he wanted – for me to be with him.

In our Christian walk, we look to God for what we need. This is a good thing and He loves to bless us. He tells us to trust him and says that we do not have because we do not ask. (James 4). We depend on him for salvation, for our daily bread and our healing. There is a piece that is often missing, though. We do not take enough time to just sit and be with Him. Like Martha in the Bible we get so busy serving Him that we do not take time to sit at his feet. Jesus died to bridge the gap between us and a holy God so we could have fellowship. We need to take advantage of that gift of fellowship.

A verse that I love/hate is Psalms 46:10 – Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heavens and exalted in the earth.

Psalms 84 has a beautiful description of  spending time in God’s presence.

How lovely is your dwelling place,
    Lord Almighty!
² My soul yearns, even faints,
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
    for the living God.
³ Even the sparrow has found a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
    Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
    they are ever praising you.

I have not always done well at sitting in God’s presence, but I want to do it more. I need the restoration and healing that comes from it. May we have the courage to step away from our busy stressful life and spend time with the God who gave Himself up for us.

Because I Said So

Because I Said So

My ways are not your ways nor are my thoughts your thoughts. As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my thoughts higher than your thoughts and my ways than your ways.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

It is the cry of the four year old. Why? Why? Why? Why is the sky blue? Why do I have to brush my teeth? Why do I have to go to school? My uncle called on one of those days and asked what I was doing. I said, “I’ve answered a thousand questions today.” He said, “You wanted an intelligent child and now you have one.”  Parents try to keep up for a while, but usually it deteriorates to the point where the frustrated parent says, “BECAUSE I SAID SO!”

God is sovereign. He tells us in Isaiah 55, “my ways are not your ways nor are my thoughts your thoughts. As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my thoughts higher than your thoughts and my ways than your ways.”  It is tempting to ask God why things happened. Why did my family member die? Why did someone attack innocent people? Many times we don’t get an answer.

Job questioned God when he was hurting and broken. Here is what God said to him.

38 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind and said,

² “Who is this who darkens the divine plan By words without knowledge?
³ Now ^[a]tighten the belt on your waist like a man, And I shall ask you, and you inform Me!
⁴ Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you ^[b]have understanding,
⁵ Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the measuring line over it?
⁶ On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone,
⁷ When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

⁸ “Or who enclosed the sea with doors When it went out from the womb, bursting forth;
⁹ When I made a cloud its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling bands,
¹⁰ And I ^[c]placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors,
¹¹ And I said, ‘As far as this point you shall come, but no farther;
And here your proud waves shall stop’?

 

For several chapters God continues. All the marvels of creation exist “because He said so.”

Sovereignty is not a concept we understand in our culture. We are used to getting our way and getting it when we want it. God gets to have the final say because he created everything, He sustains everything and he redeemed everything.

 

When you don’t get an answer or don’t get the answer you want, you can trust God. Anything that happens to you is in his hand and you will be taken care of, because He said so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redeemed

 Welcome back to guest blogger Samantha LaPierre. Read on to see what she has learned about God Redeeming the wreckage of the past. 

I keep starting and stopping searching for words that are not there to express things that vanish the moment you try to pin them down. They seem so sacred that to capture them would be nearly irreverent and blasphemous. Some moments, it seems, belong only to the moment in which they were birthed and are buried before the next. Bursts and flashes of creation are complete in themselves. How could I express that?

Sometimes I could sit and breathe and bask in the nothingness, the dreaming that occurs as it dwells in all of the possibility that the void contains. I can hold this space just briefly to quiet the chattering in my mid. The silence takes the roots of these and turns over earth inside my soul, so that I can grow something beautiful. I can create something I never could have on my own. I can feel my chest begin to calm. A feeling like a raging hurricane suddenly stopped.

At first I felt like I had died, like the lack of conflict was death, not peace. I was used to just surviving, getting by using anxiety as the source I used to me forward. To let myself take the weighted responsibility of owning my life would mean I would have to step into the authority of my own power. Actually it was not my own power, but the power entrusted to me by God by the Holy Spirit. I didn’t know how to claim it. I had nothing but failed attempts, a dysfunctional emotional body and a lack of guidance. I had no one to teach me who to be whole, but I quickly taught myself to be broken and bitter. I can’t pinpoint or understand how or when the depth of my soul surrendered to the surface all the treasures that I had assumed were lost forever. Lost when my vessel was tossed and wrecked time and time again, breaking and sinking like the pearl of the grace that came with a great cost. God has called these treasures out of their grave. He came walking on the water to help me see their beauty and unseen worth. He said to me, “these are the treasures you take with you from this life to the next.

As I wrote this these pictures played on the screen in my mind.

A pretty new ship setting off as dark clouds rolled in. As it set sail, it passed the safe zone and violent waves and winds capsized it, breaking it into splinters.

Another boat, not so new sits hesitant to leave. It didn’t sail long and was abandoned with its cargo. The captain and crew decided they would rather take their chances and float. Over and over this story replayed and no one dived to reclaim what was  lost.

Then the ocean floor began to shift. The tides and currents changed and the surface was hit by a tsunami. The ocean became an empty grave. I could see Him jump in the water and lift me out - resuscitating me and reviving my heart. I coughed cried and sputtered to take the next breath on my own. He wiped my eyes and my face. Then he lifted me to my feet and we were standing on the water together. He picks up stones, treasures and a bluepring. No. It is a complete pardon. 4 beautiful words. All has been forgiven.

I see a trunk full of books that don’t have words yet. “Write” he said without saying. “These are the tablets of your heart. He shows me a gold heart shaped locket with a mustard seed in one side and “to thine own self be true, on the other. I can’t help but smile. He had faith in me the whole time. At the end of this I come back to myself and I want to dance and cry and tell everyone about the way, in just a moment, God could reveal Himself to me. I don’t need to be spectacular. I only need to make myself be still long enough to release what it is in my mind

 

Tapestry

Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.  Galatians 6:2

When I was a teenager, we spent time on the Navajo Reservation in Kinlichee, Arizona. We were sponsoring a vacation Bible School and gospel meeting. The Indian women made us fry bread, beans and stew and we ate under a brush arbor that we watched the men build. A quarter mile from where we camped was the chapter house. It was a combination office, shower facility and gift shop. The shop had beautiful crafts, including dolls and jewelry. My favorite thing was the handmade rugs. They were woven on traditional looms. Yarn was strung vertically on the loom and then passed over one thread and under the next. At the end of each row the yarn was pressed down to tighten the weave. The bright colored yarn made intricate patterns and the rugs were strong and durable.

 In the strange and uncertain times we live in, Christians need each other. When we are in fellowship our lives are woven together. Our different gifts and experiences, when they are combined, make a beautiful tapestry of God’s grace and increase the strength of each individual. We are much less vulnerable to outside attacks.

Ecclesiastes 4 9-12 says this.

Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰ If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

In Galatians 6:2, Paul encourages us to bear one another’s burdens, and in First Corinthians 12 he describes the way we are many members but form one body with Christ being the head.

Many other verses discuss the idea of the importance of fellowship and love. Not only does it benefit us, but also glorifies God and sets an example for those outside the fellowship.

You are a treasured part of the tapestry of my life. Your love and strength make me a better me. I am so glad, my beautiful sister, that my life is woven with yours.

 

Where the spirit of the lord is there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17) It was in the mailbox – the dreaded red card. A traffic ticket from 5 years earlier had slipped my mind. The city needed money and was having a warrant roundup. My husband suggested that I just sit it out, but I was working full time. His friend said that I could go in and talk to them and set it up to come in and sit it out on the weekend. Well, he was wrong. I got to the office to talk to them and they said I couldn’t do that. They handcuffed me in front of everyone in the office. I called my husband and told him what was going on. I went through the whole ordeal of fingerprints and picture and then was put in the holding tank which was packed. I was freezing and curled up in a corner. I asked for a blanket and they said no. I was holding it together but just barely. It was a fascinating slice of humanity. People came and went to see the judge. Supper, such as it was came and went. I cried a lot. The others started talking, asking each other why they were there. One said, “I robbed the 7-11” Another was there for prostitution and a third was there for assault. They looked at me and asked why I was there. Bursting into tears, I said, “A traffic ticket!” They all agreed that it was not fair. Night time was worse. The shower was right next to the holding cell and was very loud. There were people being brought down to shower at 2 am. People were being brought in all night long. Many of them were screaming at the police and each other. Finally about mid morning I was called in to see the judge. Again, I started crying. “I’m so glad you’re here!” I said. “I’m not coping well.” He looked at my file and said, “How long have you been here?” I told him and he said, “I think you’ve suffered enough. Can you hang on 45 more minutes. I nodded and dried my eyes. I was never so glad to see the sunshine and I haven’t gotten a traffic ticket since. I hated being behind bars that night. I hated not being able to go where I needed and do what I needed. The truth is, in our spiritual life we are often just as trapped. It might be from guilt or addiction. It might be from sadness that won’t let go. For me it is fear. I have been learning to recognize fear when I see it and walk out of it step by step but it has been a battle. There are legitimate things to be afraid of right now with the things happening in the world, but when it controls us we can be just as locked up as if we were in a physical cell. Whatever has us trapped spiritually will keep us from doing what we need to do and fulfilling god’s purpose for us. So how do we get free? First of all we recognize that we cannot free ourselves. That is why God sent Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Paul said in the letter to the Romans, “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.” Romans (7:19) He describes his frustration at his condition and then in verse 24 he says,” Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” ( Romans 7:24). So Jesus can deliver us from sin but what about the other things that plague us? What about fear? Because I needed to I looked up the scriptures about fear. There are 365 of them. Some of the ones I love most are these Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The Lord will be a light to me. Micah 7:8. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand Isaiah 41:10. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 Even as I typed these verses they spoke to me again. Jesus can and will deliver us from our fear. Finally, what about disease, including addiction. In Isaiah 53:5 we read “ut He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, And by His wounds we are healed. “ Later in 1 Peter2:24, we read, “"He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” I encourage you this week to look for the areas where you are still bound. Accept Jesus’ healing and freedom. Learn more and more of Him and then spread the word to help someone who is still trapped.

Please Welcome Chuck Weber, a new guest blogger who is helping out this week and next. Chuck was Chaplain at both State School and part time Chaplain at Hendrick Medical Center. He has also participated in the Kairos Prison Ministry. Surprised by Light In the lightning flash across the sky His mighty power I see, And I know if He can reign on high His light can shine on me. Ch: I’ve seen it in the lightning, heard it in the thunder, and felt it in the rain... My Lord is near me all the time... My Lord is near me all the time. When the thunder shakes the mighty hills and trembles every tree, Then I know a God so great and strong can surely harbor me. (to Ch:) When refreshing showers cool the earth and sweep across the sea, Then His rainbow shines within my heart. His nearness comforts me. (to Ch.) – Barbara Gaultney, Broadman Press, c.1960. On sixth floor in a shared room lurked an angry patient. The four of us, interns for hospital chaplaincy, had by turn tried to cheer up this 22-year-old woman. Every effort to talk to her had failed spectacularly. Maybe it was the pain! After all, she had broken her femur and her shoulder tumbling from a motorcycle. Maybe the shame! After all, the wreck was caused by her clothing getting tangled in the chain and spokes of the beast, in itself understandable were it not for the fact that the bed sheet in the spokes was all she was wearing at the time. Three of us has been summarily dismissed amid curses and imprecations. Today I was determined to venture into the room, hoping for success. The others laughed and asked me whatever was I thinking. She was the middle daughter of a Methodist preacher. She knew what we were going to say before we said it. Her rage was her only solace. Why pronounce another? I felt like I was walking on air. Only the day before, I had performed my first baptism as pastor of a tiny country church. Only eight days before, I had received ordination as a preacher of the Gospel surrounded by faithful men and women of my church. God lived in my heart that day like a fire of liberation. What could possibly go wrong? The sixth floor door to her room was in the oldest part of the hospital. The huge gray thing stood 50 inches wide and heavy as granite. Now sixteen inches from the closed door, the possibility of strife gave me pause. With a gentle tap, I listened for an answer. Hearing none, I slowly opened the door and called her name, announcing my own. She was asleep. A feeling very much like gratitude swept over me. As I turned to leave, I heard a voice behind the door. “Son, you got the shine on you.” Mostly hidden by the open door, the other patient in the room smiled at me. She must have been well over 80 years old. I had not come to see her, but...there she was. “What do you mean by that?” I asked. She laughed gently, “You know what I mean.” Fishing for an explanation, I said, “I came to see this lady, but I had no idea anyone else was in here.” “The Lord done put you here.” She paused. “He done put me here, too.” “How did you know...?” “Like I said, you got the shine on you. The Lord has been ‘specially good to you, hasn’t he?” She smiled from her bed, looking up at me. “The Lord God, he works that way.” “Yesterday I did the first baptism service in my life, as pastor of a little church in the country. One nine year old girl, a retired husband and wife and a 66 year old man all baptized. God has certainly been with me.” “His blessing shines in you. Sho’ ‘nuff, it does.” She and I talked for a few minutes, quietly, in deference to her sleeping room mate. I ventured to pray for her before I left, but she would not have it. She prayed for me. She prayed for her room mate, and she closed with hope and blessing. I gently shut the door to that room on sixth floor and made my way back to the chaplain’s office. Clock-out time was 35 minutes away. Affirmation had happened. God’s light surprised me. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? – Psalm 27:1 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. – 1 John 1:5-10. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. – 2 Corinthians 4:6,7 I have heard it said “a Christian is a psycho-ceramic,” meaning that we are all clay pots and we are all cracked. Nevertheless, it is in this cracked pot that God invests his presence. For all we know of other religious faiths, the one assertion that is uniquely Christian is that God not only forgives us and draws us back to himself, but he also invests us with his own spirit, taking up residence in our very souls. His body is the church and parts of his body are each of us. We are his, yes, but we are also cracked vessels out of whom leaks the presence of God. How do others apprehend the love of God? Rarely by electronics or by dreams or by meditation. Most often God reveals himself through a regular person. An old lady once blessed me for nothing I had ever said or done that she knew about. The spirit of God led her to bless me. I did not deserve it nor did I expect it. Her broken pot helped fill up my own broken pot. Toward what end? Blessings surround my memory like incense. They keep me humble and they keep me expectant. This is how our social God operates. It was not accidentally he took upon himself the limitations of flesh. Doing so he enjoyed his own creation and showed us a stark and undeniable way to live a meaningful life. Perfect maturity is possible only with God alive in us, and that is his purpose. Father of Light, My life is a cracked pot. What I hold within me leaks out. Lots of things are in there and not all are seemly. My best self is yet cracked. Your spirit fills me still. I am amazed & brought low. Somehow you reach others through me, anyway. Sometimes I don’t even notice. That’s the way you are, I guess. Riches hidden in a common vessel, broken but still useful. Jesus was not beautiful to look upon, but was still completely you in this broken world. Grant my prayer that I notice you in action in me. AMEN

 Just Rest Your Eyes

For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” ( Isaiah 30:15)

Bedtime in my house has always been a challenging time. I wish I had a quarter for every time I said, “You don’t have to go to sleep. Just rest your eyes.”  My older child would go just as fast as he could and make as much noise as possible to avoid having to go to sleep. We would have “be-still-a-thons”. The winner was the one who could be still and quiet the longest.  My younger child was very quiet in school but saved up all his words until bedtime when he let loose. One night he said, “Mama, I can’t go to sleep.” I said, “That’s because your eyes are open and your mouth is moving.” He closed his eyes and said, “Hmm Hmm Hmmmm, Hmm Hmm.” Even the dog doesn’t like bedtime. He stays home with my husband all day and they nap so when I get home he is rested and ready to go. The other night he would wait until I got still and then moan, bark or paw at me. Finally my husband took him into the man cave and closed the bedroom door. After a little bit we let him back in.  He acted like he was going to be quiet and then started woofing. My husband started to pick him up and take him out again and in a flash he jumped up next to my shoulder and gave us an innocent look.  People wonder why I look tired.

The truth is I am tired in more ways than just physical.  I carry emotional and spiritual burdens that are not necessary. I know that the word says, “Cast your cares on Him for He cares for you. (1 Pet 5:7)” I know, but I was raised with the belief that I should “Pray like everything depends on God and then work like everything depends on you.” The other day God showed me an image. I was on an escalator and even though it was going, I was running as fast as I could to get to the top. That is a very accurate description of how I operate. I pray that God will meet a need and then search high and low for a local resource that will meet it. I stay up trying to come up with alternate solutions, alternating with the serenity prayer.

When I looked up scriptures on rest, I found 766. Apparently God is serious about resting in him. The first references are about God resting on the 7th day and remembering the Sabbath.  I won’t share all 766 but here are few of the ones that spoke to me. 

 Isaiah 30:15 For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” 

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Jeremiah 31:25 For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.

Exodus 14:14 

The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be still.”

I believe that lack of rest, whether physical, emotional or spiritual is a huge problem for many of us. There are so many concerns right now. I encourage you to do your own search for scriptures about rest and peace and feed your soul with them this week.

keep your balance

When I was in school my mom put us in gymnastics and dance to help us learn how to be graceful. One of the things I had the hardest time with in gymnastics was the balance beam. Common sense says that if you want to keep your balance you look at your feet. The beam is very narrow and you don't want to make a mis-step. The problem is that looking at your feet and where  you place them actually makes it more likely that you will fall. The instructors told us that the best way to keep your balance is to keep your eye on the end of the beam.

Life is chaotic right now ans there is so much going on around us that we are tempted to look at our feet to try to keep our balance in life. There are so many scary things going on that we are trying to avoid getting caught in a situation. We try to protect ourselves form the virus, from violence, and from the destructive forces of our own sins. We feel that if we can just watch where we are going, we will be safer. In reality we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. He is our security and our source. 

The bible says in Jude 25 and 25  "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen" We need to spend time with God in both prayer and study and keep our eyes on him. He is the one who is able to keep us from falling. 

In Isaiah 41:10 we read "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Sometimes all we really need is an awareness of God's presence in our life. When I was in elementary school, I was walking a narrow balance beam when I was at the park with my Grandpa. I started having trouble and he reached up and let me hold on to one of his fingers. There is no rational reason that this should have helped. There was no way he could help me if I started to fall. Somehow, though, the The just the fact that I could touch him gave me the confidence I needed. It is the same with God. 

The things that we are going through right now are not a surprise to God Here is what He has to say in Isaiah 43:2.

        But now thus says the Lord,    

    he who created you, O Jacob,

    he who formed you, O Israel:

    “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

    2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

    when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

    and the flame shall not consume you.

    3 For I am the Lord your God,

    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

    I give Egypt as your ransom,

    Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

    4 Because you are precious in my eyes,

    and honored, and I love you,

    I give men in return for you,

    peoples in exchange for your life.

I believe that it is 365 times in the scripture that we find the words, "Do not fear." Take heart and keep your eyes on him who is able to keep you from falling. 

It's not easy being green.

 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:7-9

My thumb is not bright green, but I am  learning more gardening skills. I am trying to figure out what plants like  how much sun and how much water. One thing I noticed is that a plant that was in a pot last year showed up in a spot where I didn't plant it. I have seen this a couple of times. One year a tomato plant grew up volunteer out of my mom's compost pile. Those were the biggest sweetest tomatoes I ever had. My gardening friends say that the wind ( which we have lots of here in West Texas) water, or animals can transfer seeds to other places.

I have seen this in my life, too. During both the lock-down and my grief journey, things have been hard, but I have seen blessings from unexpected sources. One time a stranger put gas in my car for me when I was scraping the bottom of the barrel for change waiting for my paycheck to come in. "random people" stepped up to help us on our road trip to the funeral. People have called me "out of the blue" too let me know they are thinking about me.This past week I was very sick with shingles. I had friends that brought me supper, hot tea and ginger ale, friends who brought me vitamins and pain killers and friends who prayed for me.  I asked God why they helped me when I had not done anything for them. The verse that came to mind was  Galatians 6:7-9.

 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

For some reason, I had always seen this in a negative light. If you do bad things you will get bad things in return. I had never realized that when I have poured into someone's life, I may reap from an entirely different place. I am sometimes so tempted to "lose heart in doing good". One of my biggest temptations is the voice that says "That's not enough to make any difference."

Another verse that expresses the same thought in a different way is Ecclesiastes 11:1 "Cast your bread upon the waters and you will find it again after many days." When we do godd to others because God has been good to us, we  will receive a reward.  Like the plants that come up volunteer where they were not planted, our reward may not come in the way we expect, but it will come.

Psalms 1:1-4 says, "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked. They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

If we are walking with God and taking delight in his law, He can bless us from any source He desires. as we read in psalms 50:10, He owns the cattle on a thousand hills."

More now than ever, the world needs Jesus and  it needs the church. Ask God to show you where to sow and how you are reaping. 



Ecclesiastes 11:1 says "cast your bread upon the waters, and you will find it again after many days. This is true of giving and it is also true of work we do for the kingdom.