Burdens

Welcome to unseen. Enjoy todays story about casting our cares on Jesus and look forward to a guest spot from Paul Mathis next week since I will be  having surgery Monday.

Burdens

Cast all your cares on him for he cares for you. 1 Pet 5:7

Once there was a young man who loved climbing. He was one of those toddlers who scale bookcases and became a preteen who climbed trees, then a teenager who climbed on the roof. Mountain climbing was a more appropriate use for these skills so he learned on the mountains nearby. He loved the feeling of accomplishment and the excitement of looking down at the world. For graduation, his father paid for a trip in the Himalayas. He hired a Sherpa for a guide and a llama for a pack animal. The young man showed up at base camp ready to go. He had a huge pack, a sleeping bag, canteen and safety equipment. The Sherpa instructed him to load his gear on the llama, but the young man refused, saying he was capable of carrying it himself. The started the climb and the young man quickly got tired. Again the Sherpa told him to let the llama carry his gear, but the young man refused saying the llama might not be strong enough and he might lose some of his gear. After an hour he grudgingly put his canteen on the llama but insisted he was fine with the rest. After another hour he said “I wish I could put the rest of my gear on the llama, but I am just not worthy” He put  his sleeping bag on the llama but insisted on keeping the heavy pack, saying it was too much for the poor animal to have to carry. The Sherpa explained that the animals are trained from an early age and are strong and sure footed. They climbed a while longer and the going was easier but as the air got thinner, it was harder to carry the pack. Again the Sherpa begged him to put the rest of his burdens on the animal, but  he complained that it was too expensive. The Sherpa shook his head and told the boy that the price was already paid for the llama to carry his things for him. The boy slipped gratefully out of the heavy pack and put it on the llama. He was able to make the rest of the journey with greater ease and enjoyment.

What would you have told the young man? How silly to refuse a gift and insist on carrying his own burdens. Does he sound like anyone we know, though? What kinds of excuses (I’m sorry. I meant good reasons.) do we use for not casting our cares on Jesus?  I would expect they are the same ones that the young man used. We are capable of handling it ourselves. It might not be safe to accept help. We are not worthy. It is too expensive. We might let him carry some of  our burdens but hold tightly to others out of either shame or pride. Jesus came specifically to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He came willingly and he paid the price already. We can let go of our fears, our shame and our desperate need to protect ourselves.

Jesus described this as taking his yoke upon us, ….. and we shall find rest. (Matt 11:29) Psalms 68:9 says Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens 1 Peter 5:7 says cast your cares upon you for he cares for you. Matthew 6 tells us about the dangers of worry.

Take the plunge and have the faith to give your burdens over to the Lord. The rest of your climb will be easier and more enjoyable.

Roto-Rooter

Welcome to Unseen. I had planned to post something different this morning, but when I was getting ready my old enemy resentment reared its ugly head. Deciding I might not be the only one that needed a reminder I decided to share this story on forgiveness.

Roto-Rooter

Let no root of bitterness spring up among you. Hebrews 10:5

We have all seen the public service announcements and ads for medicine on TV.”While I was building my life, plaque was building in my arteries According to my nurse friends plaque is a substance that sticks to the walls of our arteries. It keeps the blood from flowing freely, which can cause damage to the heart muscle and other tissues. It can prevent blood from getting to the brain, leading to problems with memory and speech. If a piece of plaque breaks off it can block the artery entirely  and cause a stroke if the blood is cut of from the brain. If it is cut off from the limbs, there is a danger of tissue death and even loss of the limb. Doctors use a variety of medicines to try and improve circulation and usually prescribe moderate exercise and diet change. However if the damage is too bad they are forced to resort to the infamous “roto-rooter surgery. A tiny balloon is inserted into the artery with a needle. When the balloon inflates it breaks away the plaque from the site of the blockage. The smaller pieces can then circulate harmlessly through the bloodstream.

This is not a public service announcement about our physical hearts. It is a public service announcement about our spiritual hearts. Many things can clog our spiritual heart, including guilt, shame and grief. The most common offender is resentment. Like plaque in our physical bodies, it can block the flow of God’s spirit. Personally it can damage our communication with God and cloud our judgment. In the church it has the potential to cut members off from each other, and without the connection to the rest of the body they can shrivel and even die spiritually.

What is God’s prescription for this ailment of resentment? Diet is one part of it. We are encouraged to desire the sincere milk of the word (1 Pet 2:2 and reminded that Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35. We must exercise our faith, Physical training is of some value but godliness has value for all things. , holding promise for this life and the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8) If this is not enough, we need to let God do radical work in us and take away the resentment for us. I did not believe it could happen but I have seen it in my life. RT Kendall , in his book Total Forgiveness, says that one thing that can bring about this change is when we desire communion with God more than we desire to see our enemy punished. I try to keep my resentment list short now, but I would be lying if I said it is not a continuous battle.

Resentment is one of the devil’s most destructive weapons. He will fan the flames of resentment and make it easier for us to be isolated and separated from God spirit and our spiritual family. This makes us all the more vulnerable to him. Watch your diet and exercise and if the Great Physician tell you it is time for Roto-rooter, take the chance.   

Hide and Seek

Welcome to the first Unseen of 2015. I hope your holiday was wonderful, and if it was not, I hope you are able to find the good in it. Which brings us to today's story. You're probably familiar with the "Happy Church Face" or maybe with what I call the "Swirling Vortex of Terror"(From Finding Nemo), That place where your thoughts whirl and gather steam until one nagging doubt becomes a raging storm. Both of these are responses to situations we want to hide from. Read on for lessons from a childhood game. 

Hide and Seek

The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are saved. Proverbs 18:10

5, 4, 3, 2, 1….. Ready or not, here I come! I heard her footsteps coming my way, and squeezed tighter into my hiding place. I tried not to make any noise, but it was hard. I heard a closet door open and hangers being scraped across the bar. Then I heard the closet door close and the footsteps coming closer. The door to my hiding place was open just a crack and I could see her tennis shoes. Cabinets and closets opened and closed. Then she turned around and left the other room, heading down the hall. I decided it was safe to try to get to base and carefully pushed open the door of my hiding place. I heard a creak and then footsteps running my way, and then the dreaded words. “I gotcha!” Hide and seek was so much fun, but we outgrew it, right?

The people in the Bible were good at hiding. It started with Adam and Eve, hiding from God in the garden (Genesis  ) . Moses hid from his secret in the desert of Midian.(Exodus) The angel found Gideon hiding in the wine press, and greeted him by saying, Hail, Mighty man of  valor.(Judges) Then David hiding from King Saul, and on and on.

I have two questions. What is your hiding place? Is it your happy church face? I like that one, myself. Maybe yours is drugs or alcohol, food, work or maybe even your bed.  Second, what are you hiding from? Is it past mistakes or secrets? Is it persecution or injustice? Is it temptation or sadness? Maybe it is responsibilities and success. Whatever you're hiding from and wherever you're hiding, the solution is the same. David knew the answer. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are saved(Proverbs 18:10). Psalms 17:8 says Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 64:7 we read, "Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the plots of evildoers. Throughout the Psalms and prophets we find God urging us to hide in Him and rest in Him, instead of hiding from him. Listen, and you can hear the Lord of Heaven and Earth say, "I gotcha"!

Guest spot

Welcome to Unseen today. Today's story is from Linnie Branton's new book Lesson's Learned from the Garden. Linnie is an artist and writer and has been a volunteer in different capacities at Faith Works and at Freedom Fellowship.  Lesson's Learned from the Garden is being released this week and there will be a book signing at the old firehouse in Clyde Saturday, December 13 from 2:00 to early evening. Linnie's encouragement and help was a great help in getting my writing started. Enjoy  her story and for more information on how to order her book or art contact me at susanmccabe26@gmail.com.

Out of Season

My flower bed is a bit confused. The flowers that bloomed in the summer have decided that enough is enough. No matter how much water I give them, no matter how warm the sun shines, they are finished. They have completed their journey. They have dropped their seed to assure that another generation will follow them. They have put down deep roots. Some will have new plants shoot up from those same deep roots come spring, the parent plant being long gone. Others will die out all the way down to the roots. The plant itself will fertilize the soil that once fed it. When finally pulled up out of the ground, the deep roots will loosen the soil as it is released to fall back into place. Seed will fall into the loose earth: water will soak into the dirt creating a perfect environment for new seed to put down new roots. This is life in the flower bed.

The confusion comes because the seasons this year have been a little out of synchronization. Spring happened quickly. Winter was cold and fierce. Then it was gone and summer came. There were no spring rains, no cool nights and mornings that gradually led into summer. There were instead days and nights of freezing dry cold and then they were gone. All at once it was summer. Days were hot and dry with no rain. Water levels dropped. Water restrictions followed.

Most bulbs bloom in the spring. They wait for the ground to soften with spring rains. They stick their little heads out of the ground in the cool nights and early mornings. They even shake of a light snow or soft freeze and bravely wake up before the sun warms the ground. They delight us with the knowledge that the cold is coming to an end and warm weather is ahead.

My bulbs missed their season this year. But now, this October has unseasonably warm days, with cool nights and dark cool morning. There has been a little rain. My bulbs have decided to bloom, out of season. I am delighted. My heart has gone back to spring. With love and gentleness I remove a few stray weeds that try to compete with my bulbs. I give them just enough water to soften the soil and bring nourishment to roots that are stretched into the fertile soil. I watch each bud and wait for the flower to open fully so I can examine its unique beauty. The calendar may say October, but my heart says spring.

I compare my life to the bulbs. I have missed a few springs. There have been seasons that turned from frigid dry cold to scorching dry heat. There were some seasons where spring never happened. Without undue guilt, I must confess: some of those springs were missed because I never looked for them. It does not matter now. Spring is here, in my heart.

Jesus, you are the springs in our lives. Help us to be more like You. John 21:25 says, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

Capture the Flag

Welcome to unseen today.  Well, the holidays have arrived. Holidays are great, but let's be honest. For those of us who live Unseen they can also be really difficult. Whether you are a caregiver or a person with disabilities, your holiday probably doesn't look like Norman Rockwell. (Of course as my child reminded me, none of the people in the Norman Rockwell picture were actually related.) There is plenty of grief, guilt, resentment, loneliness and embarrassment. People asked me how my holiday went and I put on my happy face and said "Great." when I really spent a lot of my time off  crying. Read on for a place I learned to get help.

Capture the Flag

Put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground, and having done all to stand. Ephesians 6:13

Have you ever played the old game of Capture the Flag? You need two teams of 10 to 20 people, two flags and several hundred little bags of flour. The bags are made of napkin or paper towel so that they break easily when they hit something. The goal is to capture the other team´s flag. Team members try to advance toward the flag while keeping under protective cover. If they are spotted, the opposing team members pelt them with bags of flour. Once you are hit with flour you are dead and can no0 longer play. The first team to capture the rival flag wins. It is a great game for team building skills such as cooperation and strategy.

Personally I was never very good at the game. I am not fast and can´t think more than 3 moves ahead in a process. I was always one of the first to be killed off. The minute I popped my head up I was pelted with flour from every direction.

Sometimes my Christian life feels like that too. I start to make progress and BAM! Here comes a bag of trials. It is easy to get blindsided by a trial from a direction I don´t expect like an issue I thought I had dealt with. The last few weeks I have been bombarded with trials of illness, financial stress, strife and struggles with boundaries. However as a Christian I realize that I have a resource I never had in capture the flag. Ephesians 6 tells us this. 

   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.

I am still going to be pelted by problems, but I have hope. Jesus said in John 16:33, "In this world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world." I may be hit with difficulties but I am not going to be Out, because I have the protection I need if I learn to use it. Practice with your weapons this week and put on your armor.

Roots

Good morning and welcome to Unseen on this cold day. God has been good this week. My books are now being sold at Mardel's and i have begun the process to see if Lifeway bookstore will carry them. Pray that God will put them in the hands of people who need them. Today's story is about living through the times when you can't see what God is doing.  Read on.

The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Matthew 13:21

I have never had the green thumb that my mother did, but I have tried to grow things. For a long time I wanted an aloe vera plant. I finally had one flourishing and was glad to have it for burns and skin problems. One day my child came in and said, ‘’Look, mama! This is what’s under the dirt!” I looked up and he was holding the plant by the leaves with the roots sticking up. I agreed that it was very cool and tried to show him how to replant it, but it never did flourish again. Without its roots being firmly planted it would not get the nutrients it needed and it was not anchored. Roots, whether they are long and straight or fibrous and branching are what make it possible for the plants to survive and to grow.

Roots are just as vital in our spiritual lives as they are in the natural world.  Sometimes there are times when God’s grace and blessing pours down on us like a summer shower and other times when we get a slow steady flow of his presence and love. I know that many of you are going through dry, difficult times, though. Whether it is illness, grief of financial woes, it is easy to feel that God has forgotten about our troubles and that no one else cares. The truth is that as hard as we try as human beings we will let each other down. When that happens we need to have our faith deeply rooted so we can survive and eventually thrive again.

God uses this picture of plants, vines and roots many times because it gives us a illustration. For example, in Ephesians 3 we read   “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” In Colossians 2;6-7 Paul says, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” He also warns us about thing that can take root like weeds, such as the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10) and bitterness. (Hebrews 12:15). I have to keep that one beat down because it will grow like wild fire.

As we watch the coming of winter (We skipped fall here in West Texas this year) we see the plants turn brown and bare. They are still alive though and the roots continue to provide what they need. Let’s remember that in our lives we need roots, too. Be rooted in love, be rooted in Christ and abide in Him as the vine. (John 15) Spring will come again. More importantly, God will come again, maybe sooner that we expect. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Puzzled

Puzzled

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 28:1-2

One of my favorite ways to relax is working jigsaw puzzles. Having something to do with my hands frees up my mind to work on problems and come up with ideas, and can also make for good prayer time. The first thing I do when I start a puzzle is to build the edges. This gives me the boundaries, the size and the shape of the finished picture. The next thing I do is to sort similar colors and patterns. For instance, if I am looking for pieces where the sky meets the trees I will find those that have both blue and green. Once I have the similar pieces gathered I look for ones that complement shapes. For example if I have a piece with a sharp peak, I look for one with a deep valley to fit it with. I prefer to keep the box handy so I can use the picture for reference.

Life can be "puzzling" sometimes. Just like it is easier if you fit the edges of the puzzle together first, It is easier to walk with God if you know where the boundaries are. Yes, I am talking about the "R" word. (RULES) We can react in one of two main ways to God's rules. Some people chafe against them and see how close they can get to the edge of the boundary without going over. Others like me love the rules because they are easy to quantify. Keeping the rules is something I have some control over, and felt much safer than trusting my salvation and my life to a fuzzy concept like grace. In Deuteronomy 27 and 28, God show us his design for the rules. He gathered half of the people on Mt Gerizim and half on Mt Ebal. He told them through Moses that if they would obey the laws and not turn to the left and the right, they would have these blessings. If they did not they would have curses. He intended the rules to be guides and boundaries, not to be either chains or checklists.

We can see colors and patterns in life as we do in puzzles. Fellowship is SO important. I have been unable to get to church for a couple of weeks and it is amazing how quickly we can get weakened and discouraged. It is good to seek out people who are like us and who believe the same way, but that is not the whole story. 1 Corinthians 12 describes the church as a body. What if all the hands decided to start their own club? Brings up pictures of the Adam's Family, doesn't it? While we need fellowship with people who are similar, we also need fellowship with people who are different. This is true in worship and it is true in ministry. We each have our own unique shape and place in the puzzle. For instance, I was feeling bad the other day and I told God that I was sorry I hadn't written any songs lately. God let me know that there are lots of people writing songs, but my writing voice is unique and no one is doing exactly what I am.

Finally, let us remember that we have a pattern. Jesus willingly left heaven to come and show us how to live. This gives him the right to be our high priest and our intercessor. Hebrews 4:15 says He was tempted in always as we are, yet without sin.

God has put us in community, he has given us guidelines and he has given us a pattern. Use these tools in this puzzling world.