Blooming

Bloom
²⁷ “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!


OK, boys and girls. Today we are going to have science class. What does it take for flowers to grow. You all know the answer to this. Soil, water, sunlight, and food. Flowers that have plenty of all of these things will be healthy and beautiful. Unfortunately, there are lots of places that do not have plenty of these things. Here in West Texas, we have lots of sunshine, but usually not enough rain. We still get flowers, though. The ones that grow here send deep roots to find the water that is available, or they grow on cacti or succulents that store water. In the rain forest, the tree canopy is so thick that the flowers cannot always get the sunlight they need. The flowers that grow there are sun seekers, even turning on their stems to follow the light. While soil is necessary for flowers, they can adapt. We have all seen flowers growing out of the cracks in the sidewalk or a rocky crevasse, and water lilies can grow with no soil at all. It amazes me when I think about how God has enabled the flowers to flourish in less than ideal circumstances.
You know, God has done the same thing for us. Like the hardy flowers, we exist in less than ideal circumstances. You may be in a job that you would rather not do but you have the integrity to go every day and do your best.  You may have people in your home that are difficult. Maybe, like me, you read those facebook posts about how people are married to their best friend and they are so happy. While you are happy for them, your spouse is being a royal patoot today. Maybe you are still waiting for your royal patoot to show up. Maybe the child that you adore  has broken your heart.  Whatever your inhospitable environment, by the grace of God you can bloom.
Just like flowers need certain conditions to bloom, so do we. First we need contact with God. This comes through prayer and meditation and through the hard work of being still. (Psalms 46:10) We can be so busy (even busy doing God's work) that we don't stop to come into the presence of God. Being still is hard for Western Christians because we don't practice. Second we need the food of the word. (Hebrews 5:12-13) We need gratitude and praise in our lives, which are also not in our nature.  Psalms 35:10 and so many other verses make this clear. Finally we need to let God use the difficult circumstances in our lives as fertilizer, taking the negative things and using them for our good.( Genesis 48, Romans 8:28) 
If we do these things we can be an encouragement to others and a sweet smelling aroma to our Father who adores us.

Resurrection

Resurrection

And the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel and he said, “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel answered and said, “You alone  know, Oh sovereign Lord.” Ezekiel 37:3

It was a spring day, the kind where it is warm enough to wear sandals, but the grass feels cool under your feet. My sister was doing her nails on the couch. My brother was playing video games on the floor in front of the TV, and I was curled up in the chair reading. Duke our old collie was lying on the floor beside the TV. Our quiet Saturday afternoon was about to be turned upside down. I finished my chapter and went over to pet Duke. He didn’t move so I called his name and petted him some more. When he still didn’t move, I pulled up his eyelid. Underneath I saw milky white membrane. “Mom,” I called there’s something wrong with Duke!” Mom came in from the kitchen. She also tried to pet Duke and called his name. “Come on, Dukey, wake up.” There was still no response from the collie. Mom straightened up and said, “Kids, I’m afraid Duke is dead.” We immediately started crying and went out in the front yard. Mom called Dad at the office and he told her he was in the middle of a meeting with clients and couldn’t come. She didn’t insist very often, but this time she did. The three of us kids were outside, crying and hugging each other. Duke had been in the family longer than Stephen and I and was the poster dog for good natured and docile collies. We would really miss him. Dad showed up and he went into the house with Mom. “Poor old Duke.” He said. “Stella, you get his back legs and I’ll get his front legs and we’ll put him out in the back yard until we can bury him.” On the count of three they lifted him up. He promptly opened his eyes and tried to bite Dad. He was not dead at all, but just mostly deaf and blind. His breathing was too shallow to be detected under his thick coat, and unknown to us at the time, collies have an extra eyelid for protection, which is milky white. Once he had been so rudely awakened, Duke came trotting out the front door. Once Dad came out he was happy that the dog was okay, but really put out about having to postpone his important meeting. “Don’t you people know when a dog is dead or not!” he shouted. As for us, we nearly smothered the poor resurrected dog.” He lived another 2 years, until the ripe old age of 18.

Do you feel that there are things in your life that are dead? Maybe it is dreams or visions that you had. Maybe it is people that have passed on ahead of you and you feel lonesome or hurt. It might be your joy in the Lord or your peace. Many of us have concerns for the state of our nation. Can these things be restored to life? You are not the first to wonder. In Ezekiel 37 God took Ezekiel to a valley where there were huge piles of dry bones. He asked Ezekiel, "Son of man, can these bones live?" Ezekiel gave a great answer. He must have looked out at the bones stretched before him and thought, What kind of a question is that? Instead he said, "You alone know, oh sovereign Lord." God told him to prophecy to the bones, and miraculously they came together, forming skeletons. Tendons, muscles and skin covered them. I saw a video of what this might have been like with one skeleton and to be honest it made my hair stand on end. When God was done, a vast army stood on its feet. This is what he said to Ezekiel.
Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 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. ¹³ Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in 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.


Looking back from our perspective we know that he did it, too. Not only that, but that restoration was not a one shot deal. He desires to restore our lives and our hearts. He says in  Joel 2 that he will restore the years that the locusts have eaten  if we return to him with all our heart. I have seen him restore health, families, marriages, peace and joy in my life and the lives of those around me. He also desires to restore our nation, which we need so desperately. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us

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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Finally in Revelation 20 and 21 we read a small piece of what it will be like in the restoration of all things. These verses don't explain completely, but enough to give us a taste and create a desire in us for these things to come. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

The rest of the story

The Rest of the Story


For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;   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. 2 Corinthians 4:18

 There is a lot of malarkey on TV these days. One offender is the series Survivor. So they are on a deserted island, huh? I looked up the series on the internet and it turns out there is a 300 person crew, including cameramen and set builders, 2 doctors and 3 nurses. Many of these stay in air-conditioned inflatable cabins. Contestants are probably not in as desperate a situation as they would have us believe.

TV is not the only place we are missing pieces of the puzzle, though.  Our picture of life can be distorted as well. When I was about 12 or 13, I went to the thriving metropolis of Spearman, TX to spend a week with my aunt and uncle. One night as I was lying in bed, I heard a quiet jingling sound. I figured it was Bandit, their border collie. I called him, expecting 25 pounds of black and white fluff.  The missing piece of information was that the jingling sound was not coming from Bandit. I realized my mistake when seconds after I called him I was confronted with 200 pounds of Hoss, the Saint Bernard who was usually outside. He managed to pin my shoulders and knees with his massive paws and was grinning down at me and drooling. Jackie soon encouraged him to get back outside, but my going to sleep was postponed that night.

Many times our spiritual and emotional life suffers due to missing information. When I was talking to my sister a couple of weeks ago, we were talking about how I had always felt inferior to her because in so many areas she was the star. She said, “I wish I had the power to go back and reframe that for you.” God showed me that what I needed in that situation was to literally re-frame that memory, using a wider camera angle. I was able to understand for the first time that there was a lot of pressure in always being the star and that she was having struggles I couldn’t see.  After way too many years, a barrier is gone between us.

Move the camera out again and look at other area in our life, such as our marriages. I asked God the other night why marriage was so difficult. He reframed that image for me too. Yes marriage is difficult in the best of circumstances. The rest of the story is that we are in a battle. If you are trying to follow Jesus, the enemy is not happy. One of his names is “the accuser of the brethren”. He will accuse us, but he will also accuse our spouse, tempting us to focus on their shortcomings and the things that annoy us. We can choose to change our focus to notice the things that they do right. By attacking our marriages, the enemy can destroy one of our greatest assets. Let’s don’t stop there though. The camera moves back further and we can see heavenly hosts fighting for us.

 In 1 Kings 6 there is a story where Elisha and his servant find themselves surrounded by the Syrians. The servant is afraid, but Elisha tells him "Do not fear, for those that are with us are greater than those who are against us. ' He prays that God will open the servants eyes. When he does, the servant sees a vast army of angels with chariots and horses of fire. The Syrians are struck blind and completely routed.
The apostle Paul puts things in perspective in 2 Corinthians 4:18.
 
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;   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.


This should give us real hope in dealing with our struggles.
Finally, speaking of hope, this is resurrection week and we need to remember the most important truth that Jesus defeated death and hell by his death and resurrection. While we are in a battle, the war has already been won. Happy Easter.

Fruit


But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23


Walking into the room, I felt awed. Everything was shiny and well put together. I was actually a little intimidated. I could work for hours and still not achieve this kind of perfection.  In the center of the room was the table which looked as perfect as the rest of the room. No spots on the dishes marred the scene. Colored napkins fanned out elegantly and treats were spread on sparkling silver. Looking at the other people in the room I noticed that most of them were daintily nibbling crackers, without spilling any crumbs on their dresses. I really wanted on of the decadent looking chocolate bites, but didn’t want to be judged by people I didn’t know. Instead I reached for the bowl of fruit, convincing myself that what I really wanted was a nice juicy orange. I just hoped the juice didn’t squirt on my blouse. I chose an orange that was perfect in color and texture and picked it up. Then I realized with a surprise that it was plastic. In aggravation I picked up the chocolate after all.

Plastic fruit may look pretty but it doesn’t satisfy. There is no good juicy flavor and no refreshment. It can’t provide any nutrients or any benefits that real fruit provides.  It doesn’t have any of the flaws that real fruit can but except for looks, no one would choose it over a good tasting nutritious piece of the real thing.

The Bible uses things that are familiar to teach us things that are unfamiliar. Paul was trying to teach the believers about the Holy Spirit. He had told them that we were born of the Spirit. Then he explained that there are fruits of the spirit. These fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) I want all of these things. Some of them are fairly easy for me. It is not too hard for me to be gentle, because that is my personality.  Some of them are harder. Peace is not in my list of things that is easy. I find it much easier to be anxious, and while I strive for peace, my toes are curled up inside my shoes and my teeth are clenched.  I don’t feel loving a lot of days, especially when things are not going my way. Here is my problem. I can decide that I am going to be joyful and smile till my teeth hurt, praise Jesus. I am very likely to decide I am going to have self-control. For a while I can do it, but then something trips my trigger and I want to run for coffee, chocolate or a tantrum. Maybe a good cry.  My results look good but they are plastic fruit.
So what doe we know about fruit? It grows on a plant, not out by itself. In John 15:5, Jesus told his disciples, I am the vine and you are the branches. If you abide in me and my words abide in you will bear much fruit, but apart from me you can do nothing.
Plants need water to bloom and produce fruit.  Psalms 1 says this.
  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,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ 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.
Our nourishment is the word of God.


Finally, the soil must be good. In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13), Jesus described a farmer sowing seed in different types of soil, including shallow, rocky, thorny and good soil. The rocky soil did not provide depth for the roots and the plants withered quickly. The thorny soil choked the plants and the seed in the good soil grew and produced fruit. I had always thought of this parable as talking about salvation, which is a logical thing. It also applies to believers who are bearing fruit. No matter what the conditions, the fruit of the Spirit is from the spirit. It is a natural outpouring of his power and his work, not ours. This week let's try to abide in Jesus. It is not easy but it is worth it.

Testing, testing

Testing, Testing

Count it all joy my brothers when you encounter trials of various kinds, knowing that the testing of your faith works patience and let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:3

I bought a new car recently, praise the Lord. Cars make our lives so much easier, especially in a town like this which is too big to bike across and has a bus system designed by a sadist. While I was looking for a car, I did a lot of research and talked to my husband and my pre-engineering student child. (Yes, that was a shameless plug, taking nothing away from my social work student child.) The previous car was in a crash, and I wanted to know about safety tests that are done. I found out that there are wind tunnel tests, extreme conditions tests, engine safety,  roof strength tests and crash tests for front, side and rear. If a car is not tested thoroughly, drivers and passengers can be in real danger.  Threats can come from any direction depending on where a car is driven, the skill of the driver and any extreme conditions. While tests are not a guarantee of safety in an accident they are very necessary.

No one likes to talk about it, but faith is tested too. Like a vehicle, threats to our faith can come from any direction. They can come from within our own hearts and minds, (engine safety) or from assaults from the outside. (crashes) They can be brought on by extreme conditions such as death of a loved one or financial hardship, or they can be brought on by wear and tear on our souls. James 1 talks about the wind tunnel test of living in doubt, tossed about by every wave of doctrine. (1:6) College students often have their faith tested by being exposed to other views. A catastrophic event in our lives will shake our faith down to its core, but through God’s grace it can come out stronger and even be a source of comfort and ministry to others.

I tried to find people in the Bible who had had their faith tested, and then realized that it was difficult to find anyone who had not. In Hebrews 11, sometimes called the Hall of Faith, he lists many of the faithful, and then ends with this in verses 38-40.

The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

There is so much to be said about faith, but let me leave you with this. In John 6, Jesus was teaching and many people left because what he said was hard. He looked at the disciples and asked, “Do you want to leave too?” Peter said, “Lord, where would we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

I can remember personally where I was when I said something very similar to God. A friend had drowned trying to save some girls who had gotten caught in and undertow and I was very angry with God. It was the first time someone I loved had died. I said to God, “I don’t think I want to play if that the way you’re going to be. He was a missionary trying to do your work. “ I cried for a while, and then came to the same realization that Peter did. There was nowhere else to go. No one else has redeemed me and called me by name. (Isaiah 43:1) Many, many other tests have followed, but He has shown Himself to be faithful and worthy of my trust. Faith that is tested is faith that is strengthened. Ride the wave and hold on. He is with you in the storm.

Welcome to Unseen this year. I had a hard time getting this post written. It turns out I was missing a piece of information. Hope it helps you as much as it did me.

Beauty

Let not your adornment not be of braided hair or gold jewelry, but of the inner beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight 1 Peter 3:3-4

Well, here we are in a new year. Maybe one of your new year’s resolutions was not to have any new year’s resolutions. Maybe it was to take care of yourself better. That can look different for different people. For some it is health and fitness and for others it is pampering and beauty. For me it is all of the above.  The health and fitness I can do better than the pampering and beauty because it involves self-discipline and fits well into my perfectionist view of life. Pampering is difficult because there is limited time and it seems wasteful. Stephen Covey, in the 7 Habits of highly effective people, encourages us to take care of ourselves in his seventh habit, Sharpen the Saw. His illustration is a man who is sawing away with a dull blade. Someone suggests to him that he stop and sharpen his saw so that it works more efficiently and he replies that he is too busy working to stop and sharpen his saw.  (I still haven’t completely mastered this concept.)  Beauty is a big piece of pampering. I love the luxurious feel of having someone wash my hair for me, or help me try a different makeup trick.  Apparently I am not the only one who feels this way because the beauty industry generates millions of dollars a year, between fashion, fragrance and hair care products and pretty stuff.

 I was talking to a friend yesterday who recommended nutrition and hydration rather than lotions and gels that may not do anything but mask the bigger problem. Then the deeper truth hit me that the same thing is even truer in our spiritual lives.  When Samuel went to anoint a king to replace the rebellious Saul, he looked at Jesse’s oldest son and was sure that he was God’s choice, because he was strong and handsome.  God told Samuel that he had rejected him as king, because man looks at the outside appearance but God looks at the heart. (1^st Samuel 16:7)  What can we do to make our inner selves more beautiful? Ironically, it comes down to the same three things – fashion, fragrance and adornments (Pretty stuff). Let's look at some of what God says about what  makes for inner beauty.

Fashion

Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Romans 13:14  14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Ephesians 6 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the enemy.

            Fragrance

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.  For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. 2 Corintians 2 15-17.

 

 

 Revelation 5:8

And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.

Adornment

Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

1 Peter 3:3-4

Let not your adornment not be of braided hair or gold jewelry, but of the inner beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

 

Physical beauty will fade and is not worth that much to begin with, no matter what our twisted world  view says. Let's work together this year to not just mask the problems but to treat the "Heart" of it.

Beyond Our Control

Consider the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Matthew 6

This has been a difficult couple of weeks with many ups and downs. There have been many things that are out of my control, and it seems like the harder I try to get them in control the worse they get. I have been so frustrated and overwhelmed which has made me irritable and unreasonable. I finally sat down and cried, telling God I had just had it. I looked over and through the mist of my tears I saw something unexpected. It was a robin. That in itself is not so unusual, but the fact that it was November made me take notice. The robin was happily hopping from one seed to the next, chirping a cheerful tune. It was not worried about where they next bite was going to come from, but enjoying each one as it came along. As I watched its carefree trek through the parking lot, I thought of the old TV announcement. “Ladies and Gentlemen, due to circumstances beyond our control…” followed by whatever the problem was. I realized that although my situation was out of my control, it was not out of God’s.

I am not the first or the last to try to control my own circumstances. One of the earliest examples is the tower of Babel. They decided to make their own way to heaven. Remember how well that worked out? All their languages were confused, frustrating High School students in foreign language courses ever since. Then there was Abraham, who knew God had promised him a son, but couldn’t see the result. He got impatient and he and Sarah took matters into their own hands.  Ishmael, Hagar’s son, was the result of their efforts to control things. While God did bless Ishmael and make him into a great nation in his own right, that nation has been at war with the children of Israel ever since. Many more instances occur in the Bible and in our lives.

Fortunately, God has provided for all our needs, including our need for security. He tells us in Psalms 46:1 that he is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in times of trouble. In verse 10 he urges us to Be still and know that he is God.” He reminds us that we are in a battle,  and that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against powers and authorities and rulers in high places. (Ephesians 6)He says that he is the Lord our God who upholds us with his righteous right hand.(Isaiah 40:31) TAKE HEART