Daughter

Welcome to Unseen today. We just passed Valentine's and my birthday, and I have been missing my parents.  Read on to see a lesson I learned about being a daughter to the King.

Daughter

In Him we have received the spirit of adoption as sons and cry out Abba Father. Rom 8:23

                Work has been bordering on chaos the last few weeks and last night was no exception.  We were going like a house afire trying to get everything done. I glanced at the night stand in one of the resident’s room. She had a beautiful Valentine’s card that read, “To my wonderful daughter.” A wave of sadness hit me. My parents have both passed away and also my sweet “substitute mother”.  Never again will I get a card that says “Daughter.”  I will not get any more hugs from someone who loves me that unconditionally.  My mom was the walking social calendar. She would call and say, "Grandma’s birthday is today. You are going to call her, aren’t you?” She made holidays and birthdays special, not so much because of stuff, but because she made us feel loved and approved.  My dad only remembered our birthdays because mother told him when they were.  After she died, his secretary bought us cards from him.  Just as quickly as the sadness came, another realization followed.  I will have all eternity to be their daughter. Even more important is the fact that God’s word says that I am HIS daughter.

                In Romans, the word tells us that we have received the spirit of adoption as son (and daughters) and cry out Abba Father. (8:23) With every adoption there is a process of approval and an adoption fee.  The approval process is based on Jesus’ merits and not ours.  The adoption fee is his blood. John 1 says that he came to his own and his own received Him not, but to everyone who did receive him he gave the right to become children of God. Along with that adoption we receive the identity and benefits of being His children.  We read later that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17).

                I miss my parents and being their daughter, but I believe in the resurrection and the restoration of all things. In the meantime, I have a heavenly father who tells me that I am his precious daughter.

 

Power

Welcome to Unseen today. Do you feel like you're going through the motions in life? Like you are just marking time? I have often felt that way.  Read on for a way out of the rut.

What is wrong with this picture?

 

Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might: Eph 6:10

 

    A woman in my Sunday school class is from Vietnam. She works the night shift at a cookie factory. It is hard work, with hours of standing and tedious work.  One night she got sleepy and her eyes closed.  Her hands were still going through the motions. She heard someone say, “Hey, look. Tran fell asleep.” She jumped and opened her eyes. In her broken English, she said “My eye close but my hands make box real good.”

There is a silly story about a man who went to the hardware store and bought a chainsaw.  It was supposed to cut 10 cords of wood a day.  The first day he went out used the saw he cut 5 cords of wood.  The second day he worked harder and cut 6 cords.  The third day, he got up as early as he could and stayed out till dark and still only cut 8 cords of wood.  The next morning he took the saw back to the hardware store and told the clerk that it was not working.  The clerk said, “well, let’ see what’s wrong.” He cranked it up and turned it on.  The man jumped and said, “What’s that noise?”

Silly, isn’t it?  Think about how often we do this to God, though.  We try to do God’s work without God’s power.  We end up exhausted and ineffective, just going through the motions without any power.

One of the saddest things I heard was that when the tribes were divided and the temple was built, the presence of God moved from the tabernacle to the temple. However, the larger group of Israelites continued to worship at the tabernacle. They kept up the same motions and the same ceremonies, but the power had left. 

God's power is limitless.  Let allow God to work through us with his power. All we have to do is plug in to the source (the Holy Spirit).  Spend time in the word and in the body. Encourage each other. PLUG IN.

 

 

The Price is Paid

Welcome to Unseen today.  Technology can get a bad reputation and television in particular. There are definitely negative influences, but God can use anything to teach us. Read on for a fun lesson I learned from a game show.

The Price is Paid

You are not your own. You were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your bodies. 1 Cor. 12:3

I have a guilty pleasure. I love to watch The Price is Right. I like the excitement of people coming up to contestants’ row or up on stage. I like the silly T-shirts people come with, and I like the games. I was talking about this to a friend and these are our favorites.

                Cliff Hanger - You can make a certain number of mistakes but if you make too many, your little man falls off the edge of the mountain.

                Plinko - You win Plinko chips and release them from the top of a slanted board.  They bounce off of pegs and end up in slots at the bottom. The slots have different dollar amounts from 0 to 10,000

                The Check Game - You fill in the amount on the blank check that you think the prize ids worth.

                 Has your spiritual life ever felt like a game show?  Do you feel like you have a certain number of mistakes allowed before God gives up on you and lets you fall off the cliff? Maybe you try to keep all the rules or do good deeds to scramble back down the mountain a few steps. How about Plinko? Even though you know God loves you, do you feel like life tosses you around like a Plinko chip? Maybe you feel secure in your salvation, but when it comes to abundant life you are unsure whether you will end up with lots of blessing or a bit fat nothing.  Maybe you feel more like the check game.  What value do you place on yourself? Who gets to decide how worthy you feel? Is it your job, your spouse, or is it a parent’s voice that said, “You’ll never amount to anything. “             

                There is good news. The game we are playing is The Price is Paid. Jesus paid for our mistakes with his death.  He didn’t fall off the cliff. He willingly went over the edge so we wouldn’t have to. John 10:28 says, “For this reason the father loves me because I lay down my life. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father."   He also gives us abundant life (John 10:10). Psalms 23 says that He anoints our head with oil and our cup runs over. When it comes to value, he says that he bought us with a price.  The price was his own blood.  Matt 20:28 says the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

                Yes, life can seem like a game, but we can win here and we can reap the rewards for eternity. Take heart.

               

Lions

Welcome to Unseen today.  The new year has brought good things for us and I hope it has for you.  It has also brought a very busy time.  Busy times can be hard if they continue for long. We may neglect our own well-being to take care of business. Read on for lessons about this.

 

Lions

 

Your adversary, the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Pet 5:8

 

    Lions are powerful and majestic, the king of the jungle.  They can eat up to 50 pounds of meat in a single day.  They can take down prey that is faster than they are or bigger than they are. Have you ever watched one of the nature channel shows about lions? The wildebeests or antelope are running across the savannah and the camera pans to the edge of the herd, where a lions stalks almost lazily.  Have you ever noticed how lions hunt? They don't choose prey from the middle of the pack. Instead, they isolate one creature on the fringes of the pack.  Those who are sick, weak, or aging are in the most danger. The lion will separate its prey, and then pounce once it is able.

    What about our lives? We are part of the Body of Christ, and we are encouraged to remain in fellowship. This is important because once we are separated from the body and its security and accountability, we are easy prey for they enemy. He does not fight fair.  The believer who wants to keep his relationship with God to himself may be in danger. The Christian who says he can commune with God on the lake just as well as in church may be in danger. It is easy to skip worship and to make excuses, but I have found that if I miss once, it is that much easier to miss the next time. In Hebrews we are told, “Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together as is the habit of some, but encourage each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.”

    Two things are necessary.  We need to stay in fellowship ourselves and we need to help others who are on the fringes.  We are in a body for a reason.  If we stand together, and rely on the Lord, we will defeat the enemy.

Emmanuel

Welcome back to unseen.  Hope the new year is going well.  I am seeing God's restoration at work inmy home, family and work.  If you are there too, great. If not, I have definitely been in the holding pattern and understand how hard it is to wait on God. Hopefully today's post will offer some hope.

Emmanuel

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Matt 1:23

Several years ago my younger child and I had an outing together.  Abilene has a monthly event called Art Walk. The stores and art galleries downtown open n the evening and there is often live music. And free stuff. We saw a jaguar car, had hot chocolate, made an art project and listened to the live music. We had a great time. He didn’t care that we spent a grand total of two dollars. When we got home I  got out my book and sat on the couch. He crawled up on the couch with me, and ten put his head on my lap on top of my book. He looked up at me with his gorgeous blue eyes and said, “I need some attention.” I told him he had just had an hour and a half of my undivided attention. He answered, “Well, I need a lot.”  You better believe he got it.

                Sometimes being together is all you need. God has done a lot of restoration in my marriage in the last few months.   A friend was watching us together the other day, and said, “You two sure are happy together even after 20 years. “It is good to love someone and be able to share good times and hard times. We have each lost a dear friend in the last 2 months and sometimes just being there is all you can do to help.  My children have a good friend who has been in the hospital after a serious car accident.  They had their first experience with Dallas Fort Worth traffic when they went to the hospital to see him. They said he was not able to respond but they could tell he knew they were there.  As great as it is to be together with family and friends, there is something even more important.

                When the angel came to Joseph, he was told that she would have a son and was to call his name Emmanuel, which means god with us. (Matt 1:23)  He reminded Joseph that this was told by the prophets hundreds of years before. We are coming out of the Christmas season and this sounds routine, but think about it.  The king of kings is here with you and me.  He invites us to come boldly into His presence and find mercy and grace in our time of need. (Heb 4:16) Anytime we need, we can go to him, like Heath came to me and say, “I need some attention.” He is never too busy to love and hear me and finds ways to show me if I can be open to them.  For instance, this morning I was out walking the dog and came on a huge group of Monarch butterflies.  That in itself is cool enough, but it is December!  What a gift and an evidence of His presence and power. Sometimes, like he did with Elijah after the incident at Mount Carmel, he shows his presence in a still, small voice rather than in the power of the fire or the earthquake. (1 Kings 19:12) However you sense God’s presence, allow him to wrap you in it and know that it is His joy and desire to be with us here.  Remember, too, that when the time comes for him to restore all things, we will be with Him for eternity and need no more reminders. (Rev 21:3-4)

Are you ready for some football?

 Welcome back to unseen.  Sorry for the delay.  This time the problem was not technical difficulties, but working like a dog.  I have several coworkers out sick, so the load has been heavy. 
     Football playoffs are winding to a conclusion and we had Thanksgiving day with lots and lots of football. In honor of this, today's post is about the lessons we can learn from the gridiron. It also honors my uncle, Greg Sherwood, who was an amazing coach.

Are you Ready For Some Football?

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Cor. 9:25

In West Texas football is not a game.  It is a way of life.  My family lived it, too. My dad seldom missed a high school game in our town, unless it was to go to see my uncle coach a high school game in another town. Greg was a phenomenal coach, and his 23-year coaching record was 174-64-2. Coaching was not a job to him. It was a ministry. He used the time on the field to teach much more about life than he did about football. Nothing could get in the way of Dad getting to football games. One night he had left with my grandmother to go to a game, and my brother and I were home with Mom. The phone rang after they had been gone about 15 minutes, and this is the conversation that took place.

     DAD: “Stella, you need to bring me the other car. I am out by the pizza place.”

     MOM: “Why? What’s wrong?

     DAD: “Well, I am sitting here watching this one burn, and I have to get to the ballgame.”

      MOM: “OK, I’ll be there in 5 minutes.”

            There are spiritual lessons to be learned from football. In football there are two teams. Each team has an opponent, a coach, a goal and a group of cheerleaders. There are rules and there are rewards.  The same things are true in our Christian lives.

 We as believers are a team.  We must work together to win.  Many verses speak to this idea, but one that comes immediately to mind is Galatians 6:2. Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. We definitely have an opponent, and he is not just playing. According to John 10:10, he comes to steal, kill and destroy.  In 1 Pet 5:8 he is described as a lion seeking whom he may devour.  We have a coach or a leader in God.  Our goal is to bring salvation, restoration and healing to others.(2 Cor. 5:18, Mark 16:15, James 5)  In Hebrews 11, the writer describes the great cloud of witnesses cheering us on.  Yes, there are rules to be followed. Some people get focused on the rules and forget the goal, and some people forget the rules and focus on the goal of eternal life. Think how this would work in football. Suppose one team decided they were going to get a touchdown regardless of how many people got hurt or run over. Another team might get so interested in following each rule to the letter that they never got around to scoring or found any joy in the game.  It takes a balance of both, in football and in life.  As a reward in football, a team will receive a trophy, a write up in the newspaper, and fame. As Christians, we are promised a crown of life. This is what we read in 1 Cor. 9:24-25

 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in     such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

            God meets us where we are and teaches us from the things we understand.  Like Uncle Greg did with his players and coaches, take the lessons from the gridiron and use them every day. The most meaningful thing Greg ever did for me was to send me a telegram when I went to state track meet. It said, “We are all the same. We all have arms, legs, eyes, ears and a head. The difference is in the heart.”

Operation

Welcome to Unseen today.  Living unseen is difficult. For those in caregiver roles, it can be especially difficult.  We need help but are reluctant to accept it, either from God or others.  Read on for a lesson from the operating room.

Operation

Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

 

            A man is going in for an operation. The nurses start IVs and clean the incision site. The transport aides move the man onto the gurney and begin rolling him down the hall. His wife follows, holding his hand. They reach a pair of swinging doors and she kisses him and goes to the waiting room. Inside the operating room, the doctors and nurses perform a well-rehearsed symphony in the sterile environment. They move together with few words needed, each one doing his or her part to complete the operation efficiently and safely. In the waiting room, the wife prays and waits. She fidgets and paces. She drinks coffee and chews her nails. Finally she gets up and when someone runs out of the operating suite she pushes her way in. She comes up behind the doctor doing the surgery and says, “Do you need some help? I think the incision is too big. Are you sure those stiches are going to hold? They look a little long. You know, while you’re in there can you do some liposuction? Why are you taking so long?”

            What would you do if you were the doctor? You had gone to school for years. You had practiced your skills. Here was a woman coming into your sterile, safe environment, bringing germs, advice and demands. We would never do that, would we? Unless it is to God. Do you have a loved one that God is working on? Perhaps it is a stubborn teen or a family member or friend opening a heart to God. How hard is it to sit in the waiting room and let God do His job? God informed me that my job while He was working on my loved ones is to pray, sing praises and love them. I would much rather tell God how He should hurry and suggest things He could fix while He is at it.

            I love and hate the verse in Isaiah that says, “Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31) I love it because it reminds me that God is faithful. I hate it because it is so hard to wait.  I am a good West Texas girl and was taught to pull myself up by my own bootstraps, even if I don’t have any boots. I have to rely not only on God, but on friends who bear each other’s burdens. The waiting room is a hard place to be.  If that is where you are, take courage. The Great Physician has your loved one in His mighty hands. If you are not there now, you probably have been and can bear someone’s burden.