Sunday, June 28, 2009

Where's Waldo?/Where's Jesus?

At my Sunday school class today, the teacher challenged us all to something I hadn't ever thought about. He said that every chapter in the bible has Jesus' fingerprints on it. The challenge was for us to read the bible, each of its chapters looking for Jesus. It made me think of a "Where's Waldo?" game.

Well, I have been needing to come up with a new plan for spending scripture reading time so I guess I will call it the "Where's Jesus?" mission. I think it will be really cool. I have never thought about doing this before. Nor have I realized or thought about the fact that Jesus and God's saving plan is a constant theme found throughout the entire bible, from beginning to end.

So go from Genesis to Revelation and take up the challenge to find Jesus. He is there. I know in doing so I will find an even bigger blessing from the gift of God's word. If you decide to join me in the mission, let me know how it is going! I would love the feedback.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

A Passion for Pride or People?

I have had so much fun this weekend (despite the fussing and fighting mixed into the giggling and smiles---because you know the two always have to go together at the age of 4 and 6.). Oh what joy to see my two boy joys playing together. They have been making tents together and even making sure Moses, our dog joins into the adventure of their make believe play world. They are hilarious, so much fun to watch. Oh to be so honest, open, joyful and uninhibited by the world. Why do we have to grow up?

Ok, we do need to grow up. But in the process we need not leave behind our joy and openness. The world seems to press down on us with its expectations, but some of them are incorrect. We need to look to God and Jesus for what really matters. Did Jesus care what others thought of him? I don't think so. He was ridiculed for eating with and hanging out with sinners. Hmmm, wouldn't that include all of us? Who could he hang out with who wasn't a sinner? Only himself and he wasn't a lone ranger.

No he included others in his life, love, ministry. He took time to pour himself out into the lives of his disciples so that they could carry on his work and help others...all the world. He let them spit on him, beat him, scourge him, mock him, torture him and kill him. Why? To honor God, obey his will and save others. There is no room for pride in following God. I have to remind myself daily. It doesn't matter what man thinks, only what God thinks. If I follow the world/man/others, then I am not following God. I must let go of every hinderance in running the race set before me. And oh what a hinderance and weight the requirements of the world are to us. We can never meet them. So why not stop trying? Just focus on serving and following God.

Still, this is not an easy task. We will fail and falter...often. But there is grace in his path. He knows our frailties and humanness and has already covered our mistakes with his blood, grace and provided help along the way. He will never leave us nor forsake us, unlike the world. So let go of pride. The goal of a perfect image is unattainable. The goal of being perfect is unattainable. It only exists for one...Jesus, our savior. So seek after him, be aware of your faults, don't hide them or be ashamed, but walk in his grace and forgive yourself and others. Then continue the race. If you hide behind false pretenses of pride, you are not living in reality. Let go. Give it up. Free youself of the pointless pursuit.

Pride is the ultimate sin. It leads us to all the other sinful paths we can find ourselves on. Remember what Satan was ruined by? He was the highest ranked angel, the most beautiful and gifted, but still, his pride got ahold of him, ate away at his peace and caused him to become the enemy of God. He decided he wanted to become God and take over his place. Sound familiar? It is scary to think that, that is what we do in our own little ways everyday. Don't we want to be in control and tell God what to do? Eeeek. The truth hurts...but it is helpful for change. Pride is evil and insidious. It creeps in subtly at first and them tightens its grip on us. We have a passion for pride, bitterness and anger, but not a passion for people. We must have a passion for loving others. Pride inhibits that. It narrows our world down to just us. Expand your vision and in doing so break the bonds of pride. Stop looking at yourself and keep refocusing your vision on others and God.

In bending our knees to serve others we are not becoming thier slaves or servants. It is not demeaning, but uplifting. It adds character, meaning, depth to our lives that nothing else can. Living for ourselves is living for nothing. Live for God and serve others as an outpouring of that love. You will be amazed at the results. It is a daily struggle, but it is worth it.

So give, love, laugh freely. Extend yourself to others and join in the play. It is a joyful work to serve God and others. Our God is very creative and powerful. Let him use you in his amazing plan of serving others. It is the best ride ever! Even though we grow up we are still His children...children of God. So live and give joyfully. God loves to see us that way.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Messy Mastepeices

This is sort of a continuation on the theme of Divine Difficulties I guess. Can you tell I used to be obsessed with perfectionism? I was a little OCD as a child and would actually get up in the middle of the night one or more times to remake my bed with hospital bed corners because it would drive my crazy if it wasn't perfectly neat. When did I do this? From elementary school and on up until college. Yes, my messy roomates in college were divinely chosen for me to help me let go of my issues. God has a way of doing this for us. (At least for me, it is a theme. I am trying not to take it the wrong way. Huh. What does that say about me? Oh well.)

This week my son Max has made a tie dye t-shirt and Sam has painted some pictures at thier daycares. Max continued the artistic theme by finding a web site on cartoon network where he made spin art. It was so cute and fun. He made them for his great granda and his Mimi (grandma).

I love the art my kids make and frequently frame them. I have many framed pictures they have painted hanging in their rooms. It is so cute. There are a few favorites that I will keep to hang up in the rest of the house when they grow up and don't want them in their rooms. I am amazed at how much I treasure these. I can't get enough of their creations.

This does not fit my perfectionistic impulse. But the rule does not apply to my kids, nor to art. If a piece of art is too perfect it is not interesting. The slight imperfections make them unique and special and interesting. They add more character to the piece. They add the human touch. I don't want a piece of art work done by a computer/robot/machine. I want it done by a person. That way it is personal and special.

I am daily reminded that, that is how God sees us. Our frailties, weaknesses, imperfections are still beautiful in his eyes. They do not diminish the glory and love he sees and feels for us. Do we not feel the same about our own loved ones he has given us? How much more so with God!

Now don't get me wrong. It is not that God loves sin or sickness or weakness. But he still loves us and sees beauty in us. He can also use anything for his good and still create a work of art out of us. He does make beauty from ashes. so don't despair of your imperfections. Accept them and make the best of them. Allow God to still use you...all of you, strengths and weaknesses. Let go of your pride. God has not given you a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and self-control. Rejoice in the person God made you to be.

Don't shy back from him using you due to fear of failure or shame over weakness and imperfections. God is not looking for perfect people. If he was, he would be very lonely. He knows us well and our imperfections. That is why he sent Jesus and paid such a high price for our salvation. He knows very well who we really are and still loves us fiercely. Rejoice in that truth and let it free you. Isn't it great to be His messy masterpiece!!!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Grumbling Israelites

Yes, I am living with the grumbling Israelites. My kids have been very fussy this week, well, for the last month to be honest. My patience is wearing thin. But as always, one good thing can come out of our trials. Every time my kids start fussing, it reminds me of the Israelites grumbling in the desert and how God must have felt. He provided for them, saved them, guided them and made them his own special people (Family), but still they were not satisfied. Aren't we the same? Are we ever satisfied? If we aren't, then we are'nt spending enough time with God in his presence in prayer, His word, and worship.

I admit, I am the biggest grumbler of all. Why? Ugh. It is the core of my sinful nature. How quickly I forget how good my God is. How many times have I made him cringe with the sound of my fussing? How many times have I brought tears to his eyes? But thank goodness he is tireless, forgiving, loving and patient. God knows our tendencies to sin. That is why he sent his son Jesus to save us. Thank goodness for his God-ness, his nature, who he is, the great "I am". What would we do if he was anything less than who he was?

So, if---(oops), "when" you are frustrated with your kid's (or co-worker's, or spouse's, etc.) fussing, use it as an opportunity to praise God and remember how good he is. It is a quick reality check, reminding us how we all behave at times...too often. So carpe diem, seize the day for Christ and find a way to make every frustration and trial an opportunity to draw close to God or help others. Turn your fussing into praises and save the day!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Hiya!!!

Sometimes I am hit afresh with how powerful the word of God is. I was at Max's Karate class today and saw his teacher using his nerf sword to get kids to watch and move fast. They had so much fun jumping and ducking to dodge the foam sword. It made me think of God's word and this verse. I kept thinking of it on the way home with little "Hiyas!" peppered in periodically and I liked it.

(Hebrews 4:12)
"The word of God is living and active,(Hiha!)sharper than any two-edged sword, (Hiya!)Piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, (Hiya!)and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hiya!)."

Awesome huh?! Here are some more...

(Isaiah 55:11)
"So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; (Hiya!)it shall not return to me empty, (Hiya!) but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, (Hiya!)and prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Hiya!)."

(Psalms 33:4-9)
"For the word of the Lord is upright; and his work is done in faithfulness, (Hiya!) He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord (Hiya!). By the work of the Lord the heavens were made, and all thier host by the breath of his mouth, (Hiya!) He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses (Hiya!). Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him (Hiya!)! For he spoke and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood forth (Hiya!)."

How great is our God! How powerful his words! Rejoice in them, treasure them, feast on them. They are our comfort and defense, our joy and our prick of truth. We need this sword! Pick yours up today and use it...Hiya!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Divine Difficulties

I don't know about the rest of you, but my week has been pretty hectic and challenging. My mother fell and broke her femer. Recuperating has been tricky for her since she has previous injuries (many!) which already diminish her strength and balance. She is so frustrated and discouraged it breaks my heart. I wish I could do more for her. It is hard. Life can be hard.

I was talking to my dad about this at the hospital and he was expressing his frustration that God doesn't seem to protect us. It makes us feel like he is weak, impotent and uncaring at times, but that is not the truth. I am not down on my dad for expressing this thought/feeling. I certainly have struggled with it many times. We all do on a daily basis. Let's get real here, no pretenses or false super-faith. No posers allowed.

I appreciate my dad for being honest and bold enough to speak truthfully about his feelings. But our feelings are not fact. Faith is not based on feelings. The truth is the truth and it never changes. Jesus is the truth and He never changes. There are no good days for God or bad days when he is asleep at the wheel. God never sleeps. He always cares and He is always powerful...more than we could ever imagine. Thank God that He is also always patient, forgiving and slow to anger.

With that stated, why do we endure hardships if we have a good, powerful God who loves us? Well, for one thing "Free Will" comes up again. He loves us enough to give us a choice of free will. Love is a choice, not a feeling. Without a choice we cannot love. We would just be robots. No, God loves us enough to give us a choice so that we can truly love him if we choose to do so. We can follow him and his ways or follow our own. There are always consequences involved. These consequences of our sin affect not just ourselves, but everyone around us. The fall out and damage it leaves behind is like a ripple affect that keeps moving out in ever widening circles.

But my mom's accident, for example, wasn't due to anyone's sin or carelessness. She was being careful and it wasn't anyone's fault. Sometimes things just happen. Why? I don't really know. Only God knows. I don't believe he causes them to happen, just like he doesn't cause sin to happen either. But he does promise to use everything for His good purposes, to bring good out of it and to be with us every step of the way. He will never leave us or forsake us. Even Jesus, the prophets and the great heros of the bible endured hardships and death. Why would we be excluded?

Why would God allow bad things to happen? We may never get an answer to that. Not until heaven at least. But do believe that He will use them. Not one of our tears is wasted or forgotten. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would not be the person I am if life hadn't involved some struggles. If life was always easy what would I learn? How would I grow? When would I ever notice that I need God and Jesus? When would I ever be motivated enough to move out of myself and my little comfort zone, my shallow, small, self-involved little world? Never. Not on my own. I would never be in need or have the opportunities to experience miracles. I would totally miss seeing blessings and provision. My God would be me. SCARY!

No, I have to say that I have never grown in times of plenty (well, maybe physically...putting on a few pounds, but not spiritually). I can only become the person God made me to be by working through the difficulties that come with life. Without divine difficulties we would all be stagnant and stagnant water is not healthy and can be dangerous, even deadly. God knows this. He knows us well, better than we know ourselves.

Besides that, living life all safe (which I admit I live for security with my anxiety prone cycles)would make us comotose. Would that really be living? We have to know pain in order to know pleasure. As much as I hate to say it, pain can be a blessing. It wakes us up, signals danger and motivates us to change and do something...to move.

So, in our times of struggle, let's not struggle with God. Reach out to him and cling to him. He is there and waiting. Let him walk through the desert with you, carry you if needed. Don't doubt his goodness and love for a minute. If you feel yourself waning, read his word, his promises and speak the truth. Drown out the lies of the enemy. Drown out your fears and replace them with His Truth. Nothing can stand up to His Truth, not our fears, not lies, not doubts, not anything. Our God is good and he loves us. That is always true!!!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Be Prepared

READ AND JUST PASS IT ON.


Juval Aviv was the Israeli Agent upon whom the movie ' Munich ' was
based. He was Golda Meir's bodyguard -- she appointed him to track down
and bring to justice the Palestinian terrorists who took the Israeli
athletes hostage and killed them during the Munich Olympic Games.

In a lecture in New York City a few weeks ago, he shared information
that EVERY American needs to know -- but that our government has not
yet shared with us.

He predicted the London subway bombing on the Bill O'Reilly show on Fox
News stating publicly that it would happen within a week. At the time,
O'Reilly laughed and mocked him saying that in a week he wanted him
back on the show. But, unfortunately, within a week the terrorist
attack had occurred.

Juval Aviv gave intelligence (via what he had gathered in Israel and
the Middle East ) to the Bush Administration about 9/11 a month before
it occurred. His report specifically said they would use planes as
bombs and target high profile buildings and monuments. Congress has
since hired him as a security consultant.

Now for his future predictions. He predicts the next terrorist attack
on the U.S. Will occur within the next few months.

Forget hijacking airplanes, because he says terrorists will NEVER try
and hijack a plane again as they know the people onboard will never go
down quietly again. Aviv believes our airport security is a joke --
that we have been reactionary rather than proactive in developing
strategies that are truly effective.

For example:

1) Our airport technology is outdated. We look for metal, and the new
explosives are made of plastic..

2) He talked about how some idiot tried to light his shoe on fire.
Because of that, now everyone has to take off their shoes. A group of
idiots tried to bring aboard liquid explosives. Now we can't bring
liquids on board. He says he's waiting for some suicidal maniac to
pour liquid explosive on his underwear; at which point, security will
have us all traveling naked! Every strategy we have is reactionary.

3) We only focus on security when people are heading to the gates.

Aviv says that if a terrorist attack targets airports in the future,
they will target busy times on the front end of the airport when/where
people are checking in. It would be easy for someone to take two
suitcases of explosives, walk up to a busy check-in line, ask a person
next to them to watch their bags for a minute while they run to the
restroom or get a Dr
ink, and then detonate the bags BEFORE security even gets involved.

In Israel , security checks bags BEFORE people can even ENTER the airport.

Aviv says the next terrorist attack here in America is imminent and
will involve suicide bombers and non-suicide bombers in places where
large groups of people congregate. (I. E., Disneyland, Las Vegas
casinos, big cities (New York, San Francisco, Chicago, etc..) and that
it will also include shopping malls, subways in rush hour, train
stations, etc., as well as rural America this time (Wyoming, Montana,
etc.).

The attack will be characterized by simultaneous detonations around the
country (terrorists like big impact), involving at least 5-8 cities,
including rural areas.

Aviv says terrorists won't need to use suicide bombers in many of the
larger cities, because at places like the MGM Grand in Las Vegas ,
they can simply valet park a car loaded with explosives and walk away.

Aviv says all of the above is well known in intelligence circles, but
that our U. S. Government does not want to 'alarm American citizens'
with the facts. The world is quickly going to become 'a different
place', and issues like 'global warming' and political correctness will
become totally irrelevant.

On an encouraging note, he says that Americans don't have to be
concerned about being nuked. Aviv says the terrorists who want to
destroy America will not use sophisticated weapons. They like
to use suicide as a front-line approach.. It's cheap, it's easy, it's
effective; and they have an infinite abundance of young militants more
than willing to 'meet their destiny'.

He also says the next level of terrorists, over which America should
be most concerned, will not be coming from abroad. But will be,
instead, 'homegrown' -- having attended and been educated in our own
schools and universities right here in the U.. S. He says to look for
'students' who frequently travel back and forth to the Middle East .
These young terrorists will be most dangerous because they will know
our language and will fully understand the habits of Americans; but
that we Americans won't know/understand a thing about them.

Aviv says that, as a people, Americans are unaware and uneducated about
the terrorist threats we will, inevitably, face. America still has only
have a handful of Arabic and Farsi speaking people in our intelligence
networks, and Aviv says it is critical that we change that fact SOON.

So, what can America do to protect itself? From an intelligence
perspective, Aviv says the U.S. needs to stop relying on satellites and
technology for intelligence.. We need to, instead, follow Israel 's,
Ireland 's and England 's hands-on examples of human intelligence, both
from an infiltration perspective as well as to trust 'aware' citizens
to help. We need to engage and educate ourselves as citizens; however,
our U. S. government continues to treat us, its citizens, 'like
babies'. Our government thinks we 'can't handle the truth' and are
concerned that we'll panic if we understand the realities of terrorism.
Aviv says this is a deadly mistake.

Aviv recently created/executed a security test for our Congress, by
placing an empty briefcase in five well-traveled spots in five major
cities. The results? Not one person called 911 or sought a policeman to
check it out. In fact, in Chicago , someone tried to steal the briefcase!

In comparison, Aviv says that citizens of Israel are so well 'trained'
that an unattended bag or package would be reported in seconds by
citizen(s) who know to publicly shout, 'Unattended Bag!' The area would
be quickly & calmly cleared by the citizens themselves. But,
unfortunately, America hasn't been yet 'hurt enough' by terrorism for
their government to fully understand the need to educate its citizens
or for the government to understand that it's their citizens who are,
inevitably, the best first-line of defense against terrorism.

Aviv also was concerned about the high number of children here in
America who were in preschool and kindergarten after 9/11, who were
'lost' without parents being able to pick them up, and about our
schools that had no plan in place to best care for the students until
parents could get there. (In New York City , this was days, in some
cases!)

He stresses the importance of having a plan, that's agreed upon within
your family, to respond to in the event of a terrorist emergency. He
urges parents to contact their children's schools and demand that the
schools, too, develop plans of actions, as they do in Israel .

Does your family know what to do if you can't contact one another by
phone? Where would you gather in an emergency? He says we should all
have a plan that is easy enough for even our youngest children to
remember and follow.

Aviv says that the U. S. government has in force a plan that, in the
event of another terrorist attack, will immediately cut-off EVERYONE's
ability to use cell phones, blackberries, etc., as this is the
preferred communication source used by terrorists and is often the way
that their bombs are detonated.

How will you communicate with your loved ones in the event you cannot
speak? You need to have a plan.


If you believe what you have just read, then you must feel compelled to
send to every concerned parent or guardian, grandparents, uncles,
aunts, whatever and whomever. Nothing will happen if you choose not to
do so, but in the event it does happen, this particular email will
haunt you..."I should have sent this to..... ", but I didn't believe it
and just deleted it as so much trash from old Bill Jones!!!

_________________________________________________________________________________
Ok,you can think I'm crazy if you want to. (Not that you didn't think that already). Anyway, I saw this e-mail and it hit a nerve in me. I have heard of several people getting stocked up on items in case the bird flue, swine flue or something happened. Then I have a close friend I trust inheritantly who has been feeling compelled to do the same, but for another reason. She has sensed God has been warning and preparing her for a national catastrophe. She didn't know what and was embarrased to tell people she knew. she finally overcame her fear and reluctance after almost a year of this directing. She is a woman of God who prayerfully seeks God's guidance. This is definitely not a silly notion or idea she got in her head. This dramatic information is not in her nature or history. She is as solid as a rock.

Recently she has heard from a few sources she trusts that they have had visions of fires in all the major cities in America and provision sources cut off. This was a confirmation to her. Then, I recieved this e-mail. So, whether you think I am crazy or not, I am relaying the message. Better safe than sorry. Better prepared than not. It can't hurt.

At first I felt scared and freaked out by this. But I have to remind myself that there is only so much I can do. The rest is in God's hands and if needed he will provide. I don't mean to sound all Doomsday-ish, but God did warn Noah didn't he? Anyway, only God knows his plans. It is not for me to worry about, nor for you to worry about, just to listen and be prepared for whatever if anything happens. Our God is in control. He is bigger than anything!

I find myself singing to myself the song, "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty there's nothing my God cannot do". Remember his goodness and "have no anxiety about anything for He cares for you" (Philippians 4:6). "My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). So have no fear beloved. Just keep your eyes open and be prepeared, always and rest in the father's hands.