Preaching to the Choir

"Sometimes I just wish we could say all the things that are easy to hear

Ignore the injustice we see and explain every unanswered prayer

But I'd rather speak honestly and wear a tattered heart on my sleeve

'Cause in the middle of my broken dreams, Redemption is here

"I don't have every answer in life

But I'm trusting You one day at a time

'Cause You can make a weak heart stay alive forever

this is where Heaven and Earth collide

I lift my hands and give my life

This is how my weary heart stays alive..."

Sanctus Real

“The Redeemer”

Usually said with tongue in cheek, the expression 'preaching to the choir' finds a home in the mouths of those who either think they already know everything or as a criticism toward the same. In either case, not a favorable connotation, right?

After thinking on it a while, though, I decided – preaching to the choir isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, whether they realize it or not, the choir is in just as much need of a good sermon as the next guy.

This is what I mean…

The expression ‘preaching to the choir’ implies that people already in church are cleaned up enough to be there, no improvement necessary.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to go to a church where the members are already perfected, or are pretending to be. Because I’m so… not.

Church is for the ailing, hurting, broken-hearted. Even with Jesus living in our hearts and the Holy Spirit tending our souls, we still struggle. We still need a safe place to heal, grow, detox from a fallen world, repent, adjust, be encouraged, learn, gain perspective.

It’s not that ‘church people’ are ignoring the ‘real’ stuff that happens in the world. It’s not that ‘church people’ have answers to all the hurt in the world. It’s not that ‘church people’ are acceptable and ‘non-church people’ are shunned.

While the government has done a bang-up job ‘separating’ religious/spiritual from secular, I feel like the church has done its part to contributing to the chasm. Yes, there IS a difference between saved and unsaved people. But JESUS is that difference, bottom line. Saved people still screw up. Saved people still make bad decisions. And saved people even act mean sometimes.

Yes, saved people are called to behave differently, and by all means, we should demonstrate salvation through our actions- love your neighbor! But on days when loving your neighbor doesn’t come as easily as you’d like, leaning on the Everlasting Arms reminds us that it’s not about us, it’s all about Him.

And THAT’S why preaching to the choir is okay with me.

Sufficient

You’ve heard the phrase, “His grace is sufficient for you.” right?

Depending on your frame of mind, these words can be a comfort or a huge annoyance when you are going through a dark patch.

It comes from 2 Corinthians 12:9 when Paul is talking about his burdening affliction. After asking God to take his ailment away, Paul is faced with God’s answer: My grace is sufficient for you.

The word ‘sufficient,’ though defined as enough to meet the needs of a situation, has somehow come to mean it’ll do as if it isn’t ideal but it gets the job done. A reluctance has tainted our understanding of the word, confusion that leads us to believe we are just getting by with ‘sufficient.’ I believe our worldview influences this watered-down definition because it tells us that ‘enough’ is never enough. Extra is always better. Slush funds, stock piles, and rainy day savings are essential while down-to-the-dime living is a sort of scarlet letter and something to be ashamed of. In other words, sufficiency is shameful.

I think this, in turn, influences our thoughts on grace. Sufficient as it is, and ‘enough’ by definition, we live our lives outside of that sufficiency. We seem to think there has to be more to it than that, or that grace only applies to the holy.

The simple, overwhelming, amazing truth is that His grace IS sufficient. In other translations of the same Biblical passage, it says that God’s grace is all you need. In another, God’s answer to Paul is this: I am all you need.

When it comes to our relationship with God, He is all we need. When it comes to our sinful condition, our selfish nature, our mistakes and failures and regrets – He is all we need. His grace is sufficient.

While ‘sufficient’ is one word that can be used to describe grace, a thesaurus of others follow once we grasp that very sufficiency of grace. Wonderful. Astounding. Incredible. Outstanding. And yes, even amazing.

The Easter sermon I heard this past Saturday night says it better. The pastor at the church we go to in our new Alabama home town has such a clear, concise, wonderful way of speaking Truth in love. I encourage you to listen if you have a few moments. (CLICK HERE) NOTE - This link takes you to the church's media page. The Easter sermon has yet to be posted (as of Monday morning) but I'm hoping it will. Sorry for the delay. But keep checking back if you're interested. Really, really worth it!
So, in the meantime...

Or if you don’t have time to listen to a sermon, perhaps a few moments with this song will also show you what I’m trying to say.

I pray the message of Easter – of Resurrection Sunday – stays with us the whole year through. Happy Monday, Dry Ground friends!

The Quiet Man

Whenever the Biblical Joseph comes up in conversation – and you know he does all the time – I immediately think of the son of Jacob who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, falsely accused of rape, forgotten in a dungeon and then finally appointed as second in command of all of Egypt. Great life application throughout that story for sure!

But… there’s another prominent Joseph in Scripture that consistently, in my opinion, gets the short end of the shepherd staff. And round about this time of year may be just the right time to bring him up.

Joseph, as in Mary’s Joseph, as in Jesus’ legal earthly father – you know, Joseph.

He lived in incredible times, the most incredible time in history. He had a front row seat. But he was no bystander, no simple observer, no mere member of the peanut gallery. No, Joseph’s role was critical. And it wasn’t easy.

To begin with, he was but a poor carpenter. The only thing he had going for him was his heritage – the line of King David himself. I imagine his expectations for life were humble – set up shop, marry a local gal, have children. Nothing outrageous or lofty. In fact, his engagement to Mary was probably a highlight – whether arranged or not, I’d like to think he was looking forward to becoming a husband.

Imagine, then, especially in light of their culture, when he found out that his Mary was pregnant – long before their wedding, long before he ever gave a thought to ‘being’ with her in the Biblical sense. Devastation doesn’t even begin to describe it. Ruined just scratches the surface. Crushed, pulverized, heartbroken – He had the ‘right’ of the culture to stone her. But Joseph must have been deeply kind-hearted because in the midst of humiliation and grief, he chose to ‘divorce her quietly.’

If that hadn’t been excruciating enough, God asked more of him. He asked Joseph to marry her anyway.

Take a second to think on that. You think Joseph just shrugged and said, “Yea, sure, whatever you say”? I’m thinking not! I’m thinking he agonized over this.

But he obeyed.

But he didn’t just obey. He believed and cared for his Mary responsibly, dare I hope tenderly?

Still, it wasn’t easy. Of course there would be a call for census just when the baby was about to come. What a harrowing journey that must have been. We’re not talking a walk around the block. We’re talking at least four days but probably more to go 80 miles, and traveling those days was always dangerous for one reason or another. Any of you 8-month-plus pregnant gals out there want to give that a shot? Any of you men want to be responsible for that trip? Yea, me neither.

And then not to have a place to stay. Did Joseph lament over his station that couldn’t ‘buy’ a room – *wink*wink* - and that the King of his people would be born in a stable not a palace? I’m also thinking he didn’t have access to a doctor or a midwife during this all-too-human birthing. How solid of a man did this Joseph have to be to get through all of this?

Using what little we know of Joseph, who it says in the Bible was ‘known as the father of Jesus’ (not a bad rep in my opinion), plus a healthy but steeped in reality imagination, I’ve decided that I really, really admire him. Shoot, I like him. A lot.

Here’s this guy who stands just outside the limelight. He’s suffered for his faith and his kindness. And yet he’s legally and spiritually responsible for the King of the Universe, GOD in human flesh, God’s Son. He wisely listens and obeys when via dreams and visions God helps him with this responsibility, including moving his entire family to Egypt to protect Jesus from King Herod’s maniac, greed-infested slaughter of innocent baby boys under the age of two.

Just think, what would have happened had Joseph not been the good and faithful man he was? He had free will. He wasn’t super-human or God’s robot. But he was God’s called, for a specific and crucial purpose, and he knew it.

Do you feel like you’ve spent your life just shy of the limelight? Have you suffered in seemingly needless fashion – a broken heart, a senseless loss, an unfair twist of circumstances or outright betrayal of evil people? Do you feel insignificant or forgotten?

Listen here… Joseph, Mary’s Joseph, had more reason than most to turn bitter, rant at God, chose himself for once. But… he didn’t. And thank God for that! After all, he enabled God’s plan of salvation for you and me to manifest and come to fruition. He did what God, in all His wisdom and knowledge and perfection, asked of him.

And we should too. You never know what part of history you play by humble obedience, devotion, and service.

Hope you all had a blessed Christmas, Dry Ground friends!

(photo by photobucket.com)

End of the World?

 So, if you’re reading this, I guess we’re safe – fire and brimstone are not coming today. Unless Australia has been wiped off the globe and we are yet to hear of it.

I kind of figured. The Bible says in Matthew that no one knows the day or the hour the Lord will return and make a few changes around here.

Still, today is the last day for some of us, whether we know it at this moment or not. Because the Bible also says that it is appointed for man to die once, and then the judgment (Heb. 9:26-28). All our minutes, including the final ones, are written in heavenly realms and known intimately by the Perfect Lover, so really, we have no cause to fear – if we know Him.

This world isn’t our home anyway. If it were, if this was all we had, then there would be every reason to fear as well as no opportunity for hope. Reality is, however, that life far greater and in an incredibly better place awaits us who have faith in Jesus.

It’s no secret, as I’ve expressed here many times and in many ways, that one view I have of Jesus is that of betrothed beloved – the Perfect Lover. So, the end of the world would mean that our wedding is nigh! And I would want to make sure I was dressed appropriately – spotless white – eagerly looking for the face of my groom standing at the end of that aisle of light, welcoming me into His eternal home.

Since that day could literally be any day for any one of us, wouldn’t it be wise to think on it every day? Be ready every day? Anticipate every day? Live for His glory every day? Love more every day? If we did, wouldn’t living in this fallen world be just a little bit better?

I think so anyway.

This is how Jesus put it… Matthew 25:1-13. (CLICK to read.)

Happy Friday before Christmas, Dry Ground friends! Only four more days!

 (photos by photobucket.com)

Heart Condition

I wasn’t going to say anything. Some things spark an angry flare in me, and I have to vent. My Daniel listens, usually agrees, and then that’s the end of it. But this time…

Here’s the spark – during Sunday Night Football last night at the end of half time show, Bob Costas commented on the tragic murder/suicide incident endured by the Kansas City Chiefs this past weekend. I was appalled when he ended up blaming our ‘current gun culture.’

I don’t usually comment on issues that are considered ‘political’ as I know that a multitude of opinions out there exist and I’d rather search for uniting concepts. Plus, I’m a terrible debater and don’t wish to engage in one. But Bob’s comments made me too mad. Not because I’m so attached to my ‘right’ to bear arms in this country, which is still hanging on by a thread, but because blaming something like this on access to guns ignores the real, much more important issue in this case. The same issue plaguing so many other tragic events we hear about, read about, maybe even experience.

Is it not true that, murders are committed with a variety of weapons – knives, poisons, water in bathtubs, electricity, steep stairwells, blunt objects like tire irons and crystal vases, arson, car ‘accidents,’ even bare hands?

The issue here is not the instrument of violence. There are far too many such instruments to completely sterilize our society from hurting ourselves and each other. If the individual is so inclined, the act will ensure. Therefore, the issue here is the condition of the heart.

The Bible mentions the heart nearly 1000 times. It talks of pure and upright hearts, it warns against hardened and evil hearts. It talks about writing the law of the Lord on the heart, and harboring bitterness in the heart. The condition of the heart is very, VERY important. It provides ‘life’ in far more ways than simply pumping blood through our veins.

I’m not judging this NFL player who died. I cannot say that he was evil to have committed this crime. In fact, it sounds like he was more troubled and lost than anything. When is this Nation going to wake up and see that God’s peace is the only healing factor that could have done anything to persuade this unfortunate man toward peace?

Perhaps not having access to a gun would have prevented or just postponed this tragedy, or ones like it – Aurora movie theatre for example. Or perhaps a sick heart will find a way to act out no matter what instrument is in hand.

So let’s start addressing the heart of the issue. Let’s start loving, caring, giving up a little time to be genuine friends, form sincere relationships – even with people seeming to rebuff our attempts. Let’s stop getting offended or standing behind religious traditions that divide rather than unite and start basing our liberties on Jesus Christ. And for God’s sake, let’s stop blaming inanimate, moral-less objects, using tragedies to advance a ‘political’ platform, and start taking responsibility for the condition of the heart. 

Thank you, Dry Ground friends, for letting me express these thoughts that well up in my own heart. Don’t worry – I don’t plan on renaming this blog “Lori’s Soapbox Hour.”

Have a great week. And please consider investing in the life of those you have contact with this week.

Proverbs 4:23 – Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Phil 4:7 – The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Col 3:1, 15 - …set your hearts on things above… Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body we were called to be peace.

(photo by photobucket.com)

How Reading a Vampire Book Showed Me a Picture of the Holy Spirit – Intro

 Three years ago, I started this series of spiritual applications gleaned from the Twilight Saga as an investigation into the phenomenon of females all over the world, young and old, wishing on a star that Edward Cullen existed for real. I determined that, like all Prince Charmings throughout the history of story, Edward displayed characteristics similar to that of our Perfect Lover, Jesus – unconditional love, unyielding commitment, timely rescue, sacrificial protection, absolute provision and an intimate relationship with the perfect lover. The desire to experience these characteristics is planted in our DNA by our Creator, and Jesus fulfills every one. But we are all attracted to representations of this love, especially in the tangible setting of storytelling, which brings experience into a more obtainable realm – even when we’re talking fantasy worlds such as the kind in which vampires (even the sparkling kind) exist.

But the Twilight Saga explores an entire relationship of this kind, and it’s not all romance and roses. Difficulties arise that foster faith-building and reveal the true nature of commitment and expose the variable of free will. The journey, like life, is wrought with ups and downs, threats and thrills, peace and angst – each mile teaching something about the supernatural reality of having a relationship with the Perfect Lover.

When we get to Breaking Dawn, the dynamic changes because Bella has (finally) made the decision to give her hand to Edward in marriage. She’s reached the point of surrender – the good kind – that launches her on the amazing voyage of life with her Perfect Love.

Yet, when she makes this decision, she is still human. Although she wanted to become like Edward as soon as possible, Edward requested first she give herself wholly to Him in the bonds of holy matrimony. Not that he doubted her sincerity or love, but as an official covenant physically and spiritually joining two hearts into one. Because only after she willingly became his bride could he bestow upon her the benefits of such a relationship.

Edward and Bella’s wedding, to me, represents salvation. It’s the initial, covenant-making decision to trust Jesus, the Perfect Lover, with your whole life – come what may. You come to this relationship with free will and as is – still human and still a sinner. Not until that covenant is made between you and the Perfect Lover does the sin wash away. It’s within the covenant relationship that the benefit of the remission of sins is applied.

The awesome part is, that’s just the beginning.

Salvation marks a new journey, a new birth into a whole new world, and is characterized by the process that makes us ‘like’ Jesus. It’s called sanctification. The benefits of a covenant relationship with Jesus depend on the transformation power of His Holy Spirit, the only avenue on which becoming like Him is possible.

That’s what Breaking Dawn is about. It’s a new beginning, starting with Bella’s willing acceptance of Edward’s hand, leading her on the path that will make her like him.

I hope you will join me on this look into How Reading a Vampire Book Showed Me a Picture of the Holy Spirit. Stay turned, Dry Ground friends!
CLICK HERE for the next chapter.

(photos by photobucket.com)

Matthew 6:25-34
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Mark 4:39
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

Also, FYI, I'm glad to report that Baddie Sandy did not in any way ruin our 'meet' of my Twi-friend. It was a fantabulous day!

Peace to you, Dry Ground friends.

Face to Face

1 Corinthians 13:12 – For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

 We live in the age of social media, which connects individuals from opposite sides of the world via Facebook or a video chat or instagram. In about a hundred years, we’ve gone from Morse Code and a telegraphs to telephones, faxes, emails, and Twitter. I’m astounded that not that long ago, when I was in elementary school, we had a pen pal project, writing letters to kids in other countries as a way to be exposed to different cultures and people. I think my pen pal was from Sweden. We actually wrote several times back and forth. That’s unheard of now.

I like it, though. There are people from high school, college, the various places we’ve lived, even some family members whom I would never have heard from or ‘seen’ again had it not been for these amazing technological miracles.

One of the best things for me to come from social media is a friend I connected with over a shared love for Jesus first and foremost but also the Twilight Saga. We had similar views on the analogy it can pose and the spiritual lessons to be gleaned from its pages. She found my blog on the subject (see sidebar for those entries – starting with How Reading a Vampire Book Brought Me Closer to Jesus), I in turn got to read hers on the same subject, and there you go. We’ve stayed in contact since, going on three years now! Wow!

Here’s the thing – we’ve never met. Not face to face.

When we first made contact, I think I was living in Phoenix. Or I’d just moved to Knoxville. Since then, I’ve moved five times! My point being, I always hoped that the next move would land me a little closer to where my Twi-friend (as I affectionately call her) lives, but to no avail… until now.

It’s still going to take a little driving, but I’m so jazzed to say that this weekend, we’ve made arrangements to ‘meet.’ I’m nervous and excited, but mostly just thankful to God. What a blessing she has been and I anticipate she will continue to be. Getting to hug her neck is just a bonus.

It made me think about Jesus. Sometimes, I feel like people wonder how we, as Christians, can have such a close relationship with someone we’ve never ‘met.’ But isn’t the situation sort of similar to the one with my Twi-friend?

Jesus reached out to me and I accepted the connection. Through His love letters, the Bible, and prayer (a type of social ‘media’ in a way), we’ve built a relationship. And one day, though I do not know the day or hour, I WILL get to meet Him face to face and hug His neck!! How can I be any less excited to get to that day? I should look forward to it with all that I am, and I do. That’s how I can say that I ‘miss’ my best friend and Perfect Lover although I’ve never seen or touched Him.

It’s the hope of the promise that I one day will see and touch Him that sometimes is my only reason to keep going. And that results in joy, no matter the circumstances or conflicts or even pleasures of life.

I am thankful for this tangible experience that mirrors my awaited personal introduction to my Savior. I hope that you know that you can look forward to meeting Him too! Just be sure to ‘friend’ Him now.

By the way, speaking of Twilight, the last installment of Twi-blogs is upcoming, starting in November and leading to the release of the final theatrical episode of the Twilight Saga. I hope you’ll stay tuned.

Have a wonderful weekend, Dry Ground friends.

(photos by photobucket.com)

Living Water

Deuteronomy 32:2 – Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.

As we search for a home church here in our new home of Virginia, the picture of Jesus as water came to mind. The Bible says He offers living water, so that if we drink it we’re never thirsty again. But I was thinking more along the lines of a body of water and our relationship to it.

Let’s see if I can explain myself…

When I go to the beach, I am perfectly content to walk along the sand, maybe get my toes wet, admire the beauty of crashing waves from the safety of land. I’m not afraid of the water, per say, as long as I have a boat or the luxury of a pool! I can swim, but the unfamiliarity of the ocean and what lurks just beyond my range of sight (which for me is not that far!) gets me nervous. It has all my life. I’ve been on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world – Trunk Bay in St. John for instance – and yet I spent the entire time anchored to the beach while my mother snorkeled by herself the underwater national park full of living treasures like coral and tropical fish.

My Daniel, on the other hand, must explore the depths. My surfer dude grew up splitting time between both coasts, so he is familiar with large bodies of wild water. He has no fear swimming out, diving down, finding what he can find – like that living sand dollar I pictured here a couple posts back. 

While my phobias are not likely to change this late in life concerning ocean swimming, I have a deep desire that my spiritual life more resembles my Daniel’s passion. If Jesus is the Living Water, I don’t want to just admire Him from the beach or simply get my toes wet. I don’t even want merely to skim along the surface like a water skier. When it comes to Jesus, I want to be a deep sea diver – immerse myself completely, plunge fearlessly below the tossing waves to the calm depths where the treasures are.

The Living Water I can literally immerse myself in is His Word, the Bible. We’re never too old or young, too bright or dull, experienced or just starting out to learn something every time we open His Book. Going to church, finding fellowship with other Believers and sitting under the shepherding care of a pastor, is a vital avenue to those Living Waters.

I pray you have found, and we find, a congregation committed to deep sea diving.

Hope you’re having a great week, Dry Ground friends! Keep on swimming!

(photos by photobucket.com)

PB&J (The Property Brothers & Jesus)

 Have you ever watched the HGTV program The Property Brothers? My Daniel and I catch most episodes, mainly interested in the designs and transformations they accomplish. Quite creative, innovative and visionary.

The shows have a sort of pattern. They go like this…

Person or persons desiring ‘dream home’ ready to move in with all the modern amenities and upgrades – we hear the wish list. Drew Scott, the realtor brother of the twin set, shows them the perfect house, which the people fall in love with, but oh no – the price is at least twice their budget. Angry, the people express shock and disappointment that Drew would elevate their hopes with perfection just to dash them in such cruel fashion. Drew assures them his purpose was to give them a reality check, bring them back down to earth, and consider an option that will get them the dream home they want within their budget – a fixer-upper. The people reluctantly agree to give it a shot. They see several run down, absolutely nasty properties Drew believes could be ideal, and the people sigh in despair – I just can’t see it.

Enter Jonathan, the contractor/designer/carpenter of the set, who mocks up renovation designs for the top two house choices. Every time, the people exclaim – Wow! Is that even the same space? It looks amazing! Is it within our budget? This all by looking at a computer representation of what could be. The brothers assure the people that yes, indeed, it’s all possible. The people choose one of the two options. The renovations start.

It’s hard work. They inevitably run into budget-threatening problems. The people persistently doubt Jonathan’s ability. Some even say out loud – I don’t think you can do this. To which I yell at the T.V. – of course he can! He’s the professional! How many times has he done this? And how many times have you? You think you know better than him? Geesh!! Jonathan just continues to ask for trust. The people roll their eyes and plow on since they have no other choice.

In the end, the ‘dream home’ is completed on schedule, on or under budget, and in a way that always has the people proclaiming through their tears – Oh, it’s more beautiful than I ever imagined.

After several episodes, I start to wonder if their reactions, doubts and joys, are scripted. Probably, right? I still watch it b/c the different designs interest me and well, let’s face it, the brothers are really cute. And funny. So it’s entertaining enough.

But it got me thinking. The process is familiar b/c in life, I feel like I do the same thing as each person/persons appearing on this show.

Check it out...

Life is like a renovation. We’d like to have the move-in ready, dreamy life, but we can’t afford that because of the cost of sin (that would be ‘death’). So God has made a way for us to have life, but we have to go through the fixer-upper process to get what we want. We might wrinkle our noses or roll our eyes or sigh dramatically, but God assures us that if we commit to the renovation, He can perfect our life over time and under budget – meaning, we don’t have to pay the price of death b/c He’s already done it.

He takes us on a tour first, showing us everything we don’t want to see – the nastiness and filth of our sin. We gag and complain, but He says – Don’t worry! I can transform all of this into beauty! We can’t see it – it looks too dirty, run down, impossible to improve. As we read God’s Word, though, we can see His vision for our lives. It’s amazing! Gorgeous! Incredible! Can He really do that? Can He really transform such an awful looking life into something awesome and acceptable and desirable? He says – YES! If you trust Me to see you through the renovation.

We commit.

First, demolition. Knocking down walls, tearing out unwanted features, uncovering hidden issues that compromise structural soundness or safety. It’s tough going, stressful, a challenge to the faith you’ve put in the Renovator. Worries set in, discouragement, and out right doubt. You find yourself, in weariness and fear, ranting at God – Do you really know what You’re doing??

We forget – He’s been around a while. He’s done this before. He’s the Master. He even knows a thing or two about carpentry.

After demolition, only a gutted space and a firm foundation remain. Ever feel like that? Gutted? Empty? And too tired to conjure up the slightest image of what you and God were aiming for in the first place? But God is concerned about bringing us up to code, making sure our structure is safe and secure and ready to be built upon. Usually, we’re only interested in cosmetics, right?

However, an empty space is also a clean slate. And if the Property Brothers can do wonders with a clean slate, don’t you think God can do infinitely and amazingly MORE?

Our problem is impatience. Life renovations take a lifetime. And though we’ll see improvements and upgrades along the way, the finished product lies beyond time. But imagine, no matter how life on earth ends for you (and it will end, mind you, unless Jesus comes back first), opening your eyes and seeing, like going through the front door and seeing for the first time your perfectly renovated home, Heaven. Two things, other than physically giving Jesus a grateful embrace for His sacrifice, we can look forward to. #1 – New – a.k.a. renovated – bodies. #2 – a dream home tailored perfectly to you. I’m pretty sure we’ll have the same reaction every featured couple on Property Brothers does when they see the finished product – Oh my, it’s more than I could ever have imagined.

So when I get down or discouraged, I think of the Property Brothers and Jesus. If I keep the faith, the results will be overwhelmingly amazing.

Have a wonderful week, Dry Ground friends! Be blessed!

(photo by photobucket.com)

Unrest

One of the bright spots of my week included watching Snow White and the Huntsman on BluRay. I love the story, the amazing effects, and it's no secret I'm a Chris Hemsworth fan. In it, the Kingdom has been taken over by the evil step-mother. Of the many consequences of evil enthroned, one that has quite the visual impact is that Nature too has retreated. Plants ceased to grow. Flowers refused to bloom. Animals hid out in fear. The sun shone less bright. Darkness manifested and infected, leaving little hope. Of course, Snow White turns out to be the hope the Kingdom needed, and through a series of battles and other strenuous events (including death and resurrection, come to think of it), all is set right.
Got me thinking.
This past week we commemorated a particularly dark moment in our recent history. To compound matters, evil-doers added more dark deeds to the record and seemingly are not done. Though political unrest abounds worldwide, our own country's campaigning for this year's election also flows on the undercurrent of unrest if not out right nastiness. I also heard news of earthquakes and erupting volcanoes, which follows a summer of drought, floods, and fires.
If what we see was all we had to go on, hope would be fleeting indeed.
But the 'fairest of them all' does exist in the person of Christ Jesus. And because of who He is and what He's done, His purity - holiness - has and will save those who have faith that He is who He says He is.
By far, I am no expert on end time theology. I understand it for the most part, but can't explain it very well. I do know that the darkness we are seeing in the world is directly related to it. (For information from someone who knows what they're talking about and can be trusted, CLICK HERE.)
I also know that our Redemption is on His way. This time, He will come as warrior prince, claiming His bride, vanquishing evil and redeeming Nature itself with life everlasting.
Because of that, I am hopeful, vigilant, and adamant. Life is not meant to be chaotic, random, purposeless or imaginary. God has a plan for His Kingdom and for you.
Happy Weekending, Dry Ground friends. Be blessed!
(photos by photobucket.com)

Just Like He Said

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The Real Easter Hero - NOT a bunny...

It's kinda tough to pick one song to post for Easter weekend since most songs I listen to pertain to exactly that - Easter - the death and resurrection of my Savior, my Rescuer, my God - Jesus. I've been listening to music all day thinking, 'that one would be good' or 'oh, no this one is better'... but here's what I've decided on. Abandon's 'Hero.' Thank you, Jesus, for being the ultimate hero, the ultimate and real and loving hero of the world and of my soul.

Happy Easter, Dry Ground friends!

Magnitude

I’ve been thinking about this word a lot – MAGNITUDE.

What does it bring to your mind?

Earthquake comes to mine first. It’s how we measure the extent and power of the very earth beneath our feet trembling and shaking and shifting.

But ‘magnitude’ also describes the level of brightness of celestial bodies - stars, for example.

So magnitude in both cases equals POWER.

It seems to me that when we talk about power, though awe-inspiring, we are also talking about destruction. Earthquakes produce mayhem on a scale parallel to their magnitude or power. A star’s brightness reveals to us the explosive nuclear power going on to such an extent that we can see it millions of miles away.

Why, then, while having my quiet time a few mornings ago, did I think of the word ‘magnitude’ in association with Jesus and what He’s done for me?

Hopefully, it’s obvious.

However, in my every-day knowledge and appreciation of salvation, I don’t view it with the proper sense of magnitude.

The magnitude of Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave should shake me up like an earthquake, destroying every doubt and worry I entertain when the going gets tough. It should out-shine any problem or barrier I face with the force of a far-away star exploding from the middle of my heart.

It should, but it doesn’t – not on a daily basis. Why?

Because, I don’t let it. I don’t meditate on it for long enough, allowing the events or issues or worries of the day crowd in before I can reach the realization – again – today - the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifice and victory.

If I did that, I might just live differently.

Happy Palm Sunday Weekend, Dry Ground Friends! Be abundantly blessed!

(photos by photobucket.com)

POV Wednesday – Hope

You’ve heard the phrase, ‘Keep hope alive’?

I’d forgotten where that came from until I looked it up. Though I disagree with the source on most things, he’s not the reason I’m disagreeing with this phrase.

I’ve been thinking about it lately. And on my walk this morning, it occurred to me…

We don’t keep hope, hope keeps us.

In fact, hope literally keeps us alive.

Circumstances can be so heavy, difficult, and stressful that we can’t muster the courage or energy to lift a finger, let alone keep something so powerful as ‘hope’ alive. In those moments, I depend on hope to keep me alive.

Christmas is about hope. Hope in the form of a baby, who had just moments before been sitting on the throne of the universe surrounded by unbelievable glory and honor because He is God. But He chose to confine Himself in a human body, become one of us – that which He created – because He loved us so much He couldn’t let us live hopeless lives that only could end in death. This was the only way for hope to endure.

We hope for lots of things in this life – love and friendship, jobs and prosperity, health and amusement. But storms roll in and deprive us of those hopes. Sitting in the rain, we often find ourselves disappointed in hope.

But it’s not hope’s fault that we were disappointed! No, it was what we put our hope in that failed.

Hoping in that which is certain, although we have not yet seen it, that hope will never disappoint. It’s the hope of heaven – the path paved by Jesus, beginning with His birth that we celebrate at Christmas, and continuing in His death and resurrection we celebrate at Easter.

Without that hope, we will be disappointed, tempted to give up, depressed and shackled with life’s problems.

With that hope, we have everything – a future, a basis on which to praise God continually, promises with the backing of God for whom it is impossible to lie, a home and a family.

I pray that your Christmas is saturated with hope as you celebrate the birth of Hope.

Merry Christmas, Dry Ground friends! Thanks for sticking with me through this wintry season of life.

(photo by photobucket.com)

How Reading a Vampire Book Revealed to Me the Gift of Free Will – The Perfect Lover

(CLICK HERE for previous chapter.)

Edward wields the greatest power in influencing his Beloved because he grants Bella the power of choice. The beautiful irony in this –that he has the most effect by letting go.

Edward steps back and leaves Bella’s free will alone. Yes, he prevents her from seeing Jacob on several occasions, but only because he really believed the werewolves were a threat. Once that issue resolves, he steps back and lets her choose every course of action even though many of her decisions cause him great pain. In so giving Bella the gift of free will, he risks losing her because he knows it is possible she’ll choose Jacob. Even though he knows the depth of his love, his ability to protect her, the possibility and implications of Jacob imprinting on someone else in the future… all the risks to Bella… he still leaves the choice to her.

Gentlemen are like that. He knew that in any love relationship, the proof is in the choice.

This is made most evident in Eclipse during the tent scene before the battle between the newborn vampire army and the combined Cullen/Wolf Pack defense. Edward has taken Bella far from the proposed battle site to keep her safe. Jacob is with them up until the battle begins, providing his watchdog services over night. An unseasonable winter storm with freezing temps pops up, not a big deal for Edward and Jacob but life-threatening for Bella as she shivers away in her sleeping bag. Edward can’t get anywhere near her to keep her from dying of frost bite as he would make matters worse since his skin feels cold to Bella. Jacob, with his higher-than-average, 100+ degree body temperature, thanks to his werewolf genes, is Bella’s only hope to keep warm. Therefore, Edward, Jacob and Bella end up in a tent together to ride out the storm.

The storm rages both outside and inside. While Bella tries to sleep, warming up against Jacob’s hot skin, Edward and Jacob talk, in essence, about Bella’s Free Will.

Jacob is in full special ops tactics as he shares the sleeping bag with Bella. He’s taking advantage of the awkward (for everyone else) situation. He’s actually gloating. To needle Edward more, he baits him with, “The jealousy… it has to be eating at you. You can’t be as sure of yourself as you seem. Unless you have no emotions at all.”

In this, Jacob hurls two accusations. First, that Edward should be enraged with jealousy, perhaps to the point of starting a fight (because Jacob would love that). Second, that Edward is as heartless figuratively as he is physically/literally.

I love Edward’s response. “Of course, it is,” Edward agreed, no longer amused. “Right now it’s so bad that I can barely control my voice.”

As I read this part, a vivid picture and interpretation of God’s jealousy came to mind. Yes, God gets jealous. He says so repeatedly in the Old Testament, which is why He wants no other gods replacing Him. In the New Testament, Paul writes, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Him.” (2 Cor. 11:2)

So often, people turn up their noses at verses like this and accuse God of being petty or bitter or unreasonable. But jealousy is not always a bad thing!

If in this scene Edward had said he wasn’t jealous, we’d think something was wrong with him, right? Why? Because of how much he loves Bella! There’d be something amiss in the Gospel if God did not admit to being jealous. It is a sign of PERFECT LOVE!

But Edward’s jealousy does not lead to his taking away Bella’s Free Will. Instead of selfishly demanding her affections, he waits in agonizing silence while she’s in her Choosing Fields. Even in the tent, when his jealousy blazes under the circumstances, he expresses his respect for Bella’s Free Will.

“And if she were to decide that she wanted me?” Jacob challenged. “Okay, it’s a long shot, I’ll give you that.”

“I would let her go.”

“Just like that?”

“In the sense that I’d never show her how hard it was for me, yes. But I would keep watch. You see, Jacob, you might leave her someday. Like Sam and Emily, you wouldn’t have a choice. I would always be waiting in the wings, hoping for that to happen.”

Honoring Bella’s Free Will does not mean Edward stops loving her if she would choose Jacob. He’d always be waiting, unconditional love in tact, to welcome her back should she change her mind or if Jacob imprinted (a supernatural werewolf phenomenon) on someone else, meaning he’d have no choice but to leave Bella. Edward’s love doesn’t change for her no matter what her choice is for him. That is true, perfect, selfless love.

That is the picture of Jesus.

He has been clear – He loves us with an everlasting love, more perfectly than any other love that could ever vie for our attentions. He’s proposed an eternal relationship covenant. He knows the risks of losing us, both to Himself and to us. He has endured the pain of our rejection time after time. Yet, he still leaves the answer up to us. We get to choose.

Because Jesus is the ultimate gentleman. He never forces our hand.

He knows that the proof of love lies in choice. If we don’t choose Him, the love isn’t real.

His love never changes, though. Whether we accept Him or not, His love endures. He’s waiting with open arms, hoping for us to change our minds, ready to respond when the Other Choice leaves us or lets us down, waiting for us to allow Him to comfort, protect, redeem and reward us with His perfect presence.

For benefits beyond our imagination await the Bride of Christ that cannot be bestowed on an unwilling Beloved.

Our Perfect Lover is so good to allow us time in the Choosing Fields as we examine satellite influences that reflect Him. Testimonies, Experiences, Fears, Contenders, Fear, Pride and a whole host of other things vie for focus and importance as we are in the process of choosing. Some of those things recommend the Perfect Lover, some deter, and others attack the very thought of Him.

But after all is said and done, the most powerful influence should be the Perfect Lover Himself.

Everything the Perfect Lover says and does proves His complete, unconditional, self-sacrificing, perfect love. From the time He knit you together in your mother’s womb throughout each second of your life, He’s desired, chosen, waited for, pursued you. He sacrificed the glory of Heaven for human flesh. He bled and died for you, making atonement (or payment) for your sin debts. He fought and conquered Death for you so that living with Him for eternity is possible. And He did all this before you uttered one word of affection or thanks back to Him.

It’s His proposal, His declaration of perfect love, His hand outstretched in invitation to life abundant, eternal life, and all the benefits that only a willing Beloved can receive.

All we have to do is… take that Hand. Choose to be His Bride.

Bella eventually makes her choice, Edward. Breaking Dawn opens with their wedding. I’m looking forward to seeing how they portray it in the movie opening this weekend! I’ll let you know what I think on Friday! Be blessed, Dry Ground friends!
CLICK HERE for my review of the movie!

(photos by photobucket.com)

Easter Weekend Tune Up

Today is Good Friday, when we acknowledge and celebrate the beginning of THE defining moment in the world's history, in the lives of us all, whether we know it or not. The Son of God was sacrificed for our wrong-doings, giving up His very life so that we, through depending on and trusting in Him, can have the opportunity to live forever.

So, in honor of that, and as a way to tune our hearts toward Him as we celebrate Easter and His victory over Death itself, I share with you the following song - Avalon's "The Glory". The lyrics follow, then a link to listen (it wouldn't let me embed this one). Take a few moments to listen, reflect, give thanks and honor the Savior of our souls.

In the solitary moment of His birth
On this barren dusty land
All of heaven kissed the face of the earth
With a miracle of love
God became a man
But He was sent away to draw His final breath
When He was only thirty-three
And in the shame of dying a criminal's death
He cleansed an angry world
And in His suffering I see

The glory of the blood
The beauty of the body
That was broken for our forgiveness
The glory of His perfect love
Is the heart of the story
The glory of the blood

Now I have tried to find salvation on my own
In a search for something real
But there's a guilty heart inside this flesh and bone
Fall upon His grace
And I begin to feel

repeat chorus

And when I close my eyes I can see Him hanging there
Oh the precious wounded Lamb of God
All the majesty in this world cannot compare to the glory
The beauty of the body
That was broken for our forgiveness

repeat chorus

But He was sent away to draw His final breath
When He was only thirty-three

CLICK to listen!

Happy Easter, Dry Ground friends! Rejoice!

(photo by photobucket.com)

POV Wednesday – Beauty in the Eye of the… Perceiver

Valentine’s Day evening, after I’d taken out my contacts and washed my face and put my pjs on, my Daniel and I snuggled up on the couch to watch our usual Monday TV shows.

The thought crossed my mind that, even though I was done trying to be cute for the day (no makeup, frump pony tail, old sweats), Valentine’s Day wasn’t over - my Daniel still hugged and kissed on me. And I shook my head in wonder because I felt so grodie.

Far from trying to conjure an image or brag on my attentive, sweet husband, my point is that somehow, my Daniel finds me beautiful with or without all my attempts to pretty myself up.

It’s a perspective issue.

One I should apply to my relationship with the Perfect Lover.

As a Christian, I do a lot to pretty myself up, try to look cute to the Perfect Lover – read my Bible, go to church, watch my language, pray before I eat (even in public *gasp*) – It’s not that these things don’t please the Lord, because I believe that done with a sincere heart, they do please Him.

But His Word says that our righteous acts are like filthy rags.

In Revelation, describing the wedding supper of the Lamb (Jesus, the Perfect Lover), it says that the bride (that’s us) has made herself ready. How does a bride get ready for her wedding? For one, she puts on a beautiful dress (righteousness, in this analogy). Well, Revelation says that these linens, the dress, “were give to her.” By whom? By Him.

Jesus does not love me because of my efforts. He loves me with or without them. My value doesn’t depend on any beautification process I put myself through. It’s His unconditional, sacrificial love that makes me beautiful.

I’d live a more peaceful life if I remembered what beauty looks like in the eyes of the Great Perceiver.

Peace to you, my Dry Ground friends!

(photos by photobucket.com)

Go Volunteers

No, this is not an article on football.

Working for a zoo for nearly a month now, and having worked for other non-profits in the past, I am being reminded of the crucial importance of that special type of person called a volunteer.

Organizations like zoos would be obsolete without their helping hands. There is so much to do to keep the zoo, and places like them, running, it would be impossible to pay an army near enough to accomplish it all.

Volunteers are some of the hardest working folks I know. The nature of volunteerism assumes a willingness to work. For a day, a volunteer will do almost anything.

And yet they are sadly under-appreciated. Which is dangerous ground to tread if you want to hold on to your volunteer!

So I’d like to pay tribute to two of the most special volunteers I know.

First, my mom.

She’s come to visit me for the first time since I’ve moved to Billings, and all she’s done since she’s been here is work… really hard for me volunteering at the zoo. She’s barely seen the light of day, she’s been doing so much. I can’t put a price tag on how much she’s done to help me get organized and caught up running the zoo gift shop.

Thank you, mom. What you’ve done for me in the past two days would have taken me weeks.

Second, Jesus!

I would be obsolete without His sacrificial actions. He’s done everything for me that I’d never be able to accomplish on my own. There’s nothing I could pay Him for what He’s done. He showed willingness to die for me. And yet, I under-appreciate Him on a regular basis. Thank God, since Jesus is holding on to me, how much I appreciate Him does not help me hold on to Him better.

Thank You, Jesus. A lifetime of so-called “righteous” acts would never equal what You did for me.

Happy Wednesday, Dry Ground friends!

(photo by photobucket.com)

Light Bulbs

I love when a spiritual light bulb turns on in my brain.

This has probably been staring me in the face for decades. But I just recently went, “Ohhhh! I see!”

Cooler still, the revelation came as a direct answer to a prayer.

I’ve always grappled with faith verses deeds. I know I need to do right, but if I don’t there’s grace. I’m supposed to obey, but striving to do anything outside of grace is the opposite of faith. God loves me no matter what, but what I do will be brought before Him at the Judgment Seat. Sin is sin. But Jesus offers grace. We can’t ignore sin, but we’re not supposed to judge. Yikes! I get so mixed up, and then end up with wrong impressions.

All I’ve known for sure is that Jesus’ blood atones for my sin.

It’s not a bad bottom line.

But even though Jesus’ blood washes away my sin, what do I do with that tendency left over in me to sin again? The sin is gone, but I’m a sinner.

I’ve coped with tactics such as guilt, avoidance, apathy, striving, do-overs, being too hard on myself, being too easy on myself… Salvation I grasp, sanctification is more of a mystery.

The light bulb went on while reading a spiritual growth devotional called “The Green Papers” by Miles J. Stanford. I’ve been learning a lot from his gathering of the philosophies and theologies of many giants of the Faith, most of it so far confirming to me that I must lean heavily… no, solely… on God’s grace.

But today, I read the chapter on “Identification,” which is where my answer came from in the form of a quote from Watchman Nee. Here’s the quote:

Our sins were dealt with by the blood, we ourselves are dealt with by the cross. The blood procures our pardon, the cross procures deliverance from what we are in Adam. The blood can wash away my sins, but it cannot wash away my old man: I need the cross to crucify me – the sinner.

The problem with the fall of humanity, the depravity of man, is not only that we sin (verb, action), but also that we are sinners (noun, object).

Embracing grace to atone for our sins is one thing, a very, very important thing.

Embracing the cross to kill our flesh, the part of us that is desirous of sinning, is another very, very important thing.

Thank You, Jesus, for carrying my sin away, as far as the east is from the west.

And thank You, too, for making possible the death of the old flesh that enslaved me to the sinful life.

I love that discovering God’s truths is a life-long journey. I’ll never “arrive” at full knowledge of Him because I’m so small and He’s so big. Even in Heaven, I think, I’ll have an eternity to explore the depths and heights of my Creator. But it sure is fun to see those light bulbs illuminate my path.

Hope your week is full of such inspiring and encouraging Light!

(photos by photobucket.com)