Christmas 2012

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Everything You Consider Valuable

As I am reading through the One Year Bible which, by the way, is an amazing way to connect with God through His Word, I can't help but notice in today's First Kings 20:1-43 reading today, this spiritual application:  my enemy wants to take away everything I consider valuable. This scenario is the perfect picture of how he does it. This is spiritual warfare at its finest and it's not confined to the Old Testament.  He knows what our "idols" are and he comes and presents a way for us to keep them IF ONLY we will give up something in return.  I have lived this scenario out in my teens, 20's and 30's only I had no idea the "game" he was playing with me although I do remember some conviction of the Spirit which I clearly ignored.

Here's how it goes.  In this story, King Ben-hadad of Aram (modern day Syria) will play the role of Satan (our enemy). The enemy came to besiege Samaria, the capital of Israel.  In verse 3, he sends a message to King Abab of Israel and this is what he says:  "Your silver and gold are mine, and so are your wives and the best of your children!"  Shockingly, in verse 4, King Ahab agrees with him and says, "All right, my lord the king.  All I have is yours!"  WHAT THE HECK?!  Just like that, he was willing to give up his wife, family and all that he had worked for?!  Hello Ahab, whatever happened to the "hide your wife, hide your kids" mentality.  Who is the spiritual leader of your family?!  Jerkface!!! But that's not the end of it.  After the King of Israel agreed to the demands of his enemy, the enemy has the nerve to come back for more.  He sends his 'messengers' and says in vv. 5-6, "I have already demanded that you give me your silver, gold, wives, and children.  But about this time tomorrow I will send my officials to search your palace and the homes of your people.  They will take away everything you consider valuable!"  This is, after-all, Satan's way.  Come for a little, take a lot.  In fact, just take it all.  Steal, kill, destroy.

I am somewhat shocked by how easily and willingly King Ahab gave into the demands for his wife and kids.  But if we were to make a modern day application, this showdown is the same exact epidemic of our day only we've renamed it DIVORCE.  It sounds much better than "all I have is yours, Satan."  But it is the identical battle. Satan has always been after everything that God deemed sacred...marriage, family and worship of the One True God.  And we've all heard the stats that divorce in the church is about the same as those outside the church.  Again, vat the heck?!

I am curious to know what King Ahab was thinking as he "reasoned" whether or not to give into the first demands.  I mean, what did he think he was getting to keep that justified giving up his family.  It probably went something like this. "Well I can still see the kids on weekends and they for sure will be better off and they will still turn out fine and I mean she obviously wasn't my soulmate but surely my real soulmate is out there and by golly I just need to find her and in the mean time I can sure "have fun" LOOKING.  I'm not really happy and I deserve to be happy so if this Ben-hadad dude wants to take my family away, I can always get another one. And I'll still get to exercise my power as king of Israel.  I'll still be king.  So no biggy.  Deal on.

But Satan's demands don't stop.  He doesn't suddenly get a heart and muster up compassion for us.  Not happening.  Ever.  He comes for everything we consider valuable.  Little by little.  But we do have the power to STOP giving into his demands.  I know I am picking on marriage/divorce but any idol can be plugged into the story-line and the outcome would be the same.  What am I willing to give up____________________ in order to hang onto my ____________________.  All idols cost us something.  Don't be naive.  Tribute will be paid.  Most likely, King Ahab's idol was POWER and as long as he could cling to that, he was willing to throw everything else away. " I'll still be king" and with that notion he was convinced that all would be o.k. 

But God is all about defeating our enemy and the vast army that comes against us in order that we would know that He is the LORD." ( v. 13, v. 28)  He wants to demonstrate His power in our lives and  give us victory over idols (anything we exalt in the place of God) instead of us giving in to any more of their demands.   

Lord, help us to recognize our idols and open our eyes to see how we let the enemy of our souls negotiate with us to work out a deal so that we can keep that which is highest in our hearts.  Help us to operate in your strength and fight for that which is truly valuable.  Raise up mighty men to be the spiritual leaders of their homes and fight for their marriages and family. Idols demand tribute.  Let us no longer be duped!!!  Give us hearts to care about everything You consider valuable.

Bottom line:  Spare the sin, destroy the life.  Destroy the sin, spare the life.  God gives us His prescription for the abundant life. We get to choose whether or not to take it.  But it's definitely best not to spare (under any conditions) what God says MUST BE DESTROYED.  Unless of course you don't mind losing EVERYTHING YOU CONSIDER VALUABLE.  Just ask King Ahab. Or better yet, read this passage to see how the enemy works in his oh so subtle ways.  King Ahab of Israel was actually just the king of pride as demonstrated by his actions.  And so am I when I refuse to respond and obey God's directives for me.  I don't need to destroy the "Ben-hadads" of my life.  I'll be king (or queen) and exercise my power and control over them.  RRRRighhhhtttt.  

Band of Brothers Roadtrip 2012

After praying about where to spend the week after Memorial Day, we decided to visit Mike's family whom we rarely see.  We originally thought we would go to the beach as per usual.  Then thought it might be nice to visit Sophie in Chicago but she already had plans.  So we called the fam and everyone was available and excited and told us to, "Come on!"  It was truly a blessing to pop in on their respective cities and share a couple of meals together and reminisce about the past.  

 Mike and Sam (14 years older) in DeQueen, Arkansas

Kim, Sam's wife.  She is a horse whisperer.

Mike and Stan in Plano, TX

Pam and Stan

 

In Austin, TX, Sherri (Pat's daughter), me and Pat who was married to Jim, Mike's oldest brother who passed away in 2008

In Houston, TX, Judy was married to Mike's brother John (10 years older) for 9 years before they divorced. He passed away at the age of 36.   John was an attorney and just happened to casually mention to Mike while in high school that if he had it to do over, he would've gone to medical school.  For that reason, Mike decided that he would go to med school.  Only Mike!  Also, he hadn't seen Judy since John's funeral in 1984.  It was such a fun reunion.  Love her!!!

Judy and John's wedding.  Mike was 10.  Stan, Gail, John, Judy, Mike's dad, Jim, Jim Jr, and little Mikey.  not exactly where Sam was?!!

James One: The Results Are In: JOY!!!

  James 1:2-3  "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Happy Nu Jeerth!  We all love to embrace the new because it is so freeing to let go of the old!  For the past six months I have been in "learn to persevere" mode so I, for one, was super ready to cross over into 2012 in hopes this particular training period would cease.  God has been working on teaching me how to respond to a lot of different situations (trials of many kinds if you will)  through perseverance training.  It wasn't until October when I finally asked "what are we working on, LORD?", when He responded with this word in my heart:  "perseverance." Then it all made sense. Perseverance training is sort of like a boot camp.  It can be super intense for a season.  But God is relentless and insistent that we stick with Him through it.  Remaining under (Greek word-hupomene) His authority and cooperating with ample grace is our part.  Actually, it's quite simple if you really consider what He is after.  He is after our submission!!!  And He sets us up to succeed. But we must choose to walk His way. Like a wild pony that needs to be broken, trials of many kinds are His way of "breaking" us while teaching us His way of holiness and making us strong in Christ along the way.  Learning to persevere is a big deal to Him as is learning to follow! Glory is at stake and our joy hangs in the balance.  

These are just a few of the trials He used on me. In June, right after we had just celebrated two college graduations within 20 hours of each other with one in Nashville and the other in Chicago....then throw in a canceled flight to Chicago due to weather and add an 8 hour drive instead to the second graduation, I was convinced that my summer would be calm and easy as I was completely ready to sip lemonade in a rocking chair on a porch.  Not. Two weeks later,  my 32 year old nephew who I love, moved in and the LORD allowed him to detox over an 8 day period of a hard core drug addiction in my very home. Honestly, I did not see that one coming!  Probably best!  We didn't know he had not already been delivered from his drug addiction when he moved in.  But the LORD was HUGE and we made Psalm 23 our deliverance verses.....He makes me lie down in green carpet (vs. pastures)...the carpet in the bedroom in which he "layed"  was hunter green so we just changed the wording up a bit to make it our own. God also lead him beside the "still waters" (it rained almost the entire week and his bed was right beside the window). We were making spiritual apps all over the place! God was leading him OUT of his past addiction even though he was flat on his back most of the time.  MAKE NO MISTAKE. Even though he was still, HE WAS BEING LED. This was by far one of the most God-glorifying times I have ever experienced.  I learned of a power of God through this that I had never known.  Boomer, his yellow lab/golden retriever had also moved in with us and several vicious dog fights broke out between him and and our boxer, Boaz.  This alone about drove me nuts! But God was enough for all of us and victory did come to all. PTL! 


Various smaller trials ensued as they tend to do on earth.  But then my dad experienced a sudden illness (sepsis, gallbladder pancreatitis) and nearly died. And after 7 days in the ICU plus 3 regular room days,  his long recovery began with a four week pit-stop in the nursing home.  The trial for me at this point was being "there" for my mom.  The week he got sick, I remember I had nothing written on my calendar. It didn't take long to figure out why God had cleared my schedule that entire week!  She needed support!  Mental, physical, emotional you name it.  But she was a trooper and prayed voraciously for dad.  She was not ready to let him go.  Her real trial began when he came home and she became the numero uno caregiver.  Talk about hard labor.   But she was willing and able although it took a huge toll on her and she was in the thick of her own "trials of many kinds."  But I learned that so much of how we "learn Christ" is also by being subjected to other people's trials.  How we respond to situations and family issues and whatnot is as much our training as our own personal trials.  Frustrated people frustrate people.  Of this we can be sure.  But God was teaching me how not to respond and it is most certainly by taking the "high road." 

Reason to Party!

 Long story, long, Christmas came and we celebrated Jesus' birthday with "His" cake and with way too many presents for ourselves.  Molly and Jason helped me "undeck the halls" the first week of the new year.  All the ornaments had been removed from the tree and I decided to view it one last time before I turned the Christmas lights out.  But, alas, I noticed one last ornament that hadn't been removed. I looked closer and there it was all spelled out in gold----JOY!  I couldn't believe it.  I knew God had made sure Molly left it there just for me.  I asked her if she knew she had left one last ornament on the tree.  She nonchalantly said she thought she had them all.  I said to her, "You won't believe what was left!  It was JOY!!!"  I was sooo excited because I knew God was giving me my end of semester grade.  It wasn't an A.  It was better.  I had gotten a "JOY." In school I was an average student and I didn't necessarily prioritize grades but this was a important to me. Joy does come when we stick it out with Christ.  That's why James tells us to consider "it" before hand.  It's because he knows it's coming!!   We might do well to remember that.  

Penn State Peril

     I was on the Music Boat Cruise Wednesday night when all the details surrounding the Second Mile/Jerry Sandusky/association with Penn State and the longstanding sexual abuse scandal unfolded.  I remember hearing earlier that afternoon on a scuba diving excursion that Joe Paterno had "retired" and didn't really think much about it assuming their season had ended or something normal had prompted his decision.  But as I later watched the news conference and realized ALL that was going on, I was sickened and shocked by the disaster and felt so disgusted by the thought that a "program" was protected at all costs while the abused children were not.  This, to me, says a lot about our spiritual health in America as a society.   And we are VERY sick.

     For me, it was a pivotal moment as I assessed the sanctity of a young life and realized that the value was deemed inferior to a superior "white washed" football program and as a society,  just how "sin sick" we actually are.   As I processed the info, I quickly made a spiritual app regarding hidden sin and the time bomb it becomes when not dealt with.  Sin that is not dealt with promptly and properly (confession and genuine repentance all the while getting to KNOW God through His word) will ultimately be exposed in a hot mess such as this.  The opportunity to deal with the situation presented itself 10 years ago.  But unfortunately, it was swept under the astroturf.  But sin management doesn't work for long!   Hello, Christian America?!! God was always right!!  Why are we so prone to unbelief?!  Can't we learn anything in the classroom?!  I wonder how many times the Holy Spirit convicted those involved, however "indirectly," and the Holy Spirit was ignored.  That is so dangerous because the Scriptures speak of this and the results are horrendous!  Perpetually hardened hearts are eventually given over to depravity.  I know that all of the "innocent" bystanders would have been miserable if they in fact chose to ignore the Spirit.  Surely the "thought's" came; thoughts of calling the police and righting the wrong on so many levels. But then you block them and try to ignore them by distracting yourself or justifying yourself  or whatever it takes to move on.  We've all done this to some extent or another.....entertain doing the right thing but choosing not to.  Failure to deal with your sin will always cost you and those closest to you more the longer you postpone it.
  

     As Penn State now knows all too clearly, what may have been a slight bruise to the program 10 years ago,  is now a mortal injury. Actually I think exposing Jerry Sandusky and the sham at THAT time would have deemed Joe Paterno and all of Penn State University as a heros.   But THEY chose to believe a lie from the pit that it's better to keep such things in the dark....out of sight out of mind.  Doubtful!  I bet it crossed everyone's minds that knew about it more than they will admit.

      As a Christian, I know that sin exposed to The Light is how the healing begins.  Light heals.  God gives us the opportunity to TURN from our sin but when we choose to continue down the path of rebellion and deceive ourselves into believing that it will all work out just the same with no dire consequences, we are genuinely deceived.

     Good News:  Before the Penn State vs. Nebraska game today, both teams came together mid-field and got on their knees in unity as Nebraska assistant coach, Rob Brown, lead a time of prayer.  I was praising God for that prayer time for the abused children.  I know that bringing it out into the light in humility and unity was a huge godly step.  I am not going to use this opportunity to bash or criticize how Penn State handled this horrible ordeal.  But what I can do is examine my heart and ask the LORD to shine His light on it and reveal to me anything offensive, hurtful or damaging to His character that might be dwelling in me.  I am learning that it's easier to deal with sin upfront than to sweep it under the rug and pretend it isn't there.

 Oh, LORD, pour out Your Spirit on us and may we return to you and the fear of the LORD.

Luke 8:17 “For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.

John 8:12  "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Love Is The Greatest Commandment

Most of us know the Greatest Commandment and if you don't, no worries.  Here it is. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Mark 12:30 NIV   In April 2009, I made a road-trip to Nashville where my daughter  was a junior in college at Belmont University. The  following day, I dropped her off at school as I had planned to head over to the Opry Mills Mall and shop for a couple of hours while she was in class. I told her that I would be back to get her.  Only as I began to leave, I felt compelled to stay and pray on the campus.  The only way I can explain it is that I had trouble walking away to my car because I didn't have peace about leaving.  I wrestled it out for a moment as I really had my heart set on quality shopping time. But the LORD had a different agenda for me.  He wanted me to stay on campus and pray and walk and pray some more. Lord knows the prayers that are needed on our college campuses today so I obeyed the Spirit and did just that.  I basically began to pray whatever came to my mind in regards to possible things that the students could've been dealing with such as various strongholds, temptations, secular verses Christian worldview issues plus other various petitions.  I kept waiting for the Spirit to release me to go to the outlet mall.  After all, Pastor Ken spoke once in a sermon about the importance of having outlets!!  Surely this is what he meant!! Haha.  At least that's how I interpreted that particular sermon!  But He did not release me.  So I stayed and prayed what was on my heart for the students of that campus.  After a little while, I walked to another section of the campus and began to ask God if there was "anything in particular He wanted me to pray?"  He immediately spoke to me and said, "Love," to which  I retorted, "Oh, pray that they would love each other."  And He said, "No.  Pray that they would love ME."  I immediately had an "aha" moment because it became clear to me that if they loved HIM, they would love each other as well.  Loving God would have a domino effect that would topple over to others.  Our capacity to love others as well as ourselves would depend on our supernatural agape love for Him.  So I quickly began to cry out, "Oh LORD, I pray for them to love YOU!"  Over and over I prayed this.  And it was so simple!  God boiled it down for me when I asked Him.  Imagine that!  Ye have not because ye ask not!  What if we asked God for His prayer requests?  Maybe some of you do.  But this was a new revelation to me.  Up until this point, I assumed I knew what ought to be lifted up in prayer.  Hmmm.  God taught me something that day.  And I realized that had I ignored His prompting to stay and pray and shopped instead, I may have come away with a cute dress or darling top but nothing of real eternal value.  I believe by faith that the students and professors must have benefited from my obedience that day.  Although we often don't know or have the ability to measure the outcome of our petitions and prayers, God does.  And sometimes He does give us a glimpse of how HE IS answering.  When I returned in the fall for another visit, two particular girls told me on two separate occasions how God was working in their life and how they had been growing in their faith.  They knew nothing of my prayer time back in the spring. They went out of their way to enthusiastically share this with me.  Both had been prodigals for quite some time before that.  Later, after pondering what they had shared, it occurred to me that God was letting me in on something!  He wanted me to know that my prayers had made a difference!!   Bottom line.  There is a time for everything under the sun;  a time to shop and a time to pray.  Also, we would do well to ask Him on occasion if HE has any prayer requests and PRAY TO LOVE GOD over the next few weeks. Let's ask the Father of Love to give us what we lack and teach us how to honor His Greatest Commandment.  This IS His Will.

Why Jesus IS The Party!!!

                                             Jonathan (L)  and Jordy (R)

In the fall of 2005, my step-son, Jonathan, moved into his dorm room at Marshall University.  After carrying multiple loads of "freshman stuff" up and helping him to get settled in, it was time to say goodbye.  I wanted to say something profound that would stick in his brain for-ev-ah!  I grabbed his Bible and wrote, "Have a great time, but remember, Jesus IS the party!!!  I had never used that phrase or even thought of it until that moment.  But in remembering what I knew as a college freshman myself back in the Fall of 1980 at the University of Kentucky versus what I know now,  that was the best way I could think of to articulate what I wanted him to know from me.  I gave him a phrase that just boiled it all down.  Granted it took me many years to come to this conclusion, I had higher hopes that he would not flounder in the desert for as many years as I had before I came around.  The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years.  I suppose that is the average time it takes for Christians to come to their senses!!  Fast forward six years, Jonathan, like I had, has done some serious false partying.  But I can honestly say today that he is way ahead of where I was at his age and is earnestly seeking the LORD.  PTL!!