Tag: God

Life is…

How would you finish this sentence?

Here are some of the endings I thought of:

  • good
  • short
  • strange
  • beautiful
  • a highway
  • hard
  • a journey
  • an adventure
  • complicated
  • difficult
  • expensive
  • fun
  • wonderful
  • precious
  • messy
  • colorful
  • cruel
  • unfair
  • yours
  • a dream
  • eternal

Today I have been bombarded with the fragility of life. First thing this morning I saw no fewer than six different posts on Facebook about loss of loved ones. Six.

Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, spouses, cousins, and friends whose earthly life is over. My heart is breaking for those who are facing these losses right now. I’ve been there and I know that it is hard in ways you can’t even comprehend until you are in the mist of the grief.

Of all of these losses, there is one that hit me like a punch in the gut this morning. We were just talking about him last night. The last update we saw just over a week ago was positive. We thought things were going well. And then suddenly they weren’t. And then this morning, we learned that he was gone, his fight over.

This one is tough for so many reasons. We shouldn’t be saying goodbye to friends our age. Of the four guys who stood up with Mike at our wedding, this is the second one we have lost to brain cancer. B was one of the most fun-loving people I have ever met in my life. My heart breaks for his wife and family who now have to find a new normal.

One of the questions that gets asked at times like these is, “why?” Why did this have to happen? Why do young people have to die? Why this person? Why now? Why? Why? Why?

And the thing is, the answer to this question is almost always, “I don’t know.” Which isn’t really an answer at all. In this life there will always be good and bad, joy and sorrow, gain and loss; it is simply the result of living in a world where sin entered through the choices of humankind, and with it brought darkness, pain, and trouble.

Perhaps the most troublesome issue in all of life is this, what we call the problem of evil, or more accurately the question of why a good God allows bad things to happen. (The theological term for this is theodicy, in case you wanted to know. If you didn’t want to know, you can be like my son and say, “thanks, but I don’t remember asking.” I won’t hear you, but you can say it.)

Theologians have attempted to reconcile the good God, bad things dilemma for centuries and there are all kinds of ways to address the issues and questions raised, (don’t worry, I’m not gonna pull out the theology books and get into the nitty gritty here) and yet, humanity still struggles with this conundrum. Why? Because pain hurts. Sorrow hurts. Loss hurts. And no one likes to hurt. And because no one likes to hurt, we look for ways to place blame, and for some, the easiest place to lay blame is on God.

One of the scriptures that we often use to talk about how Christians can go on living in the midst of troubles is John 16:33. here are just a few of the ways that this scripture is translated/paraphrased:

In other words, in the midst of anything and everything that the world can throw at you, you can still have peace and be confident that all will turn out for the best because the work of Jesus Christ has already taken care of it all. Here is where it get’s tricky to understand, though: while Christ has already overcome the world, we don’t see it. It’s already done, and yet it’s not fully evident to our eyes yet. And to live in the space between requires us to have faith.

When I was still a pretty small child, I spent a lot of time reading and memorizing passages in the bible. King James Version of course. This passage that speaks of the nature of faith was one of them:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

What I love most about this particular verse in this particular translation is the fact that faith is considered EVIDENCE. Our faith comes as a result of believing certain things are true about our God and our Savior, and that faith is EVIDENT in the way that we live our lives in light of those things that are unseen with human eyes.

Let me give you an example of this kind of faith (that also happens to brag on my mom a little.)

My dad passed away suddenly almost three years ago now. It was a HUGE blow to all of us, but was hardest for my mom, who lost her husband of nearly 45 years, less than a week before celebrating their 45th Wedding Anniversary. My parents did nearly everything together, and while they had been living in Greenville for a few years at that point, they didn’t have the roots here like they would have in Taylorville where they lived a big chunk of their married life.

Mom’s faith is what got her through those early days, and what still gets her through today. She misses my dad greatly, but she believes not only that Dad is with the Lord, but that God loves and cares for her every day. She has made new friends, created new routines, reached out to others, and at times I think she has a more active social life than I do. She also believes that God can (and does) use their story as a way to show others the saving power and grace of Jesus Christ. Her faith in God and the power of God’s story in their lives led her to write a book, and work hard to get the book published in order to share it with as many people as possible.

This is what faith looks like for her. This book (and so much more in her life) is just one piece of EVIDENCE that points to her deep faith and hope found in Jesus Christ.

While life can be all of those things listed at the top of this post, and much more, today I choose to finish this sentence this way:

Life is an opportunity in which to live lives of faith that is EVIDENT in all that we say and do.

How would you finish this sentence today? Leave a comment or send me a message and let’s talk!

Don’t. Just Don’t.

I see it everyday. Memes. Comments. Posts. Someone always has something to say about someone else, and it’s not often good. Most of the time it is some kind of commentary on a particular group or type of people, noting how they don’t line up to some standard that the person posting has arbitrarily set.

And this really makes me angry. Particularly when the people that are posting claim to be followers of Christ – Christians.

Two different people that I have talked with this week have said something along the lines of, “I just can’t do church because of the damage done to me by the people who are supposed to be Christ followers.”

This is a problem. Fellow Christians, listen to me – WE ARE THE PROBLEM!

Last I checked, we haven’t been given all of the answers, we haven’t been gifted with the fullness of God’s plans for the world and the humanity therein, but we have specifically been told that we are not to act as judges of our fellow humans.

As I was listening to Pray As You Go this morning, the passage was Romans 2:1-11, which says:

Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. 2 You say, “We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth.” 3 Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 For he will repay according to each one’s deeds: 7 to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.

If God shows no partiality, why do we? After all, Paul tells us here that WE HAVE NO EXCUSE that allows us to judge others.

So, instead of focusing on what everyone else is doing wrong or how everyone else is living their life, how about we focus on where we are in need of God’s grace, and living in such a way that brings glory to God. This kind of life will have more far-reaching and positive impact than one in which we dub ourselves the judge of humankind.

Who is with me?

Let Us Go With You

I have been using the app Pray As You Go for awhile now. It is a wonderful tool for directing my prayers based on daily Bible readings, and paired with various musical selections and probing questions.

Tuesday morning’s reading was from Zechariah:

20 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, the inhabitants of many cities; 21 the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, “Come, let us go to entreat the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.” 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of the Lord. 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from nations of every language shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his garment and saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

Zechariah 8:20-23 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

As I listened to this scripture read a couple of times, the part that hit me was verse 23: Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from nations of every language shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his garment and saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

What would that be like? To have people who grabbed ahold of us and begged to go with us because they knew God was with us?

The thing is, in order for someone to want to go with us for these reasons, we must be exhibiting qualities and professing faith that is evident not only to those who share our faith, but also to those who are observing us from a distance.

The question that I am pondering today is: am I living a life that draws people to God? This is what I want more than anything! I want to be living in such a way that brings glory, not to self, but to God alone, and draws others into a relationship with the God of my salvation.

So, what is it that draws people to God through us? I have some ideas, but I am curious about what you think. Leave a comment below and next week we will continue the discussion!

Sing Along

Yesterday, as I drove to church in Edwardsville, where I am serving as an intern this fall, this song came up on my “Worship Girls Playlist.” This is one of my playlists that I often put on shuffle to see what God might have to say to me through music that I love.

I was singing along. Loudly. Joyfully. Passionately.

And on the way home, I had to listen to it again.

It reminds me of this verse that I love for the picture of God that it offers:

The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

With the turmoil, division, disasters, marginalization, and so many other hurts and dashed hopes that we are seeing in our world today, it is easy to think that God is far away and doesn’t care, or just won’t act. But that is so not true! God created this world and all that is in it, and called it GOOD! Yes, people have marred that good creation, but never has God stopped loving and caring for us. He loves us. He rejoices over us with singing. And we have the opportunity, and dare I say responsibility, to sing along and participate in God’s work in the world.

There is no song greater, no purpose higher, than God’s. I think I will sing along. Will you join me?

Sing Along
Songwriters: Christa Joy Black / Christy Nockels / Jason Ingram / Jesse Reeves / Nathan Nockels
Sing Along lyrics © Essential Music Publishing, Bethel Music Publishing, Capitol Christian Music Group

From babies hidden in the shadows
To the cities shining bright
There are captives weeping
Far from sight
For every doorway has a story
And some are holding back the cries
But there is one who hears us in the night

Great God
Wrap your arms around this world tonight
Around the world tonight
And when you hear our cries
Sing through the night
So we can join in your song
And sing along yeah, 
We’ll sing along

From the farthest corners of the earth
Still his mercy reaches
Even to the pain we cannot see
And even through the darkness
There’s a promise that will keep us
There is one who came to set us free

Great God
Wrap Your arms around this world tonight
Around the world tonight
And when you hear our cries
Sing through the night
So we can join in your song
And sing along, yeah 
We’ll sing along

So let your song rise
And fill up the earth
Let your hope ring out
Let your heart be heard
So let your song rise
And fill up the earth
Let your hope ring out
Let your heart be heard

Oh, great God
Wrap Your arms around this world tonight
Around the world tonight
And when you hear our cries
Sing through the night
And we will join in your song
And sing along, yeah 
We’ll sing along
We’ll sing along
We’ll sing along
We’ll sing along
We’ll sing along
We’ll sing along
We’ll sing along

Great God
Wrap your arms around this world tonight
Around the world tonight
And when you hear our cries
Sing through the night
And we will join in your song
And sing along
We’ll sing along

Great God
Wrap your arms around this world tonight
Around the world tonight
And when you hear our cries
Sing through the night
And we will join in your song
And sing along
We’ll sing along
Yeah
We’ll sing along
We’ll sing along
We’ll sing along
We’ll sing along

Still the Same

The first week of August I was in Baltimore, Maryland for the Big Tent conference of the Presbyterian Church (USA). This was my third time at this event, previously in Knoxville and St. Louis. Every time I attend I am challenged, encouraged and grateful to be a part of the PC (USA). As I sat in worship on Thursday evening, the Community Concert Choir of Baltimore blessed us with this song.

As I sat and listened one particular line jumped out at me: The world is ever changing, but you are still the same. It almost felt like it smacked me in the face with truth. I immediately grabbed a pen and paper and wrote it down. I mean, I know that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, I have known that forever. And I know that the world is in a constant state of change, anyone can see that every day of their lives. But in that moment, those words washed over me and filled me with peace.

I am at this place in life where everything feels up in the air and I don’t really know what God is planning to do next. I have multiple questions and no real answers yet; other than trust that God will indeed order my steps. In the midst of a world that is constantly changing, in the midst of questions and wondering about what the future holds, I can trust that the God I serve is the same God that created the world, that created me, that called me to ministry, and will continue to lead me on the path for which I was created

Order my steps in Your word dear Lord,
Lead me, guide me everyday,
Send Your anointing, Father I pray;
Order my steps in Your word,
Please, order my steps in Your word.

Humbly, I ask Thee teach me Your will,
While You are working, help me be still,
‘Cos Satan is busy, God is real;
Order my steps in Your word,
Please, order my steps in Your word.

Bridle my tongue let my words edify,
Let the words of my mouth be acceptable in Thy sight,
Take charge of my thoughts both day and night;
Order my steps in Your word,
Please order my steps in Your word.

I want to walk worthy,
My calling to fulfill,
Please order my steps Lord,
And I’ll do Your blessed will.

The world is ever changing,
But You are still the same;
Please order my steps, Lord I’ll praise Your name.
Order my steps in Your word.
Order my tongue in Your word.
Guide my feet in Your word.
Wash my heart in Your word.
Show me how to walk in Your word.
Show me how to talk in Your word.
When I need a brand new song to sing,
Show me how to let Your praises ring,

Tragedy and Hope

The first of this year has been a rough one already. I have friends that have experienced unforeseeable tragedy, and I hurt for them. Just today, I heard of another tragic happening affecting a family I love, and I have been reminding myself all day that we don’t have the answers or understand why, and in this fallen world, filled with evil, God is still present.

This is my sermon from this past Sunday, and I just feel like I should share it today.

Take a listen and let God’s word bring you hope today.

21 Days of Prayer Recap

MOB-LinkupPrayerBadge

Some of you may remember that the in month of October, I committed specifically to pray for Ty for 21 days using the Praying for Boys: Asking God for the Things They Need Most and the MOB (Mothers of Boys) Society Blog.

Well, I did it. Some days were better than others, but I did it.

The book was a great resource, and in addition to reading the chapters and praying through the provided prayers, I typed up the prayers and taped each day’s onto Ty’s door, so as I walk by, I can read a prayer or two.

But as with anything that you are committing to do, whether that be prayer, exercise, eating right, keeping your house clean, etc., it is in these moments that you will find yourself most challenged.

October was a rough month with my son. Fifth grade is kicking my behind. A new lack of responsibility has popped up, along with a sometimes super-emotional boy that I have never seen before. Disrespect and disobedience has reached a previously unattained level. Focus is a rare occurrence, and the desire for self-indulgence rather than self-sacrifice is rearing its ugly head.

There have been days when I just wanted to bang my head against a brick wall because that is what it feels like I am doing all of the time.

But, what I am realizing through all of this is the fact that when I take up the work of praying for my children in a more concentrated way, there is going to be a battle in the spiritual realm for their hearts. And I plan to win that battle with the Lord’s help. I will not give up. I will not allow these things that are trying to grab hold of my son to get a grip on him. I will continue to pray. I will continue to work with him. I will continue to fight for his heart and soul to be fully overtaken with the Spirit of God and not the spirit of the evil one.

It may not be easy, but it is necessary.

On Down the Road

I know I finished my 31-Days of Parenting posts on Friday, but the evening before that last post went live, our community was touched with tragedy.

As I dropped my kids off at school that morning, with a heavy heart, this song came on my iPod. It is from the upcoming album by Garth Brooks.

Send ‘Em On Down The Road”


He didn’t ask
He didn’t pry
He just held the ice that covered my black eye
And when that girl
She broke my heart
We just threw that baseball back and forth ‘till dark
And when I started playing guitar
And didn’t have a clue
He wanted to protect me
But somehow my father knew, that

You can cry for ‘em
Live and die for ‘em
You can help them find their wings but you can’t fly for ‘em
‘Cause if they’re not free to fall, than they’re not free at all
And though you just can’t bear the thought of letting go
You pick ‘em up
You dust ‘em off
And send ‘em on down the road

A little kiss
On a skinned up knee
From playing soccer, riding bikes and climbing trees
When bad dreams
Filled their heads
I chased the monsters out from underneath their beds
I guess I always knew those days would end
But the hardest thing I’ve ever learned has been, that

You can cry for ‘em
Live and die for ‘em
You can help them find their wings but you can’t fly for ‘em
‘Cause if they’re not free to fall, than they’re not free at all
And though you just can’t bear the thought of letting go
You pick ‘em up
You dust ‘em off
And you send ‘em on down the road

You can cry for ‘em
Live and die for ‘em
And even though it’s gonna break your heart, you let ‘em go
You pick ‘em up
You dust ‘em off
You pull them close
And you pray to God
To send ‘em on down the road
Down the road
Down the road

Our kids will hurt. They will lose family members, friends, and acquaintances. We may even lose our children. Letting go is hard, because what we want to do is hold them tight and never let go. But we have to let go, and let God take care of them.
Our prayers go out to those in our community impacted by the tragedy of Thursday evening.

Giving Grace

Confession time. Again.

I wrote yesterday’s blog post and was feeling pretty okay about how we have chosen to handle discipline with our children.

And then in the night, just 6 hours before the blog post was scheduled to go live, I once again found myself face to face with one of my children about an issue that I thought we had taken care of previously.

In case you were wondering, that was at approximately 2:03 a.m.

I then laid there for the next who knows how long wondering what exactly I am doing wrong in parenting this child and why what we are doing isn’t working.

It was in those moments that one word came to me: grace.

Yes, I have to give grace to my children, the same way that God gives grace to me, but more importantly I have to give grace to myself.

Parents, we have to give ourselves grace.

A friend of mine defines grace this way:

Grace is when we get what we don’t deserve.

Another definition is:

the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

In other words, giving ourselves grace is letting things go and not punishing ourselves like we think we deserve.

We are not going to be perfect parents. We aren’t even going to come close.

We are going to mess up. We are going to snap. We are going to have moments that we think will likely send our children straight into counseling for their entire adult lives.

The minute we think we have the parenting thing down-pat, there will be an event that makes us question our ability to keep ourselves sane and alive, much less raise children.

In these moments, we have to remember that we aren’t called to do this parenting thing all on our own. We have a God who is right there, ready and willing to help us as soon as we ask. A God of grace.

Rest in that.

Keep doing your best, with God’s help, and allow yourself grace when you think your parenting skills are lacking.

 

 

Beautiful

Beautiful

Let’s start with the obvious.

It is hard to be a woman in today’s society when it comes to our looks.

Body image. Models. Photoshop. Exercise plans. Get thin quick hoaxes. Diets. Songs that project a standard no woman can reach. Fat. Skinny. Chunky. Bulky. Ugly. Beautiful. Quirky. Pretty. Cute. It is too much. And I propose we switch out all of these words and standards for a different word. Yes, just one word.

Created.

All of us were created in the image of God. That means that no matter what we look like, what our body-type is, how our hair looks, how tall, short, fat, or thin we are, we are beautiful because that is the way that God created us. Psalm 139 says he knit us together in our mother’s womb.” I knit. It isn’t a quick thing. It takes time. It is a process. He took the time to work on us and make us to be exactly the way He wanted us to be.

And all of our daughters (and sons) need to hear this. I focus more on daughters, because most often we are seeing women portrayed in a certain way in our society. You have to be this or that if you want to be popular. You can’t be this or that if you want to be accepted. Photoshop has scarred the way women see themselves.

News flash – no one looks like the women on the magazines, even the women on the magazines, without lots of work, much of which happens on a computer screen.

Navigating this with our daughters is tricky. We want them to feel good about who they are. We want them to make healthy choices with their lives. But we can’t allow them to hear that they don’t look good enough, or that so-and-so is prettier, or does their hair better, or dresses better, etc.

We have to be the ones who remind them that they are beautiful, because that is exactly how God created them.

Period.

End of story.

No hairstyle, clothing item, diet plan, photo angle, or anything else can make us more beautiful than the beauty of being created in the image of God.

Let’s start making sure that our girls are being taught, shown, and told this daily. Let’s figure this out for ourselves so that we are able to believe what we are telling our daughters. Let’s embrace who we are created to be and help our girls embrace who they are created to be.

You are beautiful.

Because God created you.