All righty--who's ready for Christmas?! Because ready or not, here it comes. And I say, praise God!
Sure, we're all sad to bid Thanksgiving goodbye. What a gloriously happy, uncomplicated, and important holiday. We get to spend time purposefully being thankful--thankful to the Lord for His relentless goodness in our lives and in our world. I truly believe that no habit is more transformational than gratitude. Choosing gratitude and expressing it in thankfulness.
But while we need to continually hold on to that crucial habit of gratitude, it's also time to move our thankfulness into a new arena, a new time: Advent. Advent is a time of waiting--waiting and preparing for the coming of Christ.
The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus, which means "coming." So in Advent we proclaim the coming of Jesus in two ways--first in celebrating Christ's coming as the long, long-awaited Messiah, and second in anticipating Christ's return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Even as we wait, we prepare. And even as we wait and prepare, we celebrate. After all the long years of waiting in the Old Testament, God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to save His people. No wonder we can celebrate that the Messiah has come! But we also still wait for His second coming when all things will be made right, and Jesus will reign as our perfect, glorious King of Kings.
God had first promised the coming Messiah way, way back in Genesis 3:15 when God Himself prophesied that One would come who would "crush [the] head" of satan and defeat evil. But it would be thousands of years, while the Jews waited and waited, before the angel would come to Mary to tell her of the child she would bear--this long promised Messiah was finally coming!
We cannot imagine how long, how arduous, how difficult all those years of waiting and wondering must have been for God's people. Indeed, the four hundred years right before Jesus' coming, no prophets whatsoever were sent by God, and thus those dark years are often referred to as the "silent years." Had the Lord forgotten His people? Had He finally determined to reject them forever? It seemed the promised Messiah would not be coming....
...and then Jesus came. In the fullness of time, at just the right moment in God's calendar, Jesus came. God's timing may not be our timing...indeed, it almost never is, is it? But His timing, His plans, His ways are always, always, always "good, pleasing, and perfect." (Rom.12:2)
Tim Keller writes, "God may take His time, but He keeps His Word...You cannot judge God by your calendar. God may appear to be slow, but He never forgets His promises. He may seem to be working very slowly or even to be forgetting His promises, but when His promises come true (and they will come true), they always burst the banks of what you imagined." Amen!
So if you're waiting on something right now, well, you're in mighty good company. Welcome to the human race, for each of us are always waiting on something. In your hard or lonely or frightening waiting, remember adventus--"coming." At just the right time, at the darkest and most desperate moment, God came as an infant Savior...and He's coming again as a glorious Sovereign.
We can wait just a little bit longer...but in our waiting, we remember. In our waiting, we trust. In our waiting, we prepare. And in our waiting, we even celebrate...for the King has come and is coming again.
Thank You, Lord, for Advent. Thank You for coming. Thank You for the glorious, unshakable, and certain promise that You are coming again. And thank You that as we wait, You are with us.
To God be the glory.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Monday, November 21, 2016
Always, always, always
"May my lips overflow with praise, for You teach me Your decrees...Let me live that I may praise You, and may Your laws sustain me." (Ps.119:171,175)
Oh to have lips that "overflow with praise" for God...and to live to praise Him! That means that an occasional "thank You, Lord," nor even a daily listing of blessings for which we're grateful should be enough. Rather, our conversation should be overflowing with praise and thanksgiving to our gracious, generous Father.
With what does your tongue overflow? Words of thanksgiving...or words of complaining. Words of gratitude...or words of gossip. Words of rejoicing...or words of nitpicking. Words that benefit...or words that belittle. Words that relentlessly search for God's gifts and then thank Him...or words that simply follow along with the flow of our often sarcastic, caustic, ever-discontent culture.
If it's the latter rather than the former, then we're following the perfect recipe for irritability, fear, dissatisfaction, and ultimately despair. But if we choose--because it's always a choice--to have lips that overflow with praise, we will find anxiety, discontentment, and discouragement dissipate. Instead, they'll be replaced with deep down, soul-sustaining peace and joy.
My sweet friend, Maria, dropped off this wonderful gift at my house the other day--
I have it hanging in our kitchen as a reminder that this is how to have lips that overflow with praise! This will help us to live to praise God. Because it's so true--no matter how dark or uncertain the circumstances, there truly are always, always, always myriad reasons to thank and praise our Father. And if we choose (there's that word again) to look for reasons for thanksgiving and then to consciously thank the Lord, we will be transformed. Yeah sure, the circumstances may not change one iota, but we are changed. Dramatically changed.
I learned this most powerfully when Janie was in the ICU four years ago. The doctors and nurses were unable to awaken her from the coma, and her body struggled to battle not just the traumatic brain injury, but also fever, infection, and severe lung problems. Unconscious and unresponsive...day after day after day, while we waited and prayed, prayed and waited.
But after we'd been there about a week and a half, a middle-aged man was admitted to the room next to Janie. He, too, had suffered a brain injury, and he, too, was unconscious. Through the thin ICU walls, we could hear the same protocol we'd heard countless times with Janie. Every hour, the nurses would lower the medicine and attempt to awaken the patient. "Mr. so and so. Mr. so and so. Can you hear me?," they'd shout. "Wake up! Can you hear me?"
Day after day, every hour of every day, they'd been attempting this same thing with our daughter. "Janie, wake up! Janie, wake up! Janie, can you hear me?" But still, after ten days, nothing. Nada. To say it was hope crushing would be an understatement--every hour your hopes would rise, as you'd think, "Maybe this time!" But then nothing. No response. Yet here was this man, who after being admitted to the ICU less than 12 hours earlier, had apparently begun to respond and awaken.
I shared this at the time, but I'm still ashamed to admit that my first thought wasn't joy for this man and his family. Oh forgive me, Lord. No, my first thought was, "Why not Janie, Lord? This man's been here less than a day. She's been here nearly two weeks. Why not her?" You can probably imagine the dark, twisted paths my mind would have gone down had I continued thinking like that. I shudder to even ponder it.
But praise my gracious, forgiving, forever-faithful Lord that He stopped me in my tracks. Somehow in His mercy, the Holy Spirit immediately spoke to my heart--"Stop! Choose to find reasons to thank Me. Right now, choose to praise your Heavenly Father."
And thank the Lord, that's exactly what I did. Can I just say that even that was all by His grace? I'm so often disobedient, or at best, sloooow to obey. And thanking God was surely the last thing in the world that I felt like doing. Yet this time, by God's mercy and grace, He enabled me to obey that which He directed.
So I began to write down, in that very moment, every blessings for which I was thankful--some big, some tiny. "Thank You, Lord, for the amazing nurses and doctors...for this excellent hospital...for our incredible friends who are helping us in every way possible...for my dear brothers and sisters who are constantly with us here...for Janie's friends praying...for Courtney and the Young Life leaders...for the Starbucks downstairs...for the recovery of the other girls in the accident...
Yes, it was awfully difficult and painful at first, but slowly, slowly, not only did counting those blessings grow easier, but the deadly vise-grip of fear and bitterness on my heart began to loosen. In it's place, well, God gave a deep down peace and even the beginning of joy. I will never forget it, and the experience changed me forever. That's the power of praise and the blessing of Thanksgiving. When we thank Him--even in the hardest places--we not only please God and bring Him glory, but in the process, we experience blessing, peace, hope, and, yes, even joy.
That's a lot of words to simply agree with Maria's beautiful little hand towel that there are always, always, always reasons for thanksgiving. Might each of us, no matter our circumstances, choose to daily, even hourly, look for those gifts--those reasons for thanksgiving--and then express our gratitude with lips overflowing with praise.
Oh Father, we ask that You would enable us to live to praise You and that our lips will overflow with that praise. For in You, there's always, always, always reason for rejoicing. To God be the glory.
Oh to have lips that "overflow with praise" for God...and to live to praise Him! That means that an occasional "thank You, Lord," nor even a daily listing of blessings for which we're grateful should be enough. Rather, our conversation should be overflowing with praise and thanksgiving to our gracious, generous Father.
With what does your tongue overflow? Words of thanksgiving...or words of complaining. Words of gratitude...or words of gossip. Words of rejoicing...or words of nitpicking. Words that benefit...or words that belittle. Words that relentlessly search for God's gifts and then thank Him...or words that simply follow along with the flow of our often sarcastic, caustic, ever-discontent culture.
If it's the latter rather than the former, then we're following the perfect recipe for irritability, fear, dissatisfaction, and ultimately despair. But if we choose--because it's always a choice--to have lips that overflow with praise, we will find anxiety, discontentment, and discouragement dissipate. Instead, they'll be replaced with deep down, soul-sustaining peace and joy.
My sweet friend, Maria, dropped off this wonderful gift at my house the other day--
I have it hanging in our kitchen as a reminder that this is how to have lips that overflow with praise! This will help us to live to praise God. Because it's so true--no matter how dark or uncertain the circumstances, there truly are always, always, always myriad reasons to thank and praise our Father. And if we choose (there's that word again) to look for reasons for thanksgiving and then to consciously thank the Lord, we will be transformed. Yeah sure, the circumstances may not change one iota, but we are changed. Dramatically changed.
I learned this most powerfully when Janie was in the ICU four years ago. The doctors and nurses were unable to awaken her from the coma, and her body struggled to battle not just the traumatic brain injury, but also fever, infection, and severe lung problems. Unconscious and unresponsive...day after day after day, while we waited and prayed, prayed and waited.
But after we'd been there about a week and a half, a middle-aged man was admitted to the room next to Janie. He, too, had suffered a brain injury, and he, too, was unconscious. Through the thin ICU walls, we could hear the same protocol we'd heard countless times with Janie. Every hour, the nurses would lower the medicine and attempt to awaken the patient. "Mr. so and so. Mr. so and so. Can you hear me?," they'd shout. "Wake up! Can you hear me?"
Day after day, every hour of every day, they'd been attempting this same thing with our daughter. "Janie, wake up! Janie, wake up! Janie, can you hear me?" But still, after ten days, nothing. Nada. To say it was hope crushing would be an understatement--every hour your hopes would rise, as you'd think, "Maybe this time!" But then nothing. No response. Yet here was this man, who after being admitted to the ICU less than 12 hours earlier, had apparently begun to respond and awaken.
I shared this at the time, but I'm still ashamed to admit that my first thought wasn't joy for this man and his family. Oh forgive me, Lord. No, my first thought was, "Why not Janie, Lord? This man's been here less than a day. She's been here nearly two weeks. Why not her?" You can probably imagine the dark, twisted paths my mind would have gone down had I continued thinking like that. I shudder to even ponder it.
But praise my gracious, forgiving, forever-faithful Lord that He stopped me in my tracks. Somehow in His mercy, the Holy Spirit immediately spoke to my heart--"Stop! Choose to find reasons to thank Me. Right now, choose to praise your Heavenly Father."
And thank the Lord, that's exactly what I did. Can I just say that even that was all by His grace? I'm so often disobedient, or at best, sloooow to obey. And thanking God was surely the last thing in the world that I felt like doing. Yet this time, by God's mercy and grace, He enabled me to obey that which He directed.
So I began to write down, in that very moment, every blessings for which I was thankful--some big, some tiny. "Thank You, Lord, for the amazing nurses and doctors...for this excellent hospital...for our incredible friends who are helping us in every way possible...for my dear brothers and sisters who are constantly with us here...for Janie's friends praying...for Courtney and the Young Life leaders...for the Starbucks downstairs...for the recovery of the other girls in the accident...
Yes, it was awfully difficult and painful at first, but slowly, slowly, not only did counting those blessings grow easier, but the deadly vise-grip of fear and bitterness on my heart began to loosen. In it's place, well, God gave a deep down peace and even the beginning of joy. I will never forget it, and the experience changed me forever. That's the power of praise and the blessing of Thanksgiving. When we thank Him--even in the hardest places--we not only please God and bring Him glory, but in the process, we experience blessing, peace, hope, and, yes, even joy.
That's a lot of words to simply agree with Maria's beautiful little hand towel that there are always, always, always reasons for thanksgiving. Might each of us, no matter our circumstances, choose to daily, even hourly, look for those gifts--those reasons for thanksgiving--and then express our gratitude with lips overflowing with praise.
Oh Father, we ask that You would enable us to live to praise You and that our lips will overflow with that praise. For in You, there's always, always, always reason for rejoicing. To God be the glory.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Always thankful...in the ordinary
"I will extoll the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips." (Ps.34:1)
Extoll Him at "all times." His praise "always on my lips." Not just for the big, splashy blessings...but also for the common, everyday graces of our regular old ordinary--yet infused with the extraordinary--lives. Thanks and praise to Him in the highs and lows...in the routine and the chaos.
So today, here's a few ordinary--yet extraordinary--gifts from God. Thank You, Abba!
The beautiful mum my dear sister, Mary Norris, gave me that is still blooming to beat the band. Thankful! From glory...
...to glory, in the back set of our car.
Mr. B enjoying a trip to pick up his little "brother." Thankful. From glory...
...to glory, in the Target parking lot.
Everywhere you look, God's dancing paintings stun you, even in parking lots! Thankful.
From glory...
...to glory, remembering "Hamilton" with my girls. So,so,so thankful. From glory...
...to glory, with the joy of these amazing girls and their mamas.
Friendship. So very thankful. From glory...
...to glory, sitting with God's Word, hot tea in a beloved mug, and a blanket made for us when Janie was in ICU. Reading, sipping, and remembering...and overwhelmingly thankful, thankful, thankful.
How about you? What ordinary (yet extraordinary) gifts has God showered upon you today? Have you noticed? Have you thanked Him? Might His praise be "always" on our lips. He is forever worthy.
To God be the glory.
Extoll Him at "all times." His praise "always on my lips." Not just for the big, splashy blessings...but also for the common, everyday graces of our regular old ordinary--yet infused with the extraordinary--lives. Thanks and praise to Him in the highs and lows...in the routine and the chaos.
So today, here's a few ordinary--yet extraordinary--gifts from God. Thank You, Abba!
The beautiful mum my dear sister, Mary Norris, gave me that is still blooming to beat the band. Thankful! From glory...
Mr. B enjoying a trip to pick up his little "brother." Thankful. From glory...
Everywhere you look, God's dancing paintings stun you, even in parking lots! Thankful.
From glory...
Friendship. So very thankful. From glory...
To God be the glory.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Do it for the pilgrims!
"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." (Phil.1:3-5)
Today, Lord, thank You so much for the gift of friendship. And oh what a priceless gift it is! And here's how I was reminded--a note from a dear friend. Let me explain.
Early this morning, I awoke with a heavy heart. I don't really know why, but I just felt anxious and a bit downhearted. As soon as I walked into the kitchen to greet Mr. B and make some hot tea to enjoy with the Word, my eyes fell upon an unopened envelope addressed to me. It'd been such a busy couple of days that I had somehow missed seeing and opening it. This was the card's cover--
Yes sir, I was feeling better already! And then inside--
Amen! Now that's a cause I can really get behind...or should I say, that I can really sink my teeth into...literally.
My dear friend, Joan, sent it to me, and she shares my love and admiration for all things "pilgrim." How can you not adore and respect those courageous, persevering, hardy souls? They traveled to our shores to freely worship the Lord, and they endured such unimaginable tribulation. There was so much death and pain and sorrow. Yet they persevered...and gave us a beautiful, in-living-color example of praise and Thanksgiving even in the face of relentless adversity.
So yes sir, we can all dig into our Thanksgiving meals--and carb up (I'm looking for you dressing, squash casserole, chocolate cake, and pumpkin anything!)--with joyful abandon, because, we've gotta "Do it for the pilgrims!" Aren't you feeling better already?
But back to my original point--my sweet friend, Joan, had no earthly idea I'd need to laugh at her card and enjoy her encouraging words on the morning of November 16th. Nope, she just acted on the prompting of the Holy Spirit that gently nudged her to send a little note of encouragement to her buddy. And she did.
That's the point--she did.
So how about you? Has God put someone on your heart recently? Do you have a friend whose name has suddenly come to your mind for seemingly no apparent reason? Write them a quick note. Have you thought about that small cadre of friends that you've not visited with in a while--organize a get-together via email.
Folks, we need each other! The Lord gave us friends and family to savor, to laugh with, to learn from, to love (duh), and to encourage. You don't know but that your brother or sister in Christ or your friend from work or your out of town sibling or simply your bygone buddy needs a word of hope, or a reminder of God's love, or simply a "don't quit--you can get through this!" cheer from you.
Don't put it off till tomorrow or when you "have more time" (which is never). Do it today! If God's put them on your heart, make the call, write the letter, and go ahead and do. it. today.
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." (Ecc.4:9-10)
Maybe you're a lot stronger than me. Maybe you never fall down or grow disheartened or feel defeated...but I do. And truth be told, we all do at times, right? So praise God for the priceless, wondrous gift of friends and family! Ah boy, today I'm so thankful for dear friends like Joan...or like my wonderful sister, Jane, who just called me for lunch out of the blue. Thank You, Lord, for my husband, my children, my siblings, and my friends. Gifts straight from Your hand. Please, Father, help me to love them well. Help us to love and encourage one another even in life's mundane or messy moments...which is all of them!
Today, thank the Lord for the wondrous gift of friends and family. And then tell them or show them how grateful you are for them...do it for the pilgrims!
To God be the glory.
Today, Lord, thank You so much for the gift of friendship. And oh what a priceless gift it is! And here's how I was reminded--a note from a dear friend. Let me explain.
Early this morning, I awoke with a heavy heart. I don't really know why, but I just felt anxious and a bit downhearted. As soon as I walked into the kitchen to greet Mr. B and make some hot tea to enjoy with the Word, my eyes fell upon an unopened envelope addressed to me. It'd been such a busy couple of days that I had somehow missed seeing and opening it. This was the card's cover--
My dear friend, Joan, sent it to me, and she shares my love and admiration for all things "pilgrim." How can you not adore and respect those courageous, persevering, hardy souls? They traveled to our shores to freely worship the Lord, and they endured such unimaginable tribulation. There was so much death and pain and sorrow. Yet they persevered...and gave us a beautiful, in-living-color example of praise and Thanksgiving even in the face of relentless adversity.
So yes sir, we can all dig into our Thanksgiving meals--and carb up (I'm looking for you dressing, squash casserole, chocolate cake, and pumpkin anything!)--with joyful abandon, because, we've gotta "Do it for the pilgrims!" Aren't you feeling better already?
But back to my original point--my sweet friend, Joan, had no earthly idea I'd need to laugh at her card and enjoy her encouraging words on the morning of November 16th. Nope, she just acted on the prompting of the Holy Spirit that gently nudged her to send a little note of encouragement to her buddy. And she did.
That's the point--she did.
So how about you? Has God put someone on your heart recently? Do you have a friend whose name has suddenly come to your mind for seemingly no apparent reason? Write them a quick note. Have you thought about that small cadre of friends that you've not visited with in a while--organize a get-together via email.
Folks, we need each other! The Lord gave us friends and family to savor, to laugh with, to learn from, to love (duh), and to encourage. You don't know but that your brother or sister in Christ or your friend from work or your out of town sibling or simply your bygone buddy needs a word of hope, or a reminder of God's love, or simply a "don't quit--you can get through this!" cheer from you.
Don't put it off till tomorrow or when you "have more time" (which is never). Do it today! If God's put them on your heart, make the call, write the letter, and go ahead and do. it. today.
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." (Ecc.4:9-10)
Maybe you're a lot stronger than me. Maybe you never fall down or grow disheartened or feel defeated...but I do. And truth be told, we all do at times, right? So praise God for the priceless, wondrous gift of friends and family! Ah boy, today I'm so thankful for dear friends like Joan...or like my wonderful sister, Jane, who just called me for lunch out of the blue. Thank You, Lord, for my husband, my children, my siblings, and my friends. Gifts straight from Your hand. Please, Father, help me to love them well. Help us to love and encourage one another even in life's mundane or messy moments...which is all of them!
Today, thank the Lord for the wondrous gift of friends and family. And then tell them or show them how grateful you are for them...do it for the pilgrims!
To God be the glory.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Turning the corner to Thanksgiving!
Yes, yes, the election.
No matter which side you found yourself on, weren't you just weary of the whole thing? Weary of the worrying. Weary of the ugly, harsh rhetoric. Weary of the divisiveness. Weary, now, of the endless analysis of what happened and why. Whew.
How I pray that by the grace of Almighty God, He will make a way for our nation to move forward in healing. Healing of the many wounds. Healing of the fear. Healing of the loss of hope. And healing of the misplaced faith in things that were never meant to bear the brunt of our ultimate faith and hope.
To once again quote Chuck Colson, "The Kingdom of God will not arrive on Air force One." So matter whether you're elated or devastated right now, remember your hope, your salvation, and your joy will never be found in any political party or candidate or any other thing this world applauds or promotes. Your hope, your never failing Rock, your deep down soul satisfaction, your perfect peace is in Christ alone. And that's the greatest news of all--because Jesus, our Hope, can never be destroyed or defeated or diminished in any way, ever!
"Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."
So time today to turn the corner, refocus on the Savior, and choose gratitude. Praise God for the gift of Thanksgiving! Did you know that just two days ago--November 11--was just a few years shy of the 400 anniversary of the signing of the Mayflower Compact? Yay pilgrims!
As those courageous, godly men, women, and children arrived in the harbor off the coast of Cape Cod, William Bradford recorded: "Being thus arrived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven." Oh yes, time to turn the corner to Thanksgiving!
"I will give thanks to You Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of Your wonderful deeds." (Ps.9:1)
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever." (I Chron. 16:34)
"Rejoice always; Pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (I Thess.5:16-18)
Amen and amen! We thank and praise You, Lord, for Your never failing goodness and for Your relentless grace to us. Thank You for pilgrims. Thank You for Thanksgiving. Thank You for the gift of life and breath. Thank You for the beauty of Your creation. Thank You for crisp fall days and magnificent trees dressed in autumn's finest. Thank You for the priceless gift of family and friends. And thank You for Jesus--our true and ultimate and never failing Hope.
Yes, we echo the words of George Herbert: "Oh Thou, who has given us so much, mercifully grant us one more thing--a grateful heart." To God--and God alone--be all the glory.
No matter which side you found yourself on, weren't you just weary of the whole thing? Weary of the worrying. Weary of the ugly, harsh rhetoric. Weary of the divisiveness. Weary, now, of the endless analysis of what happened and why. Whew.
How I pray that by the grace of Almighty God, He will make a way for our nation to move forward in healing. Healing of the many wounds. Healing of the fear. Healing of the loss of hope. And healing of the misplaced faith in things that were never meant to bear the brunt of our ultimate faith and hope.
To once again quote Chuck Colson, "The Kingdom of God will not arrive on Air force One." So matter whether you're elated or devastated right now, remember your hope, your salvation, and your joy will never be found in any political party or candidate or any other thing this world applauds or promotes. Your hope, your never failing Rock, your deep down soul satisfaction, your perfect peace is in Christ alone. And that's the greatest news of all--because Jesus, our Hope, can never be destroyed or defeated or diminished in any way, ever!
"Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."
So time today to turn the corner, refocus on the Savior, and choose gratitude. Praise God for the gift of Thanksgiving! Did you know that just two days ago--November 11--was just a few years shy of the 400 anniversary of the signing of the Mayflower Compact? Yay pilgrims!
As those courageous, godly men, women, and children arrived in the harbor off the coast of Cape Cod, William Bradford recorded: "Being thus arrived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven." Oh yes, time to turn the corner to Thanksgiving!
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever." (I Chron. 16:34)
"Rejoice always; Pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (I Thess.5:16-18)
Amen and amen! We thank and praise You, Lord, for Your never failing goodness and for Your relentless grace to us. Thank You for pilgrims. Thank You for Thanksgiving. Thank You for the gift of life and breath. Thank You for the beauty of Your creation. Thank You for crisp fall days and magnificent trees dressed in autumn's finest. Thank You for the priceless gift of family and friends. And thank You for Jesus--our true and ultimate and never failing Hope.
Yes, we echo the words of George Herbert: "Oh Thou, who has given us so much, mercifully grant us one more thing--a grateful heart." To God--and God alone--be all the glory.
Monday, November 7, 2016
One more day...
I can hear the stirring notes from the musical, "Les Miserables," echoing in my brain: "One more day..."
Oh mercy, praise God just one more day. One more day and no more mud slinging, no more robo calls, no more piles of flyers, no more back-to-back ads slamming the other candidate, no more endless polls and political commentary.
I don't mean to make light of all this (but it's either laugh or cry!), because clearly our nation's in trouble, and this old world is a mess. But boy, there have been moments over the past few months when I've been nearly overwhelmed with discouragement and fear over all that's going on in our country and the vitriol and ugly words that have been hurled about. It's tempting to throw your hands up in despair regardless of which side of the political spectrum on which you find yourself.
But here's the thing: despair is a sin. Fear is a failure to trust God. And sticking our heads in the sand or lashing out in fury are NOT the responses of anyone who follows the Sovereign King who gave His life to redeem this fallen world.
As I thought about tomorrow, the Lord suddenly brought this verse to mind: "This--THIS--is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Ps.143:24) And here's why we an rejoice--because God is still and forever on His throne, and nothing will ever change that. Our hope is not in any political candidate or political system. Our hope is in Christ alone. And nothing and no one will ever thwart His plans and purposes for His people. That doesn't mean we won't endure plenty of hard times ahead, but it does mean He's fully in control and working all things out for our good and His glory.
And here's my prayer: that God will bring healing to our land. Oh how we need it. That He will heal the divisiveness. That He will replace the harsh, hurtful words with words of hope and healing. That He will bring revival and restoration among His people. And that believers will lead the way in shining the light and love of Christ in a dark world.
No, that doesn't mean we all agree or acquiesce. But it means we listen. We seek to understand. And we talk and share the Truth in love, remembering that those with whom we disagree are made in the likeness of God and are people Christ loves and for whom He suffered and died.
Just today, I read these words, and they speak powerfully to this moment:
"I remember once hearing Bishop Whipple...utter these beautiful words: 'For thirty years I have tried to see the face of Christ in those with whom I differed.' When this spirit actuates us we shall be preserved at once from a narrow bigotry and an easy-going tolerance, from passionate vindictiveness and everything that would mar or injure our testimony for Him who came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them." (W.H. Griffith Thomas)
Heavenly Father, please by Your infinite grace, enable us to see the face of our Savior in those with whom we disagree. Help us to forgive as You forgive. Help us love as You love. Help us to serve as You serve. Remind us anew that the ground is level at the foot of the cross, for we are all sinners saved solely by Your grace. Thank You for the hope and promise of the Gospel--that we are far worse than we ever dared imagine, but we are also far more loved by You than we ever dared dream. It's all, all, all grace, Lord. Keep us humble. Keep us grateful. Keep us listening. Keep us loving. Keep us shining the Light of Christ--and never hiding it under a bushel--wherever we go, whatever we do, that the world may know how good and great You are. Thank You, Father. In Jesus mighty and merciful name we pray. Amen.
To God be the glory.
Oh mercy, praise God just one more day. One more day and no more mud slinging, no more robo calls, no more piles of flyers, no more back-to-back ads slamming the other candidate, no more endless polls and political commentary.
I don't mean to make light of all this (but it's either laugh or cry!), because clearly our nation's in trouble, and this old world is a mess. But boy, there have been moments over the past few months when I've been nearly overwhelmed with discouragement and fear over all that's going on in our country and the vitriol and ugly words that have been hurled about. It's tempting to throw your hands up in despair regardless of which side of the political spectrum on which you find yourself.
But here's the thing: despair is a sin. Fear is a failure to trust God. And sticking our heads in the sand or lashing out in fury are NOT the responses of anyone who follows the Sovereign King who gave His life to redeem this fallen world.
As I thought about tomorrow, the Lord suddenly brought this verse to mind: "This--THIS--is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Ps.143:24) And here's why we an rejoice--because God is still and forever on His throne, and nothing will ever change that. Our hope is not in any political candidate or political system. Our hope is in Christ alone. And nothing and no one will ever thwart His plans and purposes for His people. That doesn't mean we won't endure plenty of hard times ahead, but it does mean He's fully in control and working all things out for our good and His glory.
And here's my prayer: that God will bring healing to our land. Oh how we need it. That He will heal the divisiveness. That He will replace the harsh, hurtful words with words of hope and healing. That He will bring revival and restoration among His people. And that believers will lead the way in shining the light and love of Christ in a dark world.
No, that doesn't mean we all agree or acquiesce. But it means we listen. We seek to understand. And we talk and share the Truth in love, remembering that those with whom we disagree are made in the likeness of God and are people Christ loves and for whom He suffered and died.
Just today, I read these words, and they speak powerfully to this moment:
"I remember once hearing Bishop Whipple...utter these beautiful words: 'For thirty years I have tried to see the face of Christ in those with whom I differed.' When this spirit actuates us we shall be preserved at once from a narrow bigotry and an easy-going tolerance, from passionate vindictiveness and everything that would mar or injure our testimony for Him who came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them." (W.H. Griffith Thomas)
Heavenly Father, please by Your infinite grace, enable us to see the face of our Savior in those with whom we disagree. Help us to forgive as You forgive. Help us love as You love. Help us to serve as You serve. Remind us anew that the ground is level at the foot of the cross, for we are all sinners saved solely by Your grace. Thank You for the hope and promise of the Gospel--that we are far worse than we ever dared imagine, but we are also far more loved by You than we ever dared dream. It's all, all, all grace, Lord. Keep us humble. Keep us grateful. Keep us listening. Keep us loving. Keep us shining the Light of Christ--and never hiding it under a bushel--wherever we go, whatever we do, that the world may know how good and great You are. Thank You, Father. In Jesus mighty and merciful name we pray. Amen.
To God be the glory.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
The real deal!!
Well, it's been a little over a week since Chicago. And can I just say, "Wow." What a city! What a wonderful group of moms and daughters! What eating! What architecture!
What biking!
What shopping! (don't tell my husband) What a "lake"--which, for my money, is an ocean--Huuuuuuge! Oh, and did I mention, what EATING?!
Oh my, my, my. Our trip was just one happy, never-to-be-forgotten moment after another, and you could put our whole crew at the top of the Chicago fan club--ah, except during the winter.
But let me get to the ultimate, shining highlight of our trip: "Hamilton." Yes, that's right--the musical based upon Alexander Hamilton's life. I've already recounted this in an earlier blog post, but just to briefly recap:our daughter, Janie, has been obsessed with "Hamilton" for a good long while. She could--and I mean this literally--understudy every single role in the musical, because she’s memorized every single word of every single song and every single rap.
She played the musical score so many times that I’m sure all her housemates were ready to scream! She watched the pirated version of an undercover video of the musical. She’s researched all the in’s and out’s of about every aspect of the show and it’s unbelievably talented author and composer—Lin Manuel-Miranda. Janie’s desperately wanted to see Hamilton for a good long time, but there was a problem: the tickets in New York were sold out till the rapture…and if by some chance you could get your hands on one, they cost an arm and a leg.
But Janie remained undaunted in her single-minded quest to see Hamilton, and her extraordinary love for the show was contagious. So after learning that "Hamilton" was opening in Chicago in October, well, that was it. Time for a senior year fall break road trip with moms and daughters (and for a few of us, also for our older daughters as well. Yay!).
Of course, priority numero uno was to buy tickets to "Hamilton." My girls and I had no idea what hotel we were staying in or when our flights were scheduled to depart and arrive, but you can bet your britches we were totally on top of buying those tickets. And as soon as we did, I was informed in no uncertain terms by my daughters that I MUST learn and be completely familiar with the complex story, because I absolutely, positively--under pain of death--was NOT permitted to ask questions during the musical! (Which is a bit of challenge for me.) So for a solid month, I listened intently to the 1000 page book on CD on which the musical is based. In my car, it was ALL Hamilton, ALL the time. And we all listened to the music...and listened and listened.
Okay, enough background. Fast forward to weekend before last. By the time we arrived in Chicago, most of us were incredibly familiar with Hamilton—his real life story and his musical. And we were all super excited to finally get to see this show that has garnered universal acclaim. We all totally loved the sight-seeing, shopping, and eating…but unquestionably the most highly anticipated moment would be our last night in Chicago when we’d see “Hamilton.”
After such a build up, I wondered if anything could possibly live up to all the hype and excitement. Well guess what? It didn’t meet our ultra-high expectations…it blew them out of the water. Listening to the music, reading the book, and learning about the composer all PALED in comparison to actually going to it and seeing it in person. It was absolutely INCREDIBLE!
But you know what I realized? Before we went to Hamilton, we could appreciate the story. We could savor the music. We could admire the composer. But until we jumped in and experienced the actual show, we couldn’t imagine how much we were missing.
There’s nothing like the real deal, is there? Its like the difference between looking at a photograph of the ocean versus actually sitting on the beach and enjoying the sun, waves, and salt air! Well, in an infinitely greater, more destiny-altering, life-changing, and joy-filling way, that’s the radical difference between "religion" and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Religion essentially says “If I perform and obey, I’m accepted.” But the Gospel says, “I am fully accepted in Jesus Christ, and therefore I obey.” Religion says “Be as good as you possibly can and then maybe you can come into God’s kingdom.” The Gospel says, “Come on in, you’re welcomed into God’s Kingdom, because Jesus was perfect in His goodness for you.” Religion can mean little more than knowing something about Jesus, but the Gospel means knowing Jesus personally as Savior.
It’s all the difference in the world, because religion leads to endless striving, self-effort, and self-righteousness while the Gospel leads to freedom, joy, and Christ’s righteousness. With religion, we can feel prideful or anxious, but with the Gospel, we’re humbled and grateful. And with religion, obedience is a burden, but with the Gospel of Jesus obedience is a blessing.
Religion is a little like dutifully listening to the book on CD about Hamilton, because you desperately want to understand the plot; but the gospel is joyfully experiencing the real deal when you watch the actual musical and are overcome by the beauty of the story and music. Like I said, it’s ALL the difference in the world!
I say all this, because how often have you heard people say something like, "Oh I hear you're religious." I always want to shout, "No, no! It's not about being religious. It's all about being in a living, breathing relationship with the Savior who made you, loves you, and died for you!"
Jesus is the Gospel! He’s the real deal—the glorious reality of God incarnate giving us His righteousness in exchange for our sinfulness. Praise God that because He came, died for our sins, and rose to new life, we can rejoice rather than living enslaved to our fears or frustrations or feelings of either pride on the one hand or despairing inadequacy on the other. None of us will ever be good enough...but that's okay, because Jesus was and is and always will be.
So today, if Jesus is your Redeemer, rejoice that you have the real deal, and He will never, ever leave you, nor forsake you. Because "there's nothing like the real thing, baby!"
To God be the glory.
What shopping! (don't tell my husband) What a "lake"--which, for my money, is an ocean--Huuuuuuge! Oh, and did I mention, what EATING?!
But let me get to the ultimate, shining highlight of our trip: "Hamilton." Yes, that's right--the musical based upon Alexander Hamilton's life. I've already recounted this in an earlier blog post, but just to briefly recap:our daughter, Janie, has been obsessed with "Hamilton" for a good long while. She could--and I mean this literally--understudy every single role in the musical, because she’s memorized every single word of every single song and every single rap.
She played the musical score so many times that I’m sure all her housemates were ready to scream! She watched the pirated version of an undercover video of the musical. She’s researched all the in’s and out’s of about every aspect of the show and it’s unbelievably talented author and composer—Lin Manuel-Miranda. Janie’s desperately wanted to see Hamilton for a good long time, but there was a problem: the tickets in New York were sold out till the rapture…and if by some chance you could get your hands on one, they cost an arm and a leg.
But Janie remained undaunted in her single-minded quest to see Hamilton, and her extraordinary love for the show was contagious. So after learning that "Hamilton" was opening in Chicago in October, well, that was it. Time for a senior year fall break road trip with moms and daughters (and for a few of us, also for our older daughters as well. Yay!).
Of course, priority numero uno was to buy tickets to "Hamilton." My girls and I had no idea what hotel we were staying in or when our flights were scheduled to depart and arrive, but you can bet your britches we were totally on top of buying those tickets. And as soon as we did, I was informed in no uncertain terms by my daughters that I MUST learn and be completely familiar with the complex story, because I absolutely, positively--under pain of death--was NOT permitted to ask questions during the musical! (Which is a bit of challenge for me.) So for a solid month, I listened intently to the 1000 page book on CD on which the musical is based. In my car, it was ALL Hamilton, ALL the time. And we all listened to the music...and listened and listened.
Okay, enough background. Fast forward to weekend before last. By the time we arrived in Chicago, most of us were incredibly familiar with Hamilton—his real life story and his musical. And we were all super excited to finally get to see this show that has garnered universal acclaim. We all totally loved the sight-seeing, shopping, and eating…but unquestionably the most highly anticipated moment would be our last night in Chicago when we’d see “Hamilton.”
After such a build up, I wondered if anything could possibly live up to all the hype and excitement. Well guess what? It didn’t meet our ultra-high expectations…it blew them out of the water. Listening to the music, reading the book, and learning about the composer all PALED in comparison to actually going to it and seeing it in person. It was absolutely INCREDIBLE!
But you know what I realized? Before we went to Hamilton, we could appreciate the story. We could savor the music. We could admire the composer. But until we jumped in and experienced the actual show, we couldn’t imagine how much we were missing.
There’s nothing like the real deal, is there? Its like the difference between looking at a photograph of the ocean versus actually sitting on the beach and enjoying the sun, waves, and salt air! Well, in an infinitely greater, more destiny-altering, life-changing, and joy-filling way, that’s the radical difference between "religion" and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Religion essentially says “If I perform and obey, I’m accepted.” But the Gospel says, “I am fully accepted in Jesus Christ, and therefore I obey.” Religion says “Be as good as you possibly can and then maybe you can come into God’s kingdom.” The Gospel says, “Come on in, you’re welcomed into God’s Kingdom, because Jesus was perfect in His goodness for you.” Religion can mean little more than knowing something about Jesus, but the Gospel means knowing Jesus personally as Savior.
It’s all the difference in the world, because religion leads to endless striving, self-effort, and self-righteousness while the Gospel leads to freedom, joy, and Christ’s righteousness. With religion, we can feel prideful or anxious, but with the Gospel, we’re humbled and grateful. And with religion, obedience is a burden, but with the Gospel of Jesus obedience is a blessing.
Religion is a little like dutifully listening to the book on CD about Hamilton, because you desperately want to understand the plot; but the gospel is joyfully experiencing the real deal when you watch the actual musical and are overcome by the beauty of the story and music. Like I said, it’s ALL the difference in the world!
I say all this, because how often have you heard people say something like, "Oh I hear you're religious." I always want to shout, "No, no! It's not about being religious. It's all about being in a living, breathing relationship with the Savior who made you, loves you, and died for you!"
Jesus is the Gospel! He’s the real deal—the glorious reality of God incarnate giving us His righteousness in exchange for our sinfulness. Praise God that because He came, died for our sins, and rose to new life, we can rejoice rather than living enslaved to our fears or frustrations or feelings of either pride on the one hand or despairing inadequacy on the other. None of us will ever be good enough...but that's okay, because Jesus was and is and always will be.
So today, if Jesus is your Redeemer, rejoice that you have the real deal, and He will never, ever leave you, nor forsake you. Because "there's nothing like the real thing, baby!"
To God be the glory.
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