Redeeming the Ordinary

It's the day after Easter.  My heart still rejoices over the wonder, the glory, the miracle of Christ's resurrection. Might we never get over it and continually remember, rejoice and repeat what the Savior did for us-- 

Surely it would be enough that He--Almighty God--simply came to earth to be one of us. To live with us, help us, speak to us, show us the path of blessedness on this broken planet.  That's more than enough...and yet...

Surely it would be enough that He not only came, but that He lived a perfect life. A perfect life we never could have lived nor ever deserved, and He lived that life in our place.  That's much more than enough...and yet....

Surely it would be enough that He willingly went to the cross to die an excruciating death, bearing all our sin, shame, and selfishness. And in His death, He gave us His righteousness in exchange for the unbearable and hideous weight of all sin for all time. That's far, far more than enough...and yet...

For the glorious, gracious Son of God, that was still not enough. For Jesus not only died to save us; He rose from the dead in order to secure for us eternal, abundant resurrection life. His purity for our pride. His righteousness for our rebellion. His death for our deliverance. And His new resurrection life that would give us eternal life and a forever perfect home in the glories of heaven. 

Who can fathom such a love...such a spotless, gentle Lamb...such a glorious, omnipotent Lion? Yet that---and infinitely more--is our Savior, our Deliverer, our Good Shepherd, our King. 

Easter Day might be over, but let's don't allow its wonder to dissipate in the busyness and grind of "ordinary" life. Because Jesus came in the midst of ordinary life to redeem sinners like you and me, mired in the mud and messiness of our own ordinary lives. He was born in a smelly stable full of ordinary animals. He grew up in an ordinary peasant family. He chose twelve ordinary disciples like fisherman and accountants. He ministered to and among ordinary folks who dealt with the same ordinary problems, perplexities, limitations, joys, and sorrows confronting us. He died on an ordinary wooden cross in-between two ordinary criminals. 

But on Easter morning, Jesus' ordinary was over, while our ordinary was radically redeemed and transformed. For in the midst of our ordinary lives, Jesus has come, has conquered, is constantly with us, and has promised He's coming again. No matter what's going on in our lives or in the world, Jesus is alive. He is King. And He will not only redeem and restore our bodies and souls, but He will do it to the entire cosmos! 

Tim Keller expressed it so beautifully, "Ordinary life is what's going to be redeemed. There is nothing better than ordinary life, except that it's always going away and always falling apart. Ordinary life is food and work and chairs by the fire and hugs and dancing and mountains--this world. God loves it so much that He gave His only Son so we--and the rest of this ordinary world--could be redeemed and made perfect. And that's what is in store for us." 

So Easter might be over and it might feel like an ordinary Monday, but never forget, we have an extraordinary Savior who conquered sin and death. Right at this moment, He is alive. He is present. He is powerful. And He is, even now, redeeming our ordinary lives and our ordinary world into something unimaginably, eternally extraordinary. 

To God be the glory forever.

Remember Who Your Daddy is!

 There’s nothing like a little snowstorm—or two—to remind you that there is One who is sovereign and in control of all things…and it’s not you. 

What a relief.

Sometimes we forget, don’t we? Or at least I sure do. And when I forget, before I know it, I’m fretting and fussing. Wringing my hands in fruitless worry and scheming how on earth to manhandle the uncontrollable future. Which of course, I cannot do…which leads to more fretting and frustration. I’m such a slow learner. 

But then, in His stunning mercy and grace, our loving Lord reminds me yet again of who He is—omnipotent and omniscient. Infinite in His love and forgiveness. Constant in His care and compassion. Forever steadfast in His faithfulness and goodness. 

He is the awesome Creator, Sustainer, Deliverer, Redeemer. The Living Water, the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, the Light of the World, the Way, the Truth and the Life. 

He never runs low, never fails to accomplish that which He plans, never grows weary or tired. He never gives up on us, never leaves or forsakes us, never treats us as our sins deserve, never stops loving us.   

And that perfect, glorious, all-powerful, all-loving one is our Heavenly Father. Don’t just read that. Pause and really ponder that. The One who flung the stars into space, holds the planets in place, and upholds the universe by the word of His power, is our God. Our Abba. Our Daddy. 

“When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.” Gal.4:4-7

Oh Father, how quickly I, Your faltering, forgetful child, fail to remember! 

I fail to remember who You are and what You can do. “Ahl Lord God, it is You who made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You!” Jeremiah 32:17 

And I forget who I am—your little child. A sinner…but a sinner saved solely by Your amazing grace.  I could never earn it or deserve it. In fact, put me at the top of the list when it comes to sinning, worrying, doubting, fretting, failing. And something tells me I’m not alone at the top of that list!  

Yet, incredibly, God loved us so much that He sent His one and Only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) As Tim Keller often shared: “The gospel says you are simultaneously more sinful and flawed than you ever dared believe, yet more loved and accepted than you ever dared hope.”

We are not orphans. We are not on our own. And praise God, we are not in control. We have a Heavenly Daddy, and He has us.  He has the situations that keep us up on night. He has those we love in the palm of His hand. He has the future that worries us; He has the past that sometimes haunts us; and He has the present that is His gift to us right now. 

It is all His, and He promises in His unbreakable, unstoppable Word that all, all, all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Rom.8:28). 

So yes, the weather has been a bit disruptive. Yes, we are not in control. But just want to remind you—as I’ve reminded myself—our Heavenly Father is in complete control, and we are safe in His hands, His ways, and His plans.

Thank You, Abba. Thank You for the stunning beauty of this world You created. Thank you for the beauty of snow, and how winter and every season reveals Your glory in unique ways. Thank You that we are Your beloved children. Please help us to remember as we trust and rest in You. Amen.

To God—who is also our Heavenly Father (Praise Him!)—be the glory.

Keep Getting Up!

Did you know that February 1st was "National Get Up Day?" No??  Me neither.  But I loved reading the backstory.  Apparently National Figure Skating established this day in 2017 to mark the official end of "National Skating Month" (again, who knew that was a thing?) when rinks across the country are supposed to bring communities together to experience the joys of ice skating. Now if you ever been ice skating, you know that it's both exhilarating gliding across the ice AND intimidating as you try to avoid wiping out in some terribly painful way. Let me just say from personal experience--falling down on cold, hard ice ain't no fun at all! 

But you've probably already figured out the point--you've got to "get back up" after you fall.  And boy, that applies literally to an awful lot of sports, doesn't it, from horseback riding, to skiing, to gymnastics. But it's also equally applicable to every single endeavor we ever confront in life--when you fall down in failure, you've got the choice: give up or get up.  So here's the point of today's blog, especially in these long, dreary, often discouraging days of February: keep getting up rather than giving up. And even if no one else out there needs the reminding, well, yours truly surely does! 

In a wonderful sermon yesterday on "Thirty Truths to Wisdom," our pastor touched on a proverb that I’ve always loved: “for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in calamity.” (Prov.24:16) In teaching on wisdom, he summed this up as “the righteous keep getting up."  I love that!  Keep getting up!  "The righteous seem to go down. But they rise again. And again. And again.” And it all boils down to the fact that the righteous person enjoys “deep confidence…that the Lord has your back.”  (Or as one of our beloved Bible study leaders, Kelly, always puts it: “God’s got this!” Amen!)

As someone who has fallen and messed up more times than I can shake a stick at, how this encourages me! Because of the Gospel, I know I am more greatly flawed than I’d ever dare imagine but yet also more deeply loved than I’d ever dare hope! He is a God of second…and third…and fourth chances!  He calls us to come to Him like little children in humble repentance and faith, knowing that, because of Jesus, our Heavenly Abba (our Heavenly Daddy) will forgive us, dust us off, restore us, and send us back out there again to live by His grace and for His glory. He will never give up on us, and He’s got us, so we can and must simply keep “getting back up again..and again…and again!”  As that age-old definition of a "saint" describes it: "A saint is someone who keeps falling down and getting up...falling down and getting up...falling down and getting up...all the way to heaven." 

I shared this initially with our Bible study leaders, because let's be real: the months of January and February are just plain tough! And most of us have a tendency this time of year to start feeling a bit weary, disheartened, and defeated.  (Not to mention, stinking sick and tired of cold, blah weather!) Maybe you're discouraged with your lack of progress in tackling some challenging task or with establishing some desired new habit. (Hello failed New Year's resolutions!)  Maybe you're struggling with an unexpected illness or disease. Maybe you're discouraged with aspects of your family life or your parenting or your relationships. Maybe for you, it's a gnawing sense of loneliness, isolation, or inadequacy. Maybe it's regret or disappointment or exhaustion that seems to hover over and darken these sometimes dreary days of February.  

Well guess what?  God’s mercies are new every morning…and afternoon…and evening…and night. (Good old Lamentations 3) The Lord's faithfulness is absolutely undiminished. His love and forgiveness and grace are just as powerful, infinite and available today as they were last week or last year or 2000 years ago! And His call to, and empowering of, each one of us is just as real, true, and important today as it’s always been: we, too, can fall seven times (and seven times seventy times!), and we, too, can rise again—because we have Jesus! He is our righteousness. He is our forgiveness. He is our grace. He is our peace. He is our hope. He is our joy. And He is the One who gives us the power to rise again, get back out there, and try again!

So no matter how discouraging, exhausting, or challenging life has been for you in these doldrum weeks of January and February, will you ask God to enable you to rise again? Rise again from failure. Rise again from that sinful habit. Rise again from discouragement. Rise again from feeling inadequate. Rise again from listening to the lies of the enemy rather than the voice of Truth. Rise again from that illness or disease.  

Because Jesus arose, we can, and will, rise too—not just on the last day, but daily in our lives. Ask the Lord to enable you, by His grace and for His glory, to rise up from whatever has caused you to fall. With Him, it's always too soon to give up, and it's never too late to get up!

To God be the glory.

Will you remember?

                                 Food for weekend thought...on our thoughts

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in his book, Life Together: "Why is it that my thoughts wander so quickly from God's word, and that in my. hour of need the needed word is often not there? Do I forget to eat and drink and sleep? Then why do I forget God's word? Because I still can't say what the psalmist says: 'I will delight in Your statutes' (Ps.11916). I don't forget the things in which I take delight. Forgetting or not forgetting is a matter not of the mind but of the whole person, of the heart. I never forget what body and soul and depend upon. The more I begin to love the commandments of God in creation and word, the more present they will be for me in every hour. Only love protects against forgetting. 

Because God's word has spoken to us in history and thus in the past, the remembrance and repetition of what we have learned is a necessary daily exercise. Every day we must turn again to God's acts of salvation, so that we can again move forward...Faith and obedience live on remembrance and repetition. Remembrance becomes the power of the present because of the living God who once acted for me and who reminds me of that today."

Remembering is critical to our faith. Remembering Who God is and what He has done. Remembering His mighty works and His unbreakable promises in His Word. Remembering His myriad and inexhaustible daily kindnesses--big and small--in our lives.  Remembering our unyielding, relentless chains of sin...and then remembering that because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, our chains are gone. Remembering that because Jesus was forsaken on that cross, we will never ever be forsaken. Remembering His Holy Spirit is with us every moment of every day and every night, and He is continually guiding, encouraging, strengthening, convicting, reminding, empowering. Remembering His priceless gift of fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, both family and friends. Remembering His supernatural and beautiful gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Gal.5:22-23) 

Remembering fills our hearts, feeds our gratitude, and fuels our faith. No wonder Scripture repeatedly warns against forgetting and exhorts us to remember.

Yet, isn't it remarkable how prone we can be to, as Paul David Tripp puts it, spiritual amnesia? Let's face it--we can all be foolish, weak, "what-have-You-done-for-me-lately" spiritual amnesiacs! One minute we're rejoicing in the wonderful things God has done, and the next moment, when a sudden squall hits us, we completely forget Who is with us, what He has done, what He's promised, and what He can do! 

So what's the antidote? Choosing intentionally, continually to remember. We have to, as one of my favorite passages puts it, call it to mind. "Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's faithful love, we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! I say, 'The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him." (Lam.3:21-24). 

Yes, we choose to "call it to mind." And we do it daily. Jeremiah, the writer of Lamenations, says that God's mercies and faithful love are "new every morning"--meaning he rediscovers and savors this daily when He reminds himself of Who God is, what He is like, what He has done. Remembering, therefore, is a daily necessary and life-giving exercise. 

And remembering requires something quite simple yet critically important: reading. Open up God's Word and read what He has for you, specifically for you, each day. Read and remember. Don't let a day pass without listening to the Lord of the universe as He speaks to you in His Word--helping you, encouraging you, convicting you, equipping you. And while you're at it, take a few minutes each day to remember and record the ways you have seen God move--in His Word and in your life. The act of writing it down helps us remember, and I know I surely need all the help I can get! Finally, take the time to remember and rejoice. Rejoice in His greatness and His goodness. Rejoice in the gift of His Word. Rejoice in the joy of salvation. Rejoice in the refreshing winter air and the ability to sip that hot tea or savor that chocolate cake. Rejoice in the blessing of friends, family, church. 

This week, will you intentionally and daily choose to remember?  Remember by reading His Word. Remember by recording His work in your life. And remember by rejoicing in all His manifold gifts. 

To God--the glorious Giver of all good gift--be all the glory.

Praise to the Lord who has carried us!

 "The LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this point." Deut.1:31

"Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you." Isa. 46:4

"Thus far the LORD has helped us." I Sam. 7:12

What wonderful verses from Daily Light to close this old year...this year full of both challenging burdens and yet also unexpected blessings. As I think back over this year, how apparent the Lord's sustaining care has been. He truly has "carried" us through some hard, dark places. I can remember many mornings where I wept as I read His beautiful life-giving Word and cried out to Him in prayer. And He was there--carrying, sustaining, encouraging, guiding. How I thank and praise Him for His tender care and grace.

But He also carried us through spacious places of joy and celebration,  New life, new dreams, new hopes. And it was all Him--"every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17) How can we not praise and thank Him who not only carries and sustains us through difficulty and sorrow, but who also blesses us with every good gift, large and small?  

Charles Spurgeon writes of these verses in Isaiah: "When we grow old, our God will still be the I AM, abiding evermore the same. Hoar hairs tell of our decay, but He decays not. When we cannot carry a burden and can hardly carry ourselves, the Lord will carry us. He made us, and He will care for us. When we become a burden to our friends and a burden to ourselves, the Lord will not shake us off, rather He will take us up and carry and deliver us more fully than ever. Let us not dread old age. Let us grow old graciously, since the Lord Himself is with us in fullness of grace." 

I still have a little black rock that my dear friend, Beth Page, gave us ten years ago when Janie was unconscious in the hospital. Beth had written on it the words of I Sam.7:12, "Thus far the LORD has helped us." What a reminder of God's faithfulness and sustaining care--not just in that frightening time but in all the intervening days, months, and years since then. Oh how He has been faithful...and good...and true!  If He has "helped us thus far"--and He has!--He will continue to help us--and, of course, He will!  He always keeps all His promises!

I don't know what this new year holds for any of us. But I do know we are called not to fear but to faith, for our God has promised He will carry us through it all. We can look to 2023 with hopeful anticipation and joy, for He who has been so extraordinarily faithful to us this past year, does not change, so He will be faithful, forgiving, loving, sustaining, gracious, and mighty in the year ahead. His faithful love endures forever and ever. 

May you spend a few minutes pondering how God has carried you through this past year--with all its joys and sorrows, successes and setbacks--and then give Him praise and glory for His extraordinary faithfulness and goodness throughout 2022. Thank Him that "thus far He has helped" you. Then, look ahead to 2023 with hope and joy, knowing that He has so much more for you to see and experience of His faithfulness and goodness in the days ahead. For we know that, no matter what, the Lord will carry us all the way till He delivers us to our perfect, glorious heavenly home. 

To God, the forever faithful One, be all the glory. 

Fountain Christmas Letter 2022

 Merry Christmas from all the Fountains!  

“For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.”                                                   Charles Dickens,  A Christmas Carol

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-4,14) 

In this season, we celebrate the coming of that Word, of the Word, Jesus.  I will never get over the wonder of it all: that Almighty God would determine to redeem this broken planet by choosing to become one of us. That divinity, as Eugene Peterson expressed it in The Message,"became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood."  A tiny, helpless infant who was also the incarnate, infinite God. The long-promised, mighty Messiah who would save His people from their sins, yet born in a humble manger. Who can grasp that? Who can even begin to comprehend the wonder and glory of the incarnation?  Fully God and fully man. 

I did some research on—what else—google. Here are just a couple of facts to consider: 

-The nearest major galaxy is 2.5 million lights years away.

-One light year is equal to 5.88 trillion miles.

-Conservatively, our Milky Way galaxy has about 100 billion stars and could have as many as 400 billion stars. 

-We are only one of at least two trillion galaxies...and we're merely an average-sized galaxy. 

-There are likely ten times more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on the earth (which, by the way, is estimated at 7.5 quintillion--contemplate that the next time you're building a sand castle). We're talking an unimaginable number of stars. 

Now ponder these verses: 

"He determines the number of the stars; He gives to all of them their names." (Ps.147:4) 

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork." (Ps.19:1) 

“And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Col.1:17

Think back to John 1:2—“All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” 

We share all this as a reminder of just who that baby born in the manger truly was and is.  As the apostle John reiterates, Jesus, Emmanuel, is also the omniscient and omnipotent Creator and Sustainer of the universe. There is nothing that He cannot do. Nothing that He does not know. Nothing that can thwart His plans or His hand. If He can fashion such awesome enormity as we glimpse in the heavens, what are our problems to Him?  Sure, our difficulties and challenges can feel overwhelming and huge to us...but not to Him. Look at who He is and what He has done. He spoke the vast universe into being. He created every individual on the face of the earth. He knows and loves each of us, not merely collectively, but individually and intimately. And He chose to enter His own creation in order to redeem and save those He created and loved. He lived the perfect life none of us could live, died the death we each deserved for our sins, and rose again to new life so that we, too, might enjoy eternal, resurrection life.  

Be encouraged that whatever sorrows or setbacks you might be enduring right now, whatever difficulties or disappointments you might be facing, Jesus can handle it. All of it. Nothing is too big or too challenging for Him, the Word, through whom all things were made. And never forget, no darkness has, or will ever, overcome Him. He is the Light of the world. 

May your Christmas this year be filled with His unstoppable light and His unconquerable love.  Joy to the world, the Lord is come! 

Merry Christmas and much love,  All the Fountains

(p.s. In case you are interested in a brief update on our crew, here it is below:                   Mary Norris and Matt Tilmes live in Charlotte and welcomed Eleanor Jane (Ella) on November 23, 2021. She joins big sister, Emily, who is now three years old. Needless to say, they are our joy and delight, and grand-parenting truly cannot be oversold. It is the best!  Casey and Richard, who also live in Charlotte, are expecting their first baby in March, and we're all mighty excited!  Janie really enjoys working and living in, where else, Charlotte!  What can I say? I can't get anyone to move to Raleigh despite my relentless Chamber of Commerce-worthy plugs for our city. But it's always pure joy to go to Charlotte and get to see grand-babies and three of our five children. So for the record, the "Queen City" is growing on us! Preyer lives in Washington, D.C. and will be marrying Maddie Grace Hough in March.  We are all thrilled!  Finally, Peter, a junior at UNC-CH, continues to love being at Carolina and playing golf for the Tar Heels. Go Heels! We're also incredibly thankful that all my siblings and their spouses, as well as Richard's 94 year old daddy (who is remarkable!), are all doing well. It's always such a gift to be with them! Oh, and we can't forget our beloved lab, Mr. Bingley (who, despite his incredible good looks, inexplicably failed to make the card this year. A major faux pas).  Bingley continues to love hauling huge sticks down the greenway, chasing after deer, and having any of the children come home. Merry Christmas!)

Morning--the gate of the day

 

 "Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go for to You, I lift up my soul." Ps.143:8

"The morning is the gate of the day, and should be well guarded with prayer. It is one end of the thread on which the day's actions are strung, and should be well knotted with devotion. It we felt more the majesty of life we should be more careful of its mornings. He who rushes from his bed to his business and without worship is as foolish as though he had not put on his clothes, or washed his face, and as unwise as though he had dashed into battle without arms or armor."  Charles Haddon Spurgeon

"We are silent in the early hours of each day, because God is supposed to have the first word, and we are silent before going to sleep, because to God also belongs the last word. We are silent solely for the sake of the word, not in order to show dishonor to the word but in order to honor and receive it properly. Silence ultimately means nothing but waiting for God's word and coming away blessed by God's word...Silence before the word, however, will have its effect on the whole day."  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

How I love the early mornings! Now granted, I'm a "morning person," but all of us have the choice what we will do with our mornings upon first awakening. Will we waste those early, quiet minutes with busyness and chores? Will we fritter away those precious moments in mindless scrolling?  Will we fill them up with noise--the noise of TV's or phones or computers? I've always loved (and been convicted by) C.S. Lewis' quote in Screwtape Letters, where the "senior demon" Screwtape advises his mignon, Wormwood, on the great value of nonstop noise to distract and drive humans away from God:

 "Music and silence–how I detest them both!….[Hell] has been occupied by Noise–Noise, the grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exultant, ruthless, and virile–Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples and impossible desires. We will make the whole universe a noise in the end….The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end."

During these pre-dawn mornings during Advent, in particular, I've been encouraged afresh of the wonder and beauty of our Savior. Of the life-giving, attitude-altering, wisdom-filling importance of spending time each morning with Him first by reading His Word before any other reading or listening or "doing." Allowing Him to imprint our day with His Spirit and His Word rather than allowing the multitude of other voices overwhelm us. It really is true: what we read or hear first truly can have a profound effect on our whole day. 

On this third Sunday in Advent, might we be determined anew in this coming year to make His voice the first thing we listen to and heed each morning. Let Him and His Word imprint our days with hope, wisdom, and joy.  May we, like the psalmist, wait upon the Lord and put our hope in His Word. (Ps.130:5) 

To God be the glory.

First Day of Fall--Time for a Gratitude Reset!

Today is a day for a mini celebration, because...it's the first day of fall!  Today inaugurates what is surely one of the best seasons of the year--brisk refreshing air, brilliantly colored leaves, trick or treaters, Halloween blowups (which I now love because our granddaughter ADORES them), pumpkin anything and everything, pilgrims, thanksgiving, family gatherings...and on and on. 

Oh my, thank You, Lord, for the beauty and glory of autumn, and thank You for the gift of a season dedicated to being thankful. Don't we all need it? In a sense, fall provides us with a gratitude reset. In case we've grown complacent or callous or  plain old complaint-prone, here comes the time of year where we can and must purposely notice the wonder all around us and the grace showered upon us, and pause to give thanks to the Maker, the Giver, and the Sustainer of any and all good gifts in our lives and in our world.

But in honor of the start to this season of gratitude, here are a few thoughts on Psalm 103.  May this psalm jumpstart our praise and thanksgiving to our good and gracious Heavenly Father: 

We've just started reading Malachi for our Bible study. The prophet begins in ch.1 with the Lord’s declaration of “I have loved you.” Yet the people sneeringly respond, “How have you loved us?” What a picture of stunning ingratitude, insolence, and pride.  Think of all God had done for His chosen people, but it’s as if they’ve forgotten everything.  “What have you done for us lately,” they seem to demand. 

I can’t tell you how convicted I’ve been by their sinful attitude, especially their complete ingratitude for all the ways the Lord has blessed them so richly and undeservedly.  Because isn’t that just like us?  How quickly I can morph from worshiping to grumbling or from trusting faith to fearful anxiety.  As Paul David Tripp often says, I am all too often a victim of spiritual amnesia: forgetting WHO God is and what He has done for me.  Fixating only on what I lack rather than focusing on the stunning riches the Lord has graciously and undeservedly lavished on me in Christ!  Forgive me Lord!

But just the other day, I was reading a familiar but wonderful Psalm in my time with the Lord, and the Holy Spirit suddenly pierced my heart with the beauty and truth of God’s words and how they are an antidote for my/our monstrous ingratitude, selfishness and pride. I encourage you to take the first few verses of the psalm and ponder them. Personalize them. Pray them back to God.

“Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits"--what are some of His benefits?  His grace, His forgiveness, His love, His power, His mercy, His wisdom, His Word, His Holy Spirit…Innumerable benefits!  Thank You Lord!

“Who forgives all your iniquities”—name them!  My pride, my selfishness, my envy, my ingratitude, my worry... Name and confess those sins, and then remember, they are forgiven and forgotten because of Christ. 

“Who heals all your diseases”—How has He been healing you or those you love? Sure, write down the big ones: healing my friend Caroline, healing our daughter's brain injury, healing Allie Dyer's cancer. But also how about the countless times He’s healed our colds, our flus, our cuts and scrapes, our broken bones, our toothaches, our bouts with covid and on and on? Oh my, He truly is the Great Physician, but when was the last time you thanked Him for healing a headache or a bruise?  Thank Him!

“Who redeems your life from the pit”—praise You, Jesus, for healing our times of deep sorrow, discouragement, depression, anxiety, not to mention the greatest pit of all—redeeming us from all our sin and giving us eternal life! 

“Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy”—think about that.   Do we deserve His steadfast, never-ending, perfect love and mercy?  No, a thousand times no, but that’s what He showers upon us!

“Who satisfies you with good things’—Oh boy, I loved this one! Thank You Father for good food, for friends, for laughter, for hot baths, for big mugs of tea, for loyal dogs, for grand babies, for autumn’s beauty.  Thank You for the State Fair and exercise buddies and Bible study with wonderful women. Thank You for fall sprinkles on yummy pumpkin cake. Goodness, how about a hot shower?  When you took your shower this morning, did you pause to consider what an amazing, what a “good thing,” it is to have an abundance of clean, fresh water pouring over you with a mere turn of a handle…and you can enjoy that water as hot you’d like?  WOW! He satisfies us with SUCH good things!  So THANK HIM!

“So that your youth is renewed like an eagles.”  He does this for me every morning. I can’t tell you how many mornings, I've come to Him many a time feeling discouraged, frustrated, wearied, or plain old distracted. Yet lo and behold, He comes to me in His Word and in His astounding grace, He truly does renew my mind and restore my joy.  His mercies are, indeed, new every single morning!  I might start off feeling like a slug, but but by the end of my time with Him, I’m soaring like an eagle!  Because that’s who He is and what He does. He is the Great Renewer and Restorer!

So today, can I simply encourage you to go to God's Word this week—in particular go to Ps.103--and pray it back to Him. Thank Him. Delight in Him. Like the old song says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one.” 

What a Lord we have.  Might we all “Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” To God be the glory.

 

As far as the east is from the west

 

"As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us." Ps.103:12

"He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:19

As I sit here on the deck of our rented house, I gaze over the vastness of an ocean that stretches off into the horizon, far beyond not only my vision, but my imagination. I've always been a mountain girl, but goodness gracious, what a glorious gift the Lord has also given us in the beach and sea. What an extravagant, gift-giving Father we have. Thank You, Lord. 

But my thankfulness for the beauty of His creation pales today as I consider the boundless depths of His salvation. And sitting here on this deck, gazing at the pounding waves and reading a wonderful book by Levi Lusko (The Last Supper on the Moon), I am staggered to silent and tearful awe at the stunning gift Jesus' forgiveness on the cross. 

The first of Jesus' seven last statements on the cross was "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do." (Luke 22:34) As Levi points out, "The first time He spoke, it was to pray." In fact, three of His seven last statements were all prayer...meaning nearly half of His words at the very end of His life were praying to His Father. Is that how we begin our days? On the most horrific day in the history of mankind with the most momentous work ever to be accomplished riding on His bloody, beaten shoulders, Jesus prayed..and prayed.  Oh Father, help us to pray. Teach us to pray. Thank You for the gift of prayer.

But here's the thing--He didn't pray for Himself. I certainly would have. No, He prayed for those who had betrayed Him, beaten Him, tried Him, stripped Him,  shouted insults at Him, rejected Him, mocked Him. No, not just the soldiers...or Pilate...or Herod...or the screaming crowd. He prayed that God would forgive you, forgive me, as well. Forgive us of the monstrous, seemingly infinite load of sin and selfishness and pride and envy and ingratitude and gossip that we bear, but He took. Oftentimes we fail to see it. We paint our sins with muted colors of gray and sepia--all our excuses our rebranding (e.g. not gossip but giving helpful information, not selfishness but being my authentic self and on and on) our minimizing. 

But our sin really is that bad, that hideous. If you doubt that, look at the price that was paid for your forgiveness. Revisit the cross in all its horror, cruelty, injustice. And remember that on those crossbeams, we crucified Perfection Himself...perfect love, grace, joy, hope, forgiveness, justice. 

And remember, as Lusko points out--"At the cross, He was actually paying for what He was praying for."The only One who could truly pay for our forgiveness, also prayed for our forgiveness. In full. "It is finished."

"As far as the east is from the west. "

"Cast into the depths of the sea." 

So here's my question: if we have been forgiven of such an infinite, unfathomable amount, how on earth can we not forgive the relatively infinitesimal amount of sin against us?  I say this to my shame, because put me right up there with the best when it comes to holding onto unforgiveness when a person has hurt someone I love. Yeah sure, you can hurt me, but heaven help you if you hurt one of my loved ones! I can greedily clutch my forgiveness tighter to my heart than Scrooge with his beloved money (before his redemption!). "Nope, you devastated my child...my sister...my best friend. No forgiveness for you ever! As in NEVER!" 

News flash--wrong answer! 

Because here's the truth: as Jesus shared with Peter, we are to forgive, not seven times, but seventy times seven! In other words, never ever, ever will you get to the end of the amount of times you are to forgive, because your Savior has forgiven you "as far as the east is from the west"--i.e. endless!  We are to forgive...and forgive...and forgive...again...and again...and again. Because that's what Jesus did for you, for me...literally to infinity and beyond.

So today, will you pause to truly consider the riches of the love of God that would go to such depths and heights to purchase your forgiveness. He offers you the treasure of infinite forgiveness and glorious grace. If you've never accepted this gift of all gifts, please do it today. Today is the day of salvations, and oh my what a wondrous day it will be!

And for all who are reading this, please take time right now to ponder anew the wonder, the stunning extent of Christ's forgiveness. The oceans depths cannot even begin to contain the breadth of His forgiveness. 

Thank You, thank You, thank You Lord Jesus. You are worthy of all praise and glory and honor. Please show each of us today where the infection of unforgiveness hides in the recesses of our heart. Help us to focus on Your cross, to fix our eyes on You so that as we remember all You have done for us, we will be enabled to forgive the relatively minuscule amount of offense against us. How dare we who have been forgiven so, so much, be unwilling to forgive so, so little. 

To God be the glory.

A new season...a new start...a reminder of old Truth!

 Happy summer!  Oh my, how I love the warmth, the pace, the beauty of summer.  Thank You Lord!  And with this new season, I'm also incredibly grateful for fresh starts--including getting back to this blog. Your mercies are new every morning, Father; great is Your faithfulness. (Lam.3:21-24--one of my very favorite passages).  Aren't you thankful we serve a God of second and third and fourth and on and on chances? 

In light of that, here is one of my very favorite quotes from Paul David Tripp. I love it, because I need this reminder every single day. I truly am a spiritual amnesiac. I know the Truth...but I forget...again and again.  And remembering--and remembering the Truth, not the lies the world or our own flesh feed us--is absolutely critical.  So here it is--

"We just never stop talking to ourselves. We never stop preaching some kind of gospel to ourselves. It's a gospel of aloneness, partiality, poverty, inability--of functional hopelessness--or it's the true gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of hope, mercy, forgiveness, rescue, love, transformation; of never being alone, of never being without help; of One who is near, of One who cares; of a beautiful forever awash in victory. We're always listening to what we're preaching. 

Today, what kind of gospel will you preach to you, and what effect will it have on how you live?"

Yes, we are all always talking and preaching to ourselves. James reminds us that there is great power in the tongue--our tongues can be used for great good or terrible evil. And this applies just as much to the way we speak to ourselves, our inner monologues, as it does to the way we speak to and about other people. 

Today, will you ask yourself: what kinds of words am I speaking to myself? What kind of gospel am I preaching?  Am I repeating the world's gospel of lies--the gospel of inadequacy and aloneness and hopelessness and fear?  Or am I rehearsing the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ--the gospel of redemption and steadfast love and grace and mercy and hope. His mercies are new every morning, noon, and evening. He is forever faithful and His steadfast love never, ever ceases or even diminishes. It's a new season and time for a new reminder to do what we know, but tend to forget.  So today, right now, let's be sure we're preaching the Truth to ourselves. His gospel is glorious, and it is gloriously good news for our hearts and our lives--let's preach it! 

To God be the glory. 

Maundy Thursday thoughts

"And He came the third time and said to them, 'Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners."

Maundy Thursday. It is Thursday of Holy Week, and finally, the hour has come. As David Mathis writes in his magnificent book, Rich Wounds, "All history hinges on this hour...His dying began long before this hour, but now in Gethsemane, He must face the death to self that comes before the death at Calvary. Never has a soul been in such anguish. Never has a human been so undeserving of death. Never has anyone else faced such horror: to be made sin on behalf of others--to put Himself forward in our place." 

Think of all the times Jesus has said, "My hour has not yet come"--because He awaited God's appointed time and plan for our salvation. A plan that would demand not just painful betrayal and abandonment, horrific suffering and death, but surely infinitely worse--that He, the perfect, sinless Lord would bear all sin, for all mankind, for all time. And He would, for the first time ever in uncreated time and history, be separated from perfect, loving, glorious fellowship with His Father. Instead, Jesus would bear God's full righteous wrath against all sin, all evil. Jesus bore that unbearable punishment for you, for me...for His hour had come. 

The hour of His ultimate suffering. Our hour of utterly undeserved salvation. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You for choosing to bear the unbearable in order to give us the unimaginably glorious gift of redemption and eternal life. 

There is so much to see on this day, this Maundy Thursday, that should make us fall to our knees and worship in stunned adoration. Might we all spend time today pondering all that happened on this day and then immediately lift it up to God in praise and worship. But as a tiny place to begin, here are just two--

First, one of the most stunning statements to me in Scripture occurs on the evening of this very day. We're told that after Jesus has revealed that one of his disciples will betray Him, after washing His disciples dirty feet, after sharing the last supper with them and giving them the bread and wine that symbolized His body and blood which He would shed for them (and us), we're told in Mark 14:26, "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." 

Oh please don't miss this--in the midst of facing imminent horror and suffering beyond anything any of us ever have or ever will be able to imagine, Jesus joined His disciples in singing a hymn. How could He sing?  

Such defiant joy. Such trust in His Heavenly Father and His Father's plan. Such beauty in the midst of overwhelming ugliness. Singing because He saw the joy set before Him--completing His work of our redemption and bringing us to glory. He sang, because He loved us so much that He rejoiced in what His suffering, death and resurrection would accomplish--our presence with Him forever and ever. 

It's possible Jesus and the disciples were singing Psalm 118 as it is part of the Hallel (Pslams 113 through 118 which are sung or recited on every Jewish holy day). And just as a reminder, here are a few of the verses they may have been singing from that climatic psalm in the Hallel: "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice, and be glad in it." (118:22-24)

Jesus is the Stone rejected by the builders. Jesus is the capstone of creation and salvation. And what Jesus has done for us is indeed, marvelous, glorious, wondrous beyond all imagining in our eyes!  Praise You, Lord Jesus! 

But consider that "this is the day the Lord has made" refers to that very day, that very hour when Jesus would suffer and die for our sins to bring His beloved children to glory. Jesus was singing and rejoicing over that day--that horrific, terrible day that He was facing. Again, He was singing for our salvation. How can we not sing? No matter what suffering we might be enduring right now, how can we not sing?  

Yes, Lord, no matter what, we praise You and thank You for this day we are living right now. This day today, with all its challenges and victories, sorrows and joys, disappointments and blessings. But we also rejoice and praise You for that day over two thousand years ago on Calvary. Thank You is woefully inadequate, but praise You, praise You, praise You. 

And secondly, a brief thought about the meaning of the word Maundy. It's Latin for "command." Specifically this relates to Jesus' command to His disciples to love one another. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that You are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35) 

I've always thought of this solely in terms of our love--how we're commanded to love one another. And, of course, that is absolutely true. But at a deeper level, notice Whose love this is all based upon--"just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." This is about the stunning, infinite, beautiful love of Jesus. What can possibly compare to His love?  He would love to the uttermost by bearing our sins, by dying for us on the cross, and by being raised to new life so that we could enjoy abundant eternal life. We're commanded to love, but it's all, all, all about Jesus' love.

Again, David Mathis' words, "Having been loved like this, how can we not love one another? How can we not, as the beneficiaries of Christ's irreplaceable sacrifice, ache to empty our own selves for another's good? Having tasted such fullness from Him, how can we not gladly pour ourselves our to meet the needs of others? 

Yes, we will love as He commanded. But Maundy Thursday does not turn on our love. This is a night to marvel at what Jesus embraced for us. To be astounded at the uniqueness of His sacrificial love. To wonder that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom.5:8)."

Please don't let this day pass without worshiping the wonderful Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. Praise Him for His infinite love and His terrible, beautiful sacrifice. Praise Him for providing The Way for our salvation but also the way for us to love others--not in our own paltry, puny strength, but in His. We can love others only because He--the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah--first loved us. And for such love, we simply fall to our knees and worship. 

To Jesus--the Lion and the Lamb--be all the glory.

Who are you listening to in this New Year?

A simple question to ask yourself for the New Year: what voices are you listening to on a consistent basis? 

In our Bible study, we've been examining the book of Joshua (which I highly recommend!), and last week we saw the Israelites being deceived by the Gibeonites. I won't go into the details here (it's in Joshua ch.9), but suffice it to say, I was challenged by the way the Israelites listened to the Gibeonites tall tale, asked them questions, listened to their answers, and even examined some of the physical evidence the Gibeonites produced to bolster their fib. 

But here's what the Israelites categorically failed to do--they never took it to their Heavenly Father in prayer. Joshua 9:14 starkly declares, they "did not ask counsel of the Lord." Hmm. Think about it. The Israelites entered into conversation with the Gibeonites, asking questions and listening to explanations. Yet they never paused to go to the ONLY One who knew everything, who fully understood the truth, who already had a track record of giving His people perfect plans for conquering the first two cities in the promised land, who loved them and who always provided for them. They listened to all those Gibeonite voices but never sought to listen to the voice of God, the voice of truth. Houston, we have a problem. 

But what does God’s Word say?  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Prov.3:5-6  When we need His wisdom—which, of course, each of us does every day of our lives!—He promises to give it to us.  For instance, we’re promised in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”  Or as Mt.7:7 puts it: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” When we’re burdened and discouraged, He tells us to “COME TO ME, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Mt.11:28-29  

When the way ahead seems incredibly dark and confusing, Jesus promises us that “I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the Light of Life.” (John8:12)  When we feel weak and unable, the psalmist tells us to “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Ps.55:22) When we’re overcome with fear and anxiety, He assures us in His Word, “Fear not, for I AM with you; be not dismayed, for I AM your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isa.41:10). We all suffer from spiritual amnesia, so we need to go to His Word to listen to HIS voice and be reminded once again of who He is and all He can do.

Sadly, that’s not what the Israelites did. They evaluated the Gibeonites’ claims based not upon the perfect all-seeing wisdom of God but based upon the very limited amount their eyes could see and their common sense could supply. That’s called walking by sight.  When we start walking by sight rather than by faith, we will inevitably stumble and fall.

So what's the antidote for deception and listening to the wrong voices?  Well, duh--listen to THE voice: the voice of truth!  Listen to God's voice. And how do we do that? By abiding in His Word. That means we read it, study it, ponder it, maybe pause for little moments during our day to read a verse or two from it. 

Let me ask you: how often do you check your phone during the day?  hmm. When you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, for instance, do you tend to pull out your phone and start perusing instagram or Facebook or whatever social media's latest fad might be?  You do know, right, that the geniuses in Silicon Valley spend gobs of money and effort to make sure their stuff is addictive in order to keep us on it as much as possible. Don’t let all their voices drown out the voice of truth!  

Here’s an idea: let’s replace some of that scrolling with scripture!  Get a Scripture app on your phone and the next time you’re standing in line, read some Scripture instead! 

Be deliberate and discerning about what voices you allow into your ears and heart on a daily basis. As we’ve seen, the Israelites listened to the voices of the Gibeonites but failed to listen to the voice of God. Make sure, no matter what, that God’s voice in God’s Word is the voice you listen to every day. Even if it’s only a couple of minutes—God’s Word is supernatural, and He can do amazing things even with a few moments. 

Ask yourself if there are some voices you’ve been listening to that are not reflective of beauty, goodness, and truth?  For example, are you listening to certain podcasts or watching certain programs that you know are untruthful, unwise, God-rejecting or that are somehow discouraging you? We need to be discerning about what voices we allow to fill our ears and minds on a regular basis. 

And I've shared this before, but that’s because I believe it can be so life-changing! So here it is again!: Try to make God’s voice the first thing you listen to in the morning. Don’t open your phone or computer or pick up anything else to read until after you’ve spent time a few minutes reading and listening to God’s voice in His Word. 

So a simple but profoundly important encouragement for this New Year--be discerning regarding the voices you are listening to on a consistent basis and be deliberate in daily listening to and heeding the life-giving, truth-telling, destiny-altering, hope-restoring, peace-instilling voice of Almighty God. 

Thank You, Father, for choosing to reveal Yourself to us in Your written Word. Thank You for the power of Your Word to change hearts and lives. And thank You for the gift of all gifts: Jesus, the Living Word How thankful we are for Your written and Your Living Word!

To God be the glory.

Beauty from brokenness

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4

It's been a minute, hasn't it?  Here I am, several months since my last blog, and the reason is simple: I just didn't feel like writing. Hmm. If I only did things I feel like, I would've eaten Hayes Barton Cafe peanut butter pie (or any form of Hayes Barton Cafe cake, for that matter) for breakfast...and lunch...and, of course, dinner, because, well, duh, it's Hayes Barton cake!  But since I need to choose to do what I know to be right (and beneficial), I'll save the cake for dessert after dinner, and instead get busy doing what God's called me to do right now. Faith over feelings. 

It''s been a challenging few months. Normally, fall is my favorite time of the year, but this year has had more than its share of losses and sorrows. Dear friends losing a beloved child. Others losing a precious parent. Painful losses in our family that have cut deep and hard. Constant reminders these past months that we live on a broken planet, and we will all suffer from that brokenness, loneliness, sadness. 

But God. 

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Gen.50:20. "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my potion forever." Ps.73:26 "But God raised him from the dead..." Acts 13:30 "...but God shows his love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us." Rom 5:8 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” Eph.2:4-5

But God takes our brokenness and turns it into beauty. As I read recently in a blog, "In His timing, He will take all our grief, failures, and fears and paint them into something wildly beautiful. He's in the business of it. Beauty alone is worthy to behold, but beauty from brokenness is far more compelling." Oh my, isn't that the truth?  It's suffering that ultimately produces the beauty of depth of character, strength, sweet empathy, kind compassion, deep gratitude. 

None of us would ever choose to suffer, would we? But oh my, how God uses it in our lives. I'm already seeing some of that beautiful fruit of brokenness. It's hard-won growth to be sure, but I trust and know that  our Heavenly Father loves us beyond all imagining, and all His ways and plans are for our ultimate good and His glory. So we can trust and rest in Him. 

In fact, fall, itself, depicts this truth. Look around at the astounding colors of the leaves--startling crimson, brilliant orange, sunny yellow. Seriously. Pause and notice the trees for they won't be with us much longer. Soon those branches will be bare and brown. But for now, wow, stunning!  And don't forget to take a moment and give God thanks for creating such beauty. 

But those lovely colors come from the death of the leaves. As those leaves prepare to die and fall to the ground, they allow the beautiful colors to shine through. 

From brokenness comes beauty. 

From sorrow comes steadfastness.

From a cross comes a crown. 

That's what God does and who He is. He makes all things, all things new. And He is even now, making all things beautiful in His time...even that hardest, most perplexing, most challenging difficulty in your life. Trust Him with your brokenness and know that His finished masterpiece will be beautiful beyond all imagining. 

Thank You, Father. To You be all the glory.

"Rejoice, though you have considered all the facts"

"Rejoice, though you have considered all the facts" (from a poem by Wendell Barry)

Did you know that the root of the word "joy" actually means "rejoice."  And rejoice is a verb. Thus our joy derives not so much from a certain emotion or feeling but from an action. From our settled attitude and commitment to rejoice--to look for reasons for gratitude, thankfulness and rejoicing. And then to do it--that is, to not only open our eyes and hearts to see and notice the reasons for joy in our lives but then to express it in some way...write it, sing it, dance it, share it, pray it.   

Moreover--and I love this!--Barry's phrase indicates that our rejoicing does not exclude or ignore the facts, even the hardest, darkest facts in our lives. No, to the contrary, our rejoicing sees and acknowledges life's sorrows and challenges...yet even in the face of that reality, we choose to rejoice. 

For believers, no matter what we might be enduring or facing, there are always, always, always infinite grounds for rejoicing. Why? Because our God is with us. Our God is for us. Our God loves us so much that He came to earth to live the life we could never live, to die the death that we deserved, and to rise again to new resurrection life so that we might live forever with Him in glory. And we can, and must rejoice, because our God is awesome, holy, beautiful, compassionate, loving, forgiving, powerful, joyful, just, merciful and on and on....beyond all imagining. 

That is our God and there is none other. How on earth can we not rejoice?

The psalmist puts it this way in Psalms 42 and 43: "Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God." (Ps.42:5,11 and Ps.43:5) 

Today, every day, we have the choice whether we will live in dejection, turmoil and despair or whether we will live in hope and rejoicing in our Savior and our God. As my daughter often reminds (and scolds me whenever I'm living in discouragement and defeat in a fruitless effort to prepare for some mythic worst possible outcome!) "Mom, choose to walk in hope!" 

Yes, let's join the psalmist and counsel our hearts. It's time to do some preaching to ourselves rather than listening to our selves. Heart, why are you so dejected? Look up!  Look at who your God is and all He has done. Put your hope in Him. He will never leave you, never forsake you, never fail you. So hope in God and rejoice in your Savior...starting today, right now!  

To God be the glory. 

A few of God's gifts today...

    Well, it's been quite a while since I've written--in fact, over four months--so clearly not exactly killing it on the consistency quotient. But I'm going with the wisdom of the great Ralph Waldo Emerson who once wrote that "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds..." 

    In all seriousness, this has been a clear example of how challenging it can be to start back doing something you should and want to be doing...but inertia takes over. And before you know it, that important priority gets buried by countless seemingly urgent priorities. But important things are rarely deemed urgent while urgent things are typically not important, at least in the long run. So here's the bottom line: since I can't come up with even one decent excuse for my laziness and inconsistency, how about we thank the Lord that His mercies are new every morning...afternoon..evening...week...month...year. And let's begin again.

    Thank you Lord for Your grace. 

    And for fresh starts. 

    And for being our good, good Father.  

    And for Jesus. Paul put it perfectly in 2 Cor.9:15, "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" What a treasure we have in our Savior and Redeemer!  

    And on this day, Father, thank You for Your innumerable gifts in our lives. Thank You especially for the life of JoAnna McMillan who went home to be with You on this day several years ago. I think of her and miss her every single day. But what a treasure and gift she was and is to all of us. The very best of mothers, daughters, wives, sisters, friends. Her infectious joy, her indomitable love, her hilarious sense of humor, her abounding concern and compassion for others. her never-failing wisdom and common sense, her living-life-to-the-full attitude...I could go on and on. But the point is--in JoAnna, God gave us an enormous gift. And boy, did He do a good job in making her!  I'm so thankful she was and is my friend and that I will one day get to see her again. 

    Thank You Lord for friends and family on earth and in heaven above. They are truly some of Your choicest gifts to us. 

    Today, a couple more simple things to thank God for--a hot shower after a chilly, windy, soaking wet day of watching our son and his team play golf. Hot water: have you thought about it recently?  You can turn on a faucet and steaming hot water comes pouring out. How many places in our world lack water, this most basic and important of needs. Yet we have an abundance of it. And we even have hot water. What an extravagant gift that we can enjoy on a daily basis. Let's don't let the seeming ordinariness of the gift blind us to how truly extraordinary it is.  

    Thank You also, Father, for the fellow believers You put on our paths to encourage us along the way. We are not alone. We are not running this race of faith alone. God has His people everywhere!  Don't forget that. When was the last time you thanked God for the gift of running into a brother or sister in Christ when you were feeling down or worried? I think those kinds of encounters almost fall into the category of "angels unawares." Oh my, how thankful I am for such friends and for all the ways and times God brings us together. Thank You, Father for the gift of Your people wherever they may be. Might we, too, be Your agents of encouragement to those You put in our paths today. 

    Just a few of the gifts I'm specifically thanking the Lord for today. How about you? Might we open our eyes to His unending goodness and grace in our lives and take the time to thank Him and give Him glory.

    To God be the glory.  

A bit of goodness, beauty, and truth

 A friend sent me a hilarious text yesterday with the meme "I'd like to cancel my subscription to 2021. I've experienced the free 7-day trial and I'm not interested."  Yep, that about says it all, doesn't it?! Surely none of us assumed 2020 would pass and the dawn of a new year would bring all happiness and light, but good night, the start to this new year has been (to put it charitably) a doozie. And. yes, a do--over would be nice. 

But since that isn't happening, can I just add a bit of goodness, beauty, and truth to the conversation? Yes, I know there's more than plenty to bemoan, to worry about, and to lament. And we all do. But can I remind us all that there's also so much for which to be thankful.  So much to savor and enjoy. So much to simply appreciate with wonder and joy. 

Can I share a few things that have not changed one iota with all the craziness swirling around us?  The sun rose yet again for the dawn of another brand new day this morning. Thank You Lord for a new dawn that a promises us that no matter how tough yesterday was, no matter how badly we botched it, we get to begin again. You have given us a fresh new start.  

And with those first rays of God's glorious sun breaking through the darkness, we're reminded of the Truth: "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him.'" (Lam.3:21-24). 

Those words, by the way, were not penned in the midst of a happy, prosperous time in Israel's history. No, just the opposite. They were written by the prophet Jeremiah after his nation had been decimated by her enemies. Their beloved capital of Jerusalem had fallen and been completely destroyed by the Babylonians, and the vanquished Israelites thrown into exile.  In the midst of such bleakness, Jeremiah calls to mind, he remembers, who his God is and what He has done. He recalls the good and beautiful Truth that God's love, faithfulness and mercy will never ever cease. Despite how their circumstances looked or felt, Almighty God had not abandoned His people.  He was still on His throne.  He would still somehow someway use even this all for ultimate good and His glory...and so Jeremiah--and we--choose to hope in Him.  

How about some more examples of goodness, beauty and truth?  The flash of brilliant red of the cardinal at our bird feeder. The hawk soaring overhead and shrilly crying out praises to its Maker.  The sound of our children's voices on the phone. FaceTime with our granddaughter (joy!). Laughter with friends...and the priceless gift of friends. My brothers and sisters--undeserved gifts in my life. Fat snowflakes floating down to the earth (but not sticking--thank goodness!) Hot tea. Chocolate (duh).

A few more: Reading God's Word in the predawn darkness and knowing that the Lord of the universe is right there with me, speaking, listening, loving, equipping, forgiving. Books--veritable treasure troves of goodness, beauty, and truth. Reading about and being inspired by the faithful life of Elisabeth Elliot...reminding us that God will enable us to be faithful all the way to the finish line. The dear women in our Bible study and the joy of getting to study God's Word together in community. Dinner with friends or family. Trees sparkling with lights even in the "bleak mid-winter." Music and singing. Grace. Truly amazing grace.

Yes, 2021, you might not yet be all you were cracked up to be, but you're still stuffed and overflowing with God's goodness, beauty, and truth! Because His steadfast love never ceases, His mercies never come to an end and are new every single morning, and great--infinitely and eternally great--is His faithfulness. 

So how about we place our hope in the One who will never fail us or forsake us?  Yeah sure, that absolutely does not mean we won't be trudging through plenty more hard, sorrowful, perplexing stuff. But it does mean the Lord God Almighty is with us and for us all the way. In our trudging and in our dancing. In our crying and in our laughing. And He will get us through to the other side. Not somehow but triumphantly. Because I've read the end of the story...and it's good, indescribably good, beautiful, and true. 

To God be the glory. 

For the New Year

  Woohoo--welcome 2021!  Happy New Year to everyone!  Just a couple of thoughts to begin this new year that the Lord has given us: 

First, a verse for the year just past--"Thus far the Lord has helped us." (I Sam.7:12). 

Yes, 2020 was quite a year full of challenges and hardships...but thus far has our infinitely good God carried us, strengthened us, loved us. If you're reading this, then you made it through all the muck and mess, all the sorrows and separation, all the difficulties and division of this past year. Whether you feel like you sailed through or just barely staggered through, God has chosen to allow you still to be here on planet earth.  He is still with you and for you.  He still wants to use you in this brand new year to encourage others, to share His love with a hurting world, to experience and enjoy His presence, to worship Him with all your heart, to bring Him glory with your actions and attitudes every single day. 

There are no throw-away moments in God's economy for He infuses each one of them with Himself. This day, this moment matters...so don't fritter it away in fretting and distraction. Instead, by faith and by His grace, live each of these irreplaceable moments to His glory. 

And all God's promises are just as real, true, and certain as the very first moment He spoke them into being in His Word. So let's stop worrying, dreading, doubting and instead start worshipping, depending, and acting on His promises. That begins by daily reading His Word and hearing His voice speaking directly to you. "So faith comes through hearing and hearing through the word of Christ."  Rom.10:17. How about hearing a little (or a lot) less twitter, instagram, cable news, and netflicks and a lot more of the supernatural, mind and life transforming Word of God?

Secondly, a verse for the new year of 2021: "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil.3:13-14)

Maybe you really blew it in 2020. Maybe on this second day of 2021 you've already fallen short on your highfalutin' goals for the new year. Can I tell you something? We all, all, all have sinned and fallen far short of the glory of God. (Rom.3:23) Welcome to the club of procrastinators, perfectionists, failures, and sinners. Just in case you never heard, the definition of a saint is someone who has "fallen down and gotten up...fallen down and gotten up...fallen down and gotten up...all the way to heaven." 

We've all messed up...and for this we have Jesus. His grace is ever and always sufficient. Hand Him your sins, your inadequacies, your bad habits, your weaknesses, your addictions. Instead of dwelling on all that's behind us--that we absolutely cannot change--let's take Paul's advice and "press on toward the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." 

Yes, let's be quick to confess and repent--which means stopping, turning around, and going in the other direction.  Our Abba Father is waiting to embrace us in His forgiving love and restore us by His grace. But then, it's time to stop dwelling on the past and ask our Heavenly Daddy to fill us again. To renew and revive us again so that we can get busy doing whatever He's called us to do on this day. Today--the only today that we will ever have. Our Lord will enable us to press on...but we've got to choose to forget what is behind and by His grace and for His glory, start straining forward to whatever He has for us ahead. 

We may not know the future (boy, has 2020 shown us that), but here's what we do know: God Almighty wins. He reigns. And He's promised that we are seated with Him in the heavenly places and will reign with Him in glory forever. So I'd say, ultimately, no matter what surprises this new year holds, He's got it; He's got us, and we will be more than okay. 

Thank You, Lord, for Your amazing faithfulness to us and bringing us through all the challenges of this past year. Thank You for Your ever-sustaining grace. Thank You for Jesus, our Savior, whose death on the cross saved us from our sin and whose resurrection assures us of abundant, eternal life. And now, please help us--for every day that You give us breath--to press on and to live by Your grace and for Your glory. And to You be all the glory forever and ever. 

Advent: Covid & Jesus' coming

 Happy, happy, happy Advent!  

Oh my, if I've ever been excited about entering into the wondrous season of Advent, it is this year. Today. Right now. On this first Sunday in Advent. Bring. It. On. Thank You Lord for coming and thank You for Advent!

Advent gives us the gift of considering and contemplating the coming of Jesus. We have a whole, wonderful season of about four weeks leading up to Christmas Day to think about, to ponder, to thank, and to worship God for the coming of Jesus to our beautiful but broken planet. And not only do we remember Jesus' first coming, but we anticipate with joyful hope His second coming. Advent allows us daily to pause and to quiet our weary hearts and simply gaze at the Savior in wonder and adoration for coming to Bethlehem in great humility--all in order to save us--and for the certain promise of coming again one day in unimaginable glory. What can we say, but praise You, Jesus, for coming! And come Lord Jesus, come!

Today, we light the candle of Hope on the Advent wreath.  How our world needs hope right now...and we have it in infinite, astounding abundance in Jesus. He brings hope. He fills us with hope. And He is Hope incarnate. "May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope." (Rom.15:13). Thank You, Jesus, that You are our Hope. 

But here's one simple thought today for what Jesus' coming means to us in 2020. Here we are stuck in the midst of a terrible global pandemic. Covid has sickened countless people across the world, has killed multiple thousands, has spread fear and terror, has shut down nations, kept families separated, and destroyed economies. What havoc this incredibly contagious virus has wreaked on our world. 

What if, however, you lived on some distant pristine, perfect, sinless, disease-less planet. But you learned that your child had been chosen to leave your ideal and glorious planet to parachute down into the midst of the heaviest concentration of Covid disease and contagion on planet earth. Your child had been chosen to make the sacrifice of his or her life in order to bring the life-saving cure to Covid--and to all this broken world's ills. You would lose your child; your child would relinquish all the happiness and perfection and joy of your perfect planet; and your child would give his or her life for people on a distant planet, even though those people could not begin to understand or appreciate the staggering sacrifice being made on their behalf.  

Which of us as parents would agree to that?  I'll admit it: I certainly wouldn't. I'm betting neither would you.

But that's not what God did. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) And the Son willingly, joyfully came. He relinquished all the power and glory due Him, all the endless joy and wonder of heaven in order to come down to our sin-sick planet. All to sacrifice His life for you, for me. All to die for our sins and, in exchange, give us His righteousness.  He died to give us the cure for sin. He died that we might be made well spiritually and eternally.

We cannot ever begin to imagine the depths to which Christ descended from heaven to earth in order to save us...but what we can do is worship and thank Him for coming. For making the ultimate sacrifice--His death on a cross--to provide the ultimate cure--forgiveness and salvation for all who believe--to defeat the ultimate enemy of mankind--sin and death--to bestow the ultimate gift--eternal life and His glorious presence with us forever. 

So today, on this first Sunday in Advent, will you simply pause to worship the King who came? Praise the One who left infinite glory, perfection, and wonder to put on flesh and move into our Covid, sin-ravaged neighborhood. He came...He cured...He conquered...and He's coming again. All out of HIs infinite love. Thank You, Jesus.

To You be all the glory forever and ever.

Joyful noises, Exclamation points, and Entering our days with praise!

 "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever; and His faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 100

Oh my, how I love Psalm 100!  First of all, did you notice how many exclamation points there are? I counted six--in just five verses.  Now that psalmist is speaking my language, since I'm one of those folks that loves her some exclamation points.  After all, isn't God's extravagant goodness, abounding love, and astounding faithfulness infinitely worthy of such happy enthusiasm and joyful emphasis?! (gotta add one more!) 

In addition to exclamation points (which, after all, would NOT have been the psalmist's primary focus), just a couple more thoughts about this wonderful psalm. First, we're to make a "joyful noise."  Aren't you thankful that God doesn't tell us to produce a "perfectly sounding and in-tune song?"  Nope, it's a noise. We can all do that. And a joyful noise. I'm thinking of all the noises that bring God glory and reflect His joy--a baby's giggle, a sweet conversation with a dear friend, a moment of happy laughter, a breeze rustling and blowing through the trees, a bird's chorus, a beloved hymn or praise song (that we belt out without worrying how we sound), a still moment of peace in the predawn darkness, a contented sigh as we settle into bed with a great book, a word of encouragement, a loved one's voice, a quiet rustle of the turning of pages in God's Word, a whispered "I love you" or "Please forgive me"...and on and on. Today, what joyful noise to the Lord can you make?  Sing it, speak it, share it--with the Lord but also with someone else. Your joyful noise might be just the vitamin of encouragement that person desperately needs to hear. 

Secondly, what peace and security it gives us when we remember that we are God's people. He made us; we belong to Him; we live in His pasture; we are His sheep.  We are not out there on our own. We are His, and He's got us. He is the Good Good Shepherd, and He will always and forever tenderly and faithfully care for, love, forgive, encourage, strengthen, and guide His sheep. Which means we can stop worrying. Instead, we can recall and rest in His perfect provision, wisdom, and love.  Or as James Bryant Smith puts it, "God always gets the last word. So stop worrying. Instead, entrust your life to the good, beautiful, and true God who reigns in the strong and unshakeable Kingdom." 

Third, we're to "enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise." How are we entering our days each morning?  Are we entering our day with stress, worry, and cluttered hearts or with thanksgiving and praise to our good, beautiful, and true God?  Are we entering our day with hearts burdened by our busyness and self-preoccupation or with hearts buoyed and focused upon our glorious God and His steadfast love and faithfulness? It makes all the difference in the world when we enter with thanksgiving and praise. 

Father, we ask that You would flood our hearts and minds with You, Your Word, Your amazing grace, and Your astounding greatness. You are worthy of all our praise and thanksgiving. You have given us so, so much, but we pray that You would give us one thing more--grateful, thankful hearts. 

To God be the glory.

Cultivating the habit

"I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart:  I will recount all of Your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High." (Ps.9:1-2)

Did you happen to notice that little word "will?"  I will give thanks. I will recount all Your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in You. I will sing praise to Your name.  In case we needed reminding--gratitude and thanksgiving are an act of our wills. We must choose to be grateful as opposed to grumbling. We must choose to see--to purposely open our eyes to look for and notice--God's wonderful deeds in our lives. We must choose to engage in the act of singing praises to our Lord. 

Thankfulness does not happen by default. Not ever. We must choose by an act of our will to see, to savor, to sing, to give thanks, to remember, to recite God's gifts and goodness in our lives and in this world. 

Here's how Jon Bloom explains it: "Cultivating gratitude is not easy. We all need help, and thank God help is available. but there is no thankfulness hack--no four easy steps to a grateful heart. It's as hard as habit-building. We begin to train our heart-eyes to look for God's grace--in all circumstances. This looking becomes habitual. And habits are being built by doing them every day. We get incrementally better at them as the days gradually accumulate to months, and months to years. They become more and more a part of us over time."  

Yep, it's as simple (and sometimes challenging) as that--cultivating a habit of gratitude. Asking God to show us and to help us to be relentlessly thankful people. Then we choose to open up our eyes and look around--because God's goodness and glory are, quite literally, everywhere.  And we give Him thanks. Daily. Habitually. Even when it's hard. Because there is always, always, always something for which we can give thanks. 

How about you start training your heart-eyes to look for God's grace...and then thank Him. Maybe even share your gratitude with someone else, because we all need encouragement. As Ann Voskamp always says, "Only speak words that make souls stronger."  Gratitude not only strengthens, but it's also contagious. (And the opposite is true--complaining always weakens, and sadly, it's just as contagious). 

It's never too late to begin cultivating this beautiful habit of thankfulness. So how about today? Not only will you be giving God glory, but you just might be strengthening some weary souls around you who desperately need it. 

To God be the glory.