A quick thanksgiving!

     First fish--life is good!
     Greetings from Cane River--aka paradise at the base of Mt. Mitchell.  All my brothers and sisters and many of all of our children are all staying in a big old log cabin nestled in the mountains and perched right beside the beautiful Cane River.  We fish various parts of the stream during the day and then enjoy enormous meals together at a long battered table in the cabin.  The stunning beauty of God's creation happily assaults your senses--the lush, verdant scents, the clear rushing water, the slippery majestic rocks, the tumbling waterfalls, the cool air, the soothing sounds of rushing waters.
     Yet we enjoy not just the beauty of the place but the blessing of the fellowship with all our family.  How we love sharing old stories, laughing over silly memories, discussing books or fish or anything else under the sun.
     Gifts and more gifts.
     "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving." (I Tim.4:4)
     Thank You Lord for the gifts of flashing rainbow trout, green hills, fluffy clouds, powerful thunderstorms, warm sun, old log cabins, sisters and brothers, shared memories, good food when you're hungry, cool air, hot tea, laughter, and family.
     And now, though there is so much more to say, my husband is standing over me waiting to head back to the stream.  Sigh.  So, typing can wait, family cannot.  But thankYou, Father, for all that You have created is very very good, and we receive each and everything with thanksgiving!  To God be the glory.
   

Praying in Faith

     I've recently been reading in John about the last night of the Lord Jesus' earthly life and the treasure trove of wisdom and encouragement and truth that He gives His beloved disciples.  Only He knows what the following terrible hours will bring and all the confusion, despair, fear, and doubt that will assail His chosen ones.
     As I read His words, I thought of our Savior lovingly, but urgently, sharing the deepest things of His heart with this tiny band of believers late into the dark watches of the night.  All the while, His sleepy-eyed disciples listen, grateful,  but increasingly perplexed and concerned about what He is telling them.  Little do they know how they will return to the bittersweet but beautiful memory of this quiet final evening with their Lord and all His precious words as they recall and contemplate every truth He was teaching them... and us.  We have these very words of Christ enabling us to be right there with the disciples on that dark, still evening, listening to the Savior and savoring His every word.  We all value and record for posterity the "last words" spoken before someone's death--and here we have the very words of God as He prepared to die as a man for us.  Consider that for a moment:  Almighty God.  Almighty God's last words.  Almighty God's last words before dying.  God dying for us.  Incredible.
     There is so much there, every word saturated with His grace and love.  As I read Jesus' words in John, I feel completely inadequate to even begin to contemplate the depths of His meaning and His heart.  Such riches expressing how much He loves us and all He will do for us as well as about how we should love, how we should serve, how we should abide, how we should pray and on and on.  
     But for today, I have just been struck by a verse on prayer (since I"m reading a wonderful devotion on prayer with some friends):  "Truly, truly I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, He will give it to you.  Until now you have asked nothing in my name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16:23-24)
     Honestly, these kinds of verses have always troubled me a bit--they sound a little like "name it and claim it" or "prosperity gospel" kind of promises that I just don't fully understand.  We have all prayed prayers that God seemingly didn't answer in the way we hoped, and we wonder, what's wrong?  We search in vain for some magic formula or some addition to our faith that might enable our prayers to fall within this "whatever you ask... He will give it to you" promise.
     But there's no formula.  And there's no magic.  There's something much greater, more mysterious, and infinitely more powerful: a sovereign, all-wise, all-loving, all-powerful God.
     We pray in faith to a God who hears our every prayer and answers according to His perfect will and plan and for our greater good.  So how do we reconcile our unanswered prayers with this promise of "whatever you ask... He will give to you?"   That was where I struggled.  And then I read this by Alvin Vandergriend:
     "Praying in faith is not an inner conviction that God will act according to our desires if only we believe hard enough.  It involves believing that God will always respond to our prayers in accord with His nature, His purposes, and His praises.
     God does not want us simply to toss requests at Him, hoping that some of them will be answered.  He wants us to ask, knowing He is there, claiming what He promises, trusting that He will act in line with His nature and that His purposes will be achieved.  That's praying in faith.
      When you ask a person for something in good faith, you don't ask for something the person would not be willing to give.  I could never, for example, ask my parents to give me more than my share of their inheritance.  I know them too well to make such a selfish and unfair request. Similarly, if you truly know God, you will only ask for what is in accord with His will and not anything that is purely selfish."
     Wow.  That is so true.  The more we come to know God, the more we will love Him.  And the more we love Him,  the more we will trust Him.  And the more we trust Him, the more we will pray in faith and in accordance with His will.  And the more we pray according to His will, the more exciting and supernatural answers we will experience in response to our prayers.  No wonder Jesus said, "Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."  Answers to prayer and fullness of joy--sign us up for that, Lord!  But it begins with knowing and loving Him better and better.
     Help us, Father, to know and love You more intimately today than yesterday.  Increase our faith and enable us to pray in faith in accordance with Your will, because we know and love our Abba.  And might we see Your mighty hand at work in our lives in response to our prayers.  To God be the glory.
     

   

Let your Light shine

     One angel candle in the darkness... no camera flash, no indirect window light, nothing.  Just one tiny little flame flickering delicately deep within the candle--and the darkness flees.  The power of light.
     Last night I awoke in the middle of the night.  The house was dark and quiet, but my brain couldn't seem to slow down.  Isn't it funny how anxious thoughts and oppressively long to-do lists seem to multiply and flourish in the darkness?   The same worries and concerns that weigh us down in the night watches and cost us restful slumber seem to shrink into proper proportion with the dawn of the morning rays.   Somehow the new day encourages us that God is in control, as we truly experience that His mercies are new every morning.   "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end;  they are new every morning;  great is Your faithfulness." (Lam. 3:22-23)
     Boy, we know that in the morning light, but so often the darkness can veil that great truth from our frenzied minds.   In addition to their antithetical appearances, there's just something intrinsically and dramatically different in our hearts and minds between the light and the darkness, isn't there?  We can fear the dark, but not the light.   The darkness clouds our vision, but not the light.  We can lose our way or experience cold or loneliness or despair to a much greater degree in the darkness than in the light.  Darkness hides: light illuminates.
     And our Savior declared that "I am the Light of the World.  Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)  John tells us that "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." (John 1:4-5)  He is our Light!  He lights our paths and illumines our hearts and minds.  His light overcomes the darkness of our hard hearts and our fretting minds.  O how thankful I am that He is the Light of the World, the Light of my world!  Even in the darkest night, I have my Light with me.
     But the Lord Jesus also made it clear that we are now the light of the world, and we are to let our light shine: "You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Mt.5:14-16)
     As I was driving along in the car today, I pondered these words.  I thought about how my menacing concerns during the night always grew much smaller and more manageable in the light.  Jesus is my Light, and yet how quickly I can lapse into fretting over worries or fussing over work to be done.  Forgive me, Father!  And how is that letting my light shine?  How can I reflect the light of Jesus to my world or to my family if I'm anxious or restless or discontent?
     And then it hit me: Jesus tells us that we "are" the light of the world--not "maybe someday if you work really hard," or "if you really improve," or "if you are super-spritual," or "if you have tremendous faith."  Nope, He simply tells us we ARE the light of the world.  Why?--because HE is the Light of the World, and if He is our Savior then He is our Light and our life.  Once again, it's not about us manufacturing the light or trying really hard or earning it in someway--it's all by Him, all for Him, all of Him, all in Him.  He's the Light--we just reflect His light.
     In the same way, aren't you thankful He urges us to "let your light shine?"   He doesn't tell us to go out and find the light or do your best to be the light or somehow or other make the light or find the light within.  Our task is infinitely simpler and more glorious--our only job is to LET the light shine.   Because He is the Light, we daily have the choice and the privilege of letting the light shine.  We determine with our attitude, with our actions, with our thoughts, with our words, whether we will let His light shine or whether we will cloud and dim and hide His light.  But the light, His Light, is there--we just have to let His light shine through us.
     Whew, thank You Jesus that You are the Light of the World!  You are our Light.  And You will shine Your Light through us if we will simply let Your Light shine.  Shine on, Lord shine on, and help us to let Your light shine as we reflect You.  To our Light of the World be all the glory.

What about tomorrow?

     It's packing day.  Sigh.  Leaving these cool, beautiful mountains to head back to heat and chores and gearing up for back to school.   Mercy, back to school and schedules and homework and deadlines. Lord, help me to remember that Your grace is always sufficient.  How quickly we can forget that our Father won't give us today, on this peaceful Lord's day, what we will need tomorrow or next week.  Nope, He doles out His manna solely on a daily basis. But greedy, worried girl that I am, I want to either hoard today's manna for tomorrow or borrow tomorrow's manna for today.
      Lord, when will we trust that You'll give us exactly what we need tomorrow, when tomorrow actually arrives?   We don't want to be like the grumbling Israelites in the desert--always looking back with regret and ahead with fear and doubt.   You are our faithful God who never falters in even the smallest detail and who never fails to provide exactly what we need when we need it.
     If God can part the Red Sea and then swallow the pursuing Egyptians,  He can surely part the seemingly impossible paths ahead of us.  If God can send quail and manna to His hungry people, He can surely send us daily nourishment to encourage and empower and strengthen us in all our tomorrows.  If God can provide water out of rock to His desperate people, He can surely quench our thirsty souls with the Living Water that never disappoints and always satisfies.  If God can lead His people through the desert with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day, then He can surely guide and direct us and those we love in all our ways, for He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. (Heb. 13:5)
     "You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." (Ps.16:11)  In the mountains or the laundry room.  At the beach or the carpool line.  At home or in school.   No matter where we are or what we may face, You will show us the paths of life in every situation.  You will fill us with joy in Your presence, and so we trust and say, "Lead us on, Lord!"  To God be the glory.

Christ plus...

     Our daughter, Janie, just returned yesterday afternoon from a two week mission trip to Kenya.  As she shared, "It was the best thing I've ever done in my life.  I loved it!  I never wanted to leave!"  She said the land itself was beautiful beyond anything she's ever seen, and she loved every single person on her mission team. She really didn't know any of them before she left, but over the course of a couple of weeks, this group grew so precious to her, so close to her heart.  There's nothing like serving Christ together to draw you together into a bond deeper than anything this world can begin to understand.            
     Most of all, she adored the people of Kenya.  Such joy, such kindness, such openness, such love for and in the Lord.... in the midst of absolutely nothing materially.  Her brand new shoes were stolen the first night she was there.  She didn't care.  She told me she was thankful that someone surely now had them who needed them infinitely more than she did.  This is my teenaged daughter, mind you.  I wondered if someone had kidnapped her and replaced her with an identical twin.  The faces in the picture say it all: pure, unadulterated joy.  No cell phones, no TV, no Facebook, no "hanging out with friends," no shopping malls, no Starbucks, no Moe's or Panera's, no newest or latest or greatest of anything.... save the love and joy and peace of Christ.
     I had to ask myself: what do I think I need in addition to my Savior?  Is it Christ plus anything?  Christ plus a new outfit?  Christ plus my children's success at school or on the golf course or any other endeavor this world applauds?  Christ plus good health?  Christ plus economic security?  Christ plus healing a sick loved one?  Christ plus an organized, de-cluttered home?  Christ plus some time off, a little "break?"  Christ plus any kind of accolades or appreciation for my efforts?  Christ plus dessert or a weekend away... or, well, you fill in the blank.
     Because Christ is either Lord of our lives and the source of our lives... or something else is.  I'm learning it cannot be Christ plus anything.  Sure all those other "anythings" are glorious gifts from His hand, and we thank Him and rejoice in His goodness to us.  We are to thankful beyond measure for every gift.
     But far and above, we are to thankful for the Gift-giver.  We are to look at all those other "plus" things as gifts from our Giver.  To be received with open, grateful hands, but not to be sought after greedily.  Not to be worried over.  Not to be resented when they do not come or do not remain.
     I see the joy in our daughter's face as she served Christ and His people, and I see that Christ is truly all we need.  He is our source of joy and hope and peace and contentment and security and fulfillment.  All the other is just window-dressing.  Nice, enjoyable, to-be-gratefully-received-and-enjoyed window-dressing, but not the real deal.  Not the glorious, wonderful, perfect, joyous, all in all Redeemer, Sustainer, Savior, Lord of our lives.  If we have Christ, we have all.
     Father, forgive me for so easily forgetting.  For getting caught up in all that I think I need when all I really need and want and love is You.  Thank You, thank You, thank You for all your glorious gifts.  Our precious children, this beautiful world, our dear friends, the blessings of home and work, the joys of living and loving and learning each day of all You have for us and all You do for us.  But most of all, help us to rejoice in You, to love You with all our hearts and souls and minds.  Help us to remember that it is You and You alone who sustain us and redeem us and restore our broken places.  Jesus, it is You plus nothing that we truly need. To God, our Gift-giver and our wonderful Savior, be all the glory.

Chaos and Christ

     I've been thinking about the chaotic state of the world and the wildly vacillating economic fortunes of our nation.  Boy, what a reminder that our hope is not in possessions or economic security or power or fame or health or any earthly thing or person or nation.  Our hope is in Christ and Christ alone.  He is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)
     Malcolm Muggeridge once wrote:

"We look back upon history, and what do we see?  Empires rising and falling.  Revolutions and Counterrevolutions.  Wealth accumulated and wealth disbursed. Shakespeare has written of the rise and fall of great ones, that ebb and flow with the moon. I look back upon my own fellow countrymen, once upon a time dominating a quarter of the world, most of them convinced, in the words of what is still a popular song, that the God who made them mighty, shall make them mightier yet.

I have heard a crazed, cracked Austrian announce to the world the establishment of a Reich that would last a thousand years. I have seen an Italian clown say he was going to stop and restart the calendar with his own ascension to power. I have heard a murderous Georgian brigand in the Kremlin, acclaimed by the intellectual elite of the world as wiser than Solomon, more humane than Marcus Aurelius, more enlightened than Ashoka.
I have seen America, wealthier and in terms of military weaponry, more powerful than the rest of the world put together, so that had the American people so desired, they could have outdone a Caesar, or an Alexander in the range and scale of their conquests.

All in one lifetime, all in one lifetime, all gone. Gone with the wind. England part of a tiny island off the coast of Europe, threatened with dismemberment and even bankruptcy. Hitler and Mussolini dead, remembered only in infamy. Stalin a forbidden name in the regime he helped found and dominate for some three decades. America haunted by fears of running out of those precious fluids that keeps their motorways roaring, and the smog settling, with troubled memories of a disastrous campaign in Vietnam, and the victories of the Don Quixotes of the media as they charged the windmills of Watergate.

All in one lifetime, all in one lifetime, all gone. Gone with the wind.

       Behind the debris of these self-styled, sullen supermen and imperial diplomatists, there stands the   gigantic figure one person, because of whom, by whom, in whom, and through whom alone mankind might still have hope.  The person of Jesus Christ.
       I present Him as the way, the truth, and the life.  Do you know Him?"  Malcolm Muggeridge


     Thank You, Father, for reminding us that nations rise and fall, but You stand firm and eternal and forever faithful.  Might we put our trust in You and You alone as we daily seek to glorify You with our lives. Your grace never fails; Your wisdom never lacks; Your power never dims; Your love never quits. No matter the chaos of our world, our Almighty God is in complete control, so we can rest in Him.  To Christ--our eternal Rock, our omnipotent, omniscient Lord-be all the glory.

Lost again... and found!

     Can I just say one thing?  Okay, well maybe a little bit more than one thing.  I have absolutely no sense of direction. My friends and family all laugh at my complete absence of any kind of internal GPS system.  In fact, no matter where I'm going--whether out of town to some distant locale or somewhere in my hometown of Raleigh or even just in a hotel hallway--I will always, and I mean always, choose the wrong direction.  Seriously, if the hotel elevator is to the left, I somehow will always assume it's to the right.  If going east on some highway means going one direction, I'll choose the other direction.  (By the way, I HATE that--when people give you directions and just tell you, "O, it's easy.  Just go west on Highway whatever and then go south on such and such a street.  Forget that!!  Never never never tell me east or west or north or south.  I need CLEAR directions with street names, landmarks, and right or left turns... and preferably a back-up plan if you miss the turn.  What is the deal with this "east" or "north" business?  That is for people who have a sense of direction.  Geez.  Sorry, I need a moment to calm down.)
     Where was I?  O yeah, I have NO sense of direction and can get lost anywhere.  I know this is partly due to some serious defect in my genetic makeup.  I can only hope and pray that this terribly defective gene did not get passed on to any of my children... though I'm fairly certain one of our children, who shall remain nameless, has this same fatal flaw.  Said child got lost going to the Costco for gas after recently acquiring said child's license.  Child returned home nearly an hour later having driven all over the place trying to find the Costco--which is a 3 minute drive from our home, involves  making only ONE turn, and is  a place we visit ALL the time.  Sigh.
     Anyway, as our youngest child and I were driving up to the mountains the other day, we got off on an exit for a quick stop.  Only one turn involved.  No problem.  After our 5 minute pit stop, we promptly made a right turn back onto the highway and resumed our happy way.  Until it suddenly dawned on me: had I turned the wrong way?  Was I going back the way we came instead of continuing to the mountains?
      A person of normal intelligence would have immediately ascertained that, in fact, going south on Highway 421 could not possibly end up in the mountains which are located west and north of Raleigh.  But we are not dealing, apparently, with a person of average intelligence.  I had to call my husband to confirm that, yes, we needed to be going north and not south and, therefore, must turn around pronto.  Truly pathetic.  But I'm just trusting that God has given me other gifts that don't involve directional ability or an average IQ.   Let's hope so anyway.
     But here's the thing--we're not in this crazy world on our own, thank the Lord.  I may not know north from south, but my Lord has sent me a Helper who will always always always be with me. I just read these words: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." (John 14:26)
     How great is that?!  Jesus didn't leave us here hanging.   To every man, woman, and child who ask Him to be their Lord, He sends the Holy Spirit who will "teach you all things." And even better, our Helper will "bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."  Hallelujah!  For those of us who have the memory of a gnat, the Holy Spirit will bring to our hearts and minds the very words of Jesus.  He will help us remember!  Mercy, I really need help in that department.  Sure, fish oil and blueberries and everything else that is supposed to help with memory are great--trying them all, believe me.  But infinitely better and greater is the Holy Spirit with us and dwelling within us to teach us and remind us and help us remember our Savior and His Words.
     So, I may not be able to find my way out of a paper bag.  I may not remember my children's cell phone numbers or my best friend's name.  But dwelling within this sin-prone, temporary, and weak-willed body, is the Holy Spirit of Almighty, omniscient, omnipotent, eternal God.   Unbelievable!  And HE will teach us.  And HE will help us to remember who He is and what He has said and how much He loves His child.
     What could be better?  Certainly not a sense of direction!  Thank You, thank You, thank You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit!  Thank You for never ever leaving us or forsaking us.  Thank You for living within us to teach us and encourage us and strengthen us and guide us and help us to remember.   And so to God--and to our Helper, our Encourager, our Teacher, our ever-present eternal Friend--be all the glory.