what my gray hair has taught me…

My first gray hair, “Silvia”, made her presence known at the prime age of 22…yes, Silvia was my pride and joy, I especially appreciated when strangers would kindly notify me of the “fuzz” that was on top of my head, before their face blushed, realizing it was a gray hair…I would laugh, “It is okay, I get that a lot”. I was as proud of Silvia as she was to be on top of my head, often standing up straight [well, about as straight as a curly hair can]! Silvia’s origin remains unknown, but I have an idea where a few others may have come from…

+ Never chase down a thief without a plan of what to do when you catch him!

+Do not use dish soap in the dishwasher.

+Stop trying to determine what the odds are that my 16 month old will do ________(example: dial 911), and decide no matter what they are, he will beat them!

+Take one day a week to “just be“.  No work.  No to-do lists. [GOD knew what HE was doing when HE invented the Sabbath.]

+If you leave the sliding glass door open, wild animals will come in.

+Do not fight for your reputation.  GOD knows your heart and the details!

+If you procrastinate, you will stress out (and get gray hair).

+NEVER assume a woman is pregnant, no matter how petite she is with a basketball sized belly…Let me repeat…NEVER assume a woman is pregnant! (I think I grew a dozen gray hairs that day).

+Stop fighting for what you “deserve” and embrace what you have.

+It is better to pay 5 cents more per gallon for gas than to try and coast on fumes to the “cheaper” gas station.

+FORGIVE!  Let it go, or the anger will grow into bitterness and kill more than a few brown hairs.

+The minute you think your little man will not “spray” you, there will be a sprinkling on the back of your neck.  [FYI, peepee teepees do not work, they shoot off like a rocket!]

+Don’t waste your life worrying about what could happen [there are endless possibilities and only GOD knows what will transpire], embrace the moment you are in to the glory of GOD!

This is a short list [clearly I have more than a few gray hairs, my count at least tripled during my son's first year of life...seriously]…

what about you…where did your gray come from [even if she is covered up with a bottle of dye]?

“The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.” – Proverbs 20:29

Easter isn’t all baby chicks and bunnies…

I was shopping for a “baby bible” as a gift for my little Caleb this Easter…do you know how difficult it is to find a baby/toddler bible with the Easter account in it?  Plenty on Jesus’ birth…not so much on his death…

When you think about the historical [not cultural] aspects of Christmas, you picture a glowing baby Jesus, shepherds, wise men, furry farm animals…nice things…

Easter is quite the opposite. While it too is a celebration…the events leading up to this celebration are not as “nice”. It is easy to see why bunnies, eggs, baskets and baby chicks tend to symbolize Easter to us…over beatings, blood, death and graves [empty or not, graves can be creepy].

An innocent man betrayed by a close friend [Judas] for money.

A mob, that just a few days earlier welcomed his arrival with enthusiasm, calling him KING, now turned their backs on him, hurling insults and seeking his immediate execution.  [That must have been some protest!]

The religious leaders, out of hypocrisy, for fear that the people would like him better and they would lose power, conspired against him, setting him before the government, demanding his execution.

The government leaders, finding no fault with him, but swayed by what was popular [and to prevent a pending riot], sentenced him to death. In one last effort by the state to “save” Jesus from crucifixion, they offered the people a choice to set one man free that day, Jesus, who by all accounts was an innocent man, or Barabbas, a guilty man, a thief or rebel fighter. Led by the religious leaders…the people chose to free Barabbas.

He was then tortured beyond any comprehension of torture we have in modern society [water-boarding doesn't even come close]. Beaten to within an inch of his life by the most horrific means. The Romans did not have a problem with cruel and unusual punishment, in fact, they perfected the art of cruelty.

He was literally nailed to a tree, at his wrists and ankles, left to asphyxiate as he hung there.

As if that wasn’t enough…the mob mocked him…as he hung there…the guards gambled for his possessions…

He wasn’t alone…two others were being crucified that day…one believed Jesus to be who he said he was, the other verbally assaulted him in his final hours of life.

To remember Easter, is to recall many gruesome details, far too appalling for our sensitive culture.

It is all of this that makes the glory of Easter so beautiful. In the midst of death, injustice, persecution…in the middle of all of this, we see hope, glory, life.

He was murdered. buried.  And then, in one of the most miraculous moments ever to occur, GOD put life into Jesus’ body and he walked out of that grave!

GOD validated Jesus by waking him up from the dead on the third day following the crucifixion [GOD would not raise a heretic from the dead!].

So no, the images of Easter are not “warm and fuzzy”…but what better celebration than the hope of the abundant life, redemption of sin and eternity in heaven…what could possibly be more beautiful that!

still preoccupied…

So I am beginning to realize what it is about His humility that is connecting with me…

In the past I have viewed the humility of Christ circumstantially…as in, GOD clothed himself in humanity and came to earth…he did not have a “home”…he was mistreated and misunderstood…he was beaten and crucified…

In the past, I viewed His humility in terms of what he endured…

Now I am seeing his humility as something different…Yes, the All-Powerful, Creator stepped from a place of glory into a humble life, beginning with his birth in a stable…The King of kings’ first bed, a trough…

But His humility is deeper than that…it is more than circumstantial…his humility is seen in His response to his circumstances…

As Paul admonishes us in Philippians 2, Christ put the needs of others ahead of himself…”Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others“…Christ wasn’t looking out for himself when he endured what he did that Passover…he was looking out for us…and as we mocked Him. crucified Him.  He remained focused on His goal…our redemption!

“Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “…Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” ” [Matthew 27]…

instead of allowing frustration and pride [which he had every right to assert, since he is GOD] to come to the surface, he asked the Father to forgive them…

instead of giving up on us, he stayed on the cross…

instead of defending himself [as Almighty GOD], instead of demanding what he deserved [their worship], instead of fighting for his rights [to be respected, honored, treated as royalty]…

instead, Jesus humbly set aside these things…

reputation. admiration. devotion.

instead he put our interests above his.  He chose to redeem us instead of himself.

This has resonated with me this Easter season because of my own pride and self-centeredness.  Would I do the same for another?  Would I sacrifice my dignity, my self-respect, my life, for the benefit of others? Am I willing to let go of my “rights” in order to focus on the needs of others…even the needs of those who ridicule, torture or take advantage of me?

I do not believe that I would…I know myself…and it is not pretty.

I am asking GOD this Easter season to begin a work in me that would cause me to react to circumstances with the humility of Christ, regardless of what those might look like…

preoccupied with the humility of Christ…

I don’t really know where this blog post is going to go…All day long my mind has been “drifting” to Easter and the humility of Christ…

I think about the beating he took…never saying a word…

The interrogation, where he was given an opportunity to redeem his flawless reputation…he chose to redeem us instead…

The cross…the humiliating cross…nothing spoken in his defense…he did not spew angry, hateful words to retaliate against the mocking, the bullying [as so many of us would have]… nor did he give way to arrogance [as he knew of his own victory]…

His complete trust in the Father caused him to endure the humiliation, the disgrace, the torture in near silence…Jesus Christ chose humility that day…He chose obedience…despite what it would cost him…

He was GOD, living, breathing, walking among us…He deserved the awe and adoration of every person in the audience that day…instead he was laughed at, like a fool…  The High GOD, Creator and Sustainer of all…the One who had given each of them life, breath, yes, the very breath they mocked him with…He could have destroyed them all with a single word, brought them to their knees…but He did not…

tortured. mocked. interrogated. crucified.

humble.

While Easter is and always will be a celebration of the victory of Christ over death and the life that we are offered as a result of that victory…I cannot help but, today, be overwhelmed by the lesson of Christ’s humility…it gives a whole new perspective to Philippians 2:

¹ Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

 ⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

 ⁶ Who, being in very natureGod,
   did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
   by taking the very natureof a servant,
   being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
   he humbled himself
   by becoming obedient to death—
      even death on a cross!

 ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
   and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father.

¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

 ¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶ as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. ¹⁷ But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. ¹⁸ So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Contagious for dummies…

I was thinking about the word contagious this evening [it was our women's ministry theme last year], a friend of mine used it which caused me to ponder it once again…

What does a contagious Christian look like? What does it mean to be “Contagious”?

I could not help but think about those dark, gray, cold winter days and how that first sunny, blue-sky, warm spring day feels…that is contagious. When you are around a contagious Christian, they “feel” like that first spring day. They bring light, life and warmth. GOD’s light is so powerful that when I choose to release it and not attempt to cover it up, those around me cannot help but be drawn to it and “want it”. [Ever notice that when the clouds part and sun comes out...people step out of their houses...they want to be in the light, life, warmth of the sun]. That is what contagious Christianity is all about. Not coldness. Not judgment. Not pride.

Light. Life. Warmth. They cannot help but be drawn.

You cannot fabricate contagious.

You cannot produce it, copy it, pretend it. Contagious just is.

That is what makes it so difficult…we want a “how to” book on everything [Contagious for Dummies], but that is NOT how GOD operates!

HE produces it.  We reflect it.  They are drawn.

GOD is our hope.

do I take the rain coat?

In our life group recently, one mom shared how her little boy had prayed that it would not rain on his field trip and that he was not going to take his rain coat because he knew GOD would answer his prayer with a “yes” and keep the rain away. My friend tried to explain to her son that sometimes GOD answers “no” to our requests and he should take his rain coat, just in case. This started our group on a discussion about praying in faith and whether or not “we take the rain coat”.

I could not help but think that maybe we were asking the wrong question, maybe we were focused on the wrong aspect of praying in faith…perhaps it isn’t about asking GOD for something and whether or not HE will answer “yes”; perhaps it is something more…

We know that GOD says a lot about the power of prayer in HIS Word. We know that Hannah “negotiated” with GOD for a child. We know that Abraham begged GOD to spare an entire city that was infested with sin. We know that by fasting and prayer, any Christian can throw mountains into the ocean with the tiniest of faith. We know a lot of things, but is there more to it than asking and receiving?

I believe there is. GOD is more about us knowing HIM [John 17:3], seeking HIM [Matthew 6:33; Psalm 63:1], glorifying HIM [Psalm 86:12], worshiping Him [Exodus 34:14 ] than anything else.

Paul asked GOD three times to remove a thorn in his flesh and GOD answered “no” all three times with a follow up of “My grace is sufficient for you”. Paul had faith. Paul had mountain throwing faith. Paul prayed and GOD said “no”.

Shadrach, Meshack and Abednigo had faith. They believed GOD would deliver them from the fiery furnace. They didn’t “take the rain coat”. They believed. They had confidence. And, yes, they were delivered. However, countless Christians have been martyred, perhaps after asking GOD to spare them and yet HIS answer was “no. MY grace is sufficient for you”.

I am not convinced, at this point in my study of the Scriptures, that it is my faith that gets me an automatic “yes” from GOD. In fact, as I mentioned in my opening thoughts, I believe the focus of our conversation should be different. It isn’t whether I believe GOD enough to get the “yes” or trust GOD enough to get me through a “no”. I believe the focus should be on being so intimately acquainted with GOD [seeking HIM], that my daily prayer time is spent focusing on HIM, not on the “grocery list of things I need to get while I am in the store”. You know those prayers…they go something like this, “Hey GOD, You are awesome! Thank You so much for everything! I love you. By the way, heal …, save …, help with …, give … , provide …” Well, I know that is what my daily prayer life consists of regularly. What if instead of my grocery list, I went to GOD and did not ask for anything unless He prompted my heart to? That the focus of my prayer was devotion, not entitlement…love, not ego-centrism…respect, not rights…awe, not privilege… Perhaps then, GOD would have an opportunity to prompt my heart to ask for certain things and in those moments I would have confidence that I didn’t need to “take the rain coat”.

Remember, Matthew mentions “mountain throwing” faith, but it comes to the person who is seeking GOD through prayer and fasting. This isn’t a quick, “Hey GOD, let me toss this mountain into the ocean, since You say I can do that with a little faith.” Or even asking for it daily for years. “Mountain throwing” comes with seeking GOD and the tiniest bit of faith. The focus isn’t on the faith, it is tiny. The focus is on seeking GOD, because He is really the only ONE who can throw mountains. I believe that faith comes into play in that I am willing to ask whatever He tells me to ask and fear does not hold me back. Let’s be real. If GOD told me to ask HIM to give me the ability and strength to toss the Blue Ridge Mountains into the Atlantic Ocean…I am not sure I would have the faith to ask…fear would assert itself.

Is it wrong to ask GOD to hold off the rain so that I can have a fun field trip? No.

Would I “take the rain coat”? Yep.

The better question: Am I seeking GOD?

hope is more than optimism…

what if…

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Verse a day challenge – day thirteen

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18 ESV)