Be A Lert!

    

      Remember years ago the T-shirts and bumper stickers that bore the nonsensical message "Be A Lert: The world needs more Lerts!" I LOVED that expression; in fact, it still runs through my head every now and then, even if it may not make it out of my mouth. I'm thinking we may need to bring back that message, except slide that "A" right over next to the "L" and leave it at "Be alert." And what better time than Advent, the season of remembering our Messiah's first coming, the season we SHOULD be remembering He's coming back, and it could happen any moment of any day.

"Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." (Revelation 22:7 CSB)

      These words were spoken to the apostle John by the One presumed by John and by most scholars throughout history to be the post-incarnate Messiah Jesus. Throughout His Word are indications, not the least of which is His well-documented resurrection, that He came once to be a man in order to experience all that we humans experience. He came to be one of us, in order to pay the price for the sins of all humanity for all time, though He remained throughout that human life the perfect Lamb of God, the Passover Lamb. He then promised to return for His Church, those who choose to follow Him, at some future time known only to the Father.

      Just like the perfect Passover lamb of Jewish history, He was born in a shepherd's field in Bethlehem, as prophesied by Micah of the Old Testament:

 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”  (Micah 5:2 NIV)

      But oh, my friend, when He returns it will not be as a humble carpenter and servant, but as a conquering king!

"Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen."  

(Revelation 1:7 ESV)

(See also Isaiah 19:1, Daniel 7:13, Zechariah 12:10-11)

      In these days before we celebrate the coming of the Baby in the manger, let us never forget that He is coming again, and oh, the glory of that Second Coming! 

For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”  (Romans 14:11 ESV, emphasis mine)

BE ALERT!

"He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

 ✝️

* NOTE: I strongly recommend reading the entire book of Micah (just 7 chapters!) to be thrilled beyond words this Christmas season. 💗

Offensive Light!

      Last week I spent a few days at the lake. As is my habit, I awoke before daylight and headed to the living room to sit in my recliner which looks through glass doors overlooking the water. I love to watch the darkness slowly dissipate as the often fog-coated mirror of the lake grows gradually brighter. That day, I was sorely disappointed, irritated even, to find that my neighbor across the way had left on a floodlight aimed right across the water in my direction! I fumed for longer than I should have, even contemplating yelling across the sound-carrying surface, "TURN OFF YOUR LIGHT WHEN YOU GO TO BED!!!" After all, it was shining right in my eyes! But then....

      ...as I squinted at that light like an angry old hen, the beams became a cross, which truly took my breath (and my fury) away. You can see it faintly in the picture above, but it was very clear to my eyes, that cross, and I began thinking. Jesus, the Light of the World, the Source of all Light, shone brighter than all the stars in Heaven, and yet to most of the world He was, and still is, more offensive than any spotlight on the lake could ever be, exposing more darkness and ugliness than any human "idea" could. Like that spotlight outshining the security lights on either side of it, He hung between two hardened criminals, the very Light of the World, completely innocent of all wrongdoing, shining until His last breath and beyond, because He was there for LOVE, not guilt. He took the sins of one of those criminals, the one who believed in Him, to the grave with Him, and took the criminal to His Heavenly home with Him! 

      Sadly, today it seems that the name of Jesus is more offensive to the world than ever before. And that makes us, His followers, offensive as well. But that's just what He promised:

 

 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."  (1 Corinthians 1:18 BSB) 

      Oh believer, let us never grow weary of shining His Light, the Good News, wherever we go, no matter the reception. Dear unbeliever, I beg you to let His Light in! No, it's not an easy path to follow. He doesn't promise us all moonlight and roses, pain-free days and peace-filled nights; quite the opposite:

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33 NLT)

"Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name." (Matthew 24:9 BSB)

But the reward! 

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."  (John 3:14-18 BSB)

"He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

 ✝️

Clinging

 

 

      Through a series of assorted and unimportant circumstances, the past few days have become a time of purging: jewelry from drawers, long forgotten items from closets. Just now I pulled out a beautiful long, fur-collared coat and its matching hat and gloves, and I began to weep. It wasn't the coat itself; it was the memory of special times I wore it, feeling elegant and joyful, full of life. The collar is now crushed, the fabric pilled, and the hat misshapen. Yet I find it difficult to let go of that coat, just like I find it difficult to release my desires to "live fully," enjoying earthly pleasures to the utmost. "Why," I ask myself, "when you are promised so much more when the things of this learth are passed away?" 

      In Bible study last night Pastor Kent reminded us that we struggle now with fleshly desires-- it is the human condition since Adam and Eve-- even though God has promised us that as soon as we give our lives and hearts to His Son Jesus we are no longer threatened by death. Jesus said, "Because I live, you also will live."  (John 14:19b NIV) Interestingly enough, I awoke this morning from a dream which left me smiling. I was in a tiny house that had just been given to me. It was old and a little bit dusty, but it was perfect in its simplicity. Everything in it made me so happy: several antique stoves (Cooking is my love language.), an old bed, and an old faded blue hooked rug like one I once had in a time and place where I was very happy. I woke up thinking, "If my mansion in heaven is just like that, I will be perfectly content!" Just remembering it now has erased my tears and brought back my smile!

      Months ago God gave me a picture which I've pondered from time to time, but now I think I understand it. I had asked Him to give me a vision of assurance that He is with me. Pastor Kent had preached an amazing series of messages on our Strong Tower ("For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy." Psalm 61:3 KJV), but the image I saw was a wooden stockade. I briefly researched the meaning of the word and found that  historically a stockade could be either a prison or a fortress. I could see both in my life. I've often felt a prisoner of my circumstances, but I began to think about the stockade as a fortress, protecting me from the dangers of the outside world.

       I look now at that tiny green frog in the photo above, clinging to the strong logs of our house, and I determine to use him as a reminder to keep clinging to my Fortress, my Savior, instead of the corruptible things of this world! 

     "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 

      And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

      And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 

      And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 

      And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new." 

(Revelation 21:1-5 KJV)

"He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

 ✝️

  

The Fragrance of Church

   

      I have an unusual gift: a SUPER-sensitive nose. This can be both a blessing and a curse, as you can imagine. A few nights ago, as I went to bed, windows gloriously open to let in the crisp autumn air, apparently a skunk decided to spray just outside my window-- NOT a delicious perfume, as it made my nose burn and my eyes water! 

      Most of the time, though, I appreciate my gift. Often, like Proust, a certain smell can transport me to a time or place of wonderful memories. The fragrance of roses always brings back sweet thoughts of my dear mother, who for years wore Tea Rose perfume every day. Maybe a little strangely, a hint of diesel fumes transports me to various cities in Europe, where I've made special memories over the years, while the essence of pine trees brings happy thoughts of my beloved lake and so many occasions I hold dear. 

      But there's one scent that takes me to a place apart from the world. It's the fragrance of church. Ours is nearly 200 years old, so I suppose the old wood is a little bit musty, but it's far from offensive to me. I attended Wednesday night Bible study in person this past week. It was the first time in a very long time I haven't "attended" on Facebook. As I entered I inhaled the familiar yet unique smell. All at once I felt at home, like revisiting the place you grew up or where your grandparents lived when you were a child, a place filled with nothing but loving memories.   

   

      As I settled into a pew, I felt a peace and security I find nowhere else. And my heart began to realize this feeling of comfort had nothing to do with the building or the pews, even the organ or the pulpit. It was the knowledge that I was surrounded by the prayers of the people who have worshipped in this place for nearly two centuries; the voices and instruments lifted in praise through the years; the Words of Truth proclaimed from the pulpit, read in the pews, studied in the Sunday School classes, and then carried out through creaky doors into pavement and forest and field, school and home and businesses who knows how far and wide. 

 

      Some may say, "But I don't go to church-- I can worship just fine in the woods, by the lake, or even in my home." Oh yes, I hope we all worship in all those places! Throughout my life I have experienced church meetings in a home, in an open-air shelter, in an ornate cathedral, even an office building or a restaurant. But the common thread in those experiences is the people of God gathering to be led by the power of the Holy Spirit. My friend, church is not a place, it's a gathering of God's people, and God created His Church for a purpose. He's been a God of relationship before the creation of the world, because He Himself is One in three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He created us for fellowship with Him and with each other. He intended for us to unite in groups small or large to worship Him and study His Word, pray together, encourage one another, and share one another's burdens! He tells us in His Word: 

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."  (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV, emphasis mine)

      In a recent sermon I listened to I was reminded of this compelling Scripture:

"Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God." (2 Corinthians 2:15a NIV) 

      I am both challenged and comforted by this verse. I wonder if I am living up to the challenge? On the other hand, what a thrilling thought that my life can be to God the fragrance of His Only Son, Jesus! I can say from my own experience of being physically unable to attend church regularly for more than 5 years, there is something almost undefinable about the fellowship of believers. I can only pray that each time I AM able to gather with God's people, I carry His fragrance with me wherever I go. One of my favorite devotions puts it this way:

" Dear Lord, abide with us that we 

May draw our perfume fresh from Thee." 

("Streams in the Desert" by Mrs. Charles Cowman.) 

"He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

 ✝️

      

Lost and Found

      I've just read an email consisting of photos of various kinds of roads captured in different seasons. Some curved through beautiful woodlands, or mountains, or even deserts, while some were straight but ribboned up and down as far as the eye could see; some were flat as pancakes. Some seemed to circle around themselves, while others hugged rocky cliffs. Some were bathed in brilliant sunlight, while others wound through deep and shaded woods. Some were smoothly paved, while others were rough and rocky. Bill and I love watching a TV show about winter roads built on arctic ice that carry trucks bearing thousands of tons of necessities to remote and otherwise inaccessible destinations: in Spring they completely disappear back into the rivers, lakes, or oceans that once froze to form them. 

      Some days I feel completely lost on some unmarked path leading I know not where. There seem to be no markers to guide me or even tell me where I am at any given moment. Sometimes, like those ice roads, the path seems to disappear beneath my feet. Sometimes, without making a decision really, I just keep putting one foot in front of the other on this unfamiliar trek. I feel lost like never before in my life, unsure if I should even keep going. And sometimes I simply stop, hoping the stillness will bring an answer to all the questions I can't even express. 

      And it always does, whether in the form of a visit, text, or phone call from a loved one, an inspirational message seen on Facebook, a sermon, or a song. The Unseen Hand reaches down and lifts me up and sets me on my way!

 "Though the fig tree does not bud

and there is no fruit on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food, 

though the flocks disappear from the pen

and there are no herds in the stalls, 

yet I will celebrate in the Lord;

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!

The Lord is my strength;

He makes my feet like those of a deer

and enables me to walk on mountain heights!"

[Habakkuk 3:17-19 CSB]

"He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

 ✝️

Anticipating Autumn

       

.     Ever since I taught high school French, actually even before that, when I was a high school student, I remember the excitement that began to fill me in late August. It was the anticipation of the start of school-- new books, new clothes, new classrooms, new friends. The world seemed ripe with possibility. Of course, that was way back when school started the day after Labor Day and ended just before Memorial Day! Even now, though, something in me awaits this particular change of seasons with great expectation. I always look forward to more time outdoors, when my nose can enjoy the pungent aroma of ripening persimmons, crisp drying leaves, smoky campfires, and spicy chrysanthemums, and my eyes can feast on the brilliant hues decorating lawn and field and forest. I think it's the hope for something new and exciting-- unknown, yet somehow familiar.

      Oh how I wish I could carry that feeling with me each day, to wake up joyfully anticipating the surprises waiting for me in the coming twenty-four hours. Unfortunately, it's usually easier to expect what I've experienced in the past, and too often I focus on the disappointments instead of the delights. How about you? Perhaps we need to remind ourselves that each new day is a new beginning just like the Fall return to school. Each day brings the possibility of new encounters, with God, nature, or people.

      I just watched an episode of my favorite TV show, Heartland, which happened to take place at the beginning of autumn. Though life's struggles are always a part of the program, this episode ended with all the different storylines looking forward to new beginnings: a horse rescued, a marriage and a home for troubled children being given new new chances, a child starting kindergarten. It was the end of the television season, but what a great ending, because each segment was looking ahead with anticipation of good things to come. It left me smiling, and feeling better than I had for several days.

      And so I'm writing to remind myself that I have the very best reason of all to look to the future with joy. Because of my faith in Messiah Jesus, I know that no matter what each moment here on earth brings, I am assured that one day I'll walk into a perfectly brilliant future filled with the familiar companionship of my loved ones who also believed. Together we'll have endless days to join them and countless new friends who will truly be our brothers and sisters, united for eternity in joyful worship of King Jesus!

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,

and he will stand upon the earth at last.

And after my body has decayed,

yet in my body I will see God!

I will see him for myself.

Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. 

I am overwhelmed at the thought!"

(Job 19:25-27 NLT)

"He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

 ✝️

To Be Known and Loved

      Let's be honest with ourselves for a moment, search our souls and confess our very deepest longing. At first you may think of a beach house, a shiny red Mustang convertible, money to travel the world or give away to your favorite charities. I admit it: all these "things" have been on my wish list at one time or another. But if I look deeper and think of what makes my heart truly yearn, I have to admit that throughout my life I have LONGED to be known deeply and loved unconditionally. And conversely, my greatest fear is NOT being known and loved. 

      As I unavoidably met my 75th birthday head-on, not surprisingly I did a lot of soul-searching and thinking over my life's accomplishments and my many shortcomings. Even before the "big day" came, my dear family and friends began showering me with gifts and cards. (See some of them above!)  As I contemplated the array in the days to come, I was amazed to realize that, as much as is humanly possible, I had been surrounded by exactly what I longed for: I was SO blessed to be known and loved by these earthly angels God has put in my life! 

     I never made a "wish list" for my birthday, and if I had, I'm sure I would never have included most of the things pictured above. But you know what? These gifts from the heart were so much BETTER than any list I could have made! Each one made me smile bigger. I kept shaking my head in awe as each package was opened to reveal an understanding of who I am and what I enjoy! But the REAL gift was not anything I unwrapped; it was the love that infused each package and the smiles that accompanied the giving.

      You may be thinking, "But I'm not surrounded by friends and family who love me!" As humans, we all could do better at showing our love for one another by simply listening or "being there" for someone else. And fortunately there's no age limit on that "assignment"! But friends, I have GREAT news, the BEST news, in fact: there is Someone Who is closer to you than a brother or a friend Who loves you more than you can imagine and is ALWAYS listening to the longing of your heart! David expressed it so beautifully in Psalm 139:

Lord, You have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I stand up;

You understand my thoughts from far away.

You observe my travels and my rest;

You are aware of all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue,

You know all about it, Lord.

You have encircled me;

You have placed Your hand on me.

This wondrous knowledge is beyond me.

It is lofty; I am unable to reach it....

For it was You Who created my inward parts;

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I will praise You

because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.

Your works are wondrous,

and I know this very well.

My bones were not hidden from You

when I was made in secret,

when I was formed in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw me when I was formless;

all my days were written in your book and planned

before a single one of them began.

God, how precious Your thoughts are to me;

how vast their sum is!

If I counted them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand;

when I wake up, I am still with You....

(Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 CSB)

        

      Just imagine it: the God Who loved us enough to give His only Son so we could spend eternity with Him, the very God Who created us with His own hands, knows us even better than we know ourselves! No human being can truly, deeply know another, and our human love falls far short of the perfect standard of God's love. Yet, when questioned by the Pharisees about the most important commandment, Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-39 (BSB): 

“ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself."    

      As Max Lucado has put it, "We are never more like God than when we are giving gifts." My friend, it's not about the price of the gift, or how it's wrapped or presented; it's about the heart-motivation behind the giving. Love is indeed the greatest gift of all. It's priceless!

"He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

 ✝️