When Love was Born...

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

When Love Was Born

I am writing this on a mid-October day, when the temperatures are still fairly warm in Middle Tennessee. The leaves haven't even begun to hit their peak for fall changes yet. And while folks around us are just getting geared up for that other holiday at the end of this month, my church music buddies and I are already knee-deep into rehearsals for our churches' Christmas presentations.

Christmas is already on our minds! Hard to believe it's almost that time of year isn't it??? Stores are already putting up their decorations. Shoppers are already making the hunts for their treasures... We're looking up recipes, getting organized, and preparing for the busy days ahead.

And much to the chagrin of others, we're singing and playing Christmas music already.

Without a doubt, we’re already getting the looks as we drive around town, with windows down, Christmas music cranked up on the music players of our choice, rehearsing lines and are singing "Variations on Jingle Bells" at the top of our lungs…

As my friend, Kevin says, “Yes. We’re church musicians. We fa-la-la-la-la in October!”

And if you read the scripture passage I placed at the top of the page, I’ll bet you are singing some familiar words from The Messiah right about now, aren’t you??? (Or if you’re more of an instrumental type, you’re playing your favorite instrumental part in your head!) That will put you into the mood for Christmas, won't it?!?

“For unto us a child is born… Unto us… A Son is given… Unto us… A Son is given… For unto us a child is born… And the government shall be upon His shoulders…. And His name shall be call-ed… Wonderful… Counselor… The Mighty God… The Everlasting Father… The Prince of Peace… The Everlasting Father… The Prince of Peace.”
 
When Handel wrote his infamous work, The Messiah, much of the text was taken straight from the Bible. And what a wonderful text he chose!

Make no mistake. When Isaiah wrote those words, his intent was clear: he was declaring that God had promised a Messiah, and he would save the people from their sins! He (Isaiah) was relying solely on the promise that God would follow through with His promise to send a Messiah. This was something that only God could do! No man could do what God had promised.
 
Long before Isaiah penned his words, or before Handel penned The Messiah, God had decided that there would be a Promised One.

.... Long before the angels sang their first note.

…. Long before the shepherds watched their flocks.

…. Long before the stars were made.

…..Long before the manger was built.

…. Long before Bethlehem.

…. Long before wise men came from the East.

…. Long before the foundations of the earth.

…. Long before you and I were even a twinkle in God’s eye….

Love was born!

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” – 1 John 4:10 (NIV)

A Cord of Three Strands

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." - Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

As a violinist, I am often asked to play for weddings, and have participated in many beautiful ceremonies over the years. A couple of years ago, I was invited to play for a wedding for a couple from my home church. Instead of the traditional "unity candle", the bride and groom had chosen to braid a cord of three strands, based on this particular passage of scripture from Ecclesiastes.

Solomon was writing a book about vanities, and when he got to chapter four, he was actually talking a bit about miserable old men who were basically hermits! And his advice to these hermits was to get out of your shells, and find yourselves a friend or a mate... and enjoy life.

Solomon was saying that we need one another to spur us onto love and good works... And that when we allow ourselves to be the kind of people that God wants us to be, it is hard for anything to separate us. There forms a triad of sorts between husband, wife and God... The closer we grow to God, the closer the triangle becomes and three actually become one.

But what happens when the mate dies????  I would submit to you that when God is in the midst of those types of marriages, those who are left behind find their Maker to be their husband... and as He has promised, a Father to their children as well.

Dear young widow, you are loved by your Heavenly Father... and it is He who:

• Sustains you
• Protects you
• Provides for you
• Enjoys your company
• Wants to talk with you through His Word
• Goes with you
• Goes before you
• Gives you strength to face your battles
• Gives you encouragement for your days
• Lightens your burdens
• Knows you better than you know yourself
• Knows you better than anyone else knows you
• Created you for His own pleasure!
• Gave His life for you, simply because He loves you and wants to spend eternity with you.

So often, I hear from young widows who are lonely for companionship within a couple of years of the passing of their spouse. Many of them find themselves hurt and broken-hearted after rebounded relationships went sour. Sometimes this happens because they feel guilty for dating too soon after the death of their spouse, or they compare the new friend to their former spouse. 

I think the key to finding the right time or the right person after loss really is all about letting God choose for you. Allow Him to decide when it's time, and let Him bring that person to you. In the meantime, enjoy being loved and spoiled by your Heavenly Daddy, who loves you so!!!

The Domino Effect...

"He must increase but I must decrease." - John 3:30

"Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.  But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." - James 1:13-15

Anyone who knows me knows that I am pretty much built like one of the lollipop kids on the Wizard of Oz... I'm quite short, and I have a rather wide girth. Sometimes with my low estrogen, I think the beard is coming next, but that's a story for another time! HA!

Anyway, my short stature makes for some fun times when I drive. I have some pretty long legs, so reaching the pedals isn't the issue. It's seeing over the dashboard of my vehicle that causes me problems. I am forever hitting the curbs or potholes... and knocking my tires out of balance. This happens to me more than I would like to admit, but I've actually learned something from the experiences. When I knock one tire out of balance, the rest of them don't wear correctly.

I think that's true in the Christian life, too!

Sometimes I think we get knocked down in one area or another and then one by one, the other areas of our life are affected by the one area that is out of balance. It really doesn't matter whether the area that starts the fall is in the emotional, physical, psychological/mental, or spiritual... a failure in one area will affect the other three.

Take for instance my severely neglected health... My failure to take care of my body has caused me to be severely obese. And that puts me at risk for all sorts of horrible diseases. But that also hinders in some ways my ability to serve Christ fully! For instance, I've taken two mission trips overseas in the last year. On both trips, I found myself huffing and puffing, trying to keep up with the rest of my teammates/ co-laborers in Christ because I was just too overweight. Getting buckled up on the airplanes was a task because of my waistline. Working with kids outside in the heat was not an easy task.  Why? Because I was not in shape for the trip!

My witness has also been rendered ineffective by some because of my obesity. One afternoon while teaching at another church, I was trying to share Jesus with one of my students, and he said, "Isn't gluttony one of the seven deadly sins?" He was implying that I was too fat and I had no business talking to him about Jesus, if I was not living for him. I responded to that with, "They are all deadly sins." But I still came home with the thought that I would never get through to that kid so long as I was in his eyes too fat to be talking Jesus!

What did all of that do to my self-esteem??? Let's just say it wasn't pretty!  Yes, I know that God still loves me and that His love is not based on my dress size. But if He had to judge the contents of my heart and whether I trust Him based soley on what went into my mouth (or what came out of it), there are times that I'm afraid that He would be severely dissappointed in me...  (I'm thankful that's not the case!!!)

Soon after all of that, I talked with some of our church staff about starting a face to face group for widows. One of the guys mentioned the possibility of doing a video series of lessons. Can you imagine the horrible thoughts going through my head about how the camera packs on the pounds??? And then we just end up with a downward emotional spiral...

But things have been changing in recent months. For nearly two full months now, my husband and I have been faithfully making changes to our lifestyles. We've started with an exercise program at a local gym/pool. And we're starting to make good choices with nutrition.

For me, that's a decision that has spiritual impact and implications. I don't want to be an ineffective servant of Christ. He's God of all of me, and He is trustworthy and certainly worthy of my worship in this area, too... I don't want my weight to be a hindrance in the effectiveness of my witness or my ability to serve. I don't want my unhealthy body to be a distraction to those that I might tell about Jesus, either...

Jesus isn't just at the center of my life. He is my life!!!! He goes everywhere I go. He knows everything I am doing, what I am thinking, where I am. He's a part of every decision. It's all about Him.

There's a worship song made popular a few years ago by Matt Redmond called, "The Heart of Worship" that we sometimes sing in our churches. "When the music fades, and all is slipped away... and I simply come. Longing just to bring something that's of worth that will bless Your heart... I'll bring You more than a song for a song in itself is not what You have required. You search much deeper within than the way things appear... You're looking into my heart! I'm coming back to the heart of worship and it's all about You... All about You, Jesus. I'm sorry, Lord for the thing I've made it when it's all about You, all about You, Jesus."

Yes, it's all about You, Jesus. Even when it comes to crazy things like keeping in shape.

Rejoicing in the Dance...

^:L:"  Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.  - Jeremiah 31:13

Two years ago, when I began the Mourning into Dancing Blog, I wrote a post that was entitled, "Dancing in the Dark." And I spoke of learning to dance with God, as a small child would learn to dance on the feet of her daddy.

There is a time that comes to the Christian's life when she finds herself deep into the dance with her Heavenly Daddy... a finding of peace as she deepens her relationship with God.

He extends His hand to us... and then offers the invitation... and thus, the dance begins.

This is a love relationship at its best... God has given Himself to us... and then we respond by loving in return... and desiring to know Him more and more. We learn to not only read His word, but to apply it to our lives on a daily basis. In short, He becomes our universe! He is all we desire... and in that desiring, we seek to know His every heartbeat... We hang on His every word...

And the longer we dance, the more we pay attention to every detail of every thought, every whisper, every action, anticipating nearly every move He makes... And our rhythm begins to match His... and step by step, we finally become One.

And in Him, we rejoice! Because He has offered the invitation... It is He who takes us by the hand and twirls us about the room! It is He who teaches us in the way we should go. (Isaiah 48:17)

Rejoice, my friend! The music is playing... and Your Heavenly Daddy wants to dance with you!

Undivided Attention

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" - Ps. 46:10

Yesterday, I had the unusual opportunity of being without responsibility as a lead worshipper... at least from being on the platform, that is. On any given Sunday, my leadership role at our church largely consists of sitting as the concertmaster of our church worship orchestra.

Anyway... We play nearly every Sunday throughout the year, and with few exceptions. Yesterday, the worship orchestra was enjoying a rare morning "off " (meaning that our presence was not required and we were allowed to sit with our families.) For me this meant that I had the opportunity to participate in the entire hour of our small group discussion and could sit through worship with my husband for the entire service. This was a real treat because I usually have to leave my small group time early to tune my instrument (I have a very small window of time before the brass begin to warm up) and prepare for worship. And, sometimes, when the orchestra is not playing, I have been known to sub on a praise team. That also wasn't the case yesterday and that was a very good thing.

I need to have moments when I don't do anything... except listen to God. I need to rest occassionally. That's hard to do when your life's tempo is most often measured in "warp speed." (I actually had a friend tell me recently that she never knew me to not be in a hurry!)



God took advantage of the time when He actually had my undivided attention yesterday and taught me something....

I learned something new from the scriptures when paying attention to the Holy Spirit yesterday and not to the clock or what's next... While sitting in the small group session yesterday, I actually had a light bulb click on about a particular passage that I hadn't ever really thought about until then. (More on that in another post.)

Afterwards, it dawned on me that God probably likes to have my undivided attention occassionally so that He can get stuff through that thick skull of mine. That's when He can take my head that is seemingly filled with silly putty, empty it of the junk inside... and try to teach me something that if I don't manage to get it twisted up will actually have a chance to remotely look like His wisdom.  :)

There comes a time when busyness has to be set aside, and we have to just sit at the Lord's feet and rest for a little bit... and drink in whatever it is that He wants to teach us. And those of us who have large ministry (lay or professional) commitments need to take the time to rest as well. There comes a time when we have to choose carefully how we will spend our time so that we best utilize our time for the Kingdom's sake. Remember -- even Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the better part... (Luke 10:38-42)  We need to learn to choose wisely so that we choose the better part as well.

Sometimes God calls us to do that for a season, but sometimes it just means taking a short break -- one that just lasts for a moment. I enjoyed my moment yesterday.




 

Redeemed Forever...

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble 3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. - Psalm 107:1-3


I recently returned from a mission trip to Lima Peru, and had the privilege while there to share the gospel with some of the students at the International Christian School there. One of my students, a third grader responded to the gospel and asked Jesus to be her Savior during one of the teaching hours! When I was sharing that with one of my dear friends and mentors from days gone by, I said that it was "totally cool." (Or something to that effect. But his response was "No - it's bigger than that. Eternal."

When Jesus saves us, His blood covers us forever!

Our past is forgiven. (I John 1:9)
Our life is made new. (I Cor. 5:17)
Our home is in Heaven. (John 14:1-6)
Our future is secure. (Romans 8:35-39)
Our inheritance is the same as His. (Romans 8:17)

All because He redeemed us forever.

Our hope is in Him.

What an awesome privilege we have then to share that with others! We have the unbelievable opportunity to share that with the world... Our world... So, why don't we??? Why do we not share the truth that we've been given with the folks around us???

Can I challenge you (if you are a Christ-follower) to tell others about the Jesus in you??? Simply tell them your own story. How Jesus changed your life forever... Don't worry about whether they will respond to what you've said. The Holy Spirit will take care of that. That's His job. So the pressure's off...

And if you don't know Jesus, well, I would sure love to introduce Him to you... Talk to me. I'll be happy to tell you about how He has changed my life forever!

Loaves and Fishes

"And he said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish." " - Mark 6:38


God never ceases to amaze me with how He can take something insignificant or small in our eyes, and use it for His glory.

Take this story from the Gospel of Mark, for instance. Jesus and the disciples had been very busy. They had already spent the day with the crowd, teaching and Jesus had been preaching all day. In addition, Jesus was just about emotionally spent, too. He had found out about his dear friend, Lazarus' death, as well.

The crowd was tired, had traveled a long way and they were hungry. There was no place to buy food nearby... Then came the disciples' asking of Jesus, "Can you send them away??"

You know the story.... Jesus told the disciples that they should find them something to eat... and all they came up with was a little boy's lunch. I can only imagine the conversation:

Disciple A: "Hey, Jesus... This all we found."
Disciple B: "Looks like it's leftovers from yesterday's Fred Lobster meal. Just a handful of cheese biscuits and a couple of fishsticks. Can't feed this crowd with that!"
The rest of the disciples: "Nope. Not THIS crowd! Send them away, would ya, Jesus????"

Jesus looks into the little boy's lunch sack, pulls out one of the cheese biscuits, breaks it, asks God to use it and then does the same with the fish. God multiplied the small gift that the little boy brought that day... and fed thousands of people with it! The Bible says that there was enough to feed everybody there, and still had twelve baskets of food leftover!

There are several messages in this passage to us:

The first message here is that nothing small we offer to God ever goes unnoticed.... a hug, a word of encouragement, a thank you, a kind gesture... giving a cold cup of water in Christ's name. He can use even the smallest of things to bless many. Often we are quick to give God the bigger things... or the religious things... or certain things that we think would be pleasing to Him in some way. And in truth, it's the smaller things -- the ones that we think are insignificant that God uses the most.

The second thing that we can take from this lesson is this -- The multiplication process comes from God, not the gift or from us. The leftover kids' meal was just a kids' meal until God got ahold of it. :) No matter how hard we try, we cannot make that happen, but God can!

The third lesson we can take from this is that once we place that in His hands and let Him do with it as He pleases, He is able to do great things. The Bible doesn't say whether the little boy offered the lunch to the disciples or whether the disciples just took it. But in either case, it landed in the hands of the disciples, who then took it to Jesus. Anyway you slice it, that required some trust and obedience on the part of that child.... God saw the little boy's faith, trust and obedience and He blessed the small gift and fed several thousand.

The fourth lesson we can take from this is that we don't know one thing about the little boy outside of this story. It would have been easy for folks around the little boy to congratulate him and tossle his hair.... and call him the hero for offering his lunch. But Jesus was the REAL star here... It wasn't about the lunch or the little boy.... It was about Jesus!

So, I just wanna ask... Whatcha got in your lunch sack today to offer to Jesus??? What do you hold in your own hands that can be offered back to Christ and used to bless others??? Are you giving Him just the big stuff??? The religious stuff??? Or are you offering Him everything???? Are you doing this freely, with His kingdom purposes in mind?? Are you quick to brag on God for what HE has done??? Or, do you simply try to take credit for something you have offered to Him???

Abba Father... Daddy... We desire never to withhold anything from you.... not the smallest of gifts... not our money... not our time... not our efforts... not our attitudes...not our motives... not our jobs... families... health or anything else... our loaves and fishes. We give it all for Your kingdom's sake, with Your purposes in mind, and for Your Glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.  

Tame Me, Lord!

"You shall therefore love the LORD your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always. 2 And consider today (since I am not speaking to your children who have not known or seen it), consider the discipline of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand and his outstretched arm," Deuteronomy 11: 1-2


Okay. So, I am not normal. I came into this world feet first, and my whole world has been weird since the moment I took my first breath. Every ounce of me wants to break the pattern of discipline that comes with the way the rest of the world works! I am undisciplined, unbridled, spoiled, and stubborn. I am messy, temperamental, and good grief -- don't even talk to me about my eating or sleeping habits! And then there's the spiritual realm...

Sometimes, I feel like this:

Well, not exactly. I'm not a large bronze statue...

I had the opportunity once to see The Mustangs of Las Colinas, outside Dallas TX, many years ago. Now, I must tell you up front that I am not a horse enthusiast. I don't know a thing about farm living and certainly not anything about the wild mustangs of the wild west... I was raised in the city. The closest I have ever gotten to any such creature was riding my Great-Grandfather's old work horse, Ruby when I was about 6 or 7 years old, when I went to visit in West TN. And she promptly made sure that I found a seat on the ground -- airborne style!!

But this image of the Wild Mustangs intrigues me. It's the epitome of the so-called "Free-Spirited" life... one that we all fight against... the "do-whatever-you-want-when-you-want-to-do-it life"...  There's this innate part of my being that wants to do things on my own...  To be me... To be without a care in the world... and to be in complete control of who I am, where I am heading and frankly, how I am going to get there... (I landed feet first, remember....I guess I figure I should stand on them or something...)

Ok. So back to the horse thing. I don't know one thing about taming wild horses, but I would imagine that the process is tedious, to say the least. I am certain that the disciplining of such a beast would take large amounts of love and trust from the trainer before the bridle ever gets put onto the horse or the bit put into his mouth. There is no such thing as an overnight success here. There won't be any saddles or riders on the back of the animal for quite a while.

But I am no different from that untrained, wild pony when it comes to the hidden matters of the heart sometimes, especially when it comes to obeying the whole truth of God's Word. Some days, it's just easier to choose the parts I like to live, and ignore the rest. But that's not how God expects me to live. He is looking for complete and whole-hearted surrender from me to His way, on His terms... and all for His kingdom purposes and for His glory.

Just to keep it real, here are some of my own areas that I make excuses for ...

That submission (to my HH, to authority... you get the picture) thing. (Just ask HH about this! I am sure he can give you an earful!!!)

Or the gentle and quiet spirited thing. (Doesn't God like me loud and obnoxious??? See the above statement about the submission thing. )

Or discipline and follow through. (Check out the last time I wrote a blog post or stepped on the bathroom scales!)

Or the playing skillfully unto the Lord and with a shout of joy thing. (Practice much???)

He is looking for me to serve and obey Him completely all the time from a heart of love... Disciplined, compliant to Him in every area of my life... not just the ones I like... or that I bring out for the sake of impressing my small group teacher or the pastoral types or whomever else I seem to esteem.

My heart is one tough beast to control sometimes! God will attempt to put a bit in my big mouth and I will turn right around and either a) bite the hand who put it in there, or b) spit that thing out like a watermelon seed at a Fourth of July picnic!!! Then, I will raise my legs and promptly attempt to kick my Trainer in the teeth! (And the scary part is that I am a pretty good shot!)

Nevertheless, God is steady, unmovable, unshakable, unchangeable. His love and faithfulness, along with His gentle discipline drives me to where I am now -- at a point of surrender. I don't know what that looks like. I can't tell you that I really know what that means. I haven't been here before. At least not completely. Not in these areas. What I do know is that God loves this beautiful mess that I am... and that He desires to move in my life, if I will but trust Him by giving Him complete control and allowing Him to teach me His ways. 

So, God, tame me. I know without a doubt that I belong to You... and belonging to You is more than just being part of a dog and pony show. It's more than prancing around in a ring and letting others see just how pretty I am. We settled that a long time ago. But I also know that there are hidden areas of my heart that need to be under Your complete control. Take those feral parts of my heart...and break them according to Your ways. I know that this won't be an overnight thing... It will take time and discipline. And I expect it to be painful at times. But You have my permission to do whatever it takes. I'm not looking for blue ribbons here (those belong to You alone.) ... I just want to be an effective witness for you. Maybe when You are done, I will be a picture of beauty and gentleness. Amen.   

Enthralled

"The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord." - Psalms 45:11

Cinderella has nothing on us!

Someday, girlfriends, Jesus, the King of all Kings,  is going to return to this earth and take His bride, the Church, home to live in Heaven with Him forever.

Yep. We'll be going to a forever ball, and we'll get to dance with the Prince of Peace... Wonder what the conversation will be like on the dance floor of Heaven??? What will He say to us, when He gazes into our eyes on that day???

He is enthralled by your beauty.

Enthralled.
Captivated.
Enchanted.
Delighted.

Yes. He thinks YOU are BEAUTIFUL! Like a bride adorned for her husband....

Stunning.
Gorgeous.
Dazzling.
Fine.
Brilliant.

Sweet princesses all, He has invited you to His ball... to be His special guest... And in every case, He will brush the curls from your face, and hold your head in Hands, and tell you just how much He loves you!

He's crazy about you. Nuts about you, really. So much so that He gave everything He had to purchase this life with you.... He stretched out His arms at Calvary, and said to you and to me... "May I have this dance?"

Just for your invitation to this dance. The ultimate celebration.



We'll be dressed in His righteousness alone. And we will be made like Him.

Oh, dear friend! Our only part is to honor Jesus.

To adore Him.
To worship Him and Him alone.
To give Him praise.

For His honor.
His glory.
His kingdom's sake.

For He (Jesus) is our LORD.

He is King.
He is Ruler.
He is Boss.
He is Personal.

He is Real.
More than a knight in shining armor.
Besides - there are no fairytales here.

He's beyond belief, really.

And He loves YOU.
More than any other loves you.
More than there are stars in the sky.
Or grains of sand on the seashore.
Beyond your wildest dreams.

And He's yours for the taking.

Just ask.

True Praise in Response to He Loves Us

A friend posted this on facebook, and I just had to share it... We need to learn to shout it again and again at the top of our lungs... He LOVES US! OH HOW HE LOVES US!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwlh8e37QdA

Draw Me Nearer

 "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you." - James 4:8a

A friend of mine has been posting three word sentences as her facebook status for the past several weeks... In every case, the first two words have been, "God is...." A few days ago, her status simply read, "God is... near." I had been going through a bit of a weird funk -- for lack of better words -- for a few weeks, and when I read her status, I received the gentle reminder that God is, indeed, near.

What I had been feeling was like when you go window shopping with someone. You know that they are there, because they came in with you... But then you find yourself further interested in something and rush over to take a deeper look. You find yourself totally captivated by this (fill in the blank here) and have found yourself wrapped up in your own little world. Then you turn around, only to find that the person who was with you is right there with you.... and had been all along. Nothing is "wrong"...  The relationship is still intact... You're still friends... You were just mesmerized momentarily by something that captured your attention. And you are slapped back to reality when you turn around and remember that your friend is there. You knew it all along. And maybe you suspected that they might go and do their "own thing" for a while, since you were totally involved in whatever it was that demanded your engrossment.

There will always be times when circumstances will cause us to feel as if God is distant and distracted from us. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Though the enemy would love to taunt us and tell us otherwise, He is not far away.

He is near. So close you can almost feel His breath on your neck and His heart beating next to your own!

He is within you. (Col.1:27)

I don't know about you, but because He is within me, there is this driving desire to know Him more...and more.... To be so tightly woven that one could not tell one from the other.... And yet, on this side of Heaven, because of my many failings and imperfections, I know that will never be.

Still, there's a longing from within me that wants to grow deeper and deeper in our relationship...

I long for my heart to beat not like His, but to be syncronized with His.
I long to breath as He breathes.
I long to see as He sees.
I long to hear as He hears.
I long to speak as He speaks.
I long to love as He loves.
I long to live as He lives.

I think that was what Fanny Crosby was talking about when she wrote Draw Me Nearer. It's based on Hebrews 10:22, "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

Draw Me Nearer

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy Voice
As it told Thy Love to me.
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee....

Refrain:

Draw me nearer,
Nearer, Precious Lord
To the Cross
Where Thou Hast Died.

Draw me nearer
Nearer, Nearer Precious Lord....
To Thy Precious bleeding side.


Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,

By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.


Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!


There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.

Draw us nearer, Lord!

Good for the soul...

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." - James 5:16 

Ok. I may as well admit it. I'm addicted. To sweet tea, for cryin' out loud! :)All of this summer time heat hasn't helped, either. I've been drinking that stuff by the gallons... Seriously. It's been kinda scary. I can finish off a gallon of tea in less than a 24 hour period. Without help!

Whenever HH and I go to restaurants, I often tease our servers to "just bring me a pitcher and a straw... it will save you some steps."  The poor souls often wear the rubber off their shoes just getting my refills....

All of this started when I was a small child. My great-grandmother used to make the BEST sweet tea EVER. I mean, it was the color of liquid gold, and was so thick that you would think you could cut it with a knife... And my young palate loved the sweet stuff... I could drink gallons of it even then.

After a lifetime of giving into this temptation, I've had to change my ways. Now that I am older, I am cautious about packing on the calories and hopefully potentially staying away from the dreaded D word (diabetes) ... So, I have learned a new way to feed my addiction, and still maintain the taste... SPLENDA!

So, the "house wine of the South" is still king at our house... We still have sweetened tea... but we have it without the calories.

Hmm... Isn't that how a lot of us are with other things??? When God tries to correct us on an issue, do we try to do an end-run around Him? Do we go for something a little "lighter" (but with the same flavor) ??? Do we dance around issues, or do we try to face them head on???

Just a little something to chew on....

Now... if we can just tackle the peanut butter in the same way.... :)

What a Week!

"A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity." - Proverbs 17:17

To my many friends,

I don't even have words to begin to describe the week I've had... Talk about a roller coaster ride!!!! I celebrated my 30 year high school reunion last Saturday! What a night that was!!! Every time I heard a happy squeal, it was music to my ears, and I knew that the planning had paid off!

These are the folks who knew me when I looked like this:

There were even folks there from my elementary school days! They knew me when I looked like this:

That's me with the pigtails, front row, three from the far right.

These were the people who knew me when.... and love me anyway! HA! What a testimony that is to the kind of loving people we all grew up to be and to us as a class....I am proud to be a part of that group.

Then on Sunday morning, we HAD CHURCH at NBC! My buddy and singing partner, Edwin, sang "Midnight Cry" with our choir and orchestra. He knocked it out of the park!!! It was incredible!!! What a great song, and what a great God! That was followed by an AWESOME sermon by my pastor relative to watching for a Savior, not the signs, and being prepared for the return of Christ.

All of the celebrating came to a screeching halt as we came into a week filled with deep sorrow when we realized that a dear cousin was going to be departing this earth... She passed away on Tuesday evening following a staph infection. The doctors at Vandy still don't know what caused her death. So many of you have expressed your deepest sympathy and we appreciate your kind words. This is a difficult loss for all of us, particularly her younger sister (my cousin) and my mom. Please remember us in prayer in the days ahead.

It's at times like these that we realize that God gives us friends to lean on and to be "Jesus with skin on" to others... Thank you for your kind expressions and for your sweet friendships in both the good times and the bad... You guys are the best! :)

Much love,

Bitz

Word of God Speak...

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12

I absolutely love taking the time to type posts or to study God's word into the wee hours of the morning. It's a time of day when I know that there will be absolutely no distractions - no noise from a television, no phone calls, no incoming emails to distract me, and not a soul is on facebook at that hour! It's a great time for me to have conversations with God because I am the epitome of the night owl musician... Up late, and sleeping in.... (And I am ever so thankful for a job where I can do that.)

A couple of nights ago, I posted a comment on a board for a local newspaper. It seemed a particular local politician was in hot water with a religious group for doing a little research, forming an opinion on what he read and making that opinion public knowledge. I actually had applauded him for doing the research and for making a stand on the issue at hand based on what he had read.

It was really late, and I did need to head for bed, so I finished up, and began my normal bedtime routine... Before I crawled beneath the covers, I grabbed my Bible, as is my custom, and flipped it open. There on the pages in front of me was a passage where God was speaking, and it was as if He had just said those exact words to me as an affirmation of what I had just said on my post! I quickly told the Lord, "thanks for saying that!" and proceeded on to other things of our conversation that night.

Now, I am not an advocate of playing Bible Roulette for daily Bible Study (closing the eyes, opening up the Bible and circling the finger above the pages, then landing randomly on a passage.) That's just plain dangerous!

But I do, however, want to say that the Word of God is still powerful... It still speaks to hearts and minds today, and God does have a Word for us. The Bible is God's love letter to us! He has much to say to us from the pages of His Word....

You know, if the local politician had formed his opinion strictly on hearsay or public opinion, and not on actual researched facts, I probably wouldn't have given the guy the time of day after that. That's because public opinion is not time honored or a solid way of finding truth. Opinions come and go. Fads fade. But God's Word stands forever.

Sadly, I see a lot of folks in the world who will discount the Bible as just being an ancient book of yonder years that has absolutely no message or meaning to folks of today.... They will discount the scriptures, discount believers, even turn things inside out (calling love "hate" and "hate" love) and yet, when you ask them where they got their information, or whether they had actually read the Bible, they will say, "I don't read the Bible."

If you've never read the Bible, chances are you have one somewhere. Find yours. Blow the dust off the cover, crack it open and read it for goodness sake! Discover the wonderful ways that God still speaks to you and I... Take the time to read a short passage. See who the players are. Discover the principle that God has there, and then take the time to ask God what He is saying to you about that principle. How does this apply to you?

Betcha that the words will just jump right off the page, and scratch you where you are itching the most.

I am reminded of a song that came out a few years ago by Mercy Me...

"I'm finding myself at a loss for words


And the funny thing is it's okay

The last thing I need is to be heard

But to hear what You would say

[CHORUS]

Word of God speak

Would You pour down like rain

Washing my eyes to see

Your majesty

To be still and know

That You're in this place

Please let me stay and rest

In Your holiness

Word of God speak


I'm finding myself in the midst of You

Beyond the music, beyond the noise

All that I need is to be with You

And in the quiet hear Your voice

I'm finding myself at a loss for words

And the funny thing is it's okay" - Bart Millard, Peter Kipley

A Simple Message with a Simple Invitation

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." - John 1:12-13

During the first two weeks of June, I had the privilege of flying to Brazil with 24 other musicians from the US for a mission trip with Global Missions Project. We played about 17 concerts in a ten day period in Sao Paulo and Brasilia, all under the direction of my friend, Camp Kirkland.

At one of the churches in Brasilia, God reminded me of something that I think we often take for granted in the US. In the middle of our concert that night, Camp presented the gospel in a very simple, easy to understand way... When we finished the concert, the pastor of the church gave a really simple invitation, "Does anyone want to receive Jesus tonight as their Savior? Anyone????"

Ten people responded to the simple question. Ten individuals' lives were changed that night for all of eternity!
Such a simple presentation and a simple invitation... and the folks responded as if it were a Billy Graham crusade!

Sometimes I think we get so elaborate in our presentations that we miss the simplicity of the gospel: God sent His Son Jesus to save us from our sin. Jesus died a cruel death on a cross to rescue us and redeem us from the consequences of sin before a Holy God. He rose on the third day and someday He is coming again. And if we ask Him to become our Savior, He will!

Does anyone want to receive Jesus as their Savior??? Anyone???

It's a simple message and a simple invitation. If you don't know Him as Savior, then you can by simply trusting your life to Him and asking Him to take over. That's what the word, "Lord" means. If you already know Him, are you asking others, "Does anyone want to receive Jesus? Anyone???"

Come By Here

"And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden." - Genesis 3:8

A couple of days ago, I was sitting in an upstairs room that we call the baseball room of our house, at the computer. I was scrolling through so many facebook statuses, reading, while at the same time pondering some events that happened at our house last week, and it came to me...

I wonder if part of our problem is that we no longer sing Kum Ba Yah. The very translation of Kum Ba Yah is, "Come By Here." Since when did we become so sophisticated that it was no longer acceptable to ask or seek God's presence???

The truth is that we aren't the first to fail to seek God's presence... As you can tell from our scripture at the top of the page, Adam and Eve took the prize there. And we've failed to seek His presence since then.

I've even heard this from a pulpit (or two or three) from a "super cool" pastoral type when visiting churches in the past: "It's not like we're just going to stand around in a circle and sing Kum Ba Yah...." 

Uh. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah... Nope. Sounds really cool like ... maybe it will even meet the approval of the Hollywood crowd... but I think I want to be in a church where God is present and we aren't too afraid to ask Him to be present, and we aren't ashamed of trying to please Him. (And, thankfully, I have experienced that at our home church!)

Seems to me that the first priority of our worship is to seek God... and to ask Him for His presence... And those above anything else. We should seek to be in His presence, and for Him to move among us. Never should we assume anything or that we deserve to stand in His presence. Only Jesus is worthy of that. But His Word does say that we can go boldly before the throne of grace.... And by doing so, we are worshiping the Father.

Romans 12:1-2 says, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  (ESV)

Could it be that our spiritual act of worship is turning to God in our daily tasks???  I believe that was exactly what Paul was saying! So.... What would our lives be like if we asked for God to show up at the routine times of our daily lives? What if we asked Him to "Come by here" when:

When we are hanging with friends...

Someone's laughing, Lord. Come by here.

At the beginning and ending of life... (and all of the days in between)
Someone's crying, Lord. Come by here.

When we need talk with Him...
Someone's praying, Lord. Come by here.

When we're driving down the road and singing with the radio at the top of our lungs...
Someone's singing, Lord. Come by here.

At life's joyous occassions...like a wedding... the birth of a baby... graduations...
Someone's dancing, Lord. Come by here.

When you realize a loved one's journey will soon end....
Someone's dying, Lord. Come by here.

When your feelings are crushed.... or you are the object of gossip or some misunderstanding.
Someone's hurting, Lord. Come by here.

When you've messed up and need forgiveness....  Someone's sinned, Lord. Come by here.

When you are in need of a Savior...
Someone needs You, Lord. Come by here.

Oh, Lord. Come by here....
 

Great is the Lord Almighty

"Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain..." - Psalm 48:1

(WARNING: Transparency Alert!!! If you aren't the type of believer who welcomes real people with real stories of a real God Who really saves and changes lives, then stop reading here, and go find another blog. This post will contain some adult situations in an effort to be transparent and to encourage others who may be struggling with their own pasts to find freedom in Christ... Parental guidance suggested. Pharisees need not apply!)


So I was sitting in church orchestra rehearsal last night, playing "Great is the Lord Almighty," (Dennis Jernigan), getting ready for Sunday. As we were playing,  I was once again reminded of the lyrics of this great song of testimony:

"When His Children were dying and lost in their sin, MY GOD DIED AND HE ROSE AGAIN!
And I've been rejoicing since He took MY PLACE, and I thank YOU, JESUS, and PRAISE HIS NAME!!!"


A few years ago, while serving in the orchestra at Liberty Baptist Church in Hampton, Virginia, our church choir and orchestra accompanied Dennis Jernigan for a concert during one of our morning worship services. Now, mind you, I have played a lot of music over the years, and I was quite familiar with several of Dennis' worship tunes, but his was just a name on a page of music, like the many other composers' names I read on a weekly basis.... until I heard his story that day.

Dennis was saved from a life of sexual sin -- specifically, homosexuality. He spent several years in homosexual relationships, all while in the church. But then, Dennis came to the end of himself, and began a relationship with Jesus! And God changed his life! He is now married to a heterosexual wife, has several children, and God sings songs to him that he now writes and we as the church of today now sing: You Are My All in All, Great is the Lord Almighty, Who Can Satisfy My Soul, and countless others like them.

As incredible as Dennis' story may be, each of us who belongs to the family of God, every Christ-follower also has a story of our own... One of how a loving God, in His infinite Grace and Mercy has saved us and made us His very own.... And at a time when the church is struggling to be heard in the world, maybe it's time we started getting real with the folks in the pew next to us, and shared our own stories... I mean, how better to re-ignite the flames of faith, than to remind one another of just Who God is and what HE has done in our own lives????

Beth Moore tells the story of when one of her young children was hospitalized with a rota virus, one of her daughter's classmates sent her a homemade card that read, "I thrupt, too!" (Translation: I threw up, too!) I think that there is a desperate need among our congregations for revival, and how better to do that than to become real with one another with what Christ has done in our own lives and to remind us of who we are, who we were before Jesus came in and rocked our worlds, and who we are yet to become???

Yet, I also believe that there is a definite fear among us to share our stories.. There is a fear of judgement among believers... so much so that it would drive the very members of the family of God back into hiding behind the doors of our pasts, and would keep us from being effective servants of the Living God! And there, boys and girls,  is the very definition of hypocrisy... We claim to have experienced the grace and merciful favor of the God of the Universe, and yet, we shove our own histories under the rug and will not so much as give credence those who bring their own histories to the forefront!

Truth be told, our pews are filled with sinners every single time we meet! The Bible says, "There is none who is righteous, none, not even one." NEWSFLASH! The girl who sits in the orchestra on the platform week after week and sings the solos has a story, too!!!! And as much as I hate to admit it, my own story's not pretty... And I know that many of my readers are folks who have served side by side with me in churches from days gone by will be reading/hearing this for the very first time. Many of you have heard me sing or play, or are in my Sunday School class... Several of you worked with me in Christian workplaces and will have no clue about the story I am about to tell. I haven't told it because there is a lot of shame involved... and I have had an inherent fear that should I go public with my story that the Church would force my testimony back into hiding... and that I would go right back to the idea of praising God publicly, but keeping the past hidden... and only admitting that there was a past... And I am convinced that is precisely where the enemy wants the Church to be... hidden, cowering in fear of harsh judgement of those who sit with us in the pews week after week... when, in fact, God calls us to be real.

That's what the whole story of the woman at the well is about ... Jesus called out the Samaritan woman when she told Him that she "had no husband..." In John 4, Jesus told her, "You've spoken correctly that you have no husband... when in fact, you've had five husbands, and the one you are now with is not your husband." Jesus basically told her to get real! And we all know the story there. (If you don't go read John 4! Here's a link: http://www.biblestudytools.com/esv/john/4.html Ready, set.... GO!)

I can relate to the woman at the well in some ways... You see, I struggled with sexual sin in my early twenties and became pregnant with a child out of wedlock. The father and I intended to marry, but changed our plans after I lost the baby in a miscarriage. (And yes, it was a miscarriage, not an abortion, as rumors would have it.) I started spotting three months into the pregnancy -- all thanks to a tubal pregnancy and no thanks to two back to back eighteen hour shifts at a fast food restaurant in Oxford, MS with no breaks --  and was placed on bed rest, and still lost the baby two days later. I had a DNC for a miscarriage and two weeks later, I was back in the hospital for four days with an infection from the surgery. I was a lost church member, baptized, and actively attending worship, singing wherever God would allow me to sing, and serving in the high places in our denomination! I would finally marry -- legitimately -- to a different man in 1992 (ironically our wedding fell on the ninth anniversary date of my miscarriage -- I was convinced that God was giving me Tony because I had been "good"!) I began to stake my life on my marriage to Tony... Then, horror of horrors, Tony died of cancer in 1998. I was 35. He was 40. After Tony's death, my life pretty much fell apart. I had always really struggled with purpose in life... I guess I always knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I just never had the courage or the confidence that I could go there. So, consequently, I jumped from job to job, was fired from more jobs than I am willing to admit, and really had no substance to my life. Don't get me wrong -- I had all the friends I could ever want, plenty of nice things, a life full of opportunities that others would literally kill for, but I was empty -- lonely, unfulfilled and without direction. I had no money... and I didn't have a job. To make matters worse, I was not easy to live with. I would argue with a fencepost, and had no control over my temper or my tongue. As far as I knew, the universe revolved around me... and if it wasn't already about me, I made it about me. Widowhood only compounded the struggles I had. I felt useless, like I was just taking up space in the universe that was intended for someone else. I struggled financially, and nearly lost my home... So much of my own life's downfall was due to my own making, and I felt I had nowhere to turn! Prayers bounced off the wall because I had absolutely no relationship with the God of the Universe... although I talked about Him quite a bit... I knew all the right things to say, and all the right things to do... but did not KNOW God...  until the day I came to the end of myself, and said, "Jesus, I am tired of struggling. I am tired of trying to do and be, and coming up short. I'm tired of me. I need You to be the Boss of Me. I need You to take over my life." My life has changed dramatically since that day! For the past ten years, I have been teaching music in private studio. I remarried in 2001 to a godly guy... I have a beautiful home, great church home, and a purpose within the Body of Christ, and a purpose in life! Life is not perfect, and God is still molding me day by day into His image... But I am not who I was and I am not yet who I will be! I am simply clay in the Hands of the Creator of the Universe... An adopted Child of the King of all Kings, and a joint heir with Christ, nonetheless, and only so because of His infinite love, mercy and grace.

So. There you have it, boys and girls. Now you know why I am in awe of our God. Now you know why I Praise Him so! That's the story of this child who was dying and lost in her sin... And MY GOD DIED AND HE ROSE AGAIN... And I've been rejoicing since HE TOOK MY PLACE... And I thank YOU, JESUS, and PRAISE HIS NAME... singin':

Great is the Lord Almighty, He is Lord, He is God and King
Great is the Lord Almighty, He is God Supreme
Great is the Lord Almighty, He is Lord, He is God and King!
Great is the Lord! Great is the Lord!

So... What's your story??? I dare you to tell it!!! I double-dog dare you to drop your own masks and share your own story -- warts and all -- first to a church that needs to be reminded of Who Our God is... That very action will cause our churches to lift Him up. And dear Christ-followers, I triple-dog dare you to be a people who understand GRACE and to be givers of MERCY... When that begins to take place, the lost world that is dying and headed for hell will sit up and take notice -- not of us, but of JESUS.

After all, isn't it all about Him????

The Habits of this Highly Effective (But Lost) Church Lay Leader: Part 10 - The Heart of (the) Worship(er)

"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him." - John 4:23 (ESV)

We began our series in October, and as only God could design it, we are now ending this series on the Heart of the Worshiper at Easter! What a better way to end a blog series than by bringing it back around to WHO worship is really all about and why???

I know that this has been a zany journey for us at best, as you've read about my wacky stories. But I hope that you've come away with this thought:

Worship is not about us.
It never has been.
And never should be.


It is about the Holy Son of God.
He was At Creation.
Appointed by the Father.
Sent to earth.
God's Passover Lamb.
Without spot or Blemish.
The Only One Who could fulfill God's requirements.

Came to earth as a baby.
Born in a feed trough in a barn.
Fully God.
Fully Man.
Born with a Purpose...

To save us.

Some of the people followed Him.
Some of the people loved Him.
Some of the people hated Him.

Some cried "Hosanna!"
Then they cried, "Crucify Him."
Fickle they were.

But that was part of the plan.

To Save us.

He was beaten.
Beyond recognition.
Bruised.
Humiliated.
Crowned with Thorns.
Forced to drag a cross through the city.
Then nailed to a tree.

But that, too, was part of the Plan.

To Save us.

He died....
Placed in a borrowed tomb.

It was Sealed
With a large Boulder
And Caesar's personal seal.

And Heavily Guarded
By the Roman Government....
With the threat of death,
Should anyone allow the stone to be removed.

But that didn't stop our God! 

It too, was part of His Plan.

To Save Us!

Sometime during the night,
Fingers moved.
Eyes twitched.
Legs swung over the place where He lay.
He sat up.
Feet hit the floor!
He stood.
Removed the burial garments.
Folded them with the carpenter's fold.
And left them lying.
To show that the work was complete.

Jesus was ALIVE.

The Angel of God rolled away the boulder.

And out of the tomb He came!!!

The Work was Complete!

To Save Us.

And when the Heart of the Worshiper realizes Who He is, and What He did, we bow in awe...

That, my friend, is what worship is about.
That, is WHO worship is about!

Not about you.
Not about me.
Never has been.

Just Jesus....

Matt Redmond wrote a beautiful song called, The Heart of Worship. Click on the link below to hear it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZgPPmtZgS4

The Habits of this Highly Effective (But Lost) Church Lay Leader: Part 9 - Personal Holier-than-thou-ness: My stuff doesn't stink, but yours sure does!

"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him." - John 4:23 (ESV)


So.... Where were we???? Ah, yes! We're nearly finished with this series on the heart of the worshiper. (Is it one "p" or two???? I've always thought it to be two "p"s but the ESV says one.... We'll go with their spelling.)

We've all slept since then, so here's a quick review of just some of the things we've discussed... We've talked about things like Absolute Abandonment, Being Real with God and Others, Meeting needs of folks who are different from ourselves... We've talked about making Jesus our treasure first, and then all else will fall into place... And we've talked about numerous other things...

Deep breath. We've got to tackle one of the biggest topics of all this week.... Personal Holiness.

Ok. Before we go any further, allow me to say that this is a topic that doesn't excite me when it comes to writing about it. Why? Because it probably is the one area that trips me up the most! If I go too far with it, I can fall into pride and become extremely judgemental of others. If I don't go far enough with imitating Christ and trying to live the way He wants, I fall into the trap of relying on myself to set my own rules rather than relying on God. Scary thought, huh?

We already know what kinds of consequences those types of attitudes result in.  And in either direction, the issue is clear: personal holiness can easily become personal holier-than-thou-ness... And the biggest question is where is the line drawn?

I think what we have to do is ask ourselves some hard questions. Am I trying to impress others more than I desire to please God with the way that I live? Do I talk about the kinds of things that I do for the kingdom publicly, in order to receive praise from others?  Do I look for ways that others fail and bring them to their attention more than I consider my own failures? Do I hope that God "looks the other way" when I deliberately fail Him? Do I look for ways to rationalize my own faults and sin? Is my heart still tender toward God, and do I still try to please Him according to His word? Or am I making up my own rules and hoping that will do?

For my own life, prior to having a relationship with Jesus, I was very quick to jump to the judgement of others, while failing to see my own sin in my own life. I thought that as long as I didn't do something really bad, God would look the other way... and that He was okay with me. After all, I was in church, and I was reading the Bible and goodness knows, I was doing all sorts of things in His church! And wasn't that good enough to get me into His kingdom, or certainly within His good graces?? I thought I was the golden child!

Uh, yeah. Right.

Listen, friends. The Bible says that our righteousness to Him is as filthy rags! (Isaiah 64:6) None of us has arrived spiritually speaking. We are a fallen people, living in a fallen world. And it's only because of the grace and mercy of Almighty God that any of us even have the ability to stand before Him!

Which brings me to something that has been bugging me. A restored worship pastor friend of mine told me recently that after a moral failure, there were some folks with the attitude that he could never serve in a leadership role in that church again, because "there was a need to protect the bride."

News flash! Jesus said that He would be the One Who would present the Church as a Bride, without spot or blemish. It is not our job as the Church to present the Church without spot or blemish to God. The Church cannot present itself as spotless or without blemish to Christ because it consists of a fallen people and a fallen people cannot represent themselves as spotless or without blemish. Only Jesus can do such a thing, and to think otherwise makes Jesus' sacrifice on the cross needless and without merit! (Who needs a Savior, if the Church can save herself???)

Truth factor: Each one of us has scars. Every last one of us has sinned. Every last one of us has failed God in some way. That is not to say that following the moral failure of a leader that we don't have to go through the biblical path for restoring a fallen brother or sister in Christ. But if we, the church, take the attitude that a fallen brother or sister in Christ is now permanently disqualified from serving in leadership forever, even after having been through the process of restoration, then I would submit that no believer would be able to serve in leadership roles! And that's just not biblical. (Don't believe me? Look at the story of King David. The guy slept with another man's wife, tried to cover it up, and then had her husband killed when his plan didn't work out. And yet, after all of that, God still called him a "man after His own heart!")

As a believer, I have no right or standing with God that gives me permission to judge another based on my own ideas of morality. I have no right to stand judgement on any other believer. Period. I only have the right to judge my own behavior based on the Person of Jesus Christ and my own actions based on the truth of His Word. Period. The standards of the Bible are not there to question the hearts of others but to question my own heart! And to see where I line up with God....

What about if we go the other direction? What if we kinda make up our own rules as we go along? The Bible calls this "carnality..." That's when we live only by opting for the flesh, our human nature and fail to live by God's standards. Again, this finds its roots in self-serving attitudes. Often, we don't dive into carnality head first. It usually begins with simple longing, a lack of satisfaction with Christ, and then we search for it with the eyes, then we allow the mind to be engaged. The heart follows suit. And BINGO. We're in the middle of a mess that we had no idea that we created for ourselves!

It's in those times of carnality that we finally willfully defy God, and we only pray that He will turn His head away and let us slide. But nothing escapes His sight! And we know it. So finally we either do one of two things: we return to God, and do things His way, or we begin to make up our own rules to live by.
Sometimes that means that we try to change the rules to suit our own fancy with our own sin. Sometimes it means that we even go so far as to attempt to dismiss the existence of "sin" as a whole from our culture... and then that removes the need for a Savior... We then become spiritual, without being Godly. We become religious without a relationship with the Living God. We search for truth in all but Christ....

But Jesus said, "You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free!" (John 8:32)

So, then how do we combat these areas of failure?

First, I think we remember Jesus, and imitate His attitude...

1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with 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 purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became 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 confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  - Ephesians 2:1-11

Second, we need to grow up in our faith in Christ, and find our freedom and our satisfaction in Him. From Colossians 2:

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. 16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. 19 He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. 20 Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21 "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22 These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.


Finally, I think we can learn to use the scriptures to only judge ourselves, not others.

1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. 6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. - Matthew 7:1-6

I'm Baaaaaaack!!

OK. Contrary to the rumors, I haven't fallen off the planet. I have just been extremely busy for the past month. HH and I took a few days and had a working vacation in Virginia... and since arriving home, I have spent my time playing catch up. There have been concerts, friends who have come into town to visit, and lots of other distractions. I know, it sounds like a lot of excuses, but I'm back now. ;)

The blog series will continue, and I will try to have something up and ready for you to read early next week!

Many thanks to those who have been so faithful to continue to check in during my absence and wondering where I've been!