He is risen...

He is risen indeed!

A response to a thought provoking blog

This post will make more sense if you first go to the original blog.

I gained insight from 'usual revolution's' decriptions of a trip to New Orleans.
I was especially troubled by the description of horror that should never be. This horror has reigned other places in our nation, too: the LA riots, and New York City (where young men accosted and stripped female tourists while the women strolled through Central Park) are two of the many examples.

Here is my opinion (for what it's worth).
A country that has allowed ‘survival of the fittest’ and situational ethics to be taught in its schools receives this in exchange. It is the consequence of a nation that has decided that scripture should not reign paramount. It is a matter of the heart in a city (and an entire society) that has embraced immorality. We have removed any mention of the one true God from our schools, government, and laws. The result was predicted years ago.

‘I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth.’
Martin Luther

It is also the consequence of the Church living in overwhelming materialism and accepting whatever we choose from the culture without examination through the lens of scripture. In so doing we have emphasized our personal life and blessings over the distressing needs of the people in our community.

It is partially the result of viewing life only as valuable when it is of use to us and not a burden. We have instructed our youth that the strongest should reign. 51% of the nation chose to elect a man who believes in survival of the fittest. (The least able to defend themselves are the unborn.) Argue what you will about other aspects of the election, but accepting a devaluation of life at any level is a philosophy that permeates a culture and resurfaces in deeds that demean mankind.

Should The Government have done more for the Gulf Coast? I suspect so, but no social program will fix the mess described. It is God alone, changing hearts, that is the only solution. And our forefathers would agree.


"...reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle..." George Washington


Now I wonder what the church can do for these people and in this situation. Truly there are more questions that arise than answers. Has anyone reached out to these hurting people? Is it possible for those who brought ravage and hurt to be helped along with those who were abused? Can the church respond to such pain, and horror without sounding trite? Would it have been possible for the church to have acted before this calamity? Where are the voices to proclaim God to a world that lives by the law of survival of the fittest?

And to raise another question:
As we move further from our Judeo-Christian heritage and our morality continues to decay, what will happen to our society if only the criminals have access to guns?

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” Thomas Jefferson (Quoting Cesare Beccaria)

Here are some other quotes to consider.

George Washington

“without the beneficial interposition of the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, we could not have reached the distinguished situation which we have attained with such unprecedented rapidity. To HIM, therefore, should we bow with gratitude and reverence, and endeavor to merit a continuance of HIS special favors". [1797 letter to John Adams]
“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and Bible.”

Noah Webster
In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed...No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.”[Source: 1828, in the preface to his American Dictionary of the English Language]

In a blog dedicated to resting in the peacefulness of God, this discussion seems incongruous. But if God is unchanging, and His Peace is real - then it remains real even in situations beyond our understanding.

May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob be with you this week. Peace.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your Name!

I like this post to a student's blog. It seems I am learning more from my kids' age group than they are from me.

Granted, their generation has its errors, as did/does mine, but they also have lots to offer.

Blessings and peace through prayer.

Happiness is a Snow Puppy

The simplicity of a dog leaping in joy, trying to eat every bite of snow, brings me great happiness.

Ash Wednesday

There are no ashes on my forehead, but there is a smudgy place in my heart that wants more of God. Even lacking the ashes I feel quite a sense of my mortality compared to what I ought to be, that eternal 'oughtness' that Martin Luther King, Jr. talked about. Realizing that I will never do enough to even begin to help my own growth in grace, I am changing tactics.

You might say I am planning to quit for Lent this year. Not smoking, or drinking, or whatever other vices, but just to quit. And I have Biblical support for that. "Cease striving and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10, and "... the Holy One of Israel has said, 'In repentance and rest you shall be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.'" Isaiah 30:15

Now the question I'm left with is, how do I do this? In the modern world we are so busy 'doing' that quietness and rest is strange. How exactly does one rest in the presence of the Almighty, Awesome God?

I don't know. Maybe if I can cease striving for a while He will start to show me.

Blessings, rest, and peace multiplied.

Fresh from the Oven

There is an on-line journal I would like to tell you about. It is called Whole Grains Bakery.
Here is the link:
http://wholegrains.livejournal.com/

There is also a link that will stay in the sidebar. You may be curious as to why a bakery has a journal. It is the idea of a college student who is trying to "improve the quality of another one's life." This student is preparing whole grain products from natural ingredients, including her own freshly ground wheat berries and flaxseed, while using the proceeds from her sales to support four children through Complassion International.

Take some time to visit her journal. You can view a list of ingredients she uses and even link to profiles of the children she is supporting. If you live near the Whole Grain's Bakery maybe you will buy a loaf, or her special of the month. If you don't live near enough say a prayer for this industrious young lady, or consider helping her to support the kids.

Well done, Amanda.

Grace and Peace Multiplied

A Request

I have had many calls this week from, or about, hurting women, women who have tried to put their all into their relationships and their family. These women are from all walks of life; some with children and some without, some with money and some without, some believers and some not. Whatever their situation many women are coming up empty. Today I just wanted to mention these women. Not to deal with the specifics, not even to respond to them with verses that sound like platitudes. There are many struggling. This is my chance to say that, yes, it can be hard. But wait; there is a better day around the corner.
Will you join me and pray for women you know that are struggling now?

Blessings.

the next time you are tempted to say the dreaded word...

Kiss the Son, lest He be angry

The previous post brought to mind Psalm 2.

I fear we, as a nation, are edging closer and closer to this position...

Do we want to kiss the Son with a Judas kiss or the kiss of the broken and contrite sinful woman who threw herself at the feet Jesus and wept, kissing his feet while wetting them with her tears, and wiping those tears off with her hair...

Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the LORD
and against his Anointed One.

3 "Let us break their chains," they say,
"and throw off their fetters."

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.

5 Then he rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6 "I have installed my King
on Zion, my holy hill."

7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD :
He said to me, "You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.

8 Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You will rule them with an iron scepter;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery."

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear
and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and you be destroyed in your way,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Fear or Hope

This week we have seen good things. In a nation where people once practiced segregation, seeing an African-American elected to our highest office is something to celebrate. We have watched an exchange of power that other countries can only envy. Crowds gathered peacefully, young people marched in the parade, flags waved, people prayed, and the nation can and should celebrate all of that.

During this week of celebration over the presidential inauguration the word hope has been tossed around a lot. ‘You have chosen hope over fear” were the words, if I remember correctly, of our new president during his address to the crowds. Hope over fear. The words have a nice sound, don’t they? Of course we want hope. Everyone wants hope. But I am left with questions. (Yes, I know, I am always interrupting things with questions. My kids have complained about that often. Movies flood me with questions. Books. Sermons. The Bible. Nothing stops my questioning for long.) But what am I being asked to hope in, a man, this new man, who has little practice in leading? A different man, because we think that somehow a new person will not make the mistakes the old ones did? Perhaps he will be made of different mettle than the others were? Perhaps he will not carry the same weaknesses that the rest of humanity does? Perhaps he will bring change? All that remains to be seen. Perhaps he will bring change.

As much as we all want hope, none of us wants to live in fear. Decisions should not be based in fear. We should not have to live afraid. Should we? I have no desire to live a life of fear.

Yet, fear can work for us. The smoke from a volcanic eruption would cause fear. Fear that would be the impetus to move to a safe place. Thundering waves cause fear. Fear that might keep my kayak from ending up scattered in pieces over the rocks and me with it. Fear can be protective in the same way that pain can disclose danger. And there is another fear that I believe can protect us. That is fear of the Almighty God.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Proverbs 1:7

“For God has so worked that men may fear Him.” Eccl. 3:14

I fear a God who created the universe. I fear a God who was too terrifying for Moses to even look on. I fear a God who thunders, who destroys, who disciplines. I fear the great I Am.

“There is none like Thee, O Lord;
Thou art great, and great is Thy name in might.
Who would not fear thee, O King, of the nations?” Jeremiah 10:6,7

That fear drives me. But listen to what that awesome and terrifying one says.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love:
Therefore I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3

And:

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” John 1: 12

I do live with fear then. Fear that I Am is angered when we destroy innocent life that was created in His image, especially on this anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Fear that there is one who is more awesome than we can imagine. Fear that He cares what we do and the choices we make.

So President Obama, I have to differ with you. I will choose fear of God over hope in a man. Come what may. And that fear leads to True Hope.

My Grandmother's Cranberry Glass

As I was showering this morning I saw the beautiful sunlight shining through my Grandmother's cranberry glass. She had a collection of cranberry glass and treasured it. As I saw the beautiful red glow on the wall it brought back a flood of Grandma memories:

• Her wonderful, spooky house in Minneapolis where she kept boarders, with it's musty smell and crazy hidey-holes.
• The way she would sprinkle brown sugar on the boiled carrots to make us eat them.
• The lilac bushes surrounding her house that were so much a part of her that I had lilacs at my wedding and when she died my Dad took clippings from those bushes to plant around our house on the east coast.
• Her ancient roller washing machine in the impossibly old basement - it's power to crush fingers kept me in serious nightmares for a while
• Running through the sprinkler on her front lawn in the brief but oppressively hot Minnesotan summers.

It was extraordinary how that simple glow of cranberry red brought back a wave of memories I hadn't recalled in years.

Sometimes it's good to relax and remember....

Things too wonderful for me to know

To follow up on the idea of my inability to comprehend the greatness of God as manifested in His Creation I am drawn to the completion of the book of Job (Job 42:1-6)

1 Then Job replied to the LORD :

2 "I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.

3 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.

4 "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.'

5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.

6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes."

I am GLAD that there is more to the world than my incredibly small understanding - I feel so puny and insignificant and yet then I am able to appreciate the glorious richness of God and His Creation!

Wonder

From whose womb has come the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given birth?
Water becomes hard like stone,
And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.
Job 38:29,30



I just enjoyed a weekend full of icy wonder. I have also been listening to old sermons by Ravi Zacharias, sermons on wonder. Recently, two different people mentioned this series. It is a series I heard quite a while ago but had completely forgotten. According to Ravi, "when wonder is lost ... dignity is lost as man is reduced to mere matter ...and when wonder is lost gratitude is lost. Gratitude is indispensable for existence." Ravi also referred to a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him. I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life..." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Posted in honor of MLK Jr. Day)

I still have to battle a winter tendency to neglect gratitude, but a chance to be awed by God's creation was a gentle nudge. He is the One 'that can do all things'. Even at this cold season, time to appreciate God and a world that is not mere matter, a universe where we are more than flotsam and jetsam, can restore wonder and gratitude.

Blessings, wonder, and peace multiplied.

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?"
"Is it at your command that the the eagle mounts up, and makes his nest on high?" Job 38:4 & 39:27

His Love endureth forever

On December 1st, 2008, I enjoyed watching the rare confluence of the moon, Jupiter and Venus. It seems so wonderful that our world is so ordered that these astronomical phenomena are completely predictable. I realize that the scientists have known this for years, but it never ceases to amaze me that God created such an exquisitely perfect and ordered world.

Psalm 136

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.

2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.

3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.

5 who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.

6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.

7 who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.

8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.

9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

23 to the One who remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.

24 and freed us from our enemies,
His love endures forever.

25 and who gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.

Shadows...

While at the beach I noticed something unusual - the shadow that I expected of the football was not what I was seeing. It was weird to see the vertical elongated shadow when I thought I would see a horizontal one. It was then that I realized how little I understood about the SUN - the shadow was changing each minute as the sun dipped in the evening sky. I had one tiny little idea about how the football's shadow would look but the SUN changed the shadow every minute I was standing there. It reminded me of how fixed and finite our ideas become concerning the SON. How we create a box that we fit our Lord into, never realizing His immense capacity to shine on us, to help us, to warm us, to help us see things in His way.

I see that these thoughts are a bit scrambled and yet I like them - I have underestimated my God so much that I live a life often cast into one solitary shadow.I want to have people look at me and see a shadow that changes and grows with the influence of the Lord on me.

As a photographer I am constantly seeing new and wonderful things in God's creation - may it continue to be so...

The refuse, the bitter, turned to good

Two quite different ways of saying something similar:

It is so bitter it goes nigh to death;
Yet there I gained such good, that, to convey
The tale, I'll write what else I found therewith.

~Dante "The Divine Comedy-Hell", Canto 1, Dorothy Sayers translation


"God is in the business of taking old pieces of our lives,
refinishing them, and -- at just the right time -- surprising
us with newfound beauty."

~Susan Duke

He delights in unchanging love...

Micah 7:18

"Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity
And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?
He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in unchanging love. "

The thought of being the forgiven child of a pardoning God who delights in UNCHANGING Love!
What a humbling and yet stimulating thought to meditate upon. He never changes though we are so changeable.

"When I had journeyed half of our life's way,
I found myself within a shadowed forest,
for I had lost the path that does not stray."
-The Inferno

Over 700 years ago Dante penned these opening lines to The Divine Comedy. How often have we thought we were following a straight path but realized we were hopelessly lost? We glance around and evaluate the landscape to find we are in a shadowed forest unable to figure out how we managed to arrive in the first place. The path is plain and straight, it is the pilgrim who holds a broken compass. C. S. Lewis described it as, "rats in the cellar" and Gordon MacDonald as, "dragons that highjack our soul." But probably the best description of our dark underside is by the prophet Jeremiah, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it." (Jer. 17:9)

I believe many churches have actually done us a disservice by categorizing and cataloging sins. How often have we heard someone whisper that a fellow Christian has "fallen" as if some have actually risen above the vulnerability to have their souls high-jacked by dragons. Or worse, that some have been able to slay those dragons so that they cease their torment. The young Christian man who yields to a homosexual temptation is considered fallen. The Christian couple who divorces has fallen. The young girl in the teen group who has an abortion is fallen. We mentally compare and catalog and say because we have not yielded to these sins we are somehow more righteous. Pride, avarice, gluttony, lust, wrath, idleness, envy. Does the Christian community really dare to think they are not fallen because they can hide some sins more easily than others? The internal compass is broken and the dragons lurk just beneath the surface in every one of us. My hope is that we will be transparent about who we are, honest about where we are, and sincere about what we seek. It is only then that we will be able to encourage and truly help each other with our burdens as we make this pilgrimage.