Here am I.

I like to think about heaven. There are times that I long to be there, to leave behind this fallen world, to be in the presence of God Almighty.

In the Bible, there are a few places where God gives us a glimpse of heaven. My favorite is Isaiah 6. The prophet Isaiah records his vision of heaven.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices, the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Can you imagine being in the presence of our holy Jehovah Sabaoth? You can't even tiptoe into the room without stepping on the hem of his garment that fills the temple. And then we see God cleansing Isaiah of his guilt and atoning for his sin. If I were Isaiah, at this point, my fear would be gone and I would be perfectly content to stay with God forever. Instead, Isaiah hears God ask a question.

"Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

Isaiah is quick to answer, "Here am I. Send me!"

I don't really know what the year 2012 holds for you or for me. It may be a time when God uses burning coals to cleanse me and transform me more to his image. God often uses events in our lives to do just that.

I want to be ready when he calls me. I don't want to hesitate. I want to be able to say, "Here am I. Send me!" I want to be prepared to serve Him.

Are you prepared to serve God in whatever way he calls you? Have you studied his Word to know his Truth? Are you willing to do the right thing when others around you fall? Do you spend time in prayer? Do you have a church family that knows the Lord and supports you in following him? Are you looking for where God is working so you can join him?

That's my prayer for you for the year 2012.

A Christmas Miracle

Christmas.

Do you have a favorite Christmas? You know, the year where everything just seemed right in the world and the Red Ryder BB Gun you wanted was under the tree? Okay, maybe it was Mystery Date or a Cabbage Patch Doll or an American Girl Doll.

There is one special Christmas that I reflect on every year. I’m not sure how old I was – maybe eight or nine. My dad had recently moved the five kids left at home to Barton County, Florida infamous for being the poorest county in Florida. We fit right in.

My dad, a small hump-backed man, continued to raise us on the monthly social security disability checks that arrived in the mail each month.

As Christmas approached, a young couple contacted the elementary school we attended and asked if there was a needy family they could bless for Christmas. Our family was chosen and Jack Berry contacted my dad and asked for the honor of providing our Christmas presents that year. My dad accepted with one condition. The Berrys had to deliver the presents themselves.

Mr. Berry balked at this. He wanted the gifts to be anonymous, but my dad insisted. He wanted us children to thank Mr. and Mrs. Berry in person. Dad wanted us to learn about being generous.

I remember when Mr. and Mrs. Berry arrived with armfuls of packages. We took turns opening our gifts, as is our family tradition, and thanked them for each treasure. I received a new nightgown, a rare gift being the youngest girl with a dresser holding only hand-me-downs. The most exciting gift was the Atari. Donkey Kong. Oh, the joys of technology.

As we kids sat around the tree admiring each other’s gifts, my dad glanced over and discovered Mrs. Berry sitting quietly on the couch with silent tears streaming down her face. He went over to her and asked her what was wrong.

Frankly, she said, she didn’t understand why God would give so many children to a crippled, little man with no means to support them, but no children to a young, healthy couple with so much to give.

She meant no harm by her statement and my dad was keenly aware of the pain in her heart. What happened next is most clear in my memory.

My daddy knelt on the floor in front of Mrs. Berry and took her hand in his and prayed for her. He thanked God for her generous spirit and asked God to give her the baby she so deeply desired.

When he finished, there was an awkward silence. Someone brought Mrs. Berry some toilet paper so she could blow her nose and the young, childless couple went home.

As months went by, I didn’t think about Mr. and Mrs. Berry. I enjoyed my warm pajamas and fought with my siblings for time on the Atari. The school year ended; summer came and went.

One day, my dad told me to get ready because we were going to the flower store. I had never been to the flower store, so I ran a brush through my stringy, long hair and considered myself ready to go.

Dad and I stopped at the florist and he purchased yellow roses. I got to hold them in the truck and they smelled wonderful. Then we drove through Winter Haven into a neighborhood I had never seen before. The homes were large with manicured yards. That is when my daddy told me we were going to visit Mr. and Mrs. Berry.

And Jack Jr.

God is still in the business of miracles. He can bring life to the barren. He can restore the marriage. He can destroy the cancer. He can provide the job. He can fill the void of a lonely heart. He can forgive. He can love the unlovable.

The greatest miracle of all is Jesus. God sent his only Son from heaven to earth to die for you and for me. Jesus rose and is alive today. God loves you and wants to do a miracle in your life. Don’t be afraid to get on your knees and ask God for the impossible. He is still in the business of miracles.

Happy Thanksgiving

If you don't know, I picked up another half time job this fall. I'm a history teacher. I love history. I don't like memorizing dates, facts and figures, but I love the stories.

I found a little story that took place inside the classroom of a history teacher and I would like to share it with you.

A teacher asked her students to list what they thought were the present Seven Wonders of the World. The students cast the most votes for:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not turned in her paper yet. She asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list.

The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."

The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:

1. to see
2. to hear
3. to touch
4. to taste
5. to feel
6. to laugh
7. to love

getSynergized Newsletter (7-27-03); submitted by Phil Myers, Chesterton, Indiana

November is the month of thankfulness. When I am listing what I am thankful for, I usually list people and material things first. You know, I'm thankful for my family, my home, having food to eat, having a church family, clean water, indoor plumbing. . . Those sorts of things.

This year, I want to focus on things I don't always think of. I'm thankful for the ability to love. I'm thankful I can laugh. I am so thankful my senses are all working.

Most of all, I'm extremely thankful that God knows me and that He has a deep desire for me to know Him. This continuously blows me away. God knows me. God knows you. He desires to have fellowship with each of us on a personal level. Now here is something to truly be thankful for.

A tornado could come through and take my house, but I'd still have Him.
An accident could occur and I could lose my family, but I'd still have Him.
A stroke could leave me unable to express love, but I'd still have Him.
I could lose my sight, but I'd still have Him.

God is the only thing that can never be taken away from me. And everything else, all of the above, are just blessings upon blessings that He pours into my life.

Thank you, Lord. Really, there are not words to describe the appreciation I have for who He is.

So, thank God for your food, and your home and your family. Just don't forget to praise and thank God for who He is. Remember that every good thing comes from Him.

Dating Advice

Hey Girls!

Are you dating someone?

Is there a boy that you like?

Now, I don't know about you, but when I started dating, I was really checking out guys for marriage.

The other day I happened on this short, funny video on dating. It was produced by a Jewish group, but don't let that throw you.

I hope you enjoy it.

Purity

Today, it was 102 degrees outside. If you were to come over to my house, the first thing I would do is offer you a glass of water.

Would you like a glass of water? Here you go.

I can see you now. You're sitting on my couch enjoying the refreshing liquid. Can you imagine with me? The drink cools your parched throat.
Say it with me: "Ahhhh."

What if I told you that I accidentally dropped some cyanide in there? Whoops. It wasn't much really. Just a few drops. I really hope it doesn't kill you. I'm so sorry the water I gave you wasn't pure.

Purity.

It is a topic most young people do not like to talk about. Mostly because they are feeling guilty. Sometimes it just makes them uncomfortable. Let's define purity first.

pu·ri·ty

noun

1. the condition or quality of being pure; freedom from anything that debases, contaminates, pollutes, etc.: the purity of drinking water.

pure

adjective
1. free from anything of a different, inferior, or contaminating kind; free from extraneous matter

Thank you, dictionary.com.

Naturally, when we start talking about purity, our minds go to sexual purity, abstinence, refraining from having sex. But purity is more than that. It's about being pure in thoughts, actions, and words and being careful with what goes in our minds. It's a whole attitude, a way of life you live. I've been married for fifteen years and I still struggle with purity. Why? Because it has to do with being pure in heart, in our conduct, in our motives, in our inner spirits, and in our thought lives.

I'll let you in on a little secret.

Nobody is pure. Everybody struggles in this area.

So why do grown-ups make such a big deal about sexual purity? Why does God make such a big deal about sexual purity?

Do you really want to know the truth? You might be surprised. Are you ready? Okay, here I go. The real reason we make such a big deal about sexual purity is because we care. Yep. That's it. We care about you. We love you. God loves you.

God wants to do two things. He wants to provide you with the very best and protect you from everything else.

²¹ My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,
preserve sound judgment and discretion;
²² they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.
²³ Then you will go on your way in safety,

and your foot will not stumble.
²⁴ When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
²⁵ Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
²⁶ for the LORD will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.

Proverbs 3:21-26

Wow! Look at all the things God gives to those who follow Him.
Life. Grace. Safety. No Fear. Sweet Sleep. The Lord will be at your side. These are all the good things God is waiting to provide for you when you follow His wisdom.

¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. ¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20

If you are a Christian, a follower of Christ, then the Holy Spirit lives in you. Your body is not yours to do whatever you want with it. Christ died for you. He purchased you at a tremendous price. Why? So you can do whatever you want with your boyfriend? No. To honor God. I really want you to think about this. Honor God in all your choices, but especially in how you behave with your body, His temple.

Marriage should be honored by all, and the

marriage bed kept pure,

for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

Hebrews 13:4

Pure.

The guy you are dating is not your husband. He does not belong to you. Until you are married, you are kissing somebody else's husband.

God has a husband for you. How would it feel to know your future husband is out fooling around with some other girl right now? Those memories will never leave him.

Adultery is a strong word, but I'm not the one using it here. God is. And He says He will judge you. Don't say I didn't warn you.

God wants to provide you with a husband. He wants you to have a pure relationship. God desires to give you a marriage filled with life and grace and safety. He wants you to have sweet sleep. He does not want you to live in fear. Fear of STD's. Fear of pregnancy out of wedlock. Fear of being caught. He wants to walk beside you all of the days of your life and provide you with His best. I promise you: His best is better anything you can dream of creating on your own.

Decide to stay pure. Sex is a really wonderful thing. God thought it up. He wants you to save physical intimacy for marriage because it will protect you from a lot of bad junk and provide you with a marriage worth having.

I'm telling you this because I care.

These thoughts came from our summer girls' Bible study, His Girl by Vicki Courtney.

The Secret of Self-Worth

Next Saturday, the town I live in is hosting an all town garage sale. Usually, I'm out looking for deals, but this year I have decided to join the sellers. The idea of having a garage sale really stresses me out. I have to clean out, sort through and gather from throughout the house. The worst part for me, though, is the pricing. I don't like pricing! It is so hard to determine the worth of something. One gal's trash is another girl's treasure.

This is true when we look in the mirror, too. What if someone asked you what you are worth? How do you determine your self-worth?

If you are like most people, you might base your self-worth on what others think about you or you might compare yourself to others who you think are somehow better than or less than you.

At our teen girls' Bible study last night, we looked at three ways the world determines the worth of a person and then we contrasted them to the way God determines our worth.

#1 Worth = What You Look Like

We are bombarded by a culture that judges people's worth by touched up photos of skinny models. So, we end of thinking that if we don't look right, if we don't have the right brand of jeans or the right hair cut or perfect make-up, we somehow don't measure up.

Here's some truth:

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
Psalms 139:14

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Genesis 1:26-27, 31

God formed you with his own hands, and it was very good. You are wonderfully and purposefully created by God. Let's rewrite the world's first formula for worth.

Worth = God Made Me Special in His Image

#2 Worth = What You Do

Looks aren't everything to the world. We are also judged by our performance. Even your parents push you to get good grades and do well. Colleges are looking for students who are at the top of their class and active in community service and leadership. You feel pressure to make the varsity team, to be the good girl, to be a hard worker. These are not bad things, but they should not determine your worth.

Here is some truth that might hurt a little:

All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Isaiah 64:6

Ouch. Did that just say God sees all of our righteous acts like filthy rags? All my accomplishments, abilities, achievements, good deeds, efforts, performances, skills, talents and triumphs are worthless to God?

The truth is God does not put conditions on His approval. When you accept Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, He loves you no matter what. Your worth comes from Him, not from your actions. Let's rewrite the world's second formula for worth.

Worth = What Jesus Did For Me

#3 Worth = What Others Think of Me

We have a deep desire to fit in, to be accepted, to gain the approval of others and sometimes that leads us to people-pleasing actions that are opposite of what God would have for us.

Here is some truth:

How amazing are your thoughts concerning me, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
Psalm 139:17-18

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
I Samuel 16:7

But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.”
I Samuel 13:14

Nobody thinks about you more than God does. He isn't concerned with whether you are trendy or if others think you are funny or popular. He is concerned about your heart. David was the runt of his family, the baby brother with the lowliest position, most mundane job, the least experience and yet God chose him to be king over His chosen people because David was a man after God's own heart.

God's desire is for you to seek and find your worth in Him. Let's rewrite the third formula for worth.

Worth = What God Thinks of Me

You are not an accident. God created you just the way you are for His purposes. You have significant and tremendous worth.

The next time you are looking in the mirror, remember that what you see is what Jesus loves.

Remember, one gal's trash is God's treasure.

Our study is based on His Girl by Vicki Courtney.

Anti-conformity

Anti-conformity. It means to not assimilate. We want to fit into the crowd and yet we want to be unique and special. But, what does God ask of us? He wants us to be different. First Peter 1:17 tells us to "live as strangers here" and Philippians 3:20 reminds us that our "citizenship is in heaven." If you feel as if you do not belong here on planet earth, then you are probably doing a good job.

Read these words:
RED GREEN PINK PURPLE WHITE ORANGE BLUE YELLOW RED GREEN PINK PURPLE WHITE ORANGE BLUE YELLOW RED GREEN PINK PURPLE WHITE ORANGE BLUE YELLOW RED

As you read the words above, what comes to your mind first, the color that the words actually say or the color that the words are printed in? This is a tough one for your brain, because your brain can "read" these words two different ways. You have to slow down your thinking in order to read the letters.

This happens in the spiritual realm as well. We live in this world, but we are citizens of heaven. We are constantly bombarded with the standards of earth, but we know that we should live under the standards of God.

So, how do we do it? Here's the verse to meditate on this week.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

The world is constantly pushing you to conform, but God has a better plan for you. The only way to be transformed is by the renewing of your mind. And the only way to renew your mind is to spend time reading the Bible.
Period.
That's what it takes.


Do you have a kitchen table? Is it the dumping ground at your house? You know, you walk in the door from school or wherever and you take all the stuff in your hands and you just dump in on the table. So does everyone else. Backpacks. Books. Water bottles. Hats. Mail. Whatever. It all gets deposited on the table.

Supper time rolls around and mom starts hollering from the kitchen, "Clear off the table." Somebody, probably you, has to get rid of all the stuff. You can't sit down for a good, nutritious meal without first clearing off all the junk.

The same thing is true in your brain. You get junk dumped on you all day long. You need to take time to clear it off and then you need to sit down and get some good, nutritious food. Fill your brain up with the Word of God from the Bible. You must be radically transformed before we can stand out for God in the world.

You know I love music, so here is a song by Krystal Meyers called Anti-conformity. It could not be embedded so we share the link with you below. Be sure to check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WErI0J61kzw

This is what we talked about at our teen girls' Bible study last night. We are using the study His Girl by Vicki Courtney and I stole some of her thoughts for this blog. It is a good study and if you happen to be a teen girl who has completed seventh through twelfth grade and live in the Stafford area, come to my house at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday. If you live somewhere else, you can buy the study book at a Christian bookstore or online or you can just keep reading the blog. The book is better. The Bible is best.

Stress

Stress. When I mentioned to a group of teen girls that our summer Bible study would begin with the topic of stress, I received feedback that this was a much needed topic. I know I'm not revealing some great mystery when I tell you that teen girls live with a lot of pressures.

When I asked the girls to tell me what stresses them out, some of the responses included: tests, knowing the right thing to wear, homework, sports, boys, the drama of high school, family responsibilities, getting and keeping in shape, getting ready for college, and keeping Christian friends. Okay, someone mentioned that her coach is a crazy driver and it totally stresses her out to drive anywhere with the team, but we are not mentioning names here. These are big issues for girls and as the conversation continued more things were added to the list.

Our study is called His Girl by Vicki Courtney. The goal with the study is to get us (and I'm including myself) to see the world from God's point of view. We want to live as a daughter of the King. So, how does God want us to react when we feel stressed?

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:14-16

I have to be honest with you. Jesus was a guy. He lived a long time ago. He probably wore the same thing every day. Are you sure he can empathize with a fifteen-year-old girl's decision on what to wear on a dress-up game day? He could turn stones into food if he was hungry, but did he ever have to worry about being teased over his weight? Jesus was omniscient; did he ever stress out before a test?

A little deeper look into the Bible reveals to us that Jesus did indeed face many pressures. Thankfully, Jesus' actions also show us how we can react and face those stresses.

Here is where you need to open your Bible and read Matthew 14. Yes, the whole chapter. While you are reading, remember this all happened it just one day.

Do you remember who John the Baptist was? John was Jesus' cousin and he was a prophet. If anyone on earth had a chance of really "getting" Jesus, it was John. Jesus loved and treasured John. So, it is no surprise that when Jesus is told that John had been beheaded, "he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place." See verse 13.

Jesus was grieving. Have you ever lost someone you love deeply? You understand how Jesus felt. He wanted to get away by himself and mourn his cousin. Unfortunately, Jesus did not have time to grieve. A large crowd had followed Jesus and he felt compassion for them.

If Jesus had a to-do list for that day it would have looked like this.

• Get terribly sad news
• Take a boat ride
• See large crowd and feel compassion
• Heal all the sick
• Feed five thousand men and their families
• Dismiss the crowd
• Pray alone on a mountainside
• Walk across the lake
• Give Peter a water-walking lesson
• Heal more sick people
• Answer challenges from religious people
• Teach large crowd
• Explain teaching to disciples

Did you notice that Jesus' day stretched into day two? I read chapter 14 and 15 several times and I never saw where Jesus rested, or slept, or ate chocolate. (That's what I do when I get stressed out.) So what did Jesus do?

He went alone and prayed. That was Jesus' response to the pressures of the world. And it should be our response as well.

Does it work? Scroll back up to Hebrews 4:16. God tells us that when we pray, we will receive mercy, grace and help. Notice, it doesn't say maybe we will receive or sometimes we will receive. It says we will receive.

Pray. Approach God's throne of grace with confidence. It works.

Vision Check

Last month, I somehow contracted an eye infection. Nasty thing, it was. I woke up with goop gluing my eyelid together and underneath hid a red, swollen eye. Yuck. Monday morning, it was off to the doctor for me to get antibiotic eye drops and strict orders to refrain from wearing my contacts.

Glasses. I have worn glasses over a quarter of a century now and I still do not like them. The glasses I currently use are from a prescription of days gone past and consequently, I can't see very well out of them. However, without them, I can't see a thing.

A couple of years ago, I had to purchase a specialized alarm clock with two inch high numbers. Even with my head on the pillow right next to its bright glowing red numbers, I still squint to read the time. I'm not exaggerating. My vision is terrible. I need my glasses.

I have passed on this genetic trait to all of my unfortunate children. As the youngest, four-year-old Samuel was the last to acquire his spectacles. He is also the best at misplacing them. Recently, the glasses went missing for several days when Nathan found them camouflaged by the heat vent grate on the floor. The usual quarter reward was given. I've asked if super-gluing glasses to a little person is child abuse and rumor has it is. Bummer.

The thing about Samuel is that he does not think he needs his glasses. He is convinced that he can see just fine without them.

I understand exactly how he feels because I feel that way when it comes to God sometimes. I convince myself I can see. I persuade myself to think that the vision I have of God is clear and complete. I forget the need to put on my glasses daily. Okay, I don't have superpower glasses that allow me to see the spiritual realm, but I do have a Bible. Inside is a clear and consistent description of who God is. Yet sometimes, I don't take the time to open it up and spend some time with the Lord.

Here are a few verses to consider:


Isaiah 56:10
Israel’s watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep.


Isaiah 44:9
All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame.


Psalm 146:8
the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous.


Do you see the connection between blindness and lack of knowledge or ignorance? The flip side of that is a connection between sight and wisdom, to see God for who he really is and to walk in that truth.

Don't get stuck with yesterday's glasses prescription. Each day, open up your Bible and strengthen your vision. You need to do this. I need to do this.

Remember how I told you that Samuel doesn't think he needs his glasses. Well, he does and this is how I know.
Last year during basketball season, Jeff (Samuel's daddy) was coaching basketball. The other coach is Mr. Norman who is also tall with dark hair. Jeff and Mr. Norman wore matching coaching shirts. From one end of the gym to the other, Samuel could not determine which one was his daddy. This is a problem. You should be able to find your daddy. You should be able to pinpoint your heavenly father. Know him. Know his character. Do not be confused by your lack of vision, your lack of knowledge and truth.

Every day, I find time to check my email. I check my facebook page. Most days, I even check the weather. If I have time to do all of that, I know I have time to check in with my abba and so do you.

Here's one more verse to ponder:

I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.

I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.
Psalm 119:104-106

You know, I love to leave you with a song, so check this one out. It's an oldie but a goodie.




Here are the words:

Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Reunions

"Good morning," says Nathan in a cheery voice, "I beat you". This is my eight-year-old's newest game, to say good morning to me before I say it to him. We haven't been away from each other for long. We just slept in separate bedrooms and it seems I just saw him as time goes quickly when you sleep. But "good morning" is important. We are reunited each morning.

It is a small, but sacred reunion.


This happens for our family each evening, too. After the work and play of our day comes to an end, we have a reunion of sorts around the dining room table. We share a meal and share our experiences of the day.

It is a small, but sacred reunion.

Reunions take place every day. Parents pick up kids from school. Couples cuddle on the couch each evening. Sunday morning services draw church families together. Easter supper rounds up families members from all over. Puppies greet their owners with wagging tails at the door. Grandchildren Skype Grandma. Family reunions cause relatives to converge on a single location. Former classmates gather. Brothers hunt together each fall. Sisters scrapbook. Friends meet for dinner. They are all sacred reunions.

I was thinking about this the other day while I was at a funeral in Colorado. Although under sad circumstances, it was a reunion for our family and our former church family. Following the service, we spent the afternoon standing in clusters or sitting around circular tables nibbling on sandwiches and catching up on each other's lives. It was a blessing to hear what God was doing in the lives of our friends. There were hugs and smiles. There were tears and prayers. There were people holding hands and holding each other up. It was a small, but sacred reunion.

And although we were gathering together, we were there for a funeral, a time to say good-bye to our dear Jessie. God was praised for who He is and what He did in Jessie's life. Jesus was there; you could feel his Spirit.

All of these reunions remind me of heaven. For those who are born again believers in Christ, heaven will be one big reunion. There will be a feast. We will gather and share stories about what God did in our lives on earth. We will hug and smile and praise God together. But there will be no good-byes, no tears, and no need to hold each other up. Jesus is there. I personally am really looking forward to this. It will be a grandiose and sacred reunion.

I recently had the pleasure of seeing Michael W. Smith in concert. He led us in worship and it felt like rehearsal for heaven. He played the song, Welcome Home and it reminded me of the reunion we will have one day.

Hope

Easter is coming. I like to read through the Gospels in the early spring days that usher in Resurrection Day. Last week, I read this short story found in Mark 1: 40 - 45.

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Jesus was filled with compassion.v He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

The Greek word used for leprosy could be used for various diseases affecting the skin, but most people believe it was leprosy by the way the people reacted to his healing. In the days of Jesus, leprosy was considered a hopeless, incurable, mutilating disease.

I didn't really know anything about leprosy except that it was a yucky disease of the skin. I knew people thought it was highly contagious by the way in which they treated lepers. God created laws found in Leviticus 13 in order to prevent the spreading of these skin inflictions.

I'm a fan of WebMD, so I looked up leprosy and this is what I found out. Nowadays, we know that leprosy is a chronic infection disease that is caused by a nasty, slow acting bacteria. Today, there are treatments available for lepers, but back in Jesus' time, there were none.

Lepers experience skin lesions that are pale or red, dry, hairless and numb. These lesions can appear anywhere on the body or in mucus membranes (think eyes, nose, and mouth). Not only do lepers lose sensation where the lesions appear, the disease also affects the peripheral nerves in the body, particularly the hands, feet and eyes.

Remember in kindergarten when you learned about the five senses. Lepers slowly lose them. First, they lose the ability to feel. The man in Mark 1 would reach down to pet a cat, and not feel the softness of its fur. He would touch a hot pan and not feel the heat burn away his skin. He would step on a sharp stone and not feel it cut into his flesh. A cool breeze would blow across his face, and he would not feel the refreshment it could provide.

As lesions spread into his mucus membranes, the man would lose his ability to smell. The nerves within his nose would deaden to the smell of spring flowers. Mercifully, he would also not be able to smell the stench of his own flesh rotting away or the odor of the decomposing trash. Most lepers lived in either dumps or graveyards.

Though rare, lepers can also lose their ability to taste and hear if lesions develop in their mouth and ears. Vision, however, was almost always affected by leprosy. As the disease progressed, the man in Mark 1 would not have been able to see well; the reality around him would have been cloudy and unclear.

As lesions spread over his body, the man would have become disfigured as lumps and bumps expanded over him. Deadened by the disease, he may have had fingers and toes literally fall off.

Most profound, the man would have been cut off from society. A true outcast, not only may he have been numb to human touch due to deadened nerves, it is very likely he did not have human contact since the disease was first noticed. At any potential for human contact, the man would have had to yell, "Unclean! Unclean!" so that others could avoid him.

The man in Mark 1 did not yell unclean when he came to Jesus. Instead he bowed before his only hope of healing with faith uncommon in the healthy. "If you are willing, you can make me clean." And with a touch, the man was healed, cleaned, renewed.

There are less than 200 cases of leprosy in the United States a year. It is a bacteria, a nasty bacteria, but treatable. So why did I spend all of this time telling you about the disgusting symptoms of leprosy?

It is because leprosy reminds me of another terrible disease, a disease that deadens the senses, isolates its victims and robs people of their ability to function. Many people have this disease and don't even know it. Maybe even you. Sometimes even me.

Some people call it spiritual leprosy. The heart becomes hard. Lesions grow on the soul. Apathy overtakes the spirit. The true person God has created you to be is distorted. Maybe you stopped feeling compassion for those in pain. Not only have you lost the ability to feel love, but you also don't feel the pain of rejection anymore. You feel numb. You can no longer taste and see that the Lord is good. Your vision is so cloudy, you can't see reality. You ceased to hear God call you to him. You're indifferent to determining right from wrong. Your heart is calloused. Maybe you have to physically hurt yourself to feel anything at all. You feel hopeless.

There is hope for this disease. The hope is the same for you and the same for me as it was for the man in Mark 1. The hope is Jesus. He is the one who can heal your distorted heart. He is the one who can cleanse your soul. He is the only one who can renew your spirit. Through him, you can be all God created you to be.

Maybe it is not you with the disease, but someone you know. Either way, I invite you take to few minutes and watch the following video. It is called, "A Man Fell in a Hole."

Easter is about resurrection, a new life, a real hope. My prayer is that you would experience it this year.

One more thing. God has put someone in your life to help you through this. It might be your friend, a teacher, a co-worker or even a family member. But God will never leave you without help. If you can't figure out who the person is, leave a comment and we will help you find someone to help you. There is hope.

[If you wish to reset to original video press the replay button. All other videos may not necessarily be endorsed by Young Hearts Blog and Lovely Branches Ministries.]

Click here to go to the HOPE page at lovelybranchesministries.org http://lovelybranchesministries.org/HOPE.html

Got A Secret?

Got a Secret?

In Lake Wales, Florida, there is a tranquil spot called Bok Tower Gardens. When I was little, my dad would take us there for a quiet walk among the beautiful flowers as the tower soaring above us serenaded us with glorious songs of carillon bells. We always brought peanuts because the trees were home to a large number of very friendly squirrels.

In Genesis chapter three, verse eight, we read about another daddy walking with his children.

"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day..."

Can you image the Father, Elohim, the creator of the universe, the one who breathed life into your soul, strolling down the path every evening to walk and talk with you, maybe even feed the squirrels with you? That is God's plan.

His desire is to be known by you.

Oh, to live in the garden! Maybe you could stop by the river and sit on the bank with your toes hanging in the water. Maybe you could skip a few stones with the God who created them. However, the verse continues.

"...and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden."

Oh, how I wish I could tell you that Adam and Eve were enjoying a playful game of hide-and-seek with their heavenly daddy. How I wish I could tell you that they were not crouching behind the trees experiencing for the first time a feeling of shame, embarrassment and fear. How I wish I could tell you they did not choose to go their own way, to do what was right in their own eyes, but instead followed the LORD all of the days of their lives. But that is not what happened.

The Fall

Sin

Hiding

Fear

An Attempted Cover-up

An Attempt to Shift Blame

Broken Relationships

Loneliness

Dallas Willard writes about a 2-and-a-half-year-old girl in her backyard who one day discovered the secret to making mud (which she called "warm chocolate"). Her grandmother had been reading and was facing away from the action, but after cleaning up what was to her a mess, she told little Larissa not to make any more chocolate and turned her chair around so as to be facing her granddaughter.

The little girl soon resumed her "warm chocolate" routine, with one request posed as sweetly as a 2-and-a-half-year-old can make it: "Don't look at me, Nana. Okay?" Nana (being a little co-dependent) of course agreed.

Larissa continued to manufacture warm chocolate. Three times she said, as she continued her work, "Don't look at me, Nana. Okay?"

Then Willard writes: "Thus the tender soul of a little child shows us how necessary it is to us that we be unobserved in our wrong."

Any time we choose to do wrong or to withhold doing right, we choose hiddenness as well. It may be that out of all the prayers that are ever spoken, the most common one—the quietest one; the one that we least acknowledge making—is simply this: Don't look at me, God.

It was the very first prayer spoken after the Fall. God came to walk in the garden, to be with the man and the woman, and called, "Where are you?"

"I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid," Adam answered, "so I hid." Don't look at me, God.

John Ortberg, God Is Closer Than You Think (Zondervan, 2005), p. 40-41

I praise God that forgiveness comes through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus. If you have trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, there is no need to hide anymore.

So here's the question I'm really trying to get us to think about today.

Do you have a secret? Are you doing something, thinking something, planning something, or maybe dreaming something, that you would not want anyone else to know about, least of all your heavenly Father. Well, God already knows.

The impulse to hide, to keep it a secret is a big red flag. It is conviction.

Instead of hiding like Adam and Eve, try stepping out from behind the bushes like David.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thought.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24

As a child of God, are saved from your sin; there is no reason to hide. You are redeemed; there is no reason to fear or cover-up or shift the blame. Your relationship with God is restored; there is no reason to be lonely.

Finally, let me leave you with a reminder from the God who loves you spoken by Michael W. Smith.

Taste And See That The LORD Is Good.

It is summer. It is hot. My best friend, Krystal, and I are about eleven-years-old. The days are long.

Me: What do you want to do?

Krystal: I don't know. What do you want to do?

Me: I don't know. Let's make a list of things we could do and then pick.

Krystal: Okay.



The List:
Go swimming in the lake.
Go swimming at Krystal's house.
Play in the woods.
See if Jennifer wants to play.
Go to Circle K

Me: They pulled a nine foot alligator out of the lake just last week.

Krystal: The pool will be full of Mom's day care kids and they never get out to go to the bathroom.

Me: The woods are a good idea even though we aren't allowed in there.

Krystal: We could go to my cousin Jennifer's house. She has air conditioning and we don't.

Me: All she ever wants to do is play school; I don't even like school.

Krystal: Candy sounds good. Let's walk to Circle K.

Me: I don't have any money.

Krystal: Let's go see what my dad left on his dresser.

And so we were off. Krystal would sneak into her parent's bedroom and snag change. She couldn't take all of it because then they would know. Sometime we would have thirty cents. Sometimes we would have two dollars.

Leisurely, we walked down the railroad tracks adjacent to the forbidden woods, balancing on the rails like circus stars. Along the mile journey, we would discuss our purchase options. What candy could we buy that would give us the most sugar bang for our buck? We would have it all figured out and then walk into the convenience store and have to rethink the entire purchase.

Rows of sweetness tempted us.

As a general rule, we stayed away from chocolate; it melted too quickly. Most of the time our pockets held less than fifty cents so our choices were limited to the nickle candy. Tootsie Rolls. Smarties. Lolly Pops. Bazooka Joe Bubble Gum. If we had enough we would indulge in candy cigarettes. I liked the red Pall Mall box because that's what my daddy smoked. We thought we looked so cool puffing on those white sticks of sugar. They tasted good, too.

To be honest, I like just about anything that is sweet. Candy. Ice cream. Cake. Pudding. Cookies. Pie. It doesn't matter. As kids, we dreamed about being able to eat whatever we wanted. Chocolate cake for breakfast like Bill Cosby. Oreos for lunch. Ice cream for dinner. Why not?

In high school, I somehow survived on Dr. Pepper, cinnamon rolls from the school lunch room and Little Caesar's bread sticks. The trouble with eating sweets is that it gives you a sugar buzz, and then you don't feel hungry. Candy masks the fact that your body needs protein and vitamins. The sugar buzz masks your hunger for the real nutrients that you don't have. Your body is unable to function the way it should.

Things like popularity, sex, power, money, and success—as well as favorable circumstances—act like spiritual sugar. Christians who have these spiritual candies may say, "Sure, I believe in God and I know I'm going to heaven," but they're actually basing their day-to-day joy on favorable circumstances. When the circumstances change, it drives us to God, because when the sugar disappears, when the candy gets taken away, we're forced to pursue the feast that our souls really crave. We'll hunger for the spiritual nutrients we really need.

Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Psalm 34:8-10

Do you remember how the LORD fed the Israelites as he brought them through the desert? Though they constantly grumbled over their lost Egyptian sugar, He fed them with manna straight from heaven. Check out Exodus 16.

¹⁵ When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. ¹⁶ This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”

¹⁷ The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little.

The word Omer, spelled in Hebrew Ayeen-Mem-Resh is a measurement believed to be equivalent to about 3 pounds or the size of half a pitcher of milk. The only time this measurement is used in the entire Bible is in Exodus 16.

However, there is another Hebrew word that is pronounced the same way, though it is spelled slightly different, Alef-Mem-Resh. This word means, "Promise! Speech! Answer! Word!" Perhaps this is a pun of promise.

Authors Bodie and Brock Thoene explain it this way in Second Touch.

Every day Adonai was saying to his people of Israel as they gathered an Omer of manna, "This is My promise to you! I AM speaking here! My Word is the true bread from heaven! My Word will feed your souls as you cross the wilderness of life! Until the end of time there is a battle raging against you, but I, Yahweh, will win the battle for your souls! I, Myself will lead you and provide for you, if you will only trust me! My Word sent from heaven is your salvation!"

Maybe they learned; maybe they didn't. But this is the lesson: This small truth speaks to us in a big way of Messiah. He is the WHO, the Messiah! He is also the WHAT, the Bread of Life sent from heaven! He is also the WORD, the OMER, the full measure of truth that feeds men's souls. There is always enough to meet our needs and to satisfy the hunger of our hearts.

Visualize this beautiful word picture:

Let my teaching fall like rain
and the words (omer) descend like dew,
like showers on new grass,
like abundant rain on tender plants.
Deuteronomy 32:2

In his book Exodus and Revolution, Michael Walzer shares three lessons we can all learn from the Exodus event of the Old Testament:

First, that wherever you live, it is probably Egypt. Second, that there is a better place, a world more attractive, a promised land. And third, that "the way to the land is through the wilderness."

I'd like to add a forth lesson. That God will provide all of your needs as you go because Jesus is the Messiah, the Bread of Life and the Word.

Taste and see that the LORD is good. Spend time with Jesus. Read His Word. Fill your heart and soul with the nutrients you need to pass through this wilderness. Take refuge in Him and you will lack no good thing. That's a promise