Nap Time

It turns out I have a lot of nice things to say lately. I just don't have any time at all to get on this blog and say them.

So, in case you haven't already figured it out, I'm putting Bathsheba's Children down for a little nap. I don't want to rule out picking this blog up again at some point. But this year has turned out to be busier than I expected.

I've been spending a lot less time at the computer, and a lot more time out in the physical realm interacting with people. I greatly enjoyed the days when I had long stretches of time at home, without the everyday hustle and bustle of pickup lines and lunchboxes. But for now, my time is measured out in rigid increments that are dictated by other people's schedules, and that means I have to hop to it in a way that I didn't have to in the past.

The bad news is, I rarely get to indulge in blogs. Even this one. And to be honest, many of the things going on in my life right now would make for inappropriate blog material. That's not to say that things are bad, just better left in the privacy of real life, and not advertised to every stranger who happens to stumble on here via Google. Or, perhaps more honestly, to those of you who I do happen to know in "real life."

So for now, with some regret, I must say good night. Feel free to read through my old posts. A few of them are actually worth it.

If You Don' Have Nuthin'

If you don't have nuthin' nice to say, don't say nuthin' at all.

I'm not sure if my Mom ever actually dispensed this advice to me, or if I only heard it from Thumper in the movie Bambie. But either way, there are times when advice is worth heeding.

Alas, for me, now is such a time.

I don't have anything nice to say, and that is why you haven't heard me saying anything at all on this blog.

What is even worse is that I don't expect anything to change in the near future. If you are familiar with writer's block, I've got something similar. Only mine is spiritual in nature. I'm so spiritually blocked I don't know what to do about it.

There are, of course, some reasons that the above are happening. This blog just isn't the appropriate place to discuss them. Because I don't have anything nice to say--and so I'm not going to say anything at all.

It's a good thing I believe without a doubt in the perseverance of the saints. (That would basically mean, once saved, always saved.) Because if it was up to me...

But God never lets go. And I know He has not forsaken me. And I know He is always working all things out for my good. I know all of the right things to know. I just don't know where He is going with this one.


Psalm 27:9

"Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation."

Bad Makes Me Mad, Not Sad

I'm not glad I'm mad,

I would be glad if I was sad.

But I'm such a cad, I get mad.

Not sad.

I'd prefer to be glad, but every silly fad

That makes the church look bad

Makes me mad, mad, mad.

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The more I'm exposed to what passes as Christian teaching, preaching, writing, and advice, the madder I get. So much of it is just plain bad. Some of it isn't even Christian at all, but should be considered practical advice that would apply to any religion or culture. Some of it is so basic that 3rd graders should be yawning at it. Some of it is worse than that and patently anti-biblical.

What is a girl to do?

I'll tell you what I do, I get mad. Well, that is putting it lightly. I have internal temper tantrums.

My husband deals with it much better. He has things like patience, and compassion, and *ick* concern and love. Hmph. I don't know where he is getting them, but I missed my dose lately.

I have this niggling feeling, though, that he in in possession of the more appropriate response.

Whatcha think?

The Glory of Submission

Our culture gets the idea of submission all kinds of wrong.

You can hardly even utter the "s" word without the wrath of modern ideology being poured out by people who ought to know (and think) better.

Eyes roll, mouths tighten, necks stiffen...oh, I've seen it happen. And to be fair, there are often a few too-gleeful-and-triumphant looking husbands giving their wives the I-told-you-so look, whenever those *black and dreadful* verses-which-shall-not-be-named are read out loud.

Jesus never rolled His eyes and stiffened His neck when it came to submission.

And He never smirked in arrogant triumph at anyone either.

Instead, Jesus glorified and exalted submission as something to be highly desired, cultivated and sought after.

Jesus was GOD, you know...He spoke the world into creation. He laid the earth's foundations, marked off its dimensions, stretched a measuring line across it, and shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb. He takes the very light to its abode and puts the darkness into its residence. He fills the storehouses with snow and hail, and scatters the east winds over the earth. Every bolt of lightning reports back to Him, for He has created and directed each one of them. (Job chapter 38)

Can your mind even conceive of such vast greatness, can you even begin to consider the majesty and awesome power of Jesus? He is the beginning and the end, He dwells in light unapproachable, He is the WORD OF GOD MADE FLESH. He is the glory of all creation, and all flesh will fall on its knees and worship Him in the end.

And for all of that glory and power and authority and majesty, Jesus Christ submitted in ways that we probably can never fully appreciate. And He did it willingly, in perfect obedience, never demanding that His "rights" be given to Him, never whining that it was unfair. He made submission a glorious thing for us to emulate.

Jesus equated submission with greatness; He equated servant hood, and even slavery, with being the best, and first, position.

Matthew 20:25-28

"But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.""

In Matthew 5:5, Jesus says, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

So if Jesus, who was God, commended submission and meekness, why do we resent and fight back against it, in any of its many forms? Well, the big answer is that we are full of sin, but more specifically, I think, it's because we are full of PRIDE.

And the culture that we, as post-modern Americans, live in, encourages us to be filled to the brim with the nastiness of pride. I know, because I am naturally a very prideful person. By the grace of God, I can say that I have been sanctified a great deal in this area, but believe me, I understand this particular sin from the inside, out.

This pride tells us that we don't have to submit. That submission somehow is shameful and weak and 'less-than.' That it ain't fair, and that the people we are called to submit to certainly don't deserve our submission.

But contrast all of that "wisdom" with the true wisdom of Jesus. Jesus submitted to Mary and Joseph as His earthly parents, even though He was God. Jesus submitted to the government that he lived under, even though they only held power at His good pleasure. Ultimately, Jesus submitted to a gross and horrible death on the cross, at the hands of people who certainly hadn't done anything to deserve His submission. And He always acts in perfect submission to the will of the Father, with whom He is an equal.

So the next time your mind goes down the rabbit trail of pride, the next time you are tempted to think of submission in a negative light, consider Jesus, and consider it a glory to share with Him in submission, that you might be exalted by Him in due time.

1 Peter 5:5

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."

Being A Friend

There are no deep insights into Scripture in this post. Just something that I need to get off my chest.

If you are a woman, you more than likely enjoy having friends. In fact, I think it is pretty safe to say that most ordinary women find friendship to be quite necessary, and will suffer if they find themselves lonely and isolated.

Christian women should never find themselves isolated and lonely. If they do, then the church is failing. Christian women should be the most welcoming, friendly, hospitable, outward reaching women in the community. We should be getting together and sharing deep, unusual friendships with each other so often that all of our non-Christian friends are jealous.

Unfortunately, I think the scenario I described above is rare. Perhaps you find yourself surrounded by a wonderful community of Christian sisters. Praise the Lord if that is the case. You may not realize how blessed you are.

I happen to live in a smallish town in the Bible Belt of America. There are literally churches on almost every corner in the town I live in. You would think that a young Christian woman moving here would find no lack of young Christian women eager to reach out and fold her into fellowship with them. But over and over again I hear differently. I hear of women who go to church and nobody asks them what their name is. I hear of women who have lived here for a year, all the while going to church, and have yet to be invited over to share a meal in another church member's home.

Shame on us.

I am forced to imagine that women who have lived in the same town for their entire life, and are surrounded by the friends they grew up with, have no idea what it feels like to need a friend. They have no idea what it means to be new in town and to feel lost and lonely, to go to church hoping to find friendships and companionship and leave every week feeling dejected and rejected. To listen to the women around them in Sunday School talk about parties and dinners together and wonder why nobody thought to include the new girl.

Shame. Shame. Shame.

Christian woman, let me tell you something. You might be the one who needs to extend yourself and reach out to that new face in town. It is going to cost you something. It is going to cost time and effort and emotional energy. You are going to have to risk being rejected. You are going to have to give up time with the people you already know and love, or perhaps put up with having an unfamiliar personality at your next gathering. It is going to cost you. But you MUST be willing to pay the price. It is an affront to the idea of Christian hospitality for you to leave people out and ignore them.

Or, you might be that new person in town who wonders why the Christians around you aren't acting like they ought. You, too, are going to have to reach out. It is almost certainly going to cost you something. You might very well be rejected by women who don't even understand how callous and uncaring they are being. You are going to have to feel your way through unfamiliar group dynamics and go to the effort of getting to know someone new. But you need other Christian women in your life, and the other women might not realize it yet, but they will be enriched by you too.

The town I live in happens to be the home of an Air Force base. And I've had the privilege of meeting and loving several women who are Air Force wives over the years. It is a story that always has a bitter sweet ending. All of them move away eventually and leave me with a little hole in my heart. But I am richer and wiser and fuller for having taken the time to develop friendships with them. And more than once they have expressed to me how glad they are that a 'local' woman was willing to take the risk of loving them. Because all too often, it doesn't happen.

That is a shame and a pity.

I think all of us women are tempted to sit at home and wonder why nobody calls us up and asks us to do something. It is easy to be lonely and feel sorry for yourself and how 'left out' you are. There is an simple solution to that kind of problem. Quit wishing for friends. Instead, be a friend. Be willing to make that phone call and extend the invitation. Be willing to let people into your home and show them that you might not be perfect. Take the chance, risk the rejection, and push the envelope. Be a friend. Because someone out there is feeling just as isolated and lonely as you are.

And that should never happen to a Christian woman.

Is It Wrong to Have Church Lust?

My husband and I ran away from home last weekend. It was a last minute trip that we hadn't planned on making. But when the opportunity to get away presented itself, it didn't take us long to decide where we should go--Savannah, Georgia.

Savannah is well known for many things. There is that Paula Dean woman who likes lots of fatty ingredients in her decadent, down-home cooking. There is River Street and the St. Patrick's Day festivities. Lots of parks and squares and a phenomenal historic district round out the picture. (Along with a peculiar trait of Savannah, namely that it is its own universe unto itself, and if you don't happen to belong to its universe, then you, quite frankly, don't matter all that much.)

But what you might not happen to know about Savannah, Georgia, is that it is home to one of the most amazing churches, EVER. It is not one of those churches that finds itself front and center on the national stage; there are no super-star pastors, no trend setting programs or mega facilities. Instead, what you will find is an historic, elegantly beautiful sanctuary, filled with a vibrant, multi-generational congregation, a high view of corporate worship, and solid, expository preaching.

I mean, we sang a Psalm. And the choir sang a Psalm. We sang the Gloria Patri, said the Lord's Prayer and the Apostle's Creed. And the sermon was from the book of Jude. When is the last time you heard a young pastor preach through the text of Jude, one of the more difficult books in the New Testament?

The Sunday School lesson was just as sound. An actual teacher stood up and actually taught from the Biblical text. The (full) class had an intelligent, deep discussion about the text. Interesting questions were raised from class members who obviously had a grasp of the contents of the Bible. It was, quite simply, astounding.

And the surprising thing was this--the congregation at this very large, very traditional, very historic church was as friendly as you can possibly imagine. We were greeted and spoken to every time we turned around. Sadly, not all churches are so welcoming of strangers. I've heard stories of people who were asked to move because they were "sitting in someones pew." Can you imagine?

I think that I am in love. Seriously, if someone from Savannah offered my husband a job, I would start packing and stick a "For Sale" sign out in our front yard. It was that good.

Independent Presbyterian Church. Savannah, Georgia. Is it wrong to lust after thee?

Teachers

You know how sometimes you will hear something, perhaps randomly, or as an afterthought during a conversation, and it will just stick with you for a long time? One of those things that you keep turning over and poking at in your mind during odd moments?

Well, I've had two things that keep coming back to my mind over the past year or so. Both of them involve women who are in what would be considered full time ministry, and both of these particular women are well known and 'successful' in their ministries. But from the lips of each of them, I have heard confessions that in my mind, should cause them to seriously consider their qualifications for standing up and presenting themselves as teachers.

One woman admitted that while she would often take to a stage at large gatherings of Christian women and dispense marital advice, her own marriage was in shambles, and ultimately ended in divorce. The second woman shared that she didn't bother to read the Scripture verses her ministry was founded on until several months after she began 'ministering.'

I'm trying not to be overly judgmental about either scenario, but they just keep coming back to my mind over and over again. Perhaps its because I spent the last year researching and teaching from the book of Ruth. I can tell you that I spent many nights wide awake in bed, with that verse from James thundering through my head.

James 3:1

"Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly."

I just don't think you should take that verse lightly. The thought of the regular kind of judgment should be enough to give each of us pause every single day and in every single aspect of our lives. (As Christians, we can live in the joy and security of knowing that we have already been declared righteous, or justified, before the judgment seat of God, but that should never make us presume upon grace or be careless in our pursuit of holiness.)

But then you throw in the thought of getting a stricter judgment and its enough to make a girl lose some sleep. At least this girl. A very kind friend reassured me one morning, when perhaps I was a little bit green around the gills before I stood up and taught, that God has grace even for the errors that we make as teachers. A wonderful thought, yes, but I still believe that all teachers should approach their task with soberness and careful consideration. Imagine leading a tender young believer down the wrong path! Who would ever want to live with such responsibility?

All that to say that I think we, as consumers of Christian teaching, need to exercise more discernment in who we will accept as teachers. In particular, the woman who admitted to giving marriage advice while she knew that her own marriage was deteriorating has struck me again and again as appalling. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean that it is horrible that she had problems with her spouse, that is certainly common enough. But why, oh why, would anyone know that and then present themselves to the world as an example of a marriage to be emulated? Wouldn't you realize that doing so opens you, and the entire body of Christ, open to the merciless finger pointing of the non-Christian, of being called..."a big fat bunch of hypocrites, look at them, they talk about how much they care for marriage, and they get divorced just like the rest of us, who do they think they are?"

Well, I know (or I hope) that this woman is a sinner redeemed from the pit of destruction by grace alone through faith alone, and that whatever her failings might be, they are covered in the blood of our Great High Priest. But the world doesn't know that. And how many women who she dispensed advice to looked on her failed marriage as a cause to give up hope in their own circumstances? Or worse yet, follow her example and got divorced?

You know, the...'well if she, who is obviously so together and so righteous, because she stands up on a stage and says so, can't make a go of matrimony, then what hope is there for the rest of us regular slobs...' train of thought.

Oh, I forgot to mention this detail. After her divorce and subsequent remarriage, she continued in her original ministry.

It just makes me sad. And confused. Is there nobody who is willing to say, "We are very sorry for your troubles, but perhaps it would be better if you didn't expose yourself to stricter judgment by teaching about marriage from now on. Perhaps it would be wise instead to go home and press forward to the goal of being an excellent wife in the marriage that is most important--your own."

Human wisdom could point to all of the 'good' that she is doing in her public ministry. And yes, perhaps that might seem worthy. But again and again I have been confronted with how human wisdom fails to stand up to the wisdom of God found in Scripture. We almost always get it wrong when we rely on our own opinions.

Of course, there are no biblical requirements given for women who presume to be teachers. There are lots of very stringent requirement for men who presume to teach, shepherd and tend to God's flock. But at the very least, if a woman is gifted and has a desire to teach other women, shouldn't she have a personal life that is excellent in pursuit of holiness? Shouldn't she take the task seriously and with a healthy dose of the fear of the LORD?

And shouldn't we DEMAND such things? Not out of harsh condemnation or self righteousness, but out of love and concern for the woman who takes on the heavy burden of being held to a stricter judgment?

I for one think so.

And by the way, take some time to thank a woman who has been your teacher. You may not realize what a serious task she has undertaken, or what a serious responsibility it is that she has volunteered for. But most of all, insist that she be held to a high standard. For her own good.

Matthew 12:36

"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken."

The Ecclesiastes of Housekeeping

A riff on Ecclesiastes 1:2-11.

“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Mother.
“Utterly meaningless!
All this work is meaningless.”

What does a mother gain from all her labor under her roof?
One child goes off to school and one child remains home,
Yet lunch-making endures forever.
The dirty dishes rise in the sink, and the dirty dishes recede,
Yet they always hasten back to the stack, in need of scrubbing once more.
The dust settles on furniture and floor
Before it kicks up into the air;
Round and around it goes,
Whirling constantly throughout the house.
Dirty laundry spins in the machine,
Yet the mound of clothing never ceases.
From the place those grass-stained t-shirts came,
They will return to the pile again .
All the housework is wearisome,
More than a woman can say.
The eye always spots something out of place,
The ear always hears a dripping sink.

Nothing will change, it will all be the same,
It will all need doing again and again;
And there are no new gadgets that lighten the load.
Is there any invention of which it can be said:
“Look! Here is a new sponge”?
That sponge is the same as long ago;
Our mothers used it before our time.
There will be no end to the continual scrubbing.
Even our great-grandchildren will toil away.
And it will still be utterly meaningless!

This and That

I am in the midst of the second week of "The Summer of Fun" around here.

You see, starting in the fall, my family is going to be experiencing a milestone--a transition, if you will, which is going to change things around here quite a bit. And while it will be a good development (I believe all stages of life have a sweetness) it will also mark the end of an era that I have found to be particularly sweet. And in an attempt to savor the very last drops of sweetness in this current cup of mine, I have declared an all out extravaganza of fun and activity this summer.

Basically I'm going devour my kids all day, every day. I tell you this so you will understand why this post is going to be a few random, mostly underdeveloped thoughts strung together. You are just going to have to forgive me. I've been up to urgently important things, like reading piles of library books, and making up ridiculous knock-knock jokes. (Oh, if you only knew!)

But my mind hasn't completely given up the contemplation of Scripture over the past few weeks, and in that vein, allow me to present the following for your consideration:

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You know that verse, 2 Thessalonians 3:10, that says, "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat."

I heard someone railing against the 'welfare state' in our country and using this verse to condemn it as unbiblical. Well, let me just say, I ain't taking a position on politics here, but a little bit of proper context seemed to me to be in order.

You do realize that Paul was addressing this statement to the church, right? Not the government. He was saying that church members must not be allowed to loaf around and sponge off of their fellow saints. Apparently some of the Thessalonians believed that Christ's second coming was so imminent that they gave up working and caring for their everyday responsibilities. Paul was having none of that, and said so. I don't think he had any kind of 21st century American political agenda in mind.

And by the way, all of that loafing led to some other problematic behaviors, as Paul goes on to list in verses 11 and 12. "For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread."

Busybodies. Every known one of those? Bet she didn't have enough work to keep her busy!

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I've been increasingly discouraged lately. I hesitate to blog about it, because it is so very negative, and I hate to fill this blog up with criticism. But I can't escape the awful realization that so many of my fellow Christians are by and large biblically illiterate and lack even the most basic level of discernment.

There, I said it.

And to add salt to the wound, I am specifically talking about people who have grown up in church, or have spent a majority of their life involved in church.

Now, before you go thinking what a snob I am and feel offended, let me add this: I have been there. I grew up in the church. I played the role of sweet-christian-do-gooder for a while. Not very well, I'll be the first do admit. But still, I do have some empathy for church attenders who don't know that much about Christianity and the Bible.

It's just that my empathy is starting to wear thin, and I'm thinking "Come on people! Do you believe this stuff at all? How can you believe the amazing, overarching message in Scripture and not be serious about it?"

Christian friends of mine tell me from time to time that they are not smart like me, and they just don't know as much as I do. Well, let me tell you something. I'm not all that smart! And I wasn't born knowing the things that I have come to understand. I have just taken the time to study and read and question and challenge and discuss. I've asked the hard questions and remained dissatisfied until I got an answer. I mean, if you understand that the God and Creator and King of the universe bore a curse, and became sin, and died in your place, how can you really be content without exploring Him and His revealed Word to the fullest understanding possible? It is quite simply the most fascinating topic in, well, the universe.

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So, I went blueberry picking a few days ago, and now my fridge is full of blueberries. I'm going to make a real, homemade blueberry pie tomorrow, and I an PUMPED!

While reading in quest of a great blueberry pie recipe, I happened upon this scintillating cooking tip: Cake batter cooks well in a waffle iron.

Are you imagining the possibilities? Cake batter waffles surrounded by a topping bar. Think of it! Ice cream and syrups and chopped nuts and whipped cream. I'm going to have to think of an excuse to throw a party.

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And finally, credit goes to my dear husband for pointing this one out to me.

In Romans 8:16 we read "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,"

This is not only an internal assurance for each and every Christian that we indeed posses a true faith, but it is also a legal requirement for establishing the truth of a matter.

Deut. 19:15

"One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established." (emphasis mine)

In the Romans verse, Paul is describing the two witnesses that will testify to our adoption as sons of God. The first witness is the Christian, and the second is the Holy Spirit. And by the testimony of these two--the truth of the matter is established.

House of Bread

For any of you who have been following the Ruth Bible Study that I've been teaching over the past year, you know that there are several things in the book of Ruth that point forward to Christ and His work.

In fact, two whole sessions, numbers one and four, deal specifically with this topic. Session one, in a nutshell, deals with Christ setting us free from the curse of the law. Ruth, being a Moabite, was specifically marked out by the law for exclusion in certain areas. Yet, despite this, she is an ancestor of Christ. I'm afraid you're going to have to listen to the whole lesson (roughly 50 minutes long) to get the whole picture on this point, as I simply don't have the time to type it all out again for this blog. Email me if you want the link to the Ruth Study.

Session four draws some parallels between the law of the kinsman-redeemer, personified in the book of Ruth by Boaz, and Christ as our kinsman-redeemer. In fact, the kinsman-redeemer is probably one of the most significant themes in the whole book of Ruth. Sadly, the importance of the role of the kinsman-redeemer seems to get minimized in our desire to create a fairytale romance between a "beautiful" Ruth and a "dashing" Boaz. (Session six debunks this scenario, again, I don't have time to type all of that out here.)

But there is another little detail in the book of Ruth that is often overlooked in its significance. It can be found in the very first verse.

Ruth 1:1

"Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons."

Notice that our story begins, and ultimately ends, in the sleepy little town of Bethlehem. Bethlehem is hardly famous as the setting of Ruth and Boaz's story, but rather for being the setting of another, more famous, story: the place where Mary gives birth to Jesus.

Before you let this detail go with a little, "huh, that's neat," and nothing further, let me tell you what the word Bethlehem actually means.

The literal translation for Bethlehem is "House of Bread."

OK, so what does that have to do with anything?

Perhaps I am making too much over a little connection I see between Bethlehem as the "House of Bread" and some of the events that unfolded there. I'll let you be the judge.

One would assume that if a place is named the House of Bread, then a great deal of bread must come out of there one way or another. And since we know that Bethlehem was a farming town, what with all of those fields that Ruth goes out to glean in and all that, this name seems to make perfect sense. But could there be more to it than that?

Remember that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And consider what Jesus calls Himself in John chapter 6.

John 6:35

"And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst."

Jesus, the bread of life, is born in Bethlehem, the House of Bread. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I tend to think there are few, if any, coincidences in Scripture. I think the name of Bethlehem had a double meaning from the beginning, but nobody would have realized it for a very long time.

Consider too the irony of Bethlehem, the House of Bread, at the beginning of the book of Ruth. A famine was consuming the land, and this in fact was the motivation behind Elimelech picking up and moving his little family to Moab, at which point Ruth, the Moabite, enters the story and ultimately, the lineage of Christ. The House of Bread was full of hunger.

But the bread of life, Christ Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem, the House of Bread, will erase all hunger forever.

Neat, huh?

Thank God for the Fleas

James 1:2-4

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, wheneve you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I stayed up way past my bedtime last weekend reading parts of Corrie Ten Boom's famous book, The Hiding Place. It describes her life and experiences in Nazi occupied Holland and then in a concentration camp. She and her family were instrumental in running an underground network to hide Jews from the authorities who sought to arrest them. I'm sure you realize what happened to the Jews if they were arrested.

If you have never read her book, I highly recommend it. It is written in an easy to read format, and although the content is far from an easy read, I believe that you will be rewarded in many ways for your effort.

Following are some excerpts from the book that I haven't been able to get out of my head.

We pick up the story as Corrie and her sister Betsie have been assigned their permanent beds at the Ravensbruck labor camp.

We followed our guide single file--the aisle was not wide enough for two--fighting back the claustrophobia of these platforms rising everywhere above us. The tremendous room was nearly empty of people; they must have been out on various work crews. At last she pointed to a second tier in the center of a large block. To reach it we had to stand on the bottom level, haul ourselves up, and then crawl across three other straw-covered platforms to reach the one that we would share with--how many? The deck above us was too close to let us sit up. We lay back, struggling against the nausea that swept over us from the reeking straw. We could hear the women who had arrived with us finding their places.

Suddenly, I sat up, striking my head on the cross-slats above. Something had pinched my leg.

"Fleas!" I cried. "Betsie, the place is swarming with them!"

We scrambled across the intervening platforms, heads low to avoid another bump, dropped down to the aisle, and edged our way to a patch of light.

"Here! And here another one!" I wailed. "Betsie, how can we live in such a place?"

"Show us. Show us how." It was said so matter of factly it took me a second to realize she was praying. More and more the distinction between prayer and the rest of life seemed to be vanishing for Betsie.

"Corrie!" She said excitedly. "He's given us the answer! Before we asked, as He always does! In the Bible this morning. Where was it? Read that part again!"

In glanced down the long dim aisle to make sure no guard was in sight, then drew the Bible from its pouch. "It was in First Thessalonians," I said. We were on our third complete reading of the New Testament since leaving Scheveningen. In the feeble light I turned the pages. "Here it is: 'Comfort the frightened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all...'" It seemed written expressly to Ravensbruck."

"Go on," said Betsie. "That wasn't all."

"Oh yes:"...to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus--'"

"That's it, Corrie! That's His answer. 'Give thanks in all circumstances!' That what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!"

I stared at her, then around me at the dark, foul-aired room.

"Such as?" I said.

"Such as being assigned here together."

I bit my lip. "Oh yes, Lord Jesus!"

"Such as what you're holding in your hands."

I looked down at the Bible. "Yes! Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank You for all the women, here in this room who will meet You in these pages."

"Yes," said Betsie. "Thank You for the crowding here. Since we're packed so close, that many more will hear!" She looked at me expectantly. "Corrie!" she prodded.

"Oh, all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds."

"Thank You," Betsie went on serenely, "for the fleas and for--"

The fleas! This was too much. "Betsie, there's no way even God can make me grateful for a flea."

"'Give thanks in all circumstances,'" she quoted. "It doesn't say, 'in pleasant circumstances.' Fleas are part of this place where God has put us."

And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.

**************************

Picking back up our story, Betsie has been placed on the light duty of a knitting brigade after an illness that required hospitalization (or what passed for hospitalization at the forced labor camp.)

Best of all, as a result of her hospitalization, she was given a permanent assignment to the "knitting brigade," the women we had seen the very first day seated about the tables in the center room. This work was reserved for the weakest prisoners, and now overflowed into the dormitories as well.

Those working in the sleeping rooms received far less supervision than those at the tables, and Betsie found herself with most of the day in which to minister to those around her. She was a lightning knitter who completed her quota of socks long before noon. She kept our Bible with her and spent hours each day reading aloud from it, moving from platform to platform.

One evening I got back to the barracks late from a wood-gathering foray outside the walls. A light snow lay on the ground and it was hard to find the sticks and twigs with which a small stove was kept going in each room. Betsie was waiting for me, as always, so that we could wait through the food line together. Her eyes were twinkling.

"You're looking extraordinarily pleased with yourself," I told her.

"You know we've never understood why we had so much freedom in the big room," she said. "Well--I've found out."

That afternoon, she said, there'd been confusion in her knitting group about sock sizes and they asked the supervisor to come and settle it.

"But she wouldn't. She wouldn't step through the door and neither would the guards. And you know why?"

Betsie could not keep the triumph from her voice: "Because of the fleas! That's what she said, 'That place is crawling with fleas!'"

My mind rushed back to our first hour in this place. I remembered Betsie's bowed head, remembered her thanks to God for creatures I could see no use for.

I have nothing so difficult as fleas to thank God for. But I'm going to start thanking Him for a few other things that I can see no use for.

If Christ Is Not Risen

1Corinthians 15:17

"And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!"

I once spent several hours listening to a woman speak at a church conference. Mostly, she was sharing her testimony, which, I'll grant, was quite dramatic. But her testimony is not what I remember when I think back on that experience.

Instead, it was the claim which she repeatedly made, that Jesus "works."

She made a big point of saying that people don't really care all that much if Jesus is true. Nowadays, people are more interested in whether or not Jesus, and Christianity, will work.

I suppose I could agree with her in many ways. Jesus does in fact work in things that are most important. He works in regard to cleansing us from our sin. He works in regard to reconciling us to God. He works in regard to redeeming our lives from the pit of destruction.

And hey, I'll even agree that there are many comforts and benefits that result from being a Christian. We experience sanctification, we are able to fellowship within a local body of Christ, we are given opportunities to serve God, study about God and strive to become more like Him. There is even that whole "peace of God which transcends all understanding" and "the joy of the LORD" thing.

But does our entire Christian faith, our hope of eternity, rest on the fact that Jesus works? Whatever that even means?

No.

Jesus is not some form of cosmic self help. He doesn't promise that you will have square finances, a solid marriage, and a happy, easy, stress-free life. In fact, the Bible makes a lot of claims about the trouble that will come into the lives of believers.

John 16:33

"...in this world you will have tribulation..."

James 1:2

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,"

2 Timothy 3:12

"Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."

And more importantly, if Jesus matters only because He works then we are all in a heap of trouble. Because, you see, if Jesus isn't true, then we are all still dead in our sins, we are all still separated from God, and we will all suffer eternal damnation in hell upon our unavoidable death.

That is why I put that verse from 1 Corinthians up at the top of this post. If Christ is not risen, than this Christianity business is a big ol' waste of our time. It doesn't matter if Jesus "works" if Jesus is not first of all true.

Meditation and deep breathing might help you if you suffer from stress. Reading some books about financial management might help if you are tempted to spend more money than you earn. Getting a divorce might make you feel better if you just can't get along with your spouse. The world is chock full of advice about how to make your life "work" the way you think it should. And to be quite honest, sometimes the techniques that the world trumpets seem to be a whole lot more effective than obeying God, at least in the short term.

Let me give you a general example. Right now I am being obedient to God in a situation that is making me very unhappy. I mean specifically, that it is the obeying that is causing me great unhappiness, not the situation itself. I would much rather be disobedient and get some relief from the strain, stress and frustration I feel. But I am obeying a direct command of God that is found in the Bible. There is no wiggle room or way to 'reinterpret' this particular command so that I can feel good about disobeying. The command is clear. And in my obedience, I am, quite frankly, miserable. I don't have any sense of peace about it--at all.

I do trust God. I believe that He is working out something for my benefit and His glory in the midst of my situation. (See Romans 8:28.) But in the right here and now, I'd be hard pressed to say that Jesus is "working" for me.

But I would be willing to stake my life on the claim that Jesus is true.

If Jesus matters because He works, then why isn't he working for me when I am clearly obeying Him?

Do you see what a potential disaster could be brewing if I decided to become a Christian, because I wanted something to "work" for me?

Let me put it to you the way Paul does in one of his letters to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 15:19

"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable."

1Corinthians 15:32

"If the dead do not rise, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"

In other words, if there is no resurrection from the dead, then don't waste your time obeying a bunch of rules and living a life of sacrifice. Go out and do what you want! Eat! Drink! Enjoy yourself! If this is all you have, you might as well make the most of it. It would be a great pity if you denied yourself the pleasures available in this world, and then your beliefs all turned out to be a big deception.

But Jesus did rise again from the dead. And because Christ has risen, all of us will also rise. Some will rise to glory and some will rise to condemnation. But it will happen. Not because Jesus makes me feel good, or Jesus made me a better person, or Jesus saved my marriage. Not even because Jesus works. But because Jesus is true.

Wouldn't You Know It?

The city that I live in has experienced some serious flooding during the past week. Dozens of families (many without flood insurance) have found their homes filled with chest-deep water. My family, and my home, have been unharmed, despite the fact that my house sits literally a few feet away from a creek that swells up like no body's business when we get any serious rainfall.

Even though I haven't suffered any major harm--I have been cut off from the Internet for the past week or so. It seems that my Internet service provider found its satellite dishes and communication systems under water. Understandably, that makes providing Internet and cable services rather difficult.

By anyway, allow me to get to the point. During the past (Internet-free) week, I have been formulating some seriously post-able thoughts. I have barely slept, as my mind keeps furiously writing blog posts while I lie in bed. Frustrating for sure. But potentially fruitful!

So check back. I am, as usual, busy as a mad bee, but I'm going to have to get some of these thoughts up into cyberspace soon, or I may drop dead from sleep deprivation.

Why?

Matthew 27:46

"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (emphasis mine)



Jesus, being fully God and fully man, was unlike you and me.

He lived without sin and was always in a relationship of perfect love and perfect submission to the will of God the Father.

While Jesus prayed in the garden, in intense distress, before the events that led up to His crucifixion, He implored God to let the cup pass from Him if there was any other way.

Jesus was clearly aware of what was going to happen. He also knew why he had to endure the shame and humiliation of the cross. He was in agreement with the plan and submitted and participated willingly in God's redemptive work. He never doubted God's love, faithfulness or sovereignty.

And yet, in His humanity, in the moment of His agony, what did Jesus cry out?

My God, My God, WHY....

Because Jesus, our Great High Priest, was not only fully God, but fully human.

And we, in our human frailty, even when we trust that God is loving, faithful and sovereign, often do the same.

My God, my God, WHY...

Astoundingly,we have a High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses. (Heb 4:15) Jesus actually knew the answer to the 'why.' Yet He cried out in agony anyway. We often don't know the 'why' and may never in this life.

But because of the mercy and compassion of our Great God, we are privileged to say in the same breath:

"My God, my God, have mercy on me, a sinner....my God, my God, WHY?"

Ruth Session Six

Oh yeah, and by the way, I posted Ruth Session Six like 10 days ago, in case any of you are interested in listening to it. You'll be glad to know that I not only fixed the sound quality issue, but this session is much more light-hearted than the last.

It actually provoked a lot more questions and discussion than I thought it would. Unfortunately, I didn't record any of it. Bummer. Email me if there is anything that you simply must have an answer to and I'll give it my best shot. (Um, after you listen to it, that is.)

Refreshing

For those of you who might be wondering, I am still kicking and breathing. I just haven't had much to say lately. At least, nothing that would be of any worth to this blog. I've been kind of taking a break from all things blog related. I haven't even been reading the blogs that I usually follow. (And the laundry pile has been mysteriously less imposing during these past weeks. Connection? Hmmm...)

But two of you, my dear readers, have contacted me today to make sure that I am alright. Neither one of you may have realized it, but you were responding to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

If only one of you had reached out, I wouldn't be so sure, but after weeks of silence, to receive two messages of care and comfort on the same day is too striking to be a mere coincidence.

I am refreshed, and encouraged, and I might even get passionate enough to post something in the next week. I'm teaching Ruth Session Six on Wednesday, so I'm a bit busy with that for the time being.

Anyway, if you have been thinking of a friend, or have had someone on your heart lately, reach out and touch...

The Holy Spirit might be prompting you to minister to a sister in Christ.

Ruth Session Five

I just posted Ruth Session Five over on the other blog. Email me if you would like the link. This one is a ton of fun--it is all about suffering.

Silver Linings and Positive Perspectives

I gotta tell you, I'm a little bit ticked off about something. Pardon my strong language, and believe me, I'm restraining myself on the language usage here.

I am seriously offended at the reduction of Christianity to silver linings and positive perspectives in the face of pain and turmoil.

Certainly, there are often silver linings in the hardships that we as Christians face. The problem is that we are told to start squinting at clouds looking for glimpses of silver, and totally miss the obvious point of Christian suffering.

The incorrect view of suffering and pain goes something like this:

"Yes, a bad thing has happened to you, but instead of focusing on that, just think of all the wonderful things that God is doing for you! Child with cancer? Oh, you should just be thankful that you live in a society that has medicine and doctors. Financial distress? Be glad that you have a job at all! Depressed? Count your blessings! Betrayed by a loved one? Keep in mind that people can only hurt you if you give them permission!!! (And above all, never ever forget to lavish love upon yourself, because you deserve it!!!!!)

Are you hearing how ridiculous some of that sounds? And what's worse is that those responses are the kind of drivel that non-Christians are forced to comfort themselves with because they lack anything better.

The secular, non-believing world is reduced to sifting for pebbles of optimism in their sandbox of pain because they have no legitimate means of dealing with troubles and hardships in this life.

But the insane thing is that Christians have lined up right behind them!! I can't tell you how many times I have heard Christian sources tell me to "look on the bright side."

Let's take a look at a verse that is often misunderstood in the search for meaning in suffering.

Romans 8:28

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

On first glance, that seems to indicate that even if bad things happen to you, some kind of good is going to come out of your bad situation. Well, something that the world considers good might come about as a result of your difficulty, but then again it might not. If you or your spouse get laid off, the "positive thinker" might be tempted to quote this verse and assure you that God has an even better job already lined up.

He might. Or he might choose to give you something that most people would hardly call "good": a time of serious financial strain, in order to cleanse you of your love for this world.

The problem many people make with Romans 8:28 is that they don't read Romans 8:29. Let's take a look at that verse and see what kind of light it sheds on this "good" that God has promised in "all things" to those who "love God."

Romans 8:29

"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."

Going back to my previous example (of you or your spouse getting laid off) let's look at it in the proper light of Romans 8:28 and Romans 8:29. Being without your income hardly seems like it could be a good thing, I realize that. At least in the eyes of this world, being broke does not seem good. Surely the only good to come out of that situation would be a source of income that is superior in some way to the old one.

But no, according to Romans 8:29, the good that comes from all things is for the Christian to be "conformed to the image" of Jesus. Not for you to have a comfortable life. Not for "happy" things to magically appear out of "unhappy things." Sanctification, the process of being squeezed and pummelled and winnowed into a more Christ-like image--THAT is the "good" that God promises us in all things.

And God, in His plan to sanctify us more and more into the image of Christ, often employs suffering as a mighty tool. And it is good. I can say that to you as a fellow weakling who hates to suffer. I don't like pain, I don't like hardship. I certainly have no great love for experiencing loss or tragedy. But I do rejoice in being conformed to the image of my Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I can only do that through the power of God. It is not a joy that I can muster up in myself apart from Him.

The reality is that there is going to be suffering in the Christian life. Lots of it. If anyone tells you otherwise, and promises you an easy walk in this life if you will become a Christian, they are contradicting what Scripture teaches. Consider just three passages that speak directly to suffering, trials and pain for Christians.

John 16:33

"In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

1 Peter 4:12-13

"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake in Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."

John 15: 18-19

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (all emphasis mine)

Do you see all of that tribulation, trial and hatred promised to Christians?

Why would we ever tell people that Christianity is going to make their life easy? And WHY would we ever try to convince the Christian that God is going to give her something that the God-hating world sees as "good" from her pain? Like I said earlier, positive perspectives are the sort of thing that God's enemies are reduced to scrounging around in to make sense of this fallen and sinful world. "Optimism" is the opiate of the unsaved.

As Christians, we should reject worldly optimism and "looking on the bright side" as a response to pain. Yes, good is promised to all those who love God in all things. But the good is not what the world expects. The good is becoming less like our natural flesh and more like Christ.

And it makes me kind of angry to hear well meaning people try to make me choke down silver linings and happy attitudes. When a horrible thing happens to me, I don't want to be forced to deny it, and conjour up some kind of sunny alternate reality. I want to look forward with joy to the day when all of my tears will be wiped away. And I want to rejoice that God is purging me of sin and polishing me to a brilliant sheen, a sheen that dimly reflects the glory of His Son.

Worldly optimism is a lie. Christian, know the truth.

Silence

My apologies for not showing up lately.

I've been busy and distracted by life in general, but that is not the whole story.

I'm working through some things that are not appropriate blog material, and I can't think of much else to say until I get through them.

Check back, because I will eventually have something to write about.

I just wanted to let you know why I've been silent for such an uncharacteristically long stretch.

As you were.

Ruth Session Four

Ruth Session Four is posted and ready for listening or downloading. If you would like the link to the blog that it is posted on, please email me from my "About Me."

And in other, totally unrelated news, I need your help.

I have found myself with a very frivolous dilemma and I just can't seem to resolve it.

The problem, you see, is that in a rare feat of shopping achievement, I have managed to fall in love with, and purchase, two new purses in one day. Now, I don't buy purses all that often, so when I buy a purse it is a major commitment. Me and that purse are gonna stick together for a while. And I don't normally change purses based on the outfit I am wearing (seriously, who has the time??). I might take a small purse out to dinner in the rare event that I go out on a date with my husband, or something wild and crazy like that. But mostly, I carry my one big purse with me everywhere I go.

So while this is frivolous, it is making me a little bit nuts trying to decide which purse to keep! I bought them both deeply discounted, but they are still expensive enough that I can't keep both. So help me out, would you? Which one would you keep, the gray one or the blue one? And if I could trouble you to include the reason for your decision, I would be forever grateful.

This snazzy gray purse is from a really nice name brand and has functioning zippers on the side that make the bag full or narrow, depending on how much space you want. You could almost live in the thing, it is so roomy. It is basic, with just a hint of style, and I like that in a purse.

This "Tiffany blue" purse made my heart surge. It was admiration at first sight. Seriously, I LOVE this color. I'm just afraid I might get tired of it. I wear a lot of basic colors, so I'm not too worried about it clashing with my clothes, but it is on the flashier side of what I normally choose. Should I cut loose a bit and risk a bold new color?


***Update***

For those of you waiting with baited breath...I have decided to keep the blue one. It was with a heavy heart that I took the lovely gray lady back to the store and returned her. She would have been a great friend, I am sure, but the blue purse just edged her out. Thanks for all of your input, it actually helped a ton!

Vampires and Other Imaginary Beings

Vampires, Bigfoot, Leprechauns and Fairies.

What do the four things listed above have in common with ex-Christians?

They don't exist.

Oh, there are plenty of people out there who think they do. And I'm sure you can even find large numbers of people who passionately claim to know from personal experience that one of the five fictitious creatures named above is as real as dirt and rocks. But they would be flat out, no mistake about it, excruciatingly WRONG. (By the way, this is yet another reason that personal experience as proof of a matter should be treated with skepticism, but that is a post for another day.)

I don't care what they say.

I'd even be willing to budge on the first four. Perhaps I could be convinced that small, elvish creatures with red beards and green pointy hats live in the wilds of Ireland somewhere. Well, maybe not. But I would probably just roll my eyes (discreetly) at anyone who claimed to believe in a leprechaun. (As fun as the whole idea is, and that whole pot of gold at the end of a rainbow thing, it's kind of a shame that isn't true either.)

But believing that such a thing as an ex-Christian exists is dangerous. It can cause some real problems for the true sheep. Things like doubt and disbelief.

Let me just be blunt and perfectly clear about this issue. I realize that I run the risk of alienating some of you, my dear readers, by taking such a bold stand. Because I do realize that there are many Christians who are disagree with me on this matter. Even if you are one of them, I hope you will still come by for a visit every now and again. But at the risk of permanently irritating you, allow me to present my case from Scripture.

The most compelling case for the "perseverance of the saints" (that is the fancy term which means basically, once really saved, always saved, you can't lose salvation,) is found in John 10:27.

John 10:27-29

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."

If you believe what these verses proclaim, then in order to remove a sheep from the Father's hand, one would have to be greater than the Father. The very power and sovereignty of God, in His ability to keep the true sheep from straying, are at stake. I don't see any way around that.

Notice that I said the true sheep. Because you can't deny that there are people who once professed to be Christians, who now disavow the whole thing entirely. Some of them were even the really passionate, committed type of "Christian." (Maybe even most of them, which is a rather strange phenomenon, that probably bears exploring at a later date.) I personally know of two who at one point, seemed to all of the outside world to be the real deal. But who now profess to be atheist.

Are they ex-Christians? No. They were never Christians to begin with. Jesus did not call them by name, they never belonged to Him. They might dispute me on that point, based on their personal experience. And while I mourn for them, and feel somewhat confused that they are so blind, I don't believe that they ever belonged to Christ at all.

We know from Matthew 7:21-23, that not everyone who says to Jesus, "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven. To some of them He will say, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." So obviously there are people out there who have some trappings of Christianity, but who are really the wolves in sheep's clothing referred to in Matthew 7:15.

Another passage of Scripture that speaks to the perseverance of the saints is Romans 8:29-30:

"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

Obviously, even Christians, the real kind, go through periods of what is so elegantly termed "backsliding." You know what that is don't you? It is when a believer goes through a time of sin and rebellion. It happens. You are deceived if you think it doesn't.

In fact, the beauty of the gospel, of God's faithfulness to the sheep, is that He makes promises to us, even knowing ahead of time that we will fail, we will sin, and yes, we will even backslide. The thing that distinguishes the wolf in sheep's clothing from the backsliding believer is the final outcome. A true believer will ultimately come to repentance, will seek forgiveness and be restored to faithful service to God. That wolf ain't going to do any such thing. (The repentance might be a long time coming, too, which is why we should be pretty cautious about pronouncing judgment one way or the other.)

But if there is never repentance and restoration, there was never a Christian.

And you can be as sure of that as you are of the fact that nobody is going to suck out all of your blood and turn you into an immortal bloodsucker yourself.

Philippians 1:6

"being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Isaiah 54:10

"For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall my covenant of peace be removed,
Says the LORD, who has mercy on you."

Groanings Which Cannot Be Uttered

That title will get your attention won't it?

I'm talking, OF COURSE, about Romans 8:26-27!

What did you think I was talking about???

Romans 8:26-27

"Likewise the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

I made reference to these verses at the end of my last post "Big Britches." I would have included them, but that post was already pretty long.

I am fascinated by the idea of the Holy Spirit making prayers for me that cannot even be put into words. Have you ever felt a strong desire to pray, but you didn't really know what to say? I have. Many times, actually. It usually happens when something tragic has happened or might happen, and I know I need to pray about it, but I'm not quite sure how. There have also been times when I felt a strong inward desire to pray for myself, but again, was at a loss as to what exactly I needed to ask God for.

How amazing it is that these verses make us confident of two things. First, that the Spirit is making intercessions for the saints (that would be you and me, my fellow Christians) according to the will of God. And second, that God, who searches the heart, knows what the Spirit is praying for. It's a complete circle. God knows what the Spirit is requesting, because the Spirit only requests what is God's perfect will.

Our inability to conjure up the right phrases, or even requests, doesn't get in God's way at all!

And the best part is, that this entire cycle of intercession and God's will work together to....wait for it.....wait for it.....help us in our weaknesses!

So don't be discouraged my fellow saints. Even if you ain't got the words, the Spirit Himself is interceding for you with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Big Britches

I have been thinking about my tendency to get "too big for my britches." It's kind of a funny thing, because I work so hard at staying humble and restraining my natural feelings of pride and self-righteousness. I'm not a total failure at doing it, but it appears that for me at least, this is a life long struggle.

Lately I have been thinking about Peter, and his triple denial of Christ. It strikes me that Peter and I might have a few things in common. I'm obviously not the rock upon which Christ has built the church, but personality-wise, me and Peter might be formed alike.

He had a tendency to get too big for his britches too. To put it in gentler terms, he sometimes made grandiose claims in the heat of the moment that he couldn't follow through with later on.

In Luke 22:33, Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."

Less than 24 hours later, Peter did just the opposite.

Luke 22: 55-60

"Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."

But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."

And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them."

But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"

Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."

But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!"

The thing is, I have no doubt that when Peter claimed that he would follow Jesus to prison or death, he absolutely meant it. He wasn't saying something that he didn't believe in his heart at that moment. I've done the same thing.

"Lord, I will always be this passionate for Your glory!"

"Lord, I will always seek Your face before anything else in the world!"

"Lord, I will never be distracted from loving and serving You above all else!"

But of course, when life takes an unexpected or disappointing turn, the reality becomes much less glamorous than my momentary exuberance could possibly have expected. And like Peter, I fail to do what I so earnestly claimed I would.

You see, Peter got quite a shock when Jesus was hauled off by that band of thugs in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter, and all of the disciples, had the wrong idea about Jesus's kingdom and His victory. They were still expecting a great military hero who would overthrow the earthly enemies of Israel and reestablish her as a mighty, victorious nation. Despite the fact that Jesus told the disciples many times that he was going to suffer and die, they just didn't get it.

So when Jesus was in the custody of the high priest, you can imagine that Peter's expectations of going to prison and death with Jesus were turning out a little differently than he thought they would. Maybe Peter thought that he would die in a glorious civil uprising, fighting alongside his Master. Or that they would be thrown into prison together and somehow defy the odds and still emerge as the victors.

But little did Peter imagine, in all of the scenarios he could conjure up, that Jesus was going to blindfolded and beaten, mocked, scorned and spit upon, by the very men Peter imagined that Jesus was going to defeat.

And in the disappointment of this reality, Peter failed. He denied the very One whom he had so passionately claimed he would never deny.

But, you see, there is more to the story than just Peter's failure. Jesus knew ahead of time that Peter was making claims that he wasn't going to fulfill. He saw ahead to Peter's denial of him, and He even told Peter that it was going to happen.

Luke 22:34

"Then He said, I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know me."

And even more than foreseeing the event, Jesus comforted Peter before the denial had even taken place.

Luke 22:31

"And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." (emphasis mine)

Look at what Jesus says. He has prayed for Peter, and when, not if, but when Peter returns to Him, He will be equipped to strengthen his brethren.

Do you suppose that a man of big-britches claims is very encouraging to a struggling, distraught brethren? I don't tend to think so. I can only imagine that if I were always in a state of big-britches boasting, I wouldn't be very encouraging to my fellow brethren at all. It would be hard to relate to a sister in Christ who is experiencing the real disappointments and pain of life, if I always lived in the place of sheer happiness in the Lord.

You should know, I don't. I go through peaks and valleys in my walk with God. Once, I spent over a year on the mountain top. It was the best year of my life. But I'm afraid that all that high-mountain living brought our some pretty big britches claims from me. I kind of thought that I would always be 'high.' That it was the natural result of my faithfulness and dedication in seeking God.

But in reality, life threw a disappointment at me. Things didn't go as I imagined they would. Like Peter, my expectations of fighting for the Lord turned out differently than I thought. And before long, I ended up in a valley, in a place of denying the very claims I had so boldly made.

God knew I was going to do that. When I was making my big claims, He already knew I was going to fail. But that's OK. He knew I needed some humbling, some ability to relate, some equipping in order to strengthen my brethren. It was for my own good, and hopefully for the good of those around me as well.

I really want to get back to that place of 'highness' with God. There really is nothing better in all of life. If you have ever been there you know what I am talking about. Nothing, nothing, nothing even begins to compare to the delight of that 'place.'

But perhaps I will cherish it all the more next time, knowing that it is a gift not meant to be permanently sustained in this life.

Even Paul, who was temporarily caught up into the ecstasy of Heaven, was given a thorn in his flesh immediately afterward. Maybe a person who is very naturally humble can handle the headiness of God's fullness without getting too big for his or her britches. But I am not that person.

For me, I suspect it must come and go.

It has been 'going' lately. But I am not discouraged. Because I know that Jesus is praying for me, just as He does for all the saints, and the Holy Spirit is making intercessions for me that I cannot even comprehend to ask for myself, since I don't know how to pray as I ought.

And because of those things, my faith will not fail.