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In a Sermon about wallowing with pigs

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , on March 11, 2013| 2 Comments »

Have you ever been “wowed” by a sermon? Yesterday in church, I was.

The Scripture for the day was such a familiar one- the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Somewhere in Heaven, volumes must be stored up on this parable. One of my favorite oldie but goldie Contemporary Christian songs is “When God Ran” by Benny Hester and sung by Phillips, Craig & Dean.

 

 

 

But, my priest, Chris Culpepper at Christ the Redeemer Anglican,  decided to concentrate on the least talked about person in the parable. Not the son, not the father, not the elder brother- but the man the prodigal son turned to after he’d squandered all his money.  “After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in the country and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country , who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.” ( vs. 15-16)

 

That citizen , our wise pastor said, is the father of lies.  The citizen of a country not our own as the children of God, i.e. the world. The world is in famine for love, acceptance and truth, yet it seeks it elsewhere than in its Creator. Instead of humbling ourselves to our Heavenly Father, we think we have done too much to ever return to Him.  So we turn to another- a substitute father.  He gets us to do things we thought we’d never do and convinces us that is the way things are because of what we’ve done.

Pigs were taboo to the Hebrews. This son had sunk as low as he could. And here is the key- no one gave him anything.  Not food, not shelter, and certainly not forgiveness.

My priest challenged us, and I pass it on to you. What is it that you have yet to come to God about? Is the father of lies whispering that you are too sinful? Is your pride keeping you from feasting on God’s mercy? Are you  instead starving for His grace, but afraid to receive it?

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.     (I John 2:1-2)

Stop wallowing in the mud of your past with the pigs. Don’t listen to the whisperings of the father of lies. Listen to Jesus and come home.

 

 

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Grungy Dime

Posted in Biblical, Christian, tagged , , , , , on March 8, 2013| 1 Comment »

During a meeting,  I detected a coin on the floor. At first I thought it might be a penny. Someone probably dropped it then decided it wasn’t worth the effort to retrieve it. The coin was so grungy and dark, even when I held it up to the light, I couldn’t discern its denomination.

800px-One_dime_1976_revisedCuriosity, or latent OCD, got the better of me. I shoved it in my pocket. After I got home, I rubbed the coin with a squeeze of toothpaste. I saw bits of Eisenhower’s face. I rubbed some more. I saw the year it was minted and the inscribed words “Liberty”. I flipped it over and rubbed the other side until the images of the torch, olive branch and oak branch surfaced. No more mystery. I held a shiny dime from 1976, minted in Denver. Not a penny.

It reminded me of the woman who searched for her lost coin in Luke’s Gospel. While nine remained on the table, she hunted and hunted for the tenth one.

[Jesus said] “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:8-10

 

What does the lost coin symbolize?  A lost soul in need of a Savior? Most definitely.

But I can see where it can also be that deep hidden sin lurking out of sight. The grungy one we’d prefer not to deal with yet. We say, “Lord, let’s tackle the easy ones first. The nine  lying open on the table. This one’s being swept under the rug for now, okay? Don’t search for it.”

Human wisdom tell us to let sleeping dogs lie. There are some issues better left alone. But godly wisdom disagrees with that philosophy. Sin begins to cling to us like dirt. We become camouflaged in the ways of the world. It’s hard to determine our purpose or worth.

I have learned I can’t hide things from God for very long. Like the tenacious woman searching for the lost coin, God will search out the sin in our lives. He will exhaust every means to bring into the open what we’ve been trying to hide from Him, and perhaps from ourselves. Knowing all, He encourages us to confess the sin, wipe it clean and then shine forth His glory in our lives.

 

 

 

taken from What Can She Tell Us– a Bible study of the unnamed women in the New Testament.

 

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The Sun on The Cross

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , on March 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

This is an amazing sunset captured by a legally blind photographer in England named Steve Rebus. It is where he found God that day- and often- at the end of his camera lens. To God be the glory.

 

see more fabulous photos and prayers on his blog: iChristian 

 

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. Matthew 5:16

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Tale of Two Kitties

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on February 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I have two cats, as different as night and day.

The black cat is fairly independent. The vet believes he was on his own for almost a year before we took him in, fed him regularly and gave him his toy mice and favorite blanket. He still has a tendency to fend for himself. He is a loner, who only meows when it is more than a half hour after his mealtime, and even then it is a simple syllable mew.  Only occasionally does he hop up and feel the need to snuggle and be close. Most of the time he is content to just be in the same vicinity and purrs happily if you happen to come by and pat his head.

The striped gray one – he is the eldest and the most needy. For all twelve years of this kitty’s life so far, as my son claims, we have had to “re-adopt him” every morning, and then at least six more times during the day. He has to be within an arms reach of me when I am home. He is always in my face demanding that he be my only attention. Yet, he is also snuggly and sweet.

Which of these cats describes you when it comes to your relationship with God? Do you treat Him as a distant provider and only occasionally go to Him 0r are you always tugging on His robe like an incessant toddler, whining for His attention?

Most of us are somewhere in between the two extremes.  Just as most of us are a bit like Martha and a bit like Mary.  In our walk on this earth, may we all come to be balanced in our trust that He will meet our needs and yet willing to rush into His arms and lean on His strength and wisdom.

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In the shadows

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on February 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Our church uses a power point display on the walls. We also have a processional, which means we sing as the ministers and helpers in the service come up the aisle. Kids from the congregation carry a wooden cross and liquid wax torches, symbolizing Jesus as the Light of the World.

When the torch bearers pass by the projectors, the light-beam catches the torches. They cast a shadow across the lower corner of the illuminated screen on the wall. But, what is so cool is that the warmth emitting from the torches can suddenly be seen as wispy shadows, almost translucent,  billowing up over the words to the hymn.

Zechariah, the father of John the Baptizer, told his infant boy this:

 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
  for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
  in the forgiveness of their sins,
 because of the tender mercy of our God,
  whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
  to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
(Luke 1:76-79 ESV)

dreamstimefree_91584We are supposed to reflect Jesus as we walk this earth. We carry His torch. If Christ shines His light in our path, will other people, who sit in darkness, see the wispy shadow of the Holy Spirit emitting from our souls like a Godly warmth? Or will they only see the shadow of death because of  our unconfessed sins and worldly week-day ways?

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In a Box of Chocolates

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on February 15, 2013| 1 Comment »

????????????????????????????????????????Raise your hands if you  gave up chocolate for Lent on Wednesday, then realized the next day, yesterday, was Valentine’s. Are your really going to tuck away that red heart shaped box filled with mouthwatering choices?  Can you withstand the temptation? Are you going to claim Sunday as a “king’s x” day and gobble down a few of them after church? Or will you chew now and confess later?

How easy is it to make resolutions and vow to make a change. How easy is it to be tempted at a drop of the hat to not keep that vow, or to find wiggle room in the rules to, well, have our chocolate in life and eat it, too. But what are we risking in return?

We all have good intentions when it comes to our Christian walk. We want to change, be more Christ-like, and bend to God’s will. Adam and Eve knew that push-me pull-you feeling. So did Paul.

For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15)

Human nature. We can’t  do it on our own, can we? Paul goes on –

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. (vs 18, 20)

But Christ shows us a higher road, a better way that He has not only paved, but traversed.  We only will  succeed when we let God’s will control our thoughts and actions.

…because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)

That’s a vow God makes to us, and He, though tempted while on earth, never gave in.

It’s not about what’s inside that heart shaped box of chocolates–it is about what’s inside the heart itself.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

 

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Bible vs Cell Phone

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on February 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

This is Ash Wednesday- the beginning of Lent. Lent was the time the early Christians spent in study, reflection and penitent contemplation before being baptized on Easter. Today, it is often a time of taking on new things to replace old negative habits.

I heard a woman speak at a conference recently about how modern day life can eat into our spirituality. She handed out the following questions.

What if . . .

We treated our Bible like our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several times a day looking for messages – and then responded back?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we treated it as if we’d be lost without it, afraid to be out of touch?

What if we gave it to kids as a gift?

What is we used it when we traveled, and In Case of Emergency (ICE)?

My pride balloon inflated because I have a daily Bible verse on my favorites’ screen and the whole Bible as an app on my cell phone.  But, when she asked if I looked at it as often as my text messages and email, it popped. With each question I saw the pieces float down in humility. How about you?

Unlike our cell phones, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected – Jesus already paid the bill.

Unlike our cell phones, we don’t have to worry about it being stolen.

Plus, with Christ, there are no  dropped calls. You always have 4 bars- at least.

Can you hear Him now?

 

 

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In Someone Else’s Wrting

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , on February 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

A friend emailed the following to me. She doesn’t know the author. Evidently it has been floating around the internet through email boxes and the name was lost along the way.   I pray whoever wrote this doesn’t mind me sharing it. I have left in the original typos.

It is still very well written. When I read it, I pumped my fist and said, “Yes”.  My cat, who happened to be snoozing  through his third nap of the day on my desk, jolted.  I petted him. “Sorry, Buster. Another person has found God today.”

Enjoy.

You Can See God

I sat at my desk staring at the letter for a long time. It was written by a friend of mine who was going through some difficult times. It listed problem after problem and seemed full of despair. It ended with these words: “I would like to have faith, but I have always had a problem in believing in what I can’t see. You can’t see God, you know!”
After awhile I still hadn’t thought of how to answer my friend’s letter and help him. Hoping a walk would help, I put a lease on one of my dogs and headed out the back door. The warm, golden sunshine of Spring warmed my face as soon as I stepped off the porch. A fresh breeze carried the scent of a thousand budding trees on it. A butterfly danced above a patch of dandelions floating from flower to flower. Robins were flying back and forth to the Maple tree in my backyard carrying fresh grass and twigs to reline their nests. Across the road my new neighbor’s children were playing in her backyard with a big ball. It was such a delight seeing her toddler chasing after it with such joy.
I felt a nuzzle against my leg and looked down to see my dog cuddling in for a hug. I smiled and scratched his head while the laughter of the children and the sound of crickets in the woods blended together to create a unique and beautiful music. I started to walk back inside and saw my own son grinning at me from the window. Most of the world could only see his mental handicaps, but when I looked at him then his eyes sparkled with a divine light. I waved to him and laughed when his older sister snuck up behind him and wrapped him in a loving hug.
When I got back inside, I knew what to write. I went to my friend’s letter and wrote of everything I had just seen, smelled, heard, and felt in those brief moments outside. Then I finished by writing this:
“I think we all can see God! We just need to know where to look!”

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In him…and all believers

Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , on February 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

This was emailed to me –

it is a commercial entitled Stethoscope.

You won’t guess what they are promoting until the end – for a hint, well, see the title of this blog. Sorry if I gave it away.

Anyway . . .Just click on this link and enjoy –

 

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/stethoscope.html

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In Me?

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , on February 4, 2013| 2 Comments »

I have a daily Bible verse app on my Droid cell phone. Today’s is this:

No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his spirit.  1John 4:12-13

No one who has ever walked the earth has ever seen God, except Jesus when he looked in the mirror. Or, did He see just the human flesh He came to dwell in — that would bleed and die on the cross — staring back at Him? Could He physically see Himself as God or just be acutely aware of that part of Himself dwelling inside the flesh and bones?

Today, we believers are His hands and feet on earth. Can anyone “see” God in us or just sense His presence when we exhibit His love? Is that why people say God is reflected through us? That is a mystery which has been debated by those far more knowledgable than I throughout the centuries.

???????????????????????????????????????But this I know is Truth — if you have taken Jesus into your heart, He is there, living in you as His temple. Others can sense that, even if they are not believers. God draws people to Himself through believers. And, when we are not doing what Jesus would do, and love the way Jesus would love, it can repel them.

When we act in love as Christ would, then that love is made perfect because it makes God more tangible for others. John says God has “given us of his spirit”.  We don’t contain all of God’s spirit (we are too finite for that)  but we have enough of it shing through us be detected by other’s soul-eyes. AND maybe, we contain enough to detect shining with our own soul-eyes when we look in the mirror. Then we can see beyond the added ten pounds we have yet to get off our hips after the holidays, or the bad hair day, or the blemish that is pushing through onto our cheek.

Where did I find God today? Was it possibly in me?  Was I that loving? Did His Spirit reflect through me?

 

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