Losing Sheep

Suppose you had a hundred sheep and lost one.  Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the pasture and go after the lost one until you found it?  When found, you can be sure that you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home, call in your friends and neighbors saying, “Celebrate with me!  

 I have found my lost sheep.”

Luke 15:3-6 [The Message]

This parable had a lot of “punch” with Jesus’ listeners, because Israel at that time was an agrarian society.  His listeners instantly identified with the story of a lost sheep.  The animals were a source of meat, clothing, and money—very important to a family’s survival.  Unless you live on a farm, which most of us don’t, our livelihood is not dependent upon animals, and the concept of having 100 animals to take care of is certainly not an everyday occurrence for me.

Losing one animal, however, hits very close to home for many of us. Whether it is a dog, a cat, a bird, or a gerbil – our pets become members of our family - beloved companions. I was out walking a few months ago when one of my neighbors pulled up in his truck.  His wife was in the hospital, and he had accidentally let their dog slip out the front door.  I promised to start looking for the animal.  I was soon joined by other walkers, other drivers, and a couple of three-wheelers – all searching for this little dog.  When it was finally found, there was great rejoicing that animal and owner were reunited.

I have owned many dogs and cats over the years, and am well acquainted with the feeling of panic when a pet is lost, and the euphoria that overwhelms me when it is found safe and sound.  In this parable, Jesus was illustrating for His listeners the value that God places on each human life.  We are His children, and He loves us individually and unconditionally.   

The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell;

It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell.  

Count Your Blessings

The blessing of the Lord be upon you…

Psalm 129:8

I sold my car today.  The agreement was made last Friday, but the transfer and payment happened today.  I have been trying to sell this vehicle since October of last year.  Wintertime, however, is not the correct season to entice someone to purchase a convertible, especially a low-to-the-ground sports car. 

The Lord and I have spent a considerable amount of time over the last few months discussing the need to sell this car.  Not that He was unaware of this, mind you – He knew perfectly well what my requests were.  I, on the other hand, really needed to discuss the issue, sometimes on a daily basis. It was not that I was nagging God to get with it and get my car sold.  It was more like, “please help me to be content with Your timetable instead of mine.”

When the sale finally came, I was ecstatic.  I was bouncing around the office all afternoon with a huge smile on my face.  Somewhere in the celestial heavens, I know God was shaking His head, chuckling at my antics.  I hope there was also a small smile of paternal pride on His face when I gave Him my thanks and praise.  Today wasn’t just my celebration, it was our celebration.  Thanks be to God. 

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God has done!

My Way? Your Way? The Highway?

 I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go;

I will guide you with My eye.

Psalm 32:8

If you are a teacher of any kind, you well know the fact that some people do not want to be taught.  It is as if the student silently says, Dear Teacher: sorry, but no matter what your educational background is, or how much experience you have to back up your teaching, your opinion is not wanted. 

I had just such an experience recently in one of the musical ensembles that I lead.  Someone kept playing the wrong note time after time after time.  There was ample self-analysis as to why the mistake had happened and what needed to be done to fix the problem, but when we played the passage again, the same thing happened – not once, or twice, but several times.

When I offered a quick fix that would take away the ability to utilize the wrong note, an adamant refusal to even consider the adjustment poured forth, eventually ending in an offer to resign if I insisted.  I wasn’t about to go down that path, so I busied myself putting music away, then slipped out to my next appointment. I didn't feel like arguing, and after nine years of teaching in this setting, I don’t feel like forcing anyone to do anything.

There have been so many times when I have had similar conversations with God, only with me on the defensive.  God’s Word is full of necessary information to guide our lives in the right paths, but we have our own way of doing things and are not always amenable to His guidance.  When I was in college, a good friend gave me the quotation below, written by C. S. Lewis.  It is a wonderful reminder to me that, although God knows the path far better than I do, He will never force His guidance on us.  We can choose to go our own way.

There are two kinds of people:

Those who say to God, “Thy will be done,”

And those to whom God says,

“All right, then – have it your way.”

~C. S. Lewis

Earth Hour 2011

The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof;

the world, and they that dwell therein.

Psalm 24:1

This last Saturday was the day for Earth Hour, a global program for individuals and governments to douse the lights for one hour – at 8:30pm in our own time zone.  Conceived in 2007 in Australia, the movement has grown to worldwide proportions with all seven continents participating to one degree or another in 2011.  The organizers’ mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and build a future where people live in harmony with nature.

It was a unique experience for me.  I had been writing most of the afternoon and evening, and glanced up just as the clock marked 8:24pm. I walked through the house, turning off outside lights as well as interior ones.  In the kitchen, I lit a candle before turning off the last light, then went into my bedroom and shut the door – leaving two slightly bewildered cats behind to wonder as to what was happening.

Reading by candlelight turned out to be a difficult task, so I turned to the Solitaire game on my cell phone.  The house had a quietness and solemnity that closed in like deep fog, and the cell game was quickly forgotten.  It was sobering to realize that in many places on this planet, living by the light of a solitary candle is a nightly experience.  We who have so very, very much [even when we have very little] do not often reflect on those who have absolutely nothing.  The people of the northeast coast of Japan came to mind, most of whom have lost everything.  If they are alive and sheltered, they experience rolling blackouts that make my little hour without house lights seem very insignificant.

God is the friend of silence….

~Mother Teresa

Winter....again

Volunteer baby Datura

Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: 

Thou settlest the furrows thereof:

Thou makest it soft with showers: 

Thou blessest the springing thereof.

Psalm 65:10 [KJV]

In the last few days, new life has been springing up all over my yard.  My japonica and forsythia bushes are in full bloom, the daffodils are bright yellow, the baby green tips of my pink daylilies have broken through the ground.  Fat robins sit in the front yard and chatter at each other, and thirty rose hedge plants adorn my stoop – flourishing in the sun and the rain while waiting to be planted.

Into this idyllic scene drops the weatherman’s report of rain mixed with… excuse me?  Snow?  Temperatures will drop below freezing for the next three nights.  Suddenly I am scrambling for boxes to bring in the roses, hydrangeas, and other pots from the front porch.  Several nights of 29 degrees might be miserable for me, but it would be death to my beautiful flowers.

Human relationships are much the same – they thrive in the sunlight of kindness, the warmth of compassion and love.  Conversely, they shrivel in the bitter cold of a negative word or rebuff.  Someone may cross your path today desperately needing the gentleness of a smile, the empathy of a thoughtful word.  The weather may be frosty cold, but the warmth of a heart brimming with hope can begin the melting process within the soul.

O, wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

~Percy Shelley

      

Thank You

I thank my God every time I think of you…

Philippians 1:3

On March 12, I asked for prayers for my 24-year-old daughter, Niki, who had been diagnosed with a mass in her lung.  I am thrilled to report that the mass was made up of mostly of calcium, along with some fatty tissue – nonmalignant.  I am grateful beyond words for your prayers on her behalf.  The specialist she saw told her that she’d had the calcification for years – possibly from childhood.  He was very kind to her, showing her both the x-ray and the CT scan, noting the location of the spot, and informing her that she will always have it.

Obviously my daughter was tremendously relieved.  Perhaps too much so.  When the diagnosis first occurred, she had thrown away her cigarettes and vowed to never smoke another one.  She even called her sister – a chain smoker – to beg her to quit.  Now that the crisis has passed, it appears that she may have quietly gone back to smoking.  Both of my girls use tobacco has a way of controlling their emotions.  It is without question that they need to find a different method!

I would appreciate your continued prayers for Niki – specifically that she would gain the victory over her tobacco addiction.  If you would include Laci as well, I would be doubly thankful.  Even though I do not know who you are, I pray for you every morning.  If you have a specific need, please let me know through the comment portion of this blog.  I would be honored to pray for you.

Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays. 

 ~Søren Kierkegaard

A Morning Prayer

Billy Graham's Prayer for Our Nation

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness 

and to seek your direction and guidance.   

We know Your Word  says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' 

but that is exactly what we have done.   

We have  lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. 

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.   

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. 

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.   

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.   

We have neglected to discipline our children 

and called it building self-esteem.  

We have abused power and called it politics. 

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.   

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography 

and called it freedom of expression.   

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers 

and called it enlightenment.   

 Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; 

cleanse us from every sin and set us free. 

Amen!”

Is Lying Ever Justified? Part II

By this everyone will know that you are My disciples,

If you have love for one another.

John 13:35

Fast forward from Rahab’s Jericho to Germany, Poland and the Netherlands in the 1940’s.  The Nazi’s were in the midst of exterminating the Jewish race [as well as gypsies, homosexuals, political prisoners, etc.] in the gas chambers of concentration camps, such as Auschwitz or Ravensbruck.  Average citizens such as Oskar Schindler or Christians like Corrie ten boom made it their work to save as many Jews as possible. Bribery, deceit, lying – all were utilized to keep the Gestapo from knowing where these precious human lives were hidden.  If soldiers had come to your door and said, “We understand you have Jews hidden here,” you would not have been likely to answer, “Ah, yes - at the back of the house.  Just take the left stairway and move aside the bookcase in the hallway.”

Or would you?  Corrie’s older sister, Elizabeth [call Betsie, Bep or Beppy by the family], steadfastly refused to lie to anyone about the people hidden in her home.  Once when the Gestapo were questioning the family about hiding Jews, Betsie was asked if there were any Jews hidden in the building.  She answered, “Yes.  Underneath the table.”  The soldier laughed at her impertinence, but in point of fact, there was a trap door underneath the large rug on which the table sat.  She had told him the absolute truth, but he didn’t believe her.

If you go on Google and type in the words, “Is it Ok to lie to save a life,” or something similar, you can find fascinating discussions on this issue.  One website solved the problem by giving a different definition of what a lie is: “To lie is to speak or act against the truth in order to lead into error someone who has the right to know the truth [CCC 2483].  According to this definition, Rahab and Corrie ten boom did not tell any lies, because 1)they were not speaking against the truth in order to lead anyone spiritually astray, and 2) those who were endeavoring to take life had no right to the truth.

What about you?  Would you lie to save a life?  Would you lie to save your own life?  Is one OK but not the other?  Or is it not even an issue?

No legacy is so rich as honesty.

~William Shakespeare

Is Lying Ever Justified?

The woman, who had taken the two men and hidden them, replied,

“True, the men did come to me, 

but I did not know where they came from;

and at nightfall, when it was time to shut the gate, they had gone.

I do not know where they were going, but if you hurry after them,

you may overtake them.

Joshua 2:4-5

Inevitably when one discusses the subject of total honesty, someone raises the question, “Is it ever justifiable to lie?”  They will then point to the story of Rahab, one of the women in the ancestral line of Jesus Christ.  She lied – big time – and her story is actually recorded in Scripture in the second chapter of the book of Joshua.

When the children of Israel were led by Moses out of Egypt, they eventually arrived at the Jordan River.  Joshua sent out two spies to reconnoiter the land, specifically the city of Jericho.  Apparently the Motel 6 was not available, for they chose to seek lodging in a house of ill repute – a brothel run by the prostitute Rahab.  Unfortunately, the king of Jericho found out about the two men, and sent soldiers to demand that they be turned over to the guards.  She had taken the two men and hidden them on the roof of her establishment.  When the guards arrived, she said, “Hey, boys.  Yeah, two men came here to freshen up a bit.  But they left at the time the gate closes.  It wasn’t that long ago.  If you hurry, you probably can catch them.”

Her little speech was, of course, a bald-faced lie.  It would be nice to say that she did it just to rescue the men.  That would be a half truth, however, because she also was trying to save her own skin.  But protecting the men of God [by deceit] caused them to promise to rescue her when the Israelites overtook the city.  She tied a scarlet rope in her window, and the attacking forces carried Rahab and her family to safety.  Eventually she married Salmon, and gave birth to her son Boaz, who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David.

Rahab is one of only two women named in Hebrews 11 as examples of godly faith.   The book of James also mentions her as an example of righteousness.  Several prominent theologians believe that God honored her in spite of her lie, because she was a heathen and didn’t know that lying was wrong.  I don’t quite buy that argument.  I think that humans instinctively know that we should do the right thing, including telling the truth, whether we actually do it or not. 

“Integrity is telling myself the truth.

Honesty is telling the truth to other people.”

Spencer Johnson

I am a Recovering Liar

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluter, the murderers,

the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars,

their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur,

which is the second death.

Revelation 21:8

Two years later, I married my second husband.  Pregnancy came immediately, and one little girl was quickly followed by two more.  It didn’t take near as long this time to realize that I had again chosen poorly.  This man was both controlling and abusive, with an uncontrolled temper and a vicious mean streak.  Before long I was fully embracing deceit – only this time I was lying to protect my girls, as well as me.  I knew there had to be a better way, but I frankly could not think of one.  I absolutely hate confrontation, and if it took a lie to get out of one, then so be it.  To allow a confrontation with him was unthinkable:  no one could predict what he might do.

Eventually it dawned on me that he lied even more than I did.  I realize that this is like the pot calling the kettle black, but it also takes one to know one.  This went on for twenty-two long years, until his measure of deceit went way beyond lies, and the marriage was finally over.  My anguish at the time was not over the breakup, which came as a relief, but for my three girls, now young women, who had grown up in a house where they had learned to lie to their father in order to escape the wrath to come, and to me, lest I inadvertently let something slip to him and they would pay the price..  Not exactly the legacy I had hoped to pass on to my children.

I have been on my own again for six years now, and the Lord and I have had endless talks about my deceitful past and my (with His help) truthful future.  I am very careful now about what I say and how I answer. I have asked the Lord for His help in nudging me when I am about to say anything that is outside the absolute truth, and He is faithful. When an exaggeration pops out, a little bell rings in my head, and I immediately correct myself.  When a situation arises where I would be tempted to tell a lie, I have learned to say, “I don’t know how to answer that,” or “I’m not sure.”  Occasionally I have been heard to ask, “Would you like the blunt truth or an easy lie?”  I am finally meeting the problem head-on, constantly leaning on the Lord for strength and victory.

I don’t much like the title of today’s blog, but it is the truth.  Just as the recovering alcoholic says, “I am an alcoholic,” I must truthfully say, “I am a liar.”  I have been fully on the “nothing-but-the-truth” recovery wagon for six years, and I have no intention of falling off again, but I know my weakness.  The joy is that God also knows my weak points, and I have placed them in His hands. The book of Jude tells me that He is able to “…keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…” [Jude 1:24].  He who has promised is faithful.

Honesty is the rarest wealth anyone can possess…

~Josh Billings

Liar, Liar II

There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an

abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands

that shed innocent blood; a heart that devises wicked plans,

feet that hurry to run to evil, a lying witness who testifies falsely,

and one who sows discord in a family.

Proverbs 6:16-19

One of the most difficult problems for someone who fudges the truth is remembering what you said.  After awhile, it all catches up with you.  Frequently you have to cover the first fabrication with the second one, and so on.  It is an exhausting process, and no one knows that better than I.

When I left home for college, I found that there was no reason to tell someone a direct lie, because everyone was so busy with their own problems that they had little time for yours.  The competition for being special was no where near what it had been in my precollege days, so my efforts at controlling my exaggeration seemed finally to take root.  I won’t say that I never lied, but the problem came more and more under control.  I was finally growing up, and leaving the old dishonest life behind.  I graduated from college, finished my Master’s Degree, and launched myself into a teaching career.  I wanted straight honesty from my students.  It only seemed fair that they should receive the same consideration from their teacher.  

I moved to Canada, where the teaching opportunities were wide open and I did not have to pay tax for two years.  I met a kind, delightful gentleman and married him, and life was wonderful – for awhile.  Then my husband’s need for control began to take its toll, and I willfully stepped back in the path of deceit.  No “little white lies” or exaggerations now – it was living with my mother all over again.  He had a plan for my life, I had completely another.  He hated my teaching and my students, and wanted me at home, barefoot and pregnant.  I loved my career, and the kids were, in many ways, my salvation. Counseling might have helped, but instead, we chose to live a lie.  After seven years, the house of cards came tumbling down, and I was again on my own.

Those who think it is permissible to tell white lies 

soon grow color-blind. 

~Austin O'Malley

Liar, Liar

 From now on, there must be no more lies.

Speak the truth to one another…

Ephesians 4:25 [New Jerusalem Bible]

It would be easy for me to blog about lying, coming from the august circle of those who wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing.  But that in itself would be a lie, for the truth is that I have struggled with lying my entire life.  I will make no excuses – but I will share a portion of my battles with this insidious side of deceit.

I was raised by a very difficult woman who could be quite cruel if displeased.  I remember as a child being forthcoming with the truth, i.e., generally telling it, straight forward, whether it would please the hearer or not.  My mother was often not pleased.  I noticed that my brother often prevaricated:  he would say “yes” when he meant “no,” and mother never seemed to be the wiser.  I decided to join his side of the family, telling her what she wanted to hear, not necessarily the truth.

Even though I am somewhat of a public figure, I have always been painfully shy and unsure of myself.  I do not make friends easily, being the introvert that I am.  When I started school, I was lost in a mass of children, all of whom were brighter, smarter or prettier than I was.  In order to bring some little bit of attention to myself, I added exaggeration to my “tell a lie when necessary” skills.  If Suzie had run a mile, I had run a mile and a half.  If Jerry got to stay up till 9:00pm to watch a movie, I didn’t go to bed until 10:30pm and watched two shows [fat chance of that!].  If  Mary’s mom paid $10 for her new dress, my mom paid $20 – an exaggeration and a lie because my mother made all my clothes.  The truth was never enough, because the truth was boring, underachieving, dismissive.  In my own eyes, I was vanilla in a sea of chocolate, and I desperately wanted to at least be mocha.  By the time I reached my teens, there was almost nothing that came out of my mouth regarding my life that wasn’t fudged one way or the other, always to make myself seem a little more special than the truth would allow.

I knew, by my later teen years, that I had a problem with exaggeration.  There were times when I really tried to quit fabricating a wonderful life.  By then, however, it was thoroughly ingrained in me, and inevitably I would slip back into my old habits.  Sometimes I would try to convince myself that I wasn’t really lying – I was only “helping the truth.”  Even I didn’t fall for that one.

A half truth is a whole lie. 

~Yiddish Proverb

Guile, Anyone?

Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no guile.

Psalm 32:2 [KJV]

There’s that word again: guile.  We saw it in Revelation 14:5, where the redeemed are in heaven, standing upon the sea of glass, and “…in their mouth there is no guile.”  Here we find it in the Old Testament, a blessing on those who have no guile.  The meaning is the same in both Greek and Hebrew, though more vivid in the Greek:  bait or decoy. When we want to catch something, we use bait:  cheese on a mousetrap, worm on a fish hook, or meat on a bear trap.  The bait is used to hide the destructive force it is attached to.

It works the same in human nature.  Guile is trickery, craftiness, treachery = deceit.  The psalm declares a person blessed, or happy, if they have no deceitfulness.  Revelation proclaims that the saints in heaven simply do not have any.  For individuals living in this complex, chaotic world, that is a very tall order.

What exactly is deceit?   

• Deception, beguilement, deceit, bluff, mystification, and subterfuge are acts to propagate beliefs that are not true, or not the whole truth (as in half-truths or omission). Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda, sleight of hand. It can employ distraction, camouflage or concealment. ...
• fraudulence: the quality of being fraudulent
• misrepresentation: a misleading falsehood

The list could go on and on.  In many ways, it is a laundry list of the world around us.  Deceitful behavior is considered acceptable in many arenas of our lives, highly entertaining in others.  How then, can one be without guile?  How, indeed….

Oh, be careful, little feet, where you go…

Oh, be careful, little hands, what you do…

Oh, be careful, little mouth, what you say…

-Children’s song

Friday's Song

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty expanse.

Praise Him for His mighty deeds;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

Praise Him with trumpet sound, praise Him with harp and lyre,

Praise Him with timbrel and dancing,

Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.

Praise Him with loud cymbals,

Praise Him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150

I have one of the best jobs in the world:  I teach music.  I teach handbells and choir to children, teenagers and adults at church.  I coach singing for teenagers in high school.   I spend my days immersed in the beauty of musical expression, and share that beauty with those around me. 

My adult choir rehearses on Thursday evenings, and they are always a blessing.  Primarily a senior group, they have coalesced into a choral unit with amazing musicality.  Even those who would tell you that they “Can’t sing at all!” actually sing very well when they all work together.  Singing gives a wonderful lift to the spirit; it draws the heart and soul outward and upward. 

Do you like to sing?  Are you someone who enjoys singing in church, with the radio, and with your kids, or are you someone who only sings in the shower?  Do you have a favorite tune from your childhood?  Is there a special song that is “our song” for you and your significant other?   Music enables us to cement memories of people, places and events.  A melody is often remembered long after the spoken word is forgotten.

On this beautiful Friday morning, I hope that you will find a melody to brighten your day and lighten your burdens, “…singing and making melody in your heart to God.”. 

There’s within my heart a melody Jesus whispers sweet and low,

“Fear not, I am with thee, peace be still 

In all of life’s ebb and flow.”

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus – sweetest name I know.

Fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go.

In One Ear and Out the Other?

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,

whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing,

whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence,

and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8

When I was a child, my parents used to tell me, “You are what you think.”  For several years of my young life, I thought that their meaning was: “You are who you think you are.”   It took quite a while for me to understand that their message actually was:  “You are what you think about.”  In other words, what you absorb into your mind becomes a part of who you are.

Our minds absorb millions of bits of information every single day.  Although one of my father’s favorite sayings was, “In one ear and out the other,” the reality is that what we hear and what we see stays with us, imprinted as bytes of information in the intricate computer that is our brain.  Our recall of things that we have seen, heard, or read is amazing in its depth and accuracy.  Eventually, my parents’ message became quite clear: be careful what you absorb into your mind.

If you are a parent, you know full well that you only have to slip up once and say a swear word in front of your young child, and they’ve got it for eternity.  How many times have you said to your kids, “Where in the world did you hear that?”  It is no different for adults.  What we see, hear, and read become a part of our lives.  Much of what we absorb in unavoidable.  We cannot go through life like the “See no evil” monkeys, but we can choose to not buy that magazine, change channels, or pick a different movie.  We are in control of what we deliberately decide to feed our minds.  Paul’s advice is to choose wisely.

In my life, Lord, be glorified, be glorified;

In my life, Lord, be glorified today.

Stand in Your Truth

…when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, 

He will guide you into all truth.

John 16:13a [KJV]

Suze Orman is an American financial advisor who has been around for quite a while.  She’s written several books, given fascinating financial seminars—especially for women, and developed a series for television that can be seen on PBS [Public Broadcasting].  Since the financial crisis hit in 2008, Ms. Orman has a new catchphrase for our beleaguered financial outlook – Stand in Your Truth.  An example:  Susie Q has major credit card debt she is struggling to pay.  Along comes her friend, Betty B, who wants Susie to take a spa weekend with her.  Susie has no cash, so the weekend jaunt would end up on the credit card.  To stand in her truth, Susie must say, “Hey, I’d love to go, but I cannot afford it.”  Four simple words – so hard to say.

I love Ms. Orman’s new slogan.  In fact, I have recently adopted it as the motto for my life: Stand in My Truth.  I’m not talking about just finances here – but every single aspect of my Christian life.  Truth is a simple concept, but oh, so very hard to live with.  Jesus emphasized Truth in every aspect of His ministry on earth.  He proclaimed that He is the truth [John 14:6].  He said that when we know the truth, it will set us free [John 8:32].  He said that the Holy Spirit is the “…Spirit of truth” [John 15:26], and that the Spirit would guide us into all truth [John 16:13].  

Pilate famously asked, “What is truth?”   Webster states that it is the state of being “true,” i.e., faithful, loyal, constant, reliable, certain, in accordance with fact and reality, real, genuine, authentic, honest. The world says, “Whose truth?  Yours or mine?”   For many, truth is a fluid stream that changes with time, place or circumstance.  For me, truth is a fortress, a solid rock on which I can stand.  For me, the Truth is Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages.  

O stand on the Rock, for ever sure,
The firm and the true foundation;
Its hope is the hope which shall endure,
The hope of our salvation.

Roses

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them:

And the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

Isaiah 35:1

This Old Testament text regarding the joy of the earth at the coming of the Messiah gives us a hint that roses must have been part of the original creation in the Garden of Eden. That is not surprising to me, for I regard the rose as the most beautiful flower on earth.  I love the stately plant, the exquisite fragrance, the opening from bud to full flower.

My neighbors next door have two very large dogs, one of which is less than friendly.  If he manages to get out the front door and I am in my yard, he charges straight at me, not a good situation with a cranky pit bull.  I’ve wanted to put up a barrier between his yard and mine – slowing him enough for me to get out of his way.  I can’t afford a fence, and don’t like the look of them in the front yard anyway, so I decided to plant a natural barrier.

As if by design, a catalog came in the mail from a huge nursery, the front page proclaiming the glory of their “fast-growing” red rose hedge that would ultimately reach a height of 5-6 feet.  Perfect!  They were on sale, and I immediately went online and ordered 20 plants.  After the sale was completed, I read the fine print in the catalog and realized I was receiving 20 rose bushes in 3 inch pots.  Hmmm…not exactly the barrier I was hoping for.  When they arrived last week, the plants themselves were only 2-3 inches tall!

I repotted the tiny rose bushes into 6 inch pots.  We have had an abundance of rain and a fair amount of sunshine, and the plants took it all in from their perch on the front porch.  When I checked on them this morning, I found bushes that had more than doubled in height and width in just one week.  Those little roses have taken every nutrient that the Creator has showered upon them, and risen in strength and beauty – a wonderful lesson for me of the transformation that comes to each of us through the infilling of God’s grace in our lives.   

O sing a song of Nazareth, of sunny days of joy,

O sing of fragrant flowers’ breath, and of the sinless Boy.

For now the flowers of Nazareth in every heart may grow,

And spreads the fame of His dear name, on all the winds that blow.

The Earthquake

Birth of a Lily - Ginter Botanical Gardens, Richmond, VA

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,

and there will be famine and earthquakes in various places.

All this is but the beginning of birth pangs.

Matthew 24:7-8

While visiting a friend last night – one with a large-screen TV, I watched for the first time the footage of the tsunami that struck the island of Japan.  The devastation is beyond comprehension; the cost in human lives is heartbreaking.  The roll call of tragedy goes beyond anything I’ve experienced in my lifetime.  The 8.9 earthquake that triggered the tsunami is the 5^th largest on record since 1900.

Just this morning, there is news of: a second nuclear reactor that has lost it cooling capability, resulting in beyond-frantic efforts to cool the rods with sea water;  another explosion that has occurred at a different nuclear plant; the discovery of low-level radiation on planes and crews that are delivering emergency supplies; the sighting of over a thousand bodies strewn along a northern coastline. 

I am not a wide-eyed, off-the-wall prophet.  I am not a religious fanatic, nor am I a modern-day Chicken Little, standing with my The World Is Ending placard in downtown Richmond.  But I do read the Bible – and this morning Matthew 24 very definitely comes to mind.  At the beginning of the chapter, the disciples asked, “Tell us…what will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the age?”  [vs. 3]  Jesus then listed various events—including geological tragedies—that would occur.  He likened them to birth contractions:  slow at first, then building with greater frequency and intensity as the birth draws near.

As we reach out to the Japanese people, offering help in any large or small way that you and I can, our thoughts must also turn inward.  How is our own relationship with Christ?  Do we have a greater urgency to carry the Gospel to those who are in need of the Savior?  Do we love the Lord with all of our mind, soul and strength?   Do we love our neighbors with the same intensity as our own desire for self-preservation?

Our prayers today are centered on the Japanese people – the families of those who are dead, missing, or injured, and the overall populace living in terror of aftershocks, radiation, and sickness.  Most of us cannot go to Japan to help, but we can pour out our love through prayer.

Watch, ye saints, with eyelids waking,

Lo! The powers of heaven are shaking,

Keep your lamps all trimmed and burning,

Ready for Your Lord's returning.

 

Three? Four? What??

 “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?”

They answered the king, “True, O king.”

He replied, “But I see four men unbound, 

walking in the middle of the fire and they are not hurt, 

and the fourth has the appearance of a god.”

Daniel 3:24-25

Shad, Abe and Shach’s brave answer to the king did nothing except make him angrier than he always was.  He commanded the fire in the furnace to be made seven times hotter, and then told his elite guard to throw the three men in.  What was now literally a blast furnace was so hot, the guards who shoved the three friends in were incinerated instantly. 

A moment later, Nebuchadnezzar got up and sauntered as close as he could safely get to view the destruction of his enemies.  Instead, he saw Shad, Abe and Shach strolling around inside the furnace, talking in earnest with a fourth man who was walking with them.  The Bible states that the king was astonished.  I’m sure he was also terrified.  A few moments before, he had insolently asked, “Who is that god who can deliver you from my power?”  Now he is looking upon the face of the Creator of the universe – the Holy One of Israel, the Most High God.

The king immediately called to the men—servants of the Most High God—to come out of the furnace.  Three men walked back out – without burn, or singe, or even the smell of fire upon them. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the power and might of the fourth being – the God of heaven, for “there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.” 

Great is Thy faithfulness!  Great is Thy Faithfulness!

Morning by morning, new mercies I see.

All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.