On Communion

 Communion.

One of those Church things.

One of those things that if you grew up in a church, you've experienced hundreds of times--maybe thousands. The little cup of grape juice. The tiny bit of a crack or a cube of bread or a weird wafer that is probably made out of some type of styrofoam.

Preachers say mostly the same things every tine: "On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread, and when he broke it, he said, 'this is my body broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me...'"

I've done this over and over with a solemn expression, trying really hard to find meaning for the thousandth time. Trying to feel something. And while I can always express gratefulness for what Jesus did for me on the cross, I don't need this spectacle to do that. And I'm betting I'm not alone in thinking there should be more. I think we're doing it wrong.

Religious people do love a good ritual. It's comforting, after all, to be "in the know" and " in with the in crowd." To not know or understand the ritual is to feel less than, not with it, an outsider, and nobody likes that. (I would argue that that is a very good reason to oust the rituals--because it would make the unchurched feel like outsiders should they happen to venture in. But I digress.)

No one can understand anything about the taking of Communion or The Lord's Supper, as it is also called, without going back. Waaaay back. Think Moses.

Way back when God was kicking Pharoah's butt with plagues, the denouement was the tenth plague--all the first-borns would die.

Now God could have just said, "Hey people in Goshen, you descendants of Jacob, I'm going to do this thing in Egypt where people and animals are gonna die, but don't worry, nothing going to happen to you." He did that for some of the plagues--no flies in Goshen, no plague on livestock, no three days of darkness. But the plague of death on the firstborn would hit everybody.

Unless.

Unless those in Goshen killed a lamb and wiped some of its blood on the sides and tops of their doorframes. Exodus 12:13 says, "when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt." They could directly participate in what God was going to do and live, or ignore it and someone in the house could die.

God seems to like symbolism. It's as if he's always saying, "Do I need to draw you a picture?" And this picture of the blood of an innocent young lamb saving their households and livestock from death was one that those people wouldn't fully comprehend, even though they were charged to share the Passover meal every year at that time to remember how God saved them. To them, it was merely a ritual of remembrance and thanksgiving. They could not see that there was a bigger picture.

Not until Jesus.

Jesus was the one that brought it all together. And it happened while he was celebrating a Passover meal hundreds of years after that first one. He makes the correlation between that lamb's blood and his own--that lamb's body and his own, illustrating that the sacrifice of himself that he was about to make would save them from eternal death.

Of the four gospels, only Luke reports that Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of me." John barely mentions the meal at all, instead focusing on Jesus washing feet and other discourse.

To me, it seems clear that if Jesus wanted any remembering done, it was in connection to Passover--to say, "Hey, that was just a picture of a greater truth, and now you need to serve that greater truth right along with the roasted lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs." In short, it was the Passover made new, but still a once-a-year event.

But wait, then what was going on when Paul had to scold the Corinthians about how they were doing "The Lord's Supper"? Paul said, "your meetings do more harm than good" and "When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk."

Whoa. What happened between that Passover lesson taught by Jesus and what was going on in Paul's day? It doesn't sound like a once-a-year Passover celebration, but something that was happening at their regular meetings (which could have been weekly, but it really doesn't say).

It sounds like they were sharing a meal, because, let's face it, no one is going to have their hunger satisfied or get drunk on modern communion elements, and Paul says "When you come together to eat..."

The Greek word for "communion" in koinōnia and according to Strong's Concordance means social intercourse, communication, fellowship. Does that sound like any church service communion you've participated in? So even though in church, the terms "communion" and "The Lord's Supper" are used interchangeably, The Lord's Supper is really supposed to be a PART of Communion, which is fellowship--probably involving a meal. We remember together. Looking at each other. Caring for each other. Sharing our lives with each other. And Jeus didn't say "in remembrance of my death and resurrection." He said "in remembrance of ME." His whole life. The way he healed and helped, encouraged and admonished.

The way he loved.

Leave it to the Church--in its exuberance for ritual--to reduce it to the tiniest bits and call it good. And when they use all that time to just receive that nibble of a cracker and that sip of juice rather than connecting with one another, I think they've completely missed the point.

Disclaimer: If you are someone who finds deep meaning in a typical modern communion service, I don't mean to invalidate that. But no matter where we are in our knowledge and experience, we can always go deeper. We shouldn't be satisfied with symbol when substance is available.

Life In The Gray

No matter how great the start, religion will always gravitate toward black and white thinking simply because it’s the easiest kind of thinking there is, and let’s face it, humans are lazy. Especially when it comes to thinking.

Black and white thinking’s end game is always “Us right, them wrong. Us good, them bad.” Once that’s settled, we can make some snacks and enjoy the game.

The only problem is that Jesus shattered this paradigm with every moment on this earth—with every step into the territory of “the wrong and the bad.” The gray places and the gray people drew Jesus like nothing and nobody else. Because, frankly, the black and white people have no need of Jesus. They’ve got it all figured out. 

To associate with sinners was, well, sinful. To spend time with prostitutes only showed your bad character and moral depravity. To love on tax collectors (who were notorious cheats in that time) was unthinkable. To touch the unclean made you unclean. This was rock solid gospel truth.

Until.

Until Jesus redefined gospel truth. Until Jesus declared that the Good News wasn’t just for the established church with their black and white thinking—it was for those in the gray too.

He pulled a tax collector into his inner circle.

He gave his time and caring to prostitutes and adulterers.

He touched lepers.

He went into the homes of notorious sinners and shared a meal. 

There was a special place in his heart for the outcast because he himself was considered an outcast by some (the reluctant marriage of Mary and Joseph was probably not a complete secret) and in league with Satan by others. 

No one had more right to black and white thinking, but Jesus lived in the gray, shaping the world in a way that only love can.

So who are today’s outcasts—who are those that black and white religion condemns as lazy, as vile, as perverted, as a bad influence, as unclean?

The poor.

The homeless.

The addict.

Immigrants.

Minorities.

Those who identify as LGBTQ.

Drag Queens.

Feminists.

The woman pursuing an abortion.

Black and white thinking looks at a perceived problem group from afar and tries to control it through laws, shame, and cruelty. It’s a one-size-fits-all punch with a boxing glove that sends people scurrying away from God’s Kingdom.

Diving into the gray means meeting the needs of individuals with love, caring, and finesse, drawing them to the heart of God where for all people, sanctification occurs.

Because what black and white people don’t realize is that they’re gray too.

The Armor of God

Has any passage been more preached than this one in the sixth chapter of Ephesians? Has any exhortation been more frequently given to believers to "suit up" to defeat the devil based on these verses? And yet, this "putting on" isn't as simplistic or easy as it sounds. There is a depth to this picture that is easily overlooked, and a discipline that nobody wants to talk about.

But before we get into that, let's look at the armor itself.

The first thing Paul mentions is the belt of truth. He jumps to the middle of the costume. Most would start at the head and go down or the feet and go up, but Paul starts in the center. Why? Because truth is the central and most important piece of who we are as Christians. If we are not bearers of truth, our pants fall down, and our lies and hypocrisy are exposed. We've seen that a lot among supposed Christian leaders in the past few years, and it hasn't been pretty.

Every other piece of the armor is strengthened or weakened by the strength of the belt--by the purity of the truth we wrap ourselves in. This is of course Spiritual truth, but it is also real, physical truth. Because our Spiritual truth is often given credence by the world to the degree we are also grounded in physical truth. (Physical truth and Spiritual truth both have their roots in God. Physical truth, such as the basic laws of science, are merely the outward manifestations--the seen, as opposed to the unseen.)

This belt of truth--whether it is a thin ribbon or a thick, wide piece of leather--affects everything up to the helmet and down to the shoes.

The next piece that Paul discusses is the breastplate of righteousness, which has no functionality whatsoever without truth. We only feel confident to stand before God and enter into his throne room with boldness if we have knowledge of the truth of Jesus' righteous, sinless life, and that he is now our intermediary. This complete truth strengthens this piece of armor we receive upon accepting the work Jesus did on the cross. It's this breastplate that guards our hearts from the accusations of the enemy.

Paul then leaps down to the "feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." In my book, Ephesians: The Plan, The Purpose, and The Power, I discussed why I believed that, based on the rest of this letter, the "peace" here is that which contributes to unity in the Church. The equipment Paul chose to represent that is shoes because the Church "moves," and we either move in step with the Spirit in unity or serpentine all over the place in chaos. Truth, therefore, is essential--the truth that God desires us to live in unity and the truth of who Jesus is. If you don't know Jesus--who he is and what he did while on the earth, you have no way to know what he's doing now and you're likely to run after another "commander" with a loud voice. You won't hear the Spirit when it whispers, "this is the way." A unified force moves as one in the same direction, listening to only one voice.

Paul then says to "take up the shield of faith." This is an instrument directly fueled by the truth belt. Faith has to be based on something or it will fall flat in a battle. The Christian's faith is built on the truth of who God the Father and God the Son are--their character and how they operate. A faith shield built out of anything other than truth will let those flaming arrows right through.

The next piece of equipment that Paul tells us to take with us is the helmet of salvation. Your knowledge of God's saving grace through Jesus' work on the cross lifts us out of the good works mentality that would have us striving toward our own salvation. So truth, again, is essential. Those without the truth of grace are not only exposed to the lies and accusations of the enemy and side-tracked by earning their own salvation, they will lack the confidence to ever pick up the sword.

The only offensive weapon listed is the sword of the Spirit, which Paul says is the word of God. The Greek word for "word" here is rhema, which is the spoken word. It isn't graphē, the written word--a word Paul has used elsewhere to mean the scriptures. Paul isn't talking necessarily about defeating the enemy by throwing a bunch of Bible verses at him, although it could be, if that is what God says to do. The point is that we defeat the enemy with the insights given by God for the moment. That requires being tuned in. Learning to hear God accurately isn't usually accomplished overnight, and you will never hear accurately without the knowledge of the truth of who he is.

The belt of truth holds the whole armor together.

So what are the practicalities of putting all this on? Is it more than a ritualistic declaration or mental spiritual practice?

If it truly relies on truth, then yes.

Proverbs 4:7 says, "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding." This is another way to say, run after the truth. "Seek and you shall find," Jesus said. David said, "Your word is a light to my path." Only truth can illuminate--that which is false fogs the issues and brings confusion.

Studying and meditating on our triune God builds up our truth belt, and that in turn, strengthens every other part of our armor. With truth as its plating, the shield also grows thicker with use. Every exercise of faith adds another layer. With truth as the sword's hilt, God's voice and purpose become clearer, the sword becomes easier to wield, and you become more deadly to the enemy's schemes.

Paul's illustration is really a picture of who we are and who we can be when we are rooted in the truth of God and how he works. Because of Jesus, we are saved and declared righteous. With Jesus as our commander, we can be a unified force who cuts down the enemy with a timely word.

We all have armor, but it's thickness, impenetrability, and effectiveness is determined by us and the time we put into gaining understanding, walking out our faith, and listening to his voice.

On The Road to Emmaus

Luke 24:13-33

The men heading to Emmaus were discussing all that had transpired in Jerusalem during Passover, but more than that, they knew details. They call Jesus a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. They hoped he would redeem Israel. They knew about "the third day." They even knew about the women who went to the tomb and found it empty--about the vision of angels and what they said. I don't think it's a stretch to assume that these men had been followers of Jesus. Maybe they had even entered the city with him triumphantly just a week before.

And now they were leaving it all behind.

They weren't hanging with the other disciples. They were sad. Disappointed. They had experienced Jesus being powerful--that meant miracles---and they had heard him explain what would happen to him and what to expect on the third day. And what's more, if the women were to be believed, it did happen, AND YET, they were leaving with faces that were downcast. WHY?

Jesus tells them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!"

Jesus really gives these two a double whammy insult. The Greek word for fool is anoētos, meaning unintelligent. The Greek word for heart, kardia, means the seat of intellect or the mind, calling them slow in the intelligence department. And rightly so. These men were given everything we modern followers long for: experiencing Jesus in the flesh with his powerful words and miracles. It wasn't a leap of faith to believe. It was rational and smart to follow a man like Jesus, and they saw the proof of it every day. Leaving behind what they KNEW because of what they DIDN'T YET KNOW was indeed foolish.

But look at the grace of Jesus. He had an appointment to meet up with His followers in Jerusalem, but two of them were heading down the road. Jesus knows what this means. This leaving is permanent. And HE TAKES OFF AFTER THEM! Not only that, He takes the time to explain everything to them beginning with "Moses and the Prophets." This was a teaching of epic proportions that lasted probably most of their seven mile walk.

Then he gives them another opportunity to go on their merry way. This is the test. After having their intellect sharpened, will they still walk away? They passed the test by asking him to come to their house. And their reward was the revelation of Jesus himself, which in turn sent them running back to Jerusalem. Back to the believers. Back to the mission.

Okay, now is the time for our own revelations. At some point in our lives we have been or we will be the men on the road to Emmaus. We will question that which we knew beyond a doubt only three days ago. And we will distance ourselves from the very people who might help us get our perspective--from others waiting for the end of the story. And Jesus in his great mercy will come after us. He might hit us upside the head and call us dolts, but then he will take the time to show us what's missing in our reasoning.

This word might come in a vision straight from Jesus. It might come from a friend or a minister or a podcast. It might come from somewhere and someone you least expect--just a guy on the road. But He WILL come for you. 

Then it's up to you.

Rejecting the discipline and the instruction keeps us walking down that same road.

A road without the glory of Jesus.

A road in the dark.

Accepting the reprimand and listening to reason puts us back in the game.

Back into fellowship, faith, and purpose.

I know where I'd rather be.

Just For The Record

What I Believe

God the Father, God, the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

Miracles happen, even as I wait for them to show up more often in my life.

Toilets and closets should be closed when not it use.

Animal heads do not belong on walls; nor should one have a picture taken with an animal you've killed. It shows a lack of respect for the life you've just taken. Anyone who kills any animal for sport simply can't be my friend.

Real fur looks better on animals than people.

Cats are amazing; dogs are tolerable; elephants are incredible.

Chocolate is a gift from heaven.

Earbuds are of the devil.

Sauer Kraut came straight from the bowels of hell.

Vaccinations are safe for most people; the medical community isn't in a conspiracy to kill us.

GMOs are not frankenfood.

Organic is overrated.

Essential oils are not miracle cures.

Massaging your feet will not cure all your body's ills.

A "cleanse" to remove toxins is unnecessary; that's why you have a liver.

The Republican party has become the new Pharisees with a side order of neo-naziism.

Patriotism is not a Biblical concept and should never be twisted up with Christianity.

The flag and the National Anthem are not sacred. If you consider them sacred, you have two idols.

Evolution was God's means of creation, and no, that doesn't disagree with the Bible.

Abortion is a tragedy, but I have no right to tell a woman wanting an abortion not to, since I do not have the resources to help pay for that baby to be born, let alone help her raise that child to school age.

No one should be both anti-choice and anti-contraceptives.

There are as many lazy rich folks as poor folks.

Our government's system for providing for those with chronic illness is a complete joke.

The Bible is "God inspired," not God dictated. Not every word came straight from God's mouth. Paul said scripture was "useful for instruction," not absolutely essential for instruction. If it were straight from the mouth of God, I'm pretty sure it would be described as more than "useful." And Paul wasn't talking about his own letters; he was talking about the Law and the Prophets.

The baker should have baked the cake for the gay couple -- Mercy triumphs over judgment.

You can't understand the creation account in Genesis without looking at ancient Egyptian beliefs--that's where Moses grew up.

Faith shouldn't be opposed to intelligence and vice versa.

America has a triune God: sports, guns, and money.

When someone asks me to give, I give. I don't judge them. I hand them some cash. Unless they're smoking... I can't support that.

John Calvin will have some splaining to do in heaven.

One person, and one person only goes through a yellow light.

Christians who support Trump have made a pact with the devil--an unholy alliance that will bite them in the butt.

Obama was a Christian and somehow the Church couldn't see it; Trump is of the devil, and somehow, the Church can't see it. One might conclude some blindness is an issue. And racism.

There's nothing quite as soothing as a cat's purr.

That baby in your arms will never love you as much as you love them. That's just life.

Israel is no more special to God than any other country on the planet; Christians became the new Israel clear back in 33 A.D.

More guns doesn't equal safety.

Separating the sheep from the goats is all about "did you care for the poor, the hungry, the sick, and the imprisoned?" Funny how all the "big sins" are missing from the list.

I've owned both sheep and goats; they are goofy creatures.

Logic, the scientific method, and debate should be mandatory learning in schools. So should art.

"His ways are higher than our ways" is all about mercy, not mystery.

I don't care who you are--everyone deserves steak and shrimp now and then.

Selfishness is why marriages fail.

Clutter makes me crazy.

Art and sewing are about the destination; writing, about the journey.

Trees are evidence that God loves us.

Jesus said, "The love of money is the root of all evil," and "it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven," but most don't believe him.

There's no such thing as a self-made man; no man is an island.

Pot is not worse than alcohol.

If you are not a native American, and you are anti-immigration, I assume you'll be taking yourself back to the country of your ancestors asap.

There is a reason that Jesus often warned about hypocrisy; it destroys the Church's credibility.

Becoming another character on stage is a rush like no other.

I've never felt more accepted than in the Theatre Dept. at Sterling College.

The love of a good man makes life a pleasure; his kiss is on my list.

I never dreamed that 57 years could go so fast. We truly are just dust in the wind. Make the most of your time. Create, hope, love.

Get in it.

Last year, there was a women's march of historic proportions, but most of my Christian friends were not there. You viewed it as of "the Jezebel Spirit" and therefore, wouldn't be caught dead there. You looked down your noses at what you saw as a "gathering of the darkness" and looked forward to a time when "the light" would have their own march on Washington that would surely change everything.

While you were shaking your head over "women going down a wrong path," you shook out your knowledge of Jesus spending his time with "sinners and tax collectors" --Jesus spending time with "women gone wrong." You forgot how he derided the religious leaders of the day for thinking themselves above it all.

And what you refused to recognize was that the march was a joining of humanity against hate, against division, against the destruction of the planet. It was a joining together with "the least of these" who were terrified of losing their insurance, terrified by the nods to white supremacy, misogyny, and homophobia. You should have been there as Christ's representative to bring hope and peace to the terrified. Instead, you were content with Fox News commentary spinning it into something you could cheerfully condemn.

Yes, there were loud-mouths who were just as full of hate as what they were standing against, but that was just a small part of the march. If you had been there, you would have seen that.

So I'm challenging my Christian sisters to a new view this year--to look at the marchers not as "Jezebels" but as a mixture of people--men and women--who are hoping for peace, the same as you. They are not people to deride or shake your head at. They are not people to even pray for or try to save.

They are people to love.

Christians are called to be "in the world, but not of it." You've got the "not of it" down. Now, get in it.

Sack Cloth and Ashes

No, Hillary wasn't worse.

No, abortion is not a bigger issue than taking care of the living.

No, Trump was not put in the while house by God.

No, he does not have any kind of heavenly "anointing."

No, it wasn't difficult to tell that he was a fraud and a con man.

No, the Republican Party is NOT the party of family values, or any values at all, really.

No, patriotism does not equal Christianity.

No, America (or today's Israel) is no more a "chosen nation" than Turkmenistan.

No, the flag and the national anthem are not sacred.

No, trickle down economics doesn't work.

No, the swamp can't be drained by installing Wall Street insiders and bankers.

No, climate change is not a hoax.

No, America has not been made great again.

America has been shown for what it is

petty

fearful

hateful

full of greed

Christians voted for this mess, and only Christians can fix it.

"If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sins and heal their land." 2 Chron. 7:14

Most Christians read this thinking they are "standing in the gap" for the wickedness of the world when they pray, but that is not what it says. God was calling out the wickedness of his people.

Supporting a wicked man is wickedness.

And Trump is wicked.

The fruit of his life is lies, fraud, sexual assault, cheating his workers, cheating his wives. He has connections to mobsters and Russians and money launderers, and he admires the despots of the world more than democratic leaders.

Don't tell me we can't judge his heart. His heart is plain to see.

And it's time that Christians owned what they have done by installing this man as President over America.

And it's time for some major repentance.

Be stiff necked no more, Church.

Humility in prayer is the requirement for this unholy alliance.

Before it's too late.

Another Lesson From My Son

Years ago, we were having a bit of puzzle mania at my house. Over the course of several days, every single kid puzzle we owned was put together on our basement floor.

On one of those days, my four-year-old was talking while he was working on a puzzle of Lassie with puppies. "Don't worry, little puppies," he was saying, "I'm putting you together. And you will love me because I'm making you." He paused a moment as he put a few more pieces together. Then he said in a low voice, "I am God."

I sucked in a breath, expecting lightning to strike, but then I realized that he had grasped what so many older and wiser people never do: The creation will love the creator simply because he made them and gave them form.

This is the basics of relating to the Father. Without that simple appreciation, we can never move on to anything closer.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Be joyful always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

There have been many times in my life when giving thanks seemed all but impossible, but even in those times, this truth remains: I will be grateful to the Creator who made me, simply because he did.

Lessons From My Goofy Son

A few weeks ago, I drove my son to the hospital for a surgical procedure. Although it wasn't a particularly risky surgery, he would need to stay in the hospital for several days after.

I parked in the valet parking lane after the 80 minute drive, and my son gets out, grabs his bag out of the back and says, "Thanks for the ride."

"Well, I'm not leaving you!" I sputtered incredulously.

He looked genuinely surprised. "Oh! Okay."

What a goof! Did he really not know me any better than that after 26 years? Did he think I'd let him go through anything that required anesthesia with no one there waiting for him on the other side?

When he was 7, I held his hand and sang to him while the  technicians forced a tube up his nose and down his throat to his stomach when he had his first intestinal block. I was there for the second one when he was in his early teens and the third when he was 19--one week after my mother died. I spent the night in a ridiculously uncomfortable chair in the ER for that one.

When he was 11, I tried to hide tears when his doctor said for the first time that his lungs weren't sounding as good as usual, and he wanted to admit him to the hospital, and I was there, mad as hell, when we found out he had steroid-induced diabetes.

My husband and I have been there through so many hospitalizations with him, I can't even tell you how many, and we've sat in quite a few waiting rooms when he had biopsies and bronchoscopies and hernia surgery and gall bladder surgery... How could he possibly think I'd just turn around and drive home while he went through a G-tube installation? Didn't he know me at all?

And in my indignation, I heard God laugh. Because I do that to Him all the time.

Even though He's been walking with me for 50+ years through every single crisis of my life, when the next one hits, I'm convinced that He is nowhere around. That He's dropped me off at the curb and said "So long, sweetheart, this time you're on your own."

But He hasn't, and He never will. He's going to walk with me wherever we need to go, holding my hand and singing me songs.

You'd think I'd know that by now.

Merry Christmas!!

It has been a year of new things.

Tristan and Kelly moved to a new apartment.

Jessi started a new job at a daycare.

Tracy went on his first camping trip.

We remodeled two leaky showers.

And discovered termites.

I wrote two new books (that will be coming out soon).

Kevin, Tracy, and Jessi have taken up rock climbing

(in a rock climbing gym).

And most importantly, we got a new kitten.

Twix is sweet and adorable and wild and crazy and

tenacious and cute and makes us smile.

God always knows what we need.

Stand Firm 2

"Stand Firm. Be still."

Spoken by Moses at the edge of the Red Sea to a people fleeing an enemy. Their obedience resulted in one of the greatest miracles of all time as that sea split and they escaped that enemy on dry land.

Thousands of years later, Jesus was in a similar position. The Enemy of Enemies was determined to take out the King of Kings. He had him cornered in a garden, where Jesus was praying much the same way those Israelites of long ago must have prayed. "Is there any way out?"

We don't have God's answer, but we can extrapolate from Jesus' response. I believe the Father said, "Stand Firm. Be Still."

He could say that because, just like long ago, he was doing the fighting, and he would bring the victory."

Where the Egyptian army never caught up to the Israelites before they were swept away with the collapsing sea walls, this Enemy got his hooks into Jesus.

And he thought he'd won.

But not every victory looks the same. While the Israelites' victory split the sea and led them toward the promised land, Jesus victory split the veil that had separated mankind from the Father since the first promised land was called Eden.

But let's not rush past this. Standing firm was painful. It was bloody and awful, and Jesus didn't have to take it for a second. He stood still and let them whip him. He let them smash a crown of thorns on his head. He let them beat him and spit on him and pull out his beard. He let them drive nails with painful blow after painful blow through his hands and feet... How could he do it? How could he be still through all of that when he could have stopped it at any time?

Hebrews 12:2 says he did it "for the joy set before him."

And that joy is you.

Nehemiah 8:10 says "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Did you ever consider that the joy of a people redeemed was Jesus' strength in his greatest hour of need?

Jesus endured because he looked through that veil with the eyes of faith and saw you. He fixed his eyes on you in that dark garden, so that you would be able to fix your eyes on him in your long, dark night of the soul.

His eyes locked with yours. That's how standing firm begins.

Stand Firm

Are you feeling pursued? Is there an angry dog snapping at your heels? Is there something you can't outrun threatening to take you down?
Maybe it's depression and anxiety. Maybe it's a lousy job with a horrible boss you're stuck with at the moment. Maybe it's a loveless marriage. Or maybe it's a terminal illness.
There was once a people pursued by an army. They'd fled for days down a valley road between rough hills that would vie for the name "Badlands." And at the end of the road was a large body of water. If it weren't for that pesky army that wanted to kill them, it would have been a nice place to rest. The only place left to go was along the water's edge, and although they were exhausted, they would have taken to the beaches had their leader not told them something that was two steps beyond ridiculous: "Do not be afraid. Stand firm."
Huh? What? Did Moses just say what I thought he said? No, Moses there are only two responses that make sense in this situation: fight or flight. There is no "stand," firm or otherwise. Standing, when someone wants to kill you, leads to death. And since we have no weapons, well, we'll be seeing you. B' bye.
But Moses didn't stop with a command, he made some big promises: "Stand firm, and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you: you need only to be still."
Can you imagine the faith it took to actually "be still" in that moment? Yes, it took faith. And a whole lot of it. FAITH in the one who promises deliverance. FAITH in the one who promises the destruction of the enemy. FAITH in the one who says that he'll do the fighting.
So what will you need when the enemy is nipping at your butt?
Those plagues back in Egypt weren't just judgment on Egypt, they were also a show of power to a people who had completely forgotten that God is powerful. They showed His favor to a people who had forgotten that they were favored. They were proof of his word that never fails and his provision that is abundant and his protection when the storm is raging all around. It was "Who I AM 101." And you'll need the same thing--a steady diet of who He is.
And I love it that God was still showing them who He was when the angel of God and the cloud pillar moved from in front of them to behind them. He placed himself between them and the enemy.
And whether you can see it or not, he's done that for you.
"Still" is the new "fight." "Rest" is the new "battle." The new wine for the new wineskins is praise.
"I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and the rider he has hurled into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him."
It's hard to worship when you're running. It's nearly impossible to praise Him when you're swinging a sword. Stand firm and sing.
He's got your back.

For Such a Time as This

Do you ever think about your destiny? Do you ever wonder why God has you where you are in this time and place?

A few years back, we were all singing about "Refiners Fire," but now that a bit of "fire" is actually here, so many Christians are running scared. Now is the time to ask the hard questions. Do we believe what we say we do? Do we trust God or not? Do we trust Him when he says "Fear not"? Do we really believe He is our strong tower? Was Jesus a fool to tell us to pray for our enemies? Was God joking when he said over and over to take care of the aliens among you? Was Paul a lunatic when he said the most important thing we could do is love? Was Peter just gassing us when he said to "count it all joy when you suffer trials of various kinds"? Was James just plain wrong when he said our actions showed our faith more than words? Is the definition of true religion to take care of widows and orphans, or isn't it?

If you haven't cut all these things out of your Bible, then listen up!

Jesus said to give anyone who asks the shirts off our backs, to walk longer with them in their need than we want to, and pick up our crosses and follow Him. Follow Him straight to the grave where your self will die. If you think that you don't need or want any refugees here--you have not died to self. God is sending them to you! How dare you even consider turning them away. You are here, now, to be the word of truth, the light of the Kingdom, the salt of the Earth, the balm for a broken people. "What would Jesus do?" is still a valid question. Would Jesus turn anyone away? If you would, then here is the biggest question of all: Are you really a Christian?

Merry Christmas!!

Well, it's been quite a year! One that started off pretty bad and continues to be a roller coaster ride of incredible highs and deep in the mud lows. All the lows were when Tracy was sick enough to be in the hospital--that would be last Dec., April, July, and Oct. He didn't actually go into the hospital in Dec., but he had a picc line with the kinds of drugs they would use if he had been hospitalized. They had to pull it early because of a clot, and Tracy spent the next three month on a blood thinner on top of everything else.

He spent 2 1/2 months on our sofa because he had gotten so low by the end of Jan, we needed to keep a closer eye on him, and I was determined to get the 20 lbs back on him that he had lost. I didn't. He continued to worsen until he was hospitalized in April, spending three weeks at the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver.

A low for Kevin was the end of his contract with Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment, and being thrust back into the job market. A high for Kevin was the publishing of his first novel.

A high for me was publishing my 4th romance novel.

A high for Tristan was his new girlfriend, Kelly.

A high for me was a bit of stage acting, playing the part of Rahab in a church production.

Another high was my high school reunion in May.

And a high for Tracy was proposing to his girlfriend of a year, Jessi.

Another low hit in July when Tracy went back into the hospital. It is beginning to feel like a revolving door, as the effect of the antibiotics only seems to last a few weeks. He did, however, gain back at least ten lbs this time.

With Tracy and Jessi's wedding planned for the end of Oct., we began shopping, sewing, etc. in earnest! We had a Roaring 20's bridal shower in Sept.

The same day as the bridal shower, there was another engagement announcement: Tristan and Kelly will be tying the knot in the spring!

Then the worst happened--Tracy went back into the hospital a week before the wedding. We didn't have a plan B. The wedding had to happen on Oct. 25th, or Jessi would lose the money for the building rental. We prayed and went on with the plans. And God was gracious. Tracy was released the day before, and again, would have a picc line for awhile.

After nine months of unemployment and sucking our 401k nearly dry, Kevin got a job with United Healthcare. Hurray!

In early Dec.,I did a bit of painting, and published another book. (I did the artwork for both of the Rocky Mountain books with Tristan doing the title and layout magic)

There were other highs as well... I went up Pikes Peak twice this year! You can't get much higher than that around here! And the gals I hiked with 3 days a week all summer were a huge blessing! Tristan has been designing fabric through Spoonflower and making designer scarves when he's not working for Print City or an inventory company. And of course, Kevin, Tristan, and Tracy are still making people laugh with their QuipTracks (www.quiptracks.com)

Tracy had a wonderful month of health and gaining weight before the lung infections began their dirty work again. If he can stay off of antibiotics until Jan. 5, he may qualify for a trial drug that targets one of his mutations. We are hopeful.

And here we are ready to celebrate Christmas 2014. There's no doubt it's been a tougher year than most, but God is faithful, and I'm looking forward to a victorious 2015. Because that's what Christmas is all about--a light to scatter darkness, a name to bend knees, a hope for all eternity. Jesus.

Be Brave

I wear a bracelet that says "Be Brave." I wear this bracelet because I'm not brave. I'd have no need of the reminder if I were. Sometimes I'm so not brave that I'm nothing but a quivering mess on the floor, crying my heart out. My son has had CF his whole life--nearly 23 years, and while there have been times that I've been a bit frightened for him, and I've hurt for him and the various painful maladies and procedures he has had to go through, I've never really felt the possibility of losing him until last fall when he was suddenly fighting several kinds of bacteria in his lungs and losing twenty pounds off of his already slim body.

That's when bravery was required. And that's when I realized how far short I fell.

I know a few of you are thinking, "Well, that girl just needs some faith. Does she believe what she says she believes or doesn't she?" I know you're thinking this, because I've thought it. I've even said it behind the back of someone afraid of dying.

And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. And I forgive you if you've thought it about me, because you just don't know. And I pray you never find out.

Having been accused lately of being "sanctimonious," I've given this word some thought. The dictionary defines the word as "affecting piousness; hypocritically devout." And while I was initially offended, I have to wonder, do I believe what I say I believe, and do I believe it enough to say it out loud... to anyone and everyone. I go to a church that believes in the finished work of Jesus on the cross for the redemption of the whole man--body, soul, and spirit. It's a church that believes in ALL God's promises without sweeping the inconvenient or outrageous ones under the rug. It's a church that believes that God not only heals, but that he wants to heal EVERY ONE EVERY TIME. Sanctification through illness is not one of God's methods.

So here I am being real--being brave. I'm putting my faith where my mouth is.

I believed that I received this word from the Lord: "I will not abandon Tracy to the grave. He will live; he will not die. I will heal him, and his testimony will shine like the sun."

Every time I ask him "what can I do" in regards to my son's health, I hear, "Just praise me."

Why? Because, somehow, in a spiritual war that we can't see, that is our greatest weapon.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. Acts 16:25-26

So, I'm going to ask you to join me. Take a few minutes to fight this battle with me each day. I don't even care if you're a believer. Just sing. Then share this post. I'm putting my name and my faith out there. Be brave with me.

And it doesn't need to be all about me and my son. God's big enough to take care of your needs for healing, deliverance, provision, addiction, depression, anxiety, etc., at the same time.

Sing with me, and the chains will fall.

Spiritual Slavery to Spiritual Sonship

Jack Frost's book Spiritual Slavery to Spiritual Sonship should be required reading for every Christian. Frost, who was a fisherman and a sea captain before going to Bible school, uses his experiences on the sea to flesh out spiritual truths about living like an orphan or living like a son. He stresses that only a son receives an inheritance. An orphan receives nothing. His clear definitions and list of behaviors help us identify areas where we may be operating at less than our true position in God's family. We can be a son and live as if we are orphans. Frost

lays his own life open to scrutiny as he tells the story of how, even in ministry, he was living like an orphan for many years. He stresses that an "orphan spirit" can be part of the make-up of new Christians or those who have spent their entire lives in the Church. It's what keeps us from walking in spiritual maturity, and keeps us enslaved to our own mission instead of God's. Orphan thinking--not fully understanding and accepting God's love for us--keeps us from receiving the blessings he has for us. It can infiltrate every aspect of our relationships or just certain areas of weakness. This is an excellent book for finding and identifying those weaknesses so that change is possible. His eight steps take you from an orphan to a Son to live the life you were meant to live. I highly recommend this book. As the subtitle says, "your destiny awaits you."

erasing hell by Francis Chan

Francis Chan’s latest book’s provocative title, erasing hell, is more a comment on society’s view than his own. Far from erasing hell, Chan ends up ascribing to the scariest option possible—eternal torture—as his final conclusion.

I appreciated Chan and fellow writer, Preston Sprinkle’s in-depth study—diving into the Greek and looking at the Jewish mindset to understand what they would have thought about hell. He does a fine job, I think, of showing that an actual hell—a real place of punishment—is Biblical. Past this point, however, he took a number of important passages out of context, so in the end, didn’t convince me that a God defined by love would torture forever and ever even those who had never heard the gospel.

Chan’s main point, though, is that hell is real, and if we believe that, we ought to live like we do. He contends if we really believed it, we would be bolder in proclaiming the gospel message and more fervent in our prayers for the lost around us.

And in that, he is most definitely right.

Looking again at 9/11

As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, I'm praying for a little perspective. I'm not one of the "we will never forget" bunch. I think it's time to collectively put the day, the pain, and the horror behind us and move on. Not the people--just the event. Here's why.
As tragic as it was, many other people died that day. Other people lost their parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins due to any number of tragedies. Was their pain less? Did they cry fewer tears because their relatives avoided being in the towers that day? A certain number of firefighters and police lose their lives every day in the line of duty. Are their deaths less important?
My aunt (and several others) died on 8/11 of that year due to faulty filters in a dialysis machine. A tragedy that didn't make the news--even the local news. Someone was at fault, but we don't re-live a play by play of her death every year on 8/11. We remember her life every day.
When we elevate some to mega hero status because they died in a big event, we degrade the status of those who died serving their fellow man in a smaller way.
Some have died fighting a fire in Texas or a house fire in Tonganoxie. Some have died working the floods in Missouri or trying to rescue one child in a pond.
Some have died searching for survivors in Joplin or racing to the scene of an accident on a lonely country road.
Even the grandma who dies in her sleep can be one who leaves behind a legacy of service.
And they leave behind people who loved them.
This Sunday, let's just keep that in mind.

Living Shirtless

Luke 6:29 says this: If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. NIV
Or put another way: If someone grabs your coat, gift wrap your best shirt and make a present of it. The Message

I’ve been pondering this passage for some time and what it would mean to “live shirtless.” Here are some of my thoughts.
*If I’m wearing a cloak, it is probably because I need it—it’s cold.
*If someone is asking for my cloak, I assume he doesn’t have one—he’s cold.
*Would I offer my shirt if he already had one? He’s super cold.
*If I give away my cloak, I will be less warm, but he will be more warm.
*If I give him my coat and my shirt, he will be warm, and I will be cold.

Why would any sane person do this? (I really hate to be cold.)
It is sane to give it all away IF one trusts that they will get another shirt and coat from their supplier.

MT 6:28-30 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Rich kids spend money with no worries. Why? They’ve got a rich dad. They trust in their supplier. (They may have to spend according to his will or get cut off.)

One day when I was thinking about this as I was shopping, I stopped to get some cash at the bank. And the thought occurred to me: what if I made a practice of giving not the smallest bill in my wallet to those who ask, but the largest. What if I gave it all?

So I made a promise right then. The next person I see standing on a corner with a sign asking for money gets it all—everything in my wallet. If you don’t think God takes promises like that seriously, for heaven’s sake, don’t make them. In less than five minutes, there he was, the guy with the sign, in a place I’ve never seen one before or since.

And I had just gotten a hundred bucks in cash.

So I took that hundred dollars and the sixteen I already had, rolled it up and handed it to him. And I went back to my car and laughed, thinking how surprised he’d be when he unrolled that wad. (Or maybe he was an angel and not surprised at all!)

I know my Dad—it’s His will for me to give to the poor. So it’s really no big deal to give.

He’s rich

The Slumber of Christianity by Ted Dekker

Ted Dekker wants Christians everywhere to wake up.

Usually known as a fiction writer, Dekker stepped out of that genre to write The Slumber of Christianity: Awakening a Passion for Heaven on Earth, and he’s hoping that it will serve as an alarm clock for the Church.

Dekker contends that without a passion for heaven, we not only live in fear of death, but live unsatisfied lives while on this earth. It’s only in realizing that the pleasures of this life are but a foretaste of the pleasures of heaven can we be satisfied with what earth has to offer.

Dekker believes that Christians spend too much of their time trying to find happiness and fulfillment on earth when that fulfillment will not really happen until they reach heaven. He wants the Church to develop a passion for heaven by meditating often on the glories of heaven and the love of God.

I believe his point is well taken that our communion services should more reflect the heavenly wedding banquet than a solemn passing of crumbs of bread and a sip of grape juice, but what Dekker only mentions briefly is that God has a mission for the Church while on earth. Yes, there is great value in finding a passion for spending eternity with Jesus, but if we spend all our time in that state of longing, we will miss what God has for us to do in the meantime. The Slumber of Christianity is a good book to jumpstart a passion for heaven if you don’t have one, but be aware as you read it that God has a plan for your life right here and now.

I think there is another, maybe greater, slumber going on in the Christian world--the deep sleep of those completely unaware of the spiritual battle going on all around them. While I agree with Dekker’s alarm, I think his book is a bit out of balance. Yes, we need that passion for the future Light, but we also need to get in the game, pick up a sword and fight the dark.