Small Bodies...

SMALL BODIES, GREAT HEARTS

An early Puritan writer once said about children, "though their bodies be small, yet their hearts are great." He was speaking about a child's tendency toward mischief. As the mother of 4 young sons, I am reminded of this statement often and I figure it's time to throw my two cents in.

When a child is born, the infant appears so delicate and pure that we parents cannot imagine the trouble brewing within. But before long, the tiny little creature, helpless to overpower the adults in charge of him, identifies the fatal weaknesses in the parental armor and begins to exploit them. With my first son, I was completely uneducated on the tactical manoeuvers of infant warfare. My little angel quickly conquered us and proceeded to rule with an iron fist. But I know that I will one day escape filial domination and, in the meantime, I dedicate myself to educating potential parents everywhere about the reality of parental bondage.

It begins with sleep deprivation. Children do not hesitate to use torture to advance their agenda. Once a parent is sufficiently worn down, the child can then then begin to exercise domination.

Let me give you an example.

A master strategist at an early age, Stephen understood that just as a horseman maintains control by guiding the horse, if he wanted to be the Master, he would have to control our travel patterns. Within a short period of time, he trained us to pay close attention to his driving instructions. We quickly learned his preferred method of travel; accelerate to speeds over 70 mph and maintain high speeds. If we slowed down, he would scream. If we stopped for a red light or a stop sign, he would scream. If we drove on city streets which would not allow sufficiently high speeds, he would scream. He had complete control and successfully discouraged us from any unnecessary driving, completely eliminating any attempt on our part to trick him into sleep by taking "a ride in the car."

By the time I realized that I had been enslaved, we had already had more children. Yes, we are slow learners. I now have 4 masters who are expert at identiifying their own particular strengths. Perhaps you may recognize the following techniques:

Seth, the 2 year old has "the scream". Can you picture the painting by the same name? I firmly believe the artist also had a 2 year old, because the painting accurately depicts what happens to the parental psyche when "the scream" is unleashed. The tormented parent will then do whatever it takes to make it go away. Seth typically uses "the scream" to direct parental fury onto one of his brothers. Usually, the offending brother has intentionally irritated Seth. But sometimes Seth just wants what the brother has. We don't care. We just want it to end. Seth wins.

Elijah, the 4 year old is more complex. His particular strength is breaking people down. From a tender age, he has been able to reduce his older brothers into defeated, crying children; particularly his next older brother Austin. But his powers extend beyond other children, to the adults in his life as well. He is the strongest willed member of the family, and he's not afraid to use it. His battle of choice is dinner. His technique is superb. His earlier attempts to win the dinner war were crude, like making himself throw up the very food he was expected to eat. But his new strategy is flawless. While we happily eat, he manages to stay under the radar until we are almost done. At that point, he complains that his food is cold, prompting us to warm it for him. He then informs us how much better warm food tastes, tricking us into thinking he has actually tasted it. But we "quickly" realize the truth, and begin the battle of threats and tears which drives us to distraction. However, it is time to pick up from dinner and draw baths. Parents drop like flies and Elijah begins to ask for someone to feed him. Now, Elijah does not really want to be fed. He knows that if he asks to be fed, we get irritated and disappear, leaving him free to leave the plate of food he did not want to eat in the first place. Elijah takes his bath, has a snack with his brothers, goes to bed, and we find the abandoned plate of food later that night. Flawless.

Austin the 6 year old is the smoothest of the tormenters; you don't even know you've been bamboozled until he's gone. The child can lie with the face of an angel. Austin has learned the truth behind the old adage, "you catch more flies with honey..." The command, "Austin, put away your clothes" is met with a polite "Yes, Ma'am." Only much later do you find them shoved under the bed. Of course, this is the child who replied, "Why, did you see me?" to the question, "Austin, what did you just do?" But really, if you must be held captive, isn't it better when they're friendly?

Stephen, the original, is now 8 years old. The near future is not looking good for us. Last night, he was pondering how nice life might be if we were eliminated. I think my chances are better than my husband, but the grandparents render us both disposable. In the meantime, he's using his mind control prowess to keep us in check. Two nights ago, he was watching me play a computer game, when his Nana commanded him into his bedroom. I, hearing her tone, and wanting the best for my son, recommended that he go quickly. He then comforted me and proceeded to explain to me that, "I've got her all figured out." Apparently, as long as he obeys before she exhibits a very specific behavior, he will escape punishment. Being the subversive, unappreciative servant that I am, I told her... We need to stick together.

Well friends, I truly hope this helps some one or other of you. After all, they are merciless and they never quit. And they work together to keep us down. I've never done anything harder in my life than be a parent. I now know my limits. By the way, if you are like I was, you might be thinking that you should be able to out-think a child. Funny how it never occurred to me that my own children might be as smart as I am... After all, "though their bodies be small..."

Stephen's Haiku

Stephen wrote this haiku for school (and yes, I'm a proud mama).

In Years of Folly
Christmas Time is Jollier
Sleds Sleighing in Snow

Stephen (age 8)

Thank you Hobby Lobby

Hobby Lobby placed this ad in the newspaper today... amazing!

A Light Shining in a Dark Place

I will never forget the pain caused by Hurricane Katrina. I personally suffered very little. Losing my grandparents' homes and my extended family's relocation, the removal of my childhood sources of stability, has cost me the most. But my losses are small compared to many others. Many people in this area lost their homes, their family members, their marriages and other valuable relationships, their jobs, and, for many, their mental health.

Although some of the effects of Katrina's damage continue to affect this area, we have largely picked up the pieces and reestablished routines. But hard times are coming and have come. Companies are laying off employees or cutting back hours. Many have lost large sums of retirement and investments. The housing market is down and good jobs are scarce. All indicators suggest that life will get significantly worse before it gets better.

In a short time, some of the pain and suffering we experienced following Katrina will reappear in Louisiana and across America, if not the entire world. In anticipation of this, I am issuing a call to all who know Christ to get ready. We have been entrusted with a message of hope and peace for our generation, "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." If you have been riding the fence, if you have been waiting until a later time or not really sure you wanted to jump in with both feet, your time has now come to choose. When the people around you are in need, will you be ready?


I heard the story yesterday of a young single mother who spent her days trying to look happy so that no one would thwart her plan to kill herself. What had she done wrong? Why was she intent on committing suicide? She felt she had failed herself and disappointed those around her. Oh, how I longed to share with her the hope that I have because I know where she's been. But it's not Christ that has kept her alive, it was a realization that her children need her more than she realized. I wonder, what will she do when she fails again? She now has a reason to live, but no reason to have peace and joy, and nothing but necessity to get her through the hard times that will surely come.

Life doesn't have to be this way.

What do we, as Christians, have to offer? What is the good news we have for a suffering person? First and foremost, it is forgiveness. This young woman's value doesn't simply lie in what she has or hasn't done. When you can accept the forgiveness that Jesus offers for all your past actions and you can give forgiveness to all who have wronged you in the past, then your life starts anew and your value lies in who you are as a child of God and the love you bring into this world as a representative of God. Second, when you accept God's offer of forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, then you enter into a new relationship with the God who created the universe. You are never alone. Even in the darkest hour, the Spirit of God "remains with you and will be in you." Third, the God of Heaven will guide and protect you; "For I know the plans I have for you - this is the Lord's declaration - plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

In April/May, I wrote about Jesus in the storm in three separate parts. As our country goes deeper into this financial storm, I return to the peace that Jesus offers us in this story. In short, Jesus sleeps while a storm whips up and rages around him. The disciples fear for their lives and wake him up, wondering how he can sleep when all of their lives are in danger. With a word, he calms the storm and chides them for their lack of faith.

In the past, I looked at why Jesus might have been sleeping and discussed the fact that God never sleeps. But I am amazed today that he was able to sleep and I believe that it illustrates the kind of peace he offers us. When the storm blew up, Jesus and the disciples faced a multisensory attack. The floor heaved up and down under their feet, causing them to lose their balance. The wind and waves knocked them around and stung their faces. The water rose over the boat and soaked their clothes, leaving them battered and wet. And the wind howled, the thunder roared, and perhaps lightening even struck, assaulting their ears and striking fear into their hearts. And Jesus slept.

Certainly, Jesus was on the boat and experienced all these things himself. Yet, while the disciples struggled, fought, feared, and yelled, Jesus was at peace. What was the difference between them? Jesus trusted that God was in control and the disciples did not. Their fear was caused by uncertainty. They didn't believe that God would take care of them. Jesus, on the other hand, understood that if God had other plans for him, God would take him through the storm safely, and if not, he would go home to his father. Christians have this same assurance and God offers it to everyone who will trust in him. As the Bible says, "We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God."

So, ladies and gentlemen, sisters and brothers, "set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you." Many in America are living in darkness and we have a source of light in the world, "the prophetic word strongly confirmed. You will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dismal place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts." We who know Jesus, "the light of men," are " the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." And when you see your fellow man or woman hurting in the troubled times to come, take hold of the promises that your Father has given you and commit to being a blessing to the world by sharing the love that God has given you and his message of peace and restoration.

Bible Verses in this blog: 1 Peter 2:9, John 14:17, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28, 1 Peter 3:15, 2 Peter 1:19, John 1:4, Matthew 5:14-16

Unholy Union: The Lure of the Vampire and Why I Left My Love Affair

In 2004, I threw away my entire collection of Anne Rice vampire books. Yep, in the garbage... including my autographed copy of Blood and Gold. Why did I do this? What led me to throw years of enjoyment and loads of dollars of hardcover books in the trash? Well, I'd like to tell you.

Years ago, through experimentation and exploration, I came face to face with a regular source of frustration; my own limits. I'm not talking about limited abilities, limited experience, or limited knowledge. This was a different kind of limit. There was a barrier I could not cross no matter how hard I tried. That limit was myself.

I know, I know, you're thinking, "What on earth is she talking about?" I'll try my best to explain. As myself, I was alone. But I desperately wanted to share with someone else. I wanted to be united as one with someone else. So, I entered into a love relationship and I loved deeply. But still we were not one.

Every way we tried to unite was insufficient. Words just simply don't capture the full meaning of thoughts. Some of the most profound thoughts and feelings I tried to express sounded empty to my own ears. When he spoke, try as I might, I could not think what he thought and feel what he felt. I could not enter his mind or his soul.

But it wasn't just a spiritual barrier. I wanted to unite completely. Physical connection was not enough; I wanted UNION. I hated that my own skin prevented me from experiencing him more fully. I wanted to become one with him: share our blood supply, move together, share thoughts, share purpose, share life. I wanted to tear apart everything that separated us, but the barrier remained.

During this time, I met Lestat and his brethren (Anne Rice's vampires). They were like us; incredibly passionate beings. But they had managed to cross the barrier. In the act of drinking blood, the ultimate vampiric union, they became one with their victim. They shared the blood supply, they shared thoughts, they shared memories, they shared life, and if the vampire wasn't careful, they would share death. The undead were able to accomplish what the living could not; union with another human being. This spoke to my deepest needs. The books were entertaining, but the dream was enchanting. The evil became beautiful, death became life. The characters danced to the tune my soul was playing... and I stayed to watch.

While my life went on and I could not have what I longed for, I returned again and again to the world of fulfilled fantasies, where sharing blood made two become one. That is, my life went on this way until I realized that there is a reality that makes the fantasy pale in comparison.

In the 1992 movie Bram Stoker's Dracula, Count Dracula loves Mina and longs for her to share eternity with him. So, he drinks her blood and then offers him her own; the blood that would make her immortal. Mina drinks deeply, passionately, almost nursing like a baby, the blood of her wicked lover. But there is another Lover out there. His love is a pure, unselfish love and He wants to be one with us. He also has offered His blood, that we might share in His death and rise to His life.

He offered His blood to me, I accepted it, and we became one. My barrier went away. He lives in me. The deeper I drink of Him, the fuller I feel; I am never alone.

If you don't know much about Christianity, then let me explain this to you. Jesus said to the people, "'If anyone is thirsty, let Him come to Me and drink! Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from deep within him.' He said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were going to receive." Jesus taught that after His resurrection, His Spirit would come and live in all who choose to believe in Him. Read His words to His disciples:

"... I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day, you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you."

I put some of Jesus' words in italics because they happened to me. I began to live, to really live. The dream I longed for, to become one with someone else, came true. God, through Jesus, filled my greatest need and took away my greatest frustration. I woke up and realized that I was satisfied and no longer needed the fantasy.

In fact, I looked at the books that were my love affair for years and finally understood that what they offered was just a cheap imitation of a more perfect reality. They could never satisfy me, but only promise what they could never deliver. I didn't need them and I didn't want them. I found the better offer.

Okay, so what's my point? Am I saying that you shouldn't read vampire books or see vampire movies? Am I calling for a boycott or condemning those who produce and enjoy such works? No, I am not. I still enjoy a good tale, vampire or otherwise. But Jesus advised His disciples to be "shrewd as serpents and harmless as doves" because He was sending them out as "sheep among wolves." In order to be shrewd as serpents, you need to understand the underlying message and know your own motivations.

Are you a Christian and looking to fill a personal need somewhere other than in God? Then, you need to be aware. If you don't believe in God, I would like to tell you about what I've found (or about who found me). Jesus told His disciples (students), "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." That is why we drink deeply of Jesus, because He sets us free. True Christians, those who have entered union with Christ, are not bound or contained or trapped. We are able to love deeply and freely because we have a constant source of life filling us as we give.

Does this mean Christians are perfect? No way! I am not. No one is. We still do stupid things. We still hurt people. We still fail to be everything that we should be. But we are more than we were. And if we continue to drink deeply, we will continue to grow and bring light and life into the world. But we must drink to grow.

So, if you have already tasted of Jesus, then I encourage you to continue to drink. If you have not, then I encourage you to try Jesus for yourself. Either way, please be wise and recognize when someone is offering you something tainted; a drink that cannot quench your thirst. Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst." May you accept His water alone... and never thirst again.

Bible Verses in this writing:
John 7:37-39
John 14:16-20
Matthew 10:16
John 8:32
John 4:13-14

It's not just a joke

There's a joke that's told among Christian circles that goes something like this:

There was a man stranded on the roof of his house. The floodwaters were rising and he had no way of escape.

The man prayed to God, "Lord, if you rescue me from this flood, I will do every thing you want me to do till the day I die."

Right then, a neighbor came by in a canoe. "Joe," he said, "get in my canoe and I'll get us out of here."

"Oh no no!," Joe said. "God is going to rescue me."

The neighbor tried several times to convince Joe to get in the boat, but finally gave up and paddled away.

A while later a rescue boat spotted the man and drove up to his roof. "Come on and get in!," yelled the rescue team.

"Oh no no!," Joe said. "God is going to rescue me."

Like the neighbor, the rescue team tried to convince Joe to get in the boat, but ultimately gave up and moved on.

The water continued to rise and rescue efforts were winding down when, finally, a helicopter spotted Joe and flew over to his roof. "SIR, CLIMB UP THE LADDER!," yelled a man on the helicopter. But once again, Joe could not be convinced.

Later that night, the water rose over the roof of Joe's house and Joe drowned.

Joe woke up in heaven. "God," Joe asked, "Why didn't you rescue me?"

God answered him, "I tried three times to rescue you, but you wouldn't accept my help!"

I got to thinking about Joe (fictional character only, not based on real individuals) and his problem. The problem was not that Joe didn't have faith nor that God didn't answer his prayer. Joe died because he didn't recognize what came from God. He thought the men were just men and couldn't see God's hand stretched out to him.

Unfortunately, Joe is not alone. We live in a world where we often look at Christians and do not see God, just other men and women. If I don't know what God looks like or what He acts like, how will I recognize Him when I look at another human being or listen to passages from a lengthy book? I'm not saying this to discourage anyone. Whether you believe in God or don't believe in God, I am asking you for the same thing... patience.

Christians have many ways of telling other people about God. Some do it quietly in the simple, loving way they lead their lives. Others do it loudly by standing in public places in the midst of trouble, yelling into a microphone. Some Christians gently ask questions, others forcefully argue the rightness of their position. Which person represents God? Maybe all of them do. But just because the servant who performs the errand doesn't look like your image of the Master who orders the errand, it doesn't mean there isn't a Master. So, I ask patience with the Christian if you do not believe in God because, really, this is between God and you. You may not like His servant, but God is worth checking into. It's a life or death question.

And you, Christian, is there someone you have been witnessing to for a long time? Is there someone you care about deeply who does not believe? Do you experience frustration at their "blindness" to your words? Have patience.

A human being cannot see spiritual truth with physical eyes. Our purpose is not to make converts to the Christian faith, but to love God and love the people on this earth. God, Himself, saves souls. Haven't you noticed that the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control) are all personality traits and not listings of other human beings? If we develop these traits, He will entrust people to us. It is God who reveals Himself to men and women... He revealed Himself to you, didn't He? And we can have confidence that anyone who seeks the Lord will find Him when he searches for Him with all his heart. God said so Himself (Jeremiah 29:12-13).

The unquestionable truth about the human being is that none of us are perfect (no matter how much we refuse the accept this truth). And that we will all be a disappointment to someone and similarly will all be disappointed BY someone. But this should not stop us from searching for the truth or living the Truth, whichever side of the coin you are on. And, for the record, I've been on both. And I've been guilty of both; both of being offended by the messenger, and of offending the one I intended to love.

May God bless you all with wisdom and understanding.

Survivor: America

At least three different people have written about the passage of the Bible in which the people of Israel ask for a king, in referring to Obama's election. For those of you unfamiliar with the story, I will briefly summarize it for you. For a period of time, the Israelite people lived in the Promised Land without a head of state. God was their King, His Law was the law of the land, and any disputes were decided by Godly judges. But the Israelites rejected God Himself and His Way and asked for a human king that they could lift up in comparison to the other nations. God gave them what they asked for and warned them that they would lose many of the rights and freedoms He Himself had given them because of their choice. In this way, the descent of the Israelite nation into war, sorrow, and slavery began.

While we don't really know what an Obama presidency will mean for America, many of us suspect that, like the Israelites, Americans may have wished themselves into further loss of freedom. So on this day, I would like to offer hope to those of us who believe in a greater Good, an ultimate Truth, and a better Way.

First of all, let us remember that while Israel's first king became utterly corrupt and fell into murderous paranoia, God then gave Israel a kingly beacon of light in David. Israel's second king, the "man after God's own heart," set the standard for Holy Worship that inspires us even today with hope and a revelation of God's nature unrivalled in the rest of Scripture. It was through the line of the man David, and because of his kingship, that Jesus our Christ is also called our King. God predicted the Israelite kingship in Deuteronomy 17:14-20, and we can be confident that this particular human failing was part of His plan to usher in the salvation of humankind.

Let us remember, "God removes kings and establishes kings." (Daniel 2:21) "For there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." (Romans 13:1) So, we should not fear because this is God's will for this country at this time. But how can a man who seems to oppose God in so many ways be God's chosen man? After all, this verse seems to suggest that people the likes of Adolf Hitler were "established by God." To this, I reply that the light shines brightest in the darkest of nights. History proves that human nature is to turn away from God to follow the path that is "right" in our own eyes. We now have heroes of the faith because they confronted horrifying evil. If God had not allowed darkness to come, would we have seen them at all?

My brothers and sisters, it is our turn. Does anyone doubt that we have experienced dark days? If this election teaches us one thing only, let it be that America is in great need of the Light. Americans are crying out for a Savior, and many believe that they have elected one. But we cannot legislate Faith or Truth. The way to combat the welfare state is to prove that freedom is better. We cannot prove this by argument; if past evidence were enough, Socialist principles would have died before now. We must prove this by changing lives. We must preach, teach, and live freedom. That is, we must preach, teach, and live Christ.

Barack Obama, while campaigning, appealed to Jesus' admonition to take care of the "least" of men; those sick and in prison. Jesus was not speaking to governmental leaders, but to His disciples (Matthew 24:3-25:46). Even those furthest from God recognize the beauty of Jesus' words. But only His Disciples, those who love God and keep His Commands, can bring Truth into the most wretched of lives. Only the love of God can transform the individual lives of Americans from hopeless desperation and dependency to Glorious Freedom and Hope.

In Matthew 28:18, Jesus instructs His Disciples to "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The word in Greek that is translated "make disciples of" literally means "to instruct" or "to disciple." Jesus, here, is telling His Disciples to go and teach other people. His Disciples? My brothers and sisters, that's you and me. Our time has come and is now. Let us be like the heroes of the past, who were not afraid to give their lives in the service of others. We may not be called to die for our faith, as our brothers and sisters do in other countries, but we are called to give our lives as a "living sacrifice." To this purpose, I commit my life to be a "living sacrifice" to my countrymen. And I ask you, my fellow Christians, to join me in service to Americans; that the heroes of tomorrow may look back upon us, giving glory and honor to God, while telling their children of our exploits. May God bless America!

A note to my fellow native Louisianians: Ladies and Gentlemen, we who have lived through the runoff between notorious crook Edwin Edwards and Klan Grand Wizard David Duke and who breathed a sigh of relief when we got the crook, ought to be able to handle a Chicago politician with questionable connections. Obama would fit right into New Orleans politics. In fact, anyone who has halfway studied Louisiana history ought to be able to list off quite a few names of questionable characters in recent history, not to mention 20th Century Louisiana history. All humor aside, we should not lose sleep over what we fear. The light of God cannot be extinguished. "That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it." (John 1:5 )

Amen and Amen

Obama's Citizenship

... apparently makes no difference at all.


May God bless America!

Obama's Citizenship: What difference does it make?

As I thought about writing this blog, I decided to do a little research online to see what would turn up. After all, if Obama's citizenship is well defended, then my concerns appear foolish. But if there is any legitimacy to asking the question of whether or not he is a citizen, then I feel compelled to ask it. Let me first say that I am not writing about whether or not Obama should get your vote, nor am I writing about any of his policies or any other qualification to the Presidency than whether or not he is a natural-born citizen. As I looked at the different web sites and what they had to say, I saw half "proving" his citizenship and half of them "proving" his lack thereof. So, I decided that I could not really answer that question satisfactorily based upon what I found. And if that question isn't answered well enough, then it needs further asking.

A distant acquaintance sent me a link to a website containing an interview between Michael Savage and Philip Berg, the man who filed a lawsuit demanding proof of Obama's citizenship.(You can listen here.) I listened to the interview, and forwarded the link to a few people, then went on with my day. But as the day went on, I thought some more about it and came upon a troubling conclusion; if this question is not answered, the integrity of our Constitution is in danger. Let me explain.

Article II Section I of our Constitution states that, "No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office, who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States." Now here we have a situation where a Presidential candidate may possibly not be eligible, but he has been chosen the Democratic Presidential Nominee and is on the state ballots. Philip Berg has filed a lawsuit asking that Barack Obama submit proof of citizenship, but to date Senator Obama has not done so but has instead tried to have the case dismissed. Let me present to you four possible scenarios concerning Obama's citizenship and their implications for the Constitution and the citizens of the United States.

Scenario 1: Barack Obama presents these documents to the court and his citizenship is legally confirmed. If he is elected, we then have a President that meets the Constitution's requirements, our Constitution is upheld and we have a legitimate President who will presumably "to the best of [his] Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Scenario 2: Barack Obama cannot present these documents to the court or presents "phony" documents to the court and is declared ineligible to be President of the United States. Barack Obama is then removed from eligibility to be President and we elect an eligible man as President. Our Constitution is upheld and preserved.

Scenario 3: Barack Obama is elected President and sworn in. The documents do not exist or are declared fakes. We now have a President who is not a natural-born citizen, yet who remains in office to serve his term as President, either because those in power are unwilling to impeach him or because the impeachment process is too slow. What does this mean for our Constitution? If the Constitution requires a natural-born citizen to be President and we elect an ineligible man, then we effectively strip the Constitution of its power. Unless the President meets the basic requirements to become President, then he cannot "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" because his very presence in the office of President of the United States nullifies the Constitution. Electing an ineligible man as President of the U.S. says that those in power and the citizens in general can just ignore the Constitution.

In this scenario, all of our rights and freedoms are in danger. It is the Constitution that protects us from tyrrany and the whims of those in power. If we strip the Constitution of its power, we lose our legal protection and basic rights as Americans. We must carefully guard the Constitution. Without it, the corruption we see in our Local, City, State, and National politicians would have no limits. We would be at the mercy of the whims of the rich and powerful. Unless our Constitution is powerful, United States Citizens are weak.

Scenario 4: The court case goes no where, Obama never releases the documents, and is never declared either legally eligible or ineligible. If he is elected President under these conditions, then the U.S. Constitution and "We, the People" are both weakened. This scenario means that we don't even have the right to ASK whether or not our Presidential candidates are natural-born citizens. In this case, the Constitution is reduced to mere words because as citizens, we have NO power to enforce it. Is this the direction in which America is headed? Must we roll over and play dead because the Will of the politicians will be done regardless of the demands of the Constitution?

In Scenario 3, we have no binding Constitution, and in Scenario 4, we appear to have a Constitution, but it is unenforceable. I am asking you, please do not let these scenarios play out. We have a voice... the voice of the American people. Let your voice be heard. I am an Independent and I am asking as an American Citizen; one living under this Constitution. If Obama is a natural-born citizen, then ask him to simply present the evidence and be declared eligible, as McCain has done. Then, as one seeking to uphold the Constitution, he can demonstrate his respect for it. But if he is not a natural-born citizen, then let the truth come before the election... before further damage is done.

In the meantime, pass this information to your friends, educate yourself on the lawsuit by clicking here, and call your Congressmen. You can find them easily at congress.org

On Politics and Christianity

Sometimes I think that we do the cause of Christ more harm than good when we take a strong, public political stand. After all, the gospel is that God exists, loves us, and died for us to have a relationship with us. That message gets lost in the debates about abortion, homosexual marriage, fiscal conservatism, the war on terror, and the many other issues that arise on the public platform. I long to be part of a force for good in our world, but I keep coming back to the thought that any movement for Christ will be "grassroots." Better yet, true change will come from the gospel lived out in the lives of individuals for individuals. The love of Christ shining through us onto others... that is what changes the world.

However, I have hesitated to say it because I haven't felt able to say it well enough, especially when the temptation occasionally comes to me to deny that thought. Thankfully, God has provided someone who says it better:

What woman is this?

Okay, so I just took some pictures of myself. And all I have to say is, "Who is this woman!?!"

Steve made the mistake of telling me that I looked older today. In his defense, it was regarding a picture taken five years ago, but OLDER! So I had to see for myself. And after taking some pictures of The Baaaaby



...I decided to take a picture of myself. So I took one... and another... and another... and so on. Why did I take so many? Was I making up for all the events where I was behind the camera instead of in front of it? Was I playing in front of the camera like I did when I was a child? Was I dreaming of being a supermodel before the adoration of the camera?

No.

No.

I just couldn't quite wrap my brain around the fact that the woman on the screen was... ME!

I... do... look... ... ... "OLDER!"

Just see for yourself. LOOK AT ALL THOSE WRINKLES!



(You didn't think I'd actually let you see my bad pictures, did you?)

Peanut Butter Men are Loooooooove!

Reality

Being a Christian should not be lonely. But sometimes it is. Let me say up front that I can name several people right now who would willingly listen to everything I had to say... and would love me through it. But I won't talk to them. I just won't. Why? Well, let me name the reasons...

1) Because this will pass. If I talk to someone, they will tell me all the things I already know I need to do. They will ask me if God has been faithful in the past... and He has. They will remind me that this is temporary... and it is. They will offer to pray for me and with me... and they will. In the end, everything will be okay and I will regain strength and faith. I've been in this place before... it doesn't last.

2) Because although Jesus tells us that we will have trials, we "know" we are supposed to count it all joy. What is a trial exactly? If it's not painful, is it still a trial? How is a person to be joyful and suffer pain at the same time? Now, I could probably answer all of my questions. Honestly, I still see good even through everything. I see blessings even while I suffer. I still manage to have times of joy, even though my situation does not change. So, what does it mean when I fall into distress and feel despair? There is an expectation (in the Christian community) that Christians should handle things a certain way. And in public, we generally do. But in our homes? When we are alone? Honestly, if someone I respected came to me expressing my feelings as theirs, I would cut them slack. I would understand their response as a temporary natural reaction to an extremely difficult situation. But I don't trust many other Christians to see me this way, and yet I don't want to reveal my "weakness" even to those who would. For, of course, it is weakness for a Christian to feel this way, right? (That is a rhetorical question.)

3)Because I'm embarrassed about the nature of some of my problems. The majority of what I struggle with has to do with our finances and the difficulties we are facing because of bad financial choices we have made in the past, the depth of the hole we need to get out of, our great conviction that bankruptcy is not the answer, and our belief that we are doing what God wants us to do. But I face other struggles as well, struggles that reveal a darker, weaker side of my personality. Struggles resulting from the sins I cultivated before I came to Christ. Issues that would leave me vulnerable to judgement should I ever voice them.

4) Because I really am upset with God. Because I believe that He is sovereign, that He is really in charge. Because I study, I pray, I love, I serve, I believe, I worship, and still He hasn't rescued us. Because I believe that He really is good. I believe God is good. I believe He is faithful. I have seen Him change lives... mine and others. I believe He is the giver of every good thing. I believe that God is the answer and my relationship with God is the balm for my wounds. I believe He is the only thing worth living for. But still we suffer. I even believe that this suffering has been good for us (as in refining by fire). But it still hurts. It has been hurting for years... and I'm worn and tired. And as I look down the road, I only see more suffering. More refining? And I'm tired. I'm weary and heavy-laden and I don't know how to give this one to Him. As far as I know, God won't make my budget, write out my bills, write letters to my creditors, and do all the day to day things that I do to keep it running. I have tried not to do them myself. It doesn't turn out too well. But these are the things that wear me out.

No, Christians should be able to lean on each other. But, really, who wants to bleed on someone else?

Gustav, 9/11, & Ike

What a September! I haven't yet posted about our experience with Gustav. I'm waiting a little bit on that... I need to get some pictures from my dad. But although Gustav didn't do much damage in our immediate area, it woke a large number of us up to the fact that we still haven't fully healed from Katrina. We thought we had put Katrina behind us, but instead Katrina has become a part of us. As Gustav barreled toward Louisiana, even my friend who now lives in Texas and her friend who lives way up north (Michigan?) were reliving the memories. I think that those of us who lived through Katrina, whose families suffered all kinds of losses, both physical and otherwise, are changed. The people of Southern Louisiana are no longer the same. We are haunted by the memories of people suffering in New Orleans shelters and on New Orleans streets. In our minds are the images of homes moved halfway down the street from their foundations, with the blades of their ceiling fans hanging down like closing flower petals... cars sitting in trees, and other things that just should not be... dead bodies... disappearances. I remember not knowing where the vast majority of my family was located. We are a haunted people.

Then, a little over a week after Gustav opened those wounds, we observed the 7th anniversary of September 11th. I would imagine that the people of New York and that the nation as a whole feel much like I did before it became apparent that Gustav was heading this way. What wounds would another terrorist attack on our country open up? Because, as a nation, we sure do seem to have forgotten the pain.

But this particular year, I feel a little more in touch with the past than usual. And I remember what it was like on September 11, 2001. I was teaching a class of teenagers when an announcement came over the intercom that a plane had flown into one of the the World Trade Center towers and the televisions would turn on. We watched as the second airplane hit. My mind couldn't at first accept that this was real and not a movie. But as the horror began to dawn on me, I remember my overriding thought being to keep calm so that the students wouldn't panic. As for me, the fear rose quickly. I wanted nothing else than to get on my cell phone and call my father-in-law who was baby sitting my son and make sure they were okay. I didn't think that what happened in New York, and soon Washington (the Pentagon), had somehow spread to New Orleans. But for the first time in my life, I felt vulnerable to a large-scale attack.

We didn't know how big this was going to be. Was it over or was more coming? We didn't know who our enemy was or how we would need to fight. It was a waking nightmare. Watching people choose to jump to their deaths to avoid burning to death made me sick, though I had no idea at the time that four years later I would watch people sit on their roofs with no food, no water, and no rescue and hear of people being raped and harmed in what should have been a shelter from danger. We did what we could; we bought another gun and stayed home. School was canceled the day after 9/11... and I sat home and watched events unfolding on the television... and cried at the tragedy of it all.

But years passed between 9/11 and Katrina, then between Katrina and this month, and here I sit watching Ike pass through Texas, causing devastation in Texas and Louisiana. Last night I watched a video on Fox News. Click here if you want to see it. Yesterday, a group of young patrons decided to stay and party at a Galveston bar rather than evacuating, even though they were warned that they faced almost certain death. The owner's answer, "Well, I pray we don't face death." (I quoted from memory.)

I hope they didn't die. But I remember death and how it came to many who thought they would escape it. We should not live in fear, but we should remember. I don't believe I would wish to go back to the innocence I had before Katrina, before 9/11. Yes, I have more painful memories now, but I am wiser for it. Let those memories be a reminder for the future... for a better future. Let us make decisions based on what can happen, rather than what we hope will happen.

Gustav's evacuation was rough. The highways jammed up with people leaving for higher ground. A family died on the route to Georgia because the driver fell asleep and crashed into a tree. But the evacuation itself was a blessing. Southeast Louisiana cleared out. People learned the lesson. From our state and local politicians and public servants to the general citizenry, most of us showed ourselves to be a wiser people. Let that continue... and spread. Oh, that we would learn from the past and not repeat it! Oh, that we would learn from the experiences of our neighbors!

Texas, my thoughts and prayers are with you. America, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Ezekiel - God Will Strengthen

A little over two weeks ago, I was working on a Bible study that I'm teaching on Friday nights. At the time I was preparing the study, I felt that this was a message that God was giving to me personally. That was not unusual. I feel particularly blessed to be able to share what God is teaching me and I give Him lots of teaching opportunities.

That particular week, I wrestled with the challenges of owning our own business. We have managed to get on a tight budget, but the past few years' history suggests that we still won't earn enough. I fight this battle over and over. Sometimes we have enough money to meet our expenses, but often we do not. I yo-yo between joyful peace in the blessings God has granted us and anxiety that God may choose not to bless us enough to get out of debt.

Then, something began to happen and God opened my eyes to see that this message went beyond my household; hurricane Gustav headed our way. It appeared that Gustav would make Katrina look like a summer breeze. This thing was scary! I remembered the suicides, the divorces, the broken relationships, depression and pain. Even though we personally suffered little physical damage, I kept thinking , "I don't want to go through this again." I read the blogs posted by my friends Kristy and Christie and hurt for them and wished I could share this message of encouragement that God had given me.

I couldn't share it with them. But as hurricane Ike begins to take aim at us, I feel compelled to post this message:

Ezekiel's name means "God will strengthen." This is the main message I've pulled from the first three chapters of Ezekiel. As I waited and procrastinated, refusing to pack, I hoped that I'd see Gustav weaken or turn. I didn't feel strong enough to see my people suffer again, and I haven't felt strong enough to weather another slow winter season. But God reminds us through Ezekiel that we don't have to face our challenges alone.

When Ezekiel saw the vision of God's glory, he fell and was unable to stand on his own. In his humanity, he was too weak to face something so much greater than himself. God knows our weaknesses. When Ezekiel falls, God calls him "son of man." By this title, God lets Ezekiel (and us) know that he understands our limitations and our need for help.

God then tells Ezekiel to stand, but Ezekiel is unable to do so. This is the critical moment. Ezekiel needs to do something he cannot do on his own strength. I faced this task two weeks ago and many of us faced it as we watched Gustav head this way.

But we are not without hope. When Ezekiel could not get up, "the Spirit entered [him] and set [him] on [his] feet." Then, the Spirit enabled him to continue standing before God for as long as he needed. When a man or woman of God has reached his or her limit, God steps in and allows us to stand.

Ike appears to grow more of a threat to us at each passing day. Again, I don't want to leave. Not only do I have Katrina in my experience, but the evacuation for Gustav was a nightmare. My emotions are running on high gear right now. I will not fall apart, but I am not at perfect peace either. Thankfully, my God understands this as well.

In chapters 2 and 3, God warns Ezekiel not to fear, not to rebel, and not to fall into discouragement. God knows that some of the situations we face will appear insurmountable. I recognize these emotions in myself. I see the fear in my, "What's going to happen to our life?" I see the rebellion in my, "I don't want to go through this again." And I see the discouragement in my, "Will it always be like this?"

Ezekiel did not want to do what God told him to do. He was bitter and angry and made no move to obey for seven days. But God had told Ezekiel that He would strengthen him, and at the end of those seven days, God laid out the consequences of not obeying. Apparently, this changed Ezekiel's mind and he submitted. Scripture doesn't say this explicitly, but at this point God moves forward with His plan with no apparent objection from Ezekiel.

So, what does this mean for us? While Ezekiel sulked, he accomplished nothing. He sat in his misery. And aren't we like the proverbial "deer in the headlights" while we fight against God? Even my own, "I don't want to go through this again," leaves me not wanting to do anything else. But what did God say? Do not fear, do not rebel, and do not fall into discouragement.

If we accept God's will and submit to Him, He will strengthen us and provide for us. After Ezekiel submitted, God told him, "But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth (after being mute) and you will say..." God promised to give Ezekiel a message and enable him to speak it.

We don't have to dread the future. God will lift us up and take us where we need to go. He will strengthen our limbs and give us words to speak. He will give us courage and help us persevere if we will only welcome Him to do so. And remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:20, "I am with you always (all the days), to the end of the age."

For the more detailed outline of this study, with Bible verses, click here.

It worked!

Okay, if we do stay. I will put updates on this site as I am able to do so. As of right now, we have no plans to leave. That may change tonight. If I leave, I will post that too.

update test

This message is to see if i can update this blog from my phone .

Gustav

I was reading the blogs of some of my friends who lost much during Katrina. I wish that I could give everyone peace during this thing; a peace I don't even have myself. I didn't lose my house. I got minor damage. But I did lose my childhood homes, my grandparents houses. The things that meant "home" to me no longer exist. And as Gustav approaches, I feel anxiety for this area. How can I forget all the pain Katrina brought? Broken marriages, suicides, depression, deaths.

As I look toward this hurricane, I can't even imagine what waits for us on the other side of it. We are staying. Because our house suffered minimal damage during Katrina, and we are well prepared, we are going to ride it out. Is that naive? I don't know.

But here we are, and unless this looks like it will strengthen more than it shows now, here we will stay. So, if you would like us to check on your stuff, just let me know.

I will try to give updates, if possible. I think there is a way to text updates, either to this or to myspace. If I can, I will do that. In the meantime, please pray for us. And I will be praying for everyone and for this area. And for the peace that passes all understanding for us all. I have written something on Ezekiel. I will post that shortly. Maybe it will give us all a little encouragement.

By the way, my myspace page is this watering the vine

To My Sisters Who Were at the Wednesday Night Bible Study

Let me tell you about the dream I had last night:

I was riding home with a man I knew casually (not a person I know in real life). My husband and children were gone, absent from my life for some unknown reason. We were heading towards my new home; an apartment I had rented with my mother. When we reached my complex, he walked me into the lobby area, but I couldn't remember quite which apartment was ours.

I called my mother's phone number on my cell phone. As I waited for the phone to ring, I saw new folders being opened on my PDA phone and realized that someone was trying to hack into my files. I immediately began to shut down my phone, relieved that I was able to stop their progress.

Upon noticing my excitement, the man I was with grabbed my arm and an older man nearby came toward me. They said they belonged to the group that had tried to hack my phone and they were taking me away. I did not fight.

As they began to lead me toward the exit, the older man produced a thin metal tube about a foot long and calmly said that he hated having to do this to a pretty young woman. He then turned my wrist palm up and proceeded to insert the needle just underneath the skin almost all the way up my forearm. I watched as the blood began to pool under my skin and bruise the area around the needle.

The next thing I remember is becoming aware that my hands and feet were strapped to a chair where I sat under a light in a dark room surrounded by darkly clothed men with indistinct faces. I vaguely heard one of them say something about how long "it" would take.

The needle was still in my arm, which was beginning to feel cold.

I couldn't speak, or had nothing to say, feeling trapped inside my body, relaxed, and drowsy. I could hear my heart beating distinctly, loudly, slowly, and slowing. I kept thinking to myself, "God will not let me die!" "God will not let me die!" But yet my heart beat more slowly and faintly and my arm grew colder... until at last I heard silence.

Then I woke up...

Ladies, we have an enemy. The words of Peter speak to us now about this. "Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your brothers in the world." (1 Peter 5:8-9) The same sufferings are being experienced by us all. I knew after I woke up and talked about my dream to my husband that I needed to tell you as well. I knew I had to take the advice I gave to Connie and not keep this to myself.

Satan will not just try to intimidate one of us... he wants to intimidate us all. He will do what he can to shut down each of us AND our loved ones if he can.

I mentioned at the beginning that my husband and children were not in my dream. No, they were in my husband's dream. The same night that I dreamt of being bound to a chair, he dreamt of being bound to a chair. Enemies tied him up and threatened to force him to watch them torture our children unless he renounced Christ. My husband would not renounce our Lord, but said that he knew his children would be in heaven upon death. The torture of our children then began and he was forced to watch it until he woke up in a nervous sweat.

But we are not powerless before our enemy. "Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7) Satan will try to scare us, trick us, tempt us, and cripple us using any means he can, including our most vulnerable loved ones, because he has no honor. There is no good in him.

He doesn't want us to continue what we started this Wednesday past. He wants to bind us, but we can resist him. Jesus told Peter, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19) What does a key do but open a door and, in this case, let something out. Peter was our forerunner and we are the heirs of this promise. God is not our errand-boy. He will not honor petty requests. But he certainly does not wish for Satan to bind any of his children.

So when Satan targets us, let us call out like the archangel Michael did, "The Lord rebuke you!," when he was disputing with the Devil (Jude v.9). And let us furthermore ask that same Lord to bind Satan from his working in our lives, that the power of the Holy Spirit may flow freely through us to others.

May we also pray for each other that we may be strong in the faith and pure of heart, so that Satan doesn't have the opportunity to trap us. Paul writes to Timothy, "Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But reject foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they breed quarrels. The Lord's slave must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance to know the truth. Then they may come to their senses and escape the Devil's trap, having been captured by him to do his will." (2 Timothy 2:22-26)

So, I ask you to join me in following Paul's advice, "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable- if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise- dwell on these things. Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen... and the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:8-9) So that when you wake up in the morning and set your feet on the floor, Satan will cry, "Oh no! She is awake!"

This Summer

I guess I need to clarify my last entry. Several things have come together to make this me feel this way. My mood has been influenced partly by my circumstances, partly by my actions, and partly by my nature. So, I'll explain these each in turn.

For the past few years, life has been challenging. We have a good sized family and business to run... and that takes much energy. Things are on the upswing, but we have years of damage to repair (financially, primarily) and the going is slow. So sometimes the strain of our circumstances weighs me down.

...And this is where my actions come in. This past year was extremely busy and so I've been trying to take it easy this summer. To this effect, I haven't been doing my daily Bible study. Without my daily dose of God's refreshing Word, and His perspective on life, I fall much more easily into shortsightedness and "the wind and the waves" of life's troubles begin push me around.

My nature assists this process. I am always concerned about my tendency toward pride. Whenever I see the temptation to pride, I begin to back off and back down. But I am probably in no real danger of becoming too prideful for this reason; I am much too aware of my faults. Ever since I was a little girl, I've been incredibly aware that I'm not "all I'm cracked up to be." I've never measured up and will never measure up to whatever standard I set for myself. This is why I can write the kind of poem posted in my previous entry.

God has given me to know that my time and efforts for the advancement of His kingdom are not gone to waste. He made it clear that, "You are My slave and I would not waste your time." However, I know what I'm like when all eyes are off of me. Oh, what tales my kids (and husband and mother) could tell... and they don't know what I'm thinking!

I guess this is a type of a "thorn in my side," as Paul called it. And I thank God that He built something into my nature to keep me somewhat humble... what a monster I would be without it. However, when I give it full rein it takes me to a terrible place... and lazy, undisciplined, "vacation from school" summer is just what it needed to take over.

God's Word keeps me sane. It is just what I need to get me back on track. I've been indulging what I shouldn't and the you've seen the results of it. The poem is accurate. That is the cry of my heart. I can't say as to how accurate a picture it is of the reality of my life. But my hope is that when I die, I die able to say that I've made a difference (for the better) in the lives of others... and the more the better.

So, I guess I'm asking you all (or you "one" or whoever reads this) to not take me too seriously in this one instance. You've just seen one of the sides of my personality that I thought I'd risk to show you.

...And thanks for the support.

Poetry?

One Friday recently, I was sitting at a restaurant waiting for a table with a very heavy heart. It was one of Steve and my date nights, but the spirit of this summer was weighing heavily on me. Summer is usually a time spent getting over the last school year and getting ready for the next one; with all the nostalgia, boredom, anticipation, and occasional fun that accompanies it. This summer has seen me feeling heavy-hearted. Much has happened in this past year and I have been greatly changed by it. Some of what passed I regret and I have much to be grateful for. But this interim between school years finds me with a deep need for real beauty. Art, poetry, music... And this is what flowed out of my heart that heavy Friday night...

Uninspired I sit imprisoned,
Longing for something I cannot have.
Oh, to create a thing of beauty,
The beautiful hymn of a life.

Why can I not reach up and grasp,
What many others have since laid down?
And watch it bloom within my hands,
And spread it's petals to the wind.

To have the pouring out from me,
Water another human soul.
To have a dream to pass along,
And inspire dreams in another heart.

Let me not be contained!
But open me up,
Spread me around the world,
Till I no longer exist.

This is my dream.
This is my desire.
Make my life a beautiful thing,
Fill me up and pour me out.

Let this vessel of clay,
Be Your golden chalice.

And nourish those
Who come to You,

With the water,
You've turned into wine.

The Meaning of Worship

I am currently reading a book called "The Names of God" by Lester Sumrall in preparation (or rather anticipation) of doing a study on the names of God. While reading what he wrote about the name Elohim, I got a clearer vision of what worship is. I've often wondered why we worship the way we do and why it matters. And, to be honest, I've wondered about the necessity of worshipping in song, prayer, etc. on Sunday morning. I've always understood the purpose of spreading the Word, but why the worship? Lester Sumrall doesn't address this, but I'd like to share what I discovered.

On p. 52 of his book, Lester Sumrall writes, "the name elohim basically means 'something (or someone) that is worshipped.' The elohim were the things most revered and honored by ancient man." For clarification, Elohim is a name of God as well; He is the "One that is worshipped." But as I read this I began to think about the word elohim and us today. But before I get there, Mr. Sumrall points out something else on p.52: "Our modern word worship comes from the Old English word, weorthscipe, meaning 'to attribute worth' to something. That's what the pagan people did to their elohim; they believed idols had great power to influence their everyday lives."

When I combined the definitions for worship and elohim, I saw that the thing that we worship is the thing that we think has worth. Conversely, the thing that we think has worth is the thing we worship. I had often wondered how the hand-carved idol of the ancients had transformed into the modern day "idols" of money, career, beauty, etc. I mean, how did the word become applied to something more abstract in present-day terms whereas the idols of the Old Testament and New were clearly physical representations of some "god" or other. Now, this makes more sense.

Our business has gone through some tough times lately and not too many months ago, I had to come to terms with the very real possibility that we might lose everything, including our house. I began to take a good look at what our house and our possessions and our business really meant to me. I had to make the shift in my mind from "doing everything to keep them" to "being willing to give them up." It was upon coming to the realization that if we were reduced to nothing, with only our family and the clothes on our backs, we would still be blessed and God would still provide for us, that I realized the worth I had given all the things around me.

In other words, if we expect our work to provide for us, then we've given it worth over the God who provides. If we expect beauty or accomplishments to make us important to others, then we give them value over the God who gives us worth. If we expect our careers or activities to fulfill us and give meaning to our lives, then we give them worth over the God who fills us and gives our lives meaning. If we expect our home to protect us, our money to feed us and give us pleasure, our children to validate us, our entertainment to make us happy, etc., then we give all of these things a worth that should be given only to God. He is our "all in all." (Couples, are you paying attention? Spouses and lovers count here, too.)

I look around at my house, my children, and the beauty and bounty God has placed around me with new perspective. God wants us to enjoy everything He has given us; He wants that our "joy may be made full. (John 15:11)" I think He delights when we take pleasure in what He puts in our lives. Like a parent watching their child open presents on Christmas, I believe it gives Him joy when we appreciate what we have. The problem originates when we give the the things we enjoy a value they were never meant to have.

But what does this have to do with Sunday morning worship? I'm glad you asked. If the thing we worship is the thing we say has worth, then when we come together on Sunday morning to worship the One True God, we publicly and corporately proclaim His value. When we gather together to sing the songs and lift our hands and voices in praise, we are telling the world and each other that on this Sunday morning our God means something to us.

I am not an overly demonstrative person and I usually feel awkward to lift my hands in front of other people. But this past Sunday, I unhesitatingly declared that my God is the only One who has true worth and value. This realization I had of what it means to worship has given my Sunday morning more meaning. My prayer is that it does the same for some of you.

As a side note, the Hebrew word for worship means to bow down or prostrate oneself. It is the physical act of lowering oneself before the greatness of God. (Doesn't it make lifting the hands seem rather innocuous?)But the message is the same: God is worthy. Amen.

An immature generation

I created this blog to post in written form some work that I had done for devotional purposes. I kind of figured that if I had put that much work into research, then I would like a record of what I had done. Besides, I wanted to share what I had learned with some people who were unable to be physically present at the time. So "Watering the Vine" was created. But now that it exists, I haven't been sure what to do with it. I think I'm beginning to realize that what I have to teach doesn't mean as much when you separate it from who I am. I had originally thought that this shouldn't be about me like a personal journal, and I still think that, but I think it might be better if I somehow merge the two. So, with that in mind, I'm going to kind of merge the two. Not only will I post some research-type stuff, but also some musings and opinions. Like this...

God has brought people into my life that have helped me to see that we live in a very immature generation. By people, I mean friends, teachers, and authors. I have been reading a book (slowly for a long time now) about the Puritans. The author who wrote the intro said that the greatest thing we could borrow from the Puritans is their maturity. They were an extremely mature group of people. I'm not going to attempt to prove that here (though he demonstrates that in the book), but what makes their maturity even more remarkable is that life expectancy for the average Puritans was in the 30s (if I remember correctly). This was a group of young adults with great maturity. So, what makes us immature? Well, I'm going to get there.

My Senior year at Tulane, we had a visiting professor in the French department. Her name is Fatima Mernissi. She is a Muslim professor, author, and activist from Morocco. The class she taught was as much a laboratory for her as an education for us. While she examined our attitudes toward the Muslim harem, we learned about her world. I'll never forget her perspective on the western world. She saw in us an obsession with what she called "Beauty Babies" or something like that. In other words, westerners' ideals of beauty were often dolled up teenage girls. While television stars in Morocco were often middle-aged and carrying some weight, ours were starving and striving to look young.

As I'm approaching middle age myself (in my early 30s), Dr. Mernissi's ideas and those of others I've known and read have begun germinate in my mind. In our culture, grown women make incredibly expensive efforts to look like young girls. We mold our bodies, faces, and minds into the form of immaturity. Wisdom is not highly valued in our culture. Wildness, recklessness, rebellion, and a spirit of adventure... those things are valued. These are not mature qualities. This is not the fruit of wisdom. Wisdom is not valued.

So we have the elevation of children in society and the devaluation of age and experience... the devaluation of parents. We see this in our art. Television shows, movies, music all portray parents as "out of the loop" and out of touch with reality. Of course children are disrepectful when adults are visualized as buffoons. But really, if adult society is trying to imitate childhood, then how should our children view us? If we ourselves don't respect maturity, should our children respect us, the mature?

What is harmless doesn't stay harmless and the superficial bleeds into the substantial. Or maybe the quest for youth was never superficial to begin with. But the results of the growing immaturity of our culture are fast becoming dangerous. Take for example the UN Treaty on the Rights of the Child. As it is written, parental discipline and guidance could be considered violations of the rights of the child. Computer software that blocks objectional material could be considered a violation of the right of the child to free access to information. Or take into consideration the attempts to criminalize disciplinary spanking. Or the attempts by some to treat religious teaching as child abuse (Richard Dawkins, Nicholas Humphrey, etc.). Parental experience, wisdom, care and guidance are treated as contemptible by some in this day.

But what does this have to do with maturity? We all recognize that the western way of life is unhealthy. The goal of many of our adults is to be childlike. The western way is often to live out childhood fantasies with adult freedom and resources. The response of some minds to this phenomenon is to take control of the children away from the parents. If parents abdicate their responsibilities, then those who care will step in... and step on toes if necessary.

So what do we do? I don't know that there is an easy answer to the question, "How do we begin to value maturity and wisdom?" I think that first we have to take a good, hard look at ourselves. In order to value maturity, we first need to know what it looks like. Then we need to decide whether or not we look like it. And if we don't... and if we're in a western culture, we may not... then we need to make the conscious decision to change what we value and to act according to what we've decided is a mature value system.

Not easy, is it? Values and behavior don't just change in a day. Cultural values and behavior may not change for generations. But if we don't start, then who will? And what kind of world will our children face? Our grandchildren?

The Bible says that, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." In my life, I've been a fool and I've been wise. But the foolishness came from me and the wisdom from God. My prayer is that we become a wise nation once more, as in the days of our founding fathers. In the meantime, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Can We Have Peace in the Midst of a Storm? (Part 3 of 3)

Now we get to the heart of the matter. I didn't go searching for a way to have peace in a storm. I just knew I needed peace and didn't have it. God took the initiative and taught me about peace with a surprising passage.

The story is told in the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Each recounting of the events contains slightly different details and when the different accounts are combined, a richer picture comes into focus. For this reason, I am presenting you with the combined stories of Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25:

One day, when evening had come, [Jesus] told [his disciples], "Let's cross over to the other side of the lake." As He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. So they left the crowd and took Him along since He was in the boat. And the other boats were with Him. And as they were sailing He fell asleep. Suddenly, a violent storm arose and came down on the sea, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped and [they] were in danger. But He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So the disciples came and woke Him up, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to die!" "Master! Master! We're going to die!" and "Teacher! Don't you care we're going to die?" But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, you of little faith?" Then He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and said to the sea, "Silence! Be still!" and the wind ceased and there was a great calm. Then He said to them, "Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?" And they were terrified and amazed, saying to one another, "Who can this be? He commands even the winds and the waves and they obey Him!"

As they set sail, Jesus fell asleep in the storm, (the pilot's place, no less) and didn't wake up until His disciples came to wake Him. Now, that doesn't really seem so odd, and you might be tempted to gloss over the fact that He was sleeping through the storm, but let's take a good look at it. The Gospels tell us that the waves were breaking over the boat, the boat was being swamped, and they were in danger. Undoubtedly, the boat was being tossed about. I can just picture His body being jerked back and forth with the tossing of the boat. Since the waves were breaking over the boat, anyone who has spent some time on the water will recognize that this means there was spray coming from the waves. The Gospels also say that the boat was being swamped. The original Greek word here means "covered." Most likely, He was getting soaked; soaked and jerked around. Yet He slept. What kind of sleep was this?

For the sake of argument, I'll call this "intentional" sleeping. For this moment, Jesus needed to be unavailable. His body was a human body and got tired in the same way ours does. Surely, He physically needed the rest. But in this instance, His rest served an additional purpose. Isaiah 45:15 tells us, "Yes, You are a God who hides Himself, God of Israel, Savior." And in a sense, this is what Jesus did. But in case you are concerned that God really is sleeping and unaware during your trial, Psalm 121:3-4 assures us that "Your Protector will not slumber. Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep." That leads us to Point Number 1: If Jesus is in the boat, you have nothing to fear.

But the disciples did fear. These men were used to fishing on this sea, yet they were very afraid. What was scaring them? I think that question is best answered by looking at Jesus' response. "Then He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and said to the sea, 'Silence! Be still!' and the wind ceased and there was a great calm." Jesus' emphasis here is on quiet. In Greek and Hebrew, the word for "wind" is strongly associated with "spirit" or "mind" (they are often the same word). The word for "still" means "to muzzle" and the word for "ceased" means "to grow weary or tired, to cease from violence, or to cease raging." Without being tedious, I'd like to suggest what He might say for each of us today based upon that passage: "then He got up and rebuked the spirits and minds, and said to the voices, "Stop speaking! Be muzzled!" and the minds and spirits grew weary and ceased raging from violence." This possibility leads us to Point Number 2: Since there is no real danger, it's the noise of the storm that is scaring you.

There are three points to this message and I've already shared the first two. The third point is the last ditch effort. If you can't find peace with the realization that 1) there is nothing to fear, and 2) the noise of the storm is what's frightening you, the our Point Number 3 is to do what the disciples did: Cry out to Jesus!

Each of the recorded disciples cried out their own plea and what did He say? He said, "Why are you fearful, you of little faith?" Here He points out that they had no real reason to fear. He could have gone back to sleep, but He didn't. Because He loved them and to demonstrate His power, He honored their pleas. He will also honor ours. James 1:6 says, "But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind."

And isn't that how we are sometimes, "driven and tossed by the wind." But God honors our requests for peace because He loves us. Listen to what God says to us in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." King David understood God's love for us well and He wrote about it in Psalm 56:8-9, "You Yourself have recorded my wanderings. Put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your records? Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call. This I know: God is for me." Indeed, God is for His children. And don't limit you enemies to physical human opponents. We have more "enemies" than that.

Let us close with a quick recap. When life is hard and you feel helpless in the midst of a fierce storm, remember these three things: #1 If Jesus is with you, no matter what happens around you, you are safe, #2 you are safe, so don't let the sights and sounds of the storm scare you, and #3 if you cannot conquer your fear, then cry out to Jesus. But there is one disclaimer. This is only true if Jesus is with you, and Jesus is not with you unless you are with Him. But be comforted, because God says in Jeremiah 29:12-13, "You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." May you find in Him the peace that passes all understanding and may His joy be in you and your joy be complete.

Can We Have Peace In The Midst Of A Storm? (Part 2 of 3)

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all include an account of Jesus getting into a boat with His disciples and falling asleep just before a storm rises up. The disciples eventually wake Jesus up and Jesus calms the storm. In part 3, this passage will give us great insight into having peace during the storms of life. But before we get there, I’d like to look at why He allows the storm in the first place. If He could calm it with a few words, He could certainly have prevented it. But He chose to have His disciples face the storm. Why? We won’t know for sure until we see Him face to face, but we can take a guess by looking at how God used testing in other situations.

Earlier that day, Jesus had been teaching the crowds, “Again He began to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around Him. So He got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was on the shore facing the sea. He taught them many things in parables...” (Mark 4:1-2) But at times, He separated His disciples and “Privately… He would explain everything to [them].” (Mark 4:34) The storm came after this day of teaching. Why might this testing have followed His teaching? Scripture suggests to us an answer.

God tests His people for many reasons. In Deuteronomy 8:16, Moses told the Israelites “He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper.” And Solomon says to himself in Ecclesiastes 3:18, “This happens concerning people, so that God may test them and they may see for themselves that they are like animals.” Scripture lists other reasons for testing, but God’s most common purpose seems to be to determine if we will obey what He has taught us. Exodus 16:4 describes such a time of testing; the Lord told Moses, “This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.” We may not know exactly why God tests us. His But one thing the Bible assures us of is that, “all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.”

We cannot know God unless we learn about Him, and we learn about Him through His word (Romans 10:17). But that knowledge is useless and empty unless we live out what we learn. Can you think of someone who has spent years in church, but doesn’t demonstrate true faith? Life would be wonderful if just hearing the Word changed us and we never needed testing. But that is not the case. As human beings, we hold on to our habits and we often require practice to learn to respond in new ways. Sometimes, we refuse. Paul warns against this in 2 Timothy 3:1-9. Please forgive the length of this, but I think this entire passage is important to quote:

“But know this: difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of religion but denying its power. Avoid these people! For among them are those who worm their way into households and capture idle women burdened down with sins, led along by a variety of passions, always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, men who are corrupt in mind, worthless in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress, for their lack of understanding will be clear to all, as theirs was also.”

Look at what Paul says about these people, “holding to a form of religion but denying its power,” “always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of truth,” “these resist the truth,” and, “they will not make further progress.” Paul is talking about church-goers. Why will they not make further progress? They resist the truth. We know they hear it because Paul says that they are always learning. They may even actively study, but they deny its power. I would love to know the full range of what Paul meant with that phrase, but I suspect that in sum it means they failed their tests. When it came to practice, I bet these men acted without faith.

Contrast them with Abraham, the man who is held up as an example of faithfulness. “Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called God’s friend.” (James 2:20-23) The word translated here “perfected” means “to carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end.” A faith that has not been tested is only theoretical. When God tests our faith, He makes us use it. We can theorize about what we will do in any given situation, but what we actually do in that situation reflects where our confidence lies. The question God wants to know and to show us is, “Does our confidence lie in Him?”

Thankfully, we don’t have to pass the test on the first try. I’d like to close Part 2 with a quote from Paul and one from James on the repetitive nature of trials and their purpose. Paul tells the Romans (5:3-4), “we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.” Endurance doesn’t happen with one test. It happens over time. James encourages us with this thought, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:3-5) Trials do serve a valuable purpose, one that ends with us being complete. Hallelujah!

But there is great news! God doesn’t want us to suffer through trials! He wants us to have peace! In Part 3, we will look at how to have that peace. Faith is not blind. Faith requires us to look at all available options and to choose the best one! I pray that we all learn how.

Can We Have Peace in the Midst of a Storm (Part 1 of 3)

As I began to write this down, I realized that it would be too long in its written form for one reading. So, I have separated it into 3 parts. Part 1 explains what peace should look like. Part 2 explores the purpose and importance of the storms in our life. Part 3 examines the Bible for insight into how to find that peace. I hope you enjoy (and are able to find peace).

“I know growth is a process and that rapid growth comes with great pains. I just pray that God will grant me endurance. I hate being so emotional, almost schizophrenic in my dealings with our situation; one day I am at peace, the next I am in pieces.”
-July 19, 2005

As I began to examine the question of whether or not we can have peace during a storm of life, I realized that I didn’t have a clear understanding of what peace should look like. How can I find a path to peace if I if I don’t really know what I am looking for? So I decided to first get a clear picture of peace and then continue my search from there.

I consulted the American Heritage Dictionary to get a basic definition of peace. This dictionary tells us that there are essentially two types of peace; I’ll call them interpersonal peace and internal peace. Or, in the dictionary’s words, “freedom from quarrels and disagreement; harmonious relations” and “inner contentment; serenity.” Peace should include inner contentment and serenity, but those descriptions seemed lacking to me, passive, and somewhat empty. So I consulted the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary and I found something richer.

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The HIBD describes peace as “a condition or sense of harmony, well-being and prosperity. The biblical concept means more than the absence of hostility, and it is more than a psychological state. The Hebrew word shalom and its derivatives were not a negative or passive concept but involved wholeness and completeness.” Hebrew peace is full and active. The peace that God desires us to have does not involve resigning yourself to your miserable circumstances. God’s peace brings life into your situation. “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” (John 1:4)

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Perhaps the Godly nature of peace between people better illustrates this principle. The HIBD further defines peace as “[referring] to completing or repairing a relationship. A bilateral ‘treaty of peace’ would mean that both parties promised to refrain from hostilities against the other and furthermore [to]… seek the other’s welfare.” Where human peace stops, Godly peace moves on. It is not acceptable to simply eliminate strife and misery, His peace promotes health and happiness.

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So what should a Christian look for as he or she searches for peace? The HIBD says, “God’s ‘covenant of peace’ with His people would involve the assurance of an enduring relationship with the One who is our peace and a pledge to protect their welfare and to abundantly bless them by His divine grace, wisdom, and power.” Do you have a sense of harmony, well-being and prosperity? Do you feel whole and complete? Do you feel safe and abundantly blessed?

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If you answered “no” to any of these, then please continue on with me to the conclusion of this search. God offers this kind of peace to us: to me and to you. Anyone who enters into the covenant relationship offered by Jesus can have this, for as Jesus says in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.” Jesus would not command us saying, “Your heart must not be troubled or fearful,” if such a thing were not possible. You can have this peace He offers, yes, even in the storms. For it is in the storms of life that your heart would most likely be troubled and fearful, and it is there in the storms that we most need His peace.