Another Year, Another Halloween

Some of you have been reading my blog for awhile and it is no secret that Halloween is not my favorite day. There is so much focus on death and gore.  The elements of darkness are everywhere.  I watch as many fellow church members dress up as witches, vampires, even satan himself!  I cringe.  There are so many costume alternatives so why would those that love God dress up in things that are totally against God?  A vampire is actually repelled by the cross!  So every year I struggle with this day.  But this year I made a decision to try and look at it differently.  First of all, I ran the popcorn machine at our Fall Festival.  Yes there were 3 witches and 1 girl dressed as satan, that I served popcorn to but there was 100 other children that were just cute.  I have to confess that I don't understand when churches have "safe" alternatives for children, like Fall Festivals or Trunk or Treats, why they don't actually have them on Halloween?  Do children really need two different days of gathering loads of candy?  Perhaps when we do that we could encourage the children to enjoy gathering the candy but then donating it to the Troops or something?

Okay, so on to today.  A couple of years ago I read a great article (I wish I could remember who to give credit to) about using Halloween as an outreach.  Being intentional about being a light on a dark night.  I remember in particular the idea about ministering to parents, with bottles of water or the like.  Actually sitting out on your porch where you could visit with neighbors.  It is the one day of the year the my neighbors will actually come to my house.  So this year I decided that is what I would do.  Unfortunately, it was too cold and windy to stay on the porch (I lasted 5 minutes).  But I left my front door open so it would be obvious I was receiving guests.  To the children's candy I attached a mini book called the pumpkin prayer that I found here http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/files/Minibooks/PumpkinPrayer.pdf, and for the adults I went to Costco and bought big Twix and attached this prayer to their candy bar.  "Tonight is all about kids, but we wanted to let you as a parent know that we are praying for you!  It takes a lot of wisdom to raise children to be good, responsible  individuals these days.  James 1:5 (in the Bible) states if anyone lacks wisdom, that he can ask God, who gives to all generously.  May the Lord bless you with all you need to train your child in the right ways.  May the Lord bless your family with health and happiness.  As your neighbors, if there are ever any specific prayer requests you would like us to offer on your behalf, just email us at lynnleaming@gmail.com and we will be glad to do that.  May the Lord bless you and your children with a safe night tonight!" 

 

Many of the parents thanked me for thinking of them.  I was able to tell children, "take this to your parent since they were so good to bring you out Trick or Treating."  The other thing parents appreciated was me asking if their child had peanut allergies since we were passing out Pnut M&M's (we also had Twizzlers).

Amazingly, not one child did.

Bottom line.  I really enjoyed tonight.  And amazingly, not one witch or vampire or satan came to my door.  Yes I did have a couple of grim reapers, but I also had a nun :-)

So hopefully I will hear from some parents and have the blessing of praying for them in the future.  Next year I have decided I will hand out hot chocolate.  Halloween tends to be on the cold side in Colorado :-)

My Journey With 1,000 Gifts

This summer I was in a Women's Bible Study where we used Ann Voskamp's book, 1,000 Gifts to learn more about what it might mean to live lives that are reflective of "giving thanks in All things". I don't know how many Bible studies I have done over the years, but this study by far challenged me and transformed me more than any other.




Let me start by going back a few years, probably about 5. I have a friend, Karla, who often gets messages from God, because she spends a great deal of time listening to Him. We were at a Ladies Retreat which was a silent retreat, where for most of the time, we all spent time with the Lord by ourselves and then we we come back into a large group and describe what that experience was like and if we wanted to what God spoke to us. That day, Karla was given several names for different women and she told me that the Lord told her my name is "Joy". I found this very surprising because one of the things I constantly have to fight in my flesh is a critical spirit. I am definitely more of a glass "half empty" type of personality. But since that time I have often thought about the message from Karla. Later she gave me a Christmas ornament with Joy engraved on it, and it hangs from a lamp near my chair as a constant reminder.




All the while, the Holy Spirit has put the desire on my heart to be less critical and more joyful. Small steps. Then I had a friend here in the Springs tell me about 1,000 gifts and how much it changed her life. I had not read the book, but just stepped out in faith that it would make a good Wednesday Night study for our ladies.

Ann Voskamp is a mother of six and she and her husband are pig farmers (600 pigs + babies) in Canada. She starts out the book telling the story of when she was 4 years old, her 18 month old sister was crushed on the road in front of their farm by a delivery truck, who did not see her. She shares the effects that event had on her and her family. Ann's mother ended up in an institution for a time and Ann had times of cutting herself, to becoming an Agoraphobic. Several years ago a friend challenged her to find 1,000 things to be thankful for. She began to blog as a way to keep herself accountable for counting and somewhere along that journey, 2 editors came across her blog and offered her a book deal.




What is it about the book that changed me? Well, that will be what I blogging about for a couple of posts.

There are two scriptures that Ann brings to our attention, I Thessalonians 5:18-"In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you", and Philippians 4:4-"Rejoice in the Lord, always, again I say rejoice." I think the two words in those verses that everyone balks at are "everything" and "always". How is it possible to give thanks in everything, or as other versions say ALL things? And how can we always rejoice? And even if we could why would we rejoice in death, or in a cancer diagnosis or a DWI accident that leaves you in a coma for three weeks and rehab for 2 years OR______________ (you fill in the blank)?




It is our choice. In another book I just finished, Choose Joy by Kay Warren, Kay agrees with Ann that we have the choice whether we will be thankful or not. If we are not joyful in a situation, it is because we chose not to choose joy. Is that possible? I beginning to believe it is, but like anything else that I find difficult, it requires discipline, which I am usually in short supply of. But I think that Colossians 3:2 holds the key, "set your mind on things above". Whenever I am feeling down or having a pity party, it is usually because I am focused on myself, definitely not on God. I also find comfort in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18-"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." The best way for me to choose joy is to have an eternal perspective.


On my next post I will describe how I am in the process of developing that eternal perspective.

Is The Church About Me?

James 1:27


"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."





Lately there have been a lot of blog posts and Facebook status' on why younger people are leaving the church. One article will say we need better media, another article will say we need to use women more in leadership roles, another states that millennials are more interested in social justice and authenticity, or if the church just showed more compassion toward the homosexual, lesbian, and transgenders, our churches would be overflowing with young people.






Finding fault with the church is not new. Citing what the church is not doing correctly is not new. Every generation has wanted to change something about the church. But why is it now that the church is declining? In my opinion, and this is just my opinion, it is because we have become more and more a "what about me?" society. I have the right to have my needs met, and I am not really concerned about your needs. When you look at our grandparents, they were a part of a generation that needed each other to survive. Families lived close in proximity to each other and helped each other out. My success did not really matter if you weren't also succeeding. There were shared resources. They did not live by the motto "how much can I get" but "how less can I get by on". Today the prevailing thought is "I deserve". I want it and I want it now is the outcry. How many of us drive a car that is more than five years old? They can't create a new IPhone fast enough to replace the one I just got a couple of months ago. Look at the size of televisions. No longer are Big Screen TV's enough but there must be media rooms with sub woofers and 3D television to satisfy. You get my point. I could go on and on.






So what does this all have to do with church? Basically, what I am reading about why so many are leaving the church has the underlying message of "if church isn't what I think it should be then I just don't need to go." After all, I can worship God anywhere and the church is full of hypocrites, so God understands why I don't go. The problem is, by it's very design, church was never meant to be about "me". The church has always been about Jesus. Once again, it is just my opinion, but the questions I think we should be asking is how can you and I serve Jesus together? "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet." John 13:14 What can I do to help you know Jesus better and how can you help me draw closer to Him? How can we be the church that Jesus told us to be and cause the community to be drawn to us because we are known by our love? "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35






Going back to the James 1:27 verse I posted at the beginning of this blog post, what are the things that God says make up religion? Taking care of the widows and orphans and keeping ourselves unstained from the world. How am I doing in that arena? How about you? How do those things have anything to do with whether I as as a woman am empowered and allowed to serve communion or read a scripture, pray,etc.? It isn't the LGBT population that should be getting my attention but the widows and orphans. Don't misunderstand me, I think the church definitely needs to create a loving and safe place for all sinners, but when is the last time I visited one of my elderly brothers or sisters and asked them what they needed? How does what God is asking me to do have anything to do with whether I like to sing traditional hymns or modern worship songs?






What if we took Romans 12:10 to heart? " Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." Would the conversation go something like this? "What can I do for you?" "Oh please, the important question is, what can I do for you?" "No, no, I insist please let me serve you"..... If I am trying to outdo you in showing honor how is there room for "me"?






So when I read a post from someone about why they have given up on church or what is wrong with church, etc. I don't know what to do but pray for them. I pray that God will speak Truth into their hearts and they will see that God wants us to encourage one another, not tear the church down. I Thessalonians 5:10-11 "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up..." I don't stay away from church because my needs are not being met, I come beside you and do whatever it takes to build you up and encourage you. We serve together, side by side. Who get's the glory? God does, not you, not me. Perhaps, you will say that I am an idealist. Maybe so. But since it is all about God and not about me, I will trust that He will equip me to do what He has asked me to do. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."






Do we have any idea at how many Christians are dying every day for their faith? All the while those of us that live in the freest country in the world, sit and squabble about things that don't even make a kingdom difference. Do we really think God is up in heaven concerned about who leads a prayer versus who is advocating to bring an end to human trafficking? Perhaps we should reread Matthew 25:34-46 "Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’


“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’


“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”






And I cry out "Lord, forgive us. Lord, forgive ME"

24 Years And Counting

Steve surprised me with a trip on the Royal Gorge Route for the celebration of our 24th Wedding Anniversary.  We started out the day eating breakfast out at Mimi's with my favorite French Toast Brioche.  Steve did a great job planning this special day.  When we reached Canyon City, I kind of figured we might be going to the Royal Gorge.  I didn't know it was still closed because of the Fires in July.  It was sad seeing so much of the burned forest.

We then got to ride in the Vista Dome of the train with a great view of the Arkansas River.

Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling up to par and about half way through the train ride, I got sick to my stomach, but fortunately had come prepared for possible motion sickness.  As it turns out I don't think I actually had  motion sickness but an actual stomach bug of some kind.  Which unfortunately spoiled our dinner on the train and our dinner plans later.  But as usual my Steve was a really trooper and was just mostly concerned about me.  

 Because of the fires, we couldn't actually go to the bridge, but I got this cool picture from the train.
There were some great rapids and we saw a loft of rafters coming down the river.  Definitely on my bucket list!!

 I felt bad I dampened our fun, but this sweet man planned the perfect day.  With a great ending!  He got us tickets to go see Celtic Thunder in October!  I can't wait!!

It is such a blessing to be married to a man that makes 24 years of marriage seem like 1.  The years have gone by so quickly!!  I love him more than I ever thought possible and am so thankful that God picked him just for me!  He is such a wonderful husband and takes such good care of me!  So in honor of our 24th let me list 24 things that I love about him or am thankful for.
1.  He loves God with all His heart!
2.  He helps me to love God more!
3.  He has the biggest servant heart of anyone I know!
4.  I can count of him to take great care of me in good times and in bad!
5.  He loves my mother and is so kind to her and takes care of her too!
6.  He moved to Colorado with me so that I could be closer to my family.
7.  He enjoys teaching God's Word and is really good at it!
8.  He is a prayer warrior!
9.  He is the kindest person I have ever met!
10.  He compliments every meal I make for him.
11.  He does our laundry so to limit my time on my feet.
12.  He unloads the dishwasher
13.  Numerous times a day he asks "Can I do anything for you?
14.   When he proposed he promised to love me as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25) and has kept
          that promise for 24 years!

15.  I love his delight at seeing an airplane he loves!
16.  I love his delight of all birds, but especially his excitement in seeing a humming bird.
17.  He is such a servant to our neighbors, shoveling their snow, mowing lawns and even taking them to
       appointments
18.  He is the first to write thank you notes
19.  He enjoys snuggling
20.  He has provided for us in ways that I never worry how the bills will get paid
21.  He supports me in my own ministries
22.  I enjoy listening to him give Jeopardy answers (and keep telling him he needs to get on the program!)
23. Love his enjoyment of his Thursday and Friday morning Bible Studies
24.  Can't wait to see what God has in store for us during our 25th year of marriage and beyond!

Another Decade Comes and Goes

Well tomorrow I say goodbye to my 50's.  I remember someone telling me when I was younger that the older you get the faster time goes by and boy is that true!!!  I remember too when 60 seemed so old and I feel nothing like I felt 60 should feel like!!  I think the fact that we don't have children, and thus no grandchildren, makes me forget that I could be a grandmother.  It isn't like I don't have four younger siblings that have grandchildren.  I guess I just don't live in reality because as I am making new friends in Colorado and find out how old they are, I am constantly surprised that I am older than they are!  So I guess the blessing is I don't feel old :-)

Looking back on the past ten years it has not been my easiest decade.  I had my gall bladder removed, a partial hysterectomy, then uterine cancer and a total hysterectomy and then my accident in 2005 that left me with 2 years of surgeries and rehab and a permanent disability.  Now I have significant arthritis and cannot walk for a very long period of time or stand for a long period of time.  But once again I am thankful that I have both of my legs (no amputation) and I am not wheelchair bound.

I had to retire from the job I loved most of all in my career. I loved being a Children's Minister and I was blessed to be part of a great church for 8 years before having to retire because of my injuries. Steve retired and we decided to make Colorado Springs our retirement location to be closer to family that lives in Denver. That transition has been harder than we imagined, not because we don't love Colorado Springs, but because we REALLY miss our Texas friends!!  But slowly but surely we are making friends here in the Springs.

God has moved me out of Children's Ministry and into Women's Ministry and I have organized our Thursday morning Ladies Bible Class for the past two years.  Recently I was asked if I would be the leader for the Adult Women's Education Ministry.  I am thankful that God has given me an outlet for my joy in teaching His Word.  The women have been so supportive and affirming of the gift of teaching which I take no credit for, but give all the glory for the enabling of the Holy Spirit.

I had to say goodbye to the best father a girl could ever ask for.  It is hard to believe in about 10 weeks it will be 3 years since my Daddy went to be with Jesus.  We miss him everyday and think of him often, but I am so thankful for the assurance that I have that he is with Jesus.  I also said goodbye to my grandmother, who filled my life with sweet memories.

One of the highlights of my 50's was celebrating 20 years of marriage with a cruise to Alaska.  Such beauty from God in that place and fulfilling my life long dream of going whale watching.  One of the highlights was standing on the deck with strangers but brothers and sisters in Christ before a majestic glacier and uniting in singing How Great Thou Art (after eating hot split pea soup :-))

So I think back over this decade and there were some hard times, but there were also sweet times.  Isn't that every decade?  Isn't that Life???

In tribute to 60 years lived, I am going to list 60 things I am thankful for.

1. My husband who loves me unconditionally and is the best caretaker ever!
2. My sweet Mother who also loves me unconditionally and is my best friend!
3. My siblings who have blessed me with nieces and nephews and now great nieces and nephews to dote on.
4. Living closer to some of those family members and getting to see them more often
5. Too many friends to count!!
6. A great church community!
7. A small group to share life with.
8. Steve and I both being retired and the master of our days.
9. Our financial resources
10. A house that doesn't require a lot of cleaning
11. Seeing Pikes Peak every day from my window and throughout the city when you drive
12. God's beauty in wildlife
13. NO humidity!!
14. Beautiful Blue skies and awesome cloud formations
15. Children old and new that light up my heart when they say "Ms. Lynn"
16. Pain medications that make things easier
17. Doctor's who accept workman's comp and Medicare
18. Facebook, to stay in touch with friends and relatives all over the country
19. A front porch and wind chimes
20. A great garage for storing my plethora of Christmas decorations
21. Ladies who love to study God's word
22. Ladies who believe in the power of prayer
23. People who constantly and faithfully pray for me
24. Ladies who enjoy crocheting and knitting for those in need
25. The sound of laughter
26. A house that allows me to practice hospitality
27. Snow
28. Waterfalls
29. Rivers
30. Pine trees, especially Blue Spruce
31.  Matt Redmond's song 10,000 Reasons
32. Sarah Young's book, Jesus Calling
33. Ann Voskamp's book 1,000 Gifts
34. Downtown Abbey
35. Natalie Grant's song In Christ Alone
36. Precious memories of my Father
37. Hope of Eternal Life
38. GRACE
39. Forgiveness
40. My Faithful God
41. My Savior, Jesus
42. God's promises that I can count on
43. Fireplace weather
44. Baby Robins on my porch
45. My husband's servant heart toward neighbors
46. Aunts and Uncles, cousins
47. Friends who show me what faith in the hard times looks like
48. My trials being temporary and earning eternal glory
49. A God who is faithful to do more than I can ask or imagine
50. Assurance that this life is not all there is
51. Ice cream
52. Cheesecake
53. Chocolate
54. Drugs that allow me to eat ice cream,cheesecake and chocolate
55. Good Mexican food (even though there isn't any in the Springs)
56. mountain getaways
57. vacations
58. The fact that I have everything I need
59. The fact that the overflow I what I have allows me to share others
60. That I was able to think of 60 things to be thankful for!

So now on to my 60's.  I hope when I hit 70 and look back on this decade that I will see that I have been more transformed into the image of Christ and have drawn closer in love and fellowship with my God.  I want the discipline of "giving thanks in ALL things" to be my second nature, not something I have to work at.  I pray that I will have done more to be Christ to the world and that I would have a greater passion for those that the Lord cares most about. I want to walk the walk much better than I talk the talk.  But if truth be told I hope that Jesus will have returned and I will be home with those that I love and our Savior and God!!

When Worship Exceeds Your Expectations

I don't know about you, but sometimes "church"can be rote and routine. I try to engage in worship with all my heart and soul and be intentional every Sunday, but sometimes I just miss the mark. Usually because I didn't sleep well the night before, I have other things that are grabbing my attention or perhaps I just didn't prepare my heart before going. But then there are those times where you and God just connect in a powerful way and you are just blown away in the worship experience.


Yesterday,was that kind of day for me. Most of you know that it has been a most difficult week in the Springs with the Black Forest Fire. Our Worship Minister, Matt Elliott, did a great job of picking songs to remind us all that God is in control and has us in the palm of His hand. One song in particular just grabs my heart every time I sing it. It is called Forever Reign http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f3sNiYpuF4

The chorus says: Oh, I'm running to your arms, I'm running to Your arms,

The riches of Your love, will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace, Light of the world forever reign.


Yesterday, it was just easy to see God holding out His arms and me running to His chest and just letting Him embrace me and swallow me in His love. I landed in His lap and just did not want to leave.


Before services yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit with a sweet sister, who has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. She was sharing with me that she was going to have to start chemotherapy because her cancer is a rare kind and shared the details with a smile on her face, a positive fighting spirit and total hope that God was going to bring her through this. Then during our public reading of scripture there she was with her husband reading the following verses:

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings,because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


Amy's husband Joe read the Ephesians passage and the entire time Amy would look at him and smile and then look at all of us and smile and then she read the Philippians passage with all confidence and filled with love. And I lost it. It was just such a great moment of faith and a true testimony of what trials look like when we are confident that we are in the palm of God's hands.


We had a guest speaker yesterday as our minister was out of town. While Skip is one of our newer members, I did not really know him and did not know what to expect. He did an awesome job in talking to us about Jesus being our Prince of Peace and how that looks in every day life. He had a great story of a child seeing a butterfly struggling to come out of a chrysalis and so the child opened up the chrysalis thinking he was helping and not knowing it was the struggling against the shell that causes the butterfly to get the strength in his wings, so then the butterfly just laid there and was not able to fly. His point being that it is during the difficult times that we are strengthened to withstand what this life throws at us.


We ended the service with the old classic "It Is Well With My Soul". Once again such a great reminder that when we place ourselves in God's hands, there is always a peace that passes understanding. I am so very thankful for the powerful way God reminded me of that yesterday and the sweet encounter that He and I had. I had to put it here in my blog because sometimes I need a good reminder on those days I let other things get in the way and blind me to this truth. Father God, may that not happen for a long time. May I just savor the sweetness of yesterday as long as possible. I thank you for Your love and care for me. Lord Jesus I thank You for being the Prince of Peace!

Happy Mother's Day

I am posting this picture for two reasons.  One to say Happy Mother's Day to the best mother a child could ask for. We are going to be in Denver all weekend, so I didn't want to be late in the post.  I am so thankful for my mother and the relationship God has blessed us with.  Next to Steve, she is my best friend.  Her unconditional love has blessed me over and over.  But the best thing we share is our love for the Lord.  The scripture says "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17.  That describes our relationship.  We keep each other accountable and our eyes centered on Jesus.  We encourage one another in our walk.  I love that she raised me to know her God and to love him.  Our best times are when we serve him together.  I love you Mama' and I am glad we get to celebrate you all weekend long.

The 2nd reason I am posting this picture is in hopes that it will take the place of another one I had in an earlier blog from showing up every time someone refers to my blog on their Facebook page.  That picture is one where people are protesting homosexuality and doesn't really represent the heart of my blog.  So hope this works.....if not....at least I gave tribute to the best mother ever!!

Reflections on Scarred Faith

During the 90's Steve and I worshiped at the Mesquite Church of Christ for about eight years.  During that time we came to love the Ross family, who were the senior minister and family.  At the same time we also came to know the Hutson family who were in youth ministry.  Rick Ross and Cecil Hutson were married to sisters, Beverly and Barbie.  At the time, I was involved in the Children's Ministry in a volunteer position  but I didn't know the Ross children well, because they were in the youth group at that time.  But what I did know about them was that they were spiritually mature beyond their years.  It was obvious that Rick and Beverly didn't just talk the talk, but planted God's Word deep into the hearts of their children.  Beverly taught several women's classes and always challenged us to go deeper in our love for the Lord.  She had the type of positive personality that you wanted to just ask her "do you ever have a down day?".  She was always so full of joy for the Lord.

Steve and I left Mesquite in 1998 for me to take a full time Children's Ministry position at a church in Richardson.  We occasionally ran into the Ross' and Hutsons' at different events over the years and would catch up.  Then in 2010 I had just starting using Facebook when I got the news that the Ross' daughter Jenny was in the hospital and in serious condition and thousands of people started praying.    We were all heart broken when God didn't answer our prayers for Jenny's physical healing and we got the word that she went home to be with the Lord she loved.  We were blessed to attend the celebration of her life where the family showed us strength in the midst of pain, but more than that they showed us the hope we all have in the resurrection.  We were reminded that the tomb is empty and because of that we could rejoice.  The most powerful moment for me was when Josh asks us all to kneel in prayer and he asks God to allow Satan to look into the room full of believers on their knees in prayer and then Satan will know that he loses and Jesus wins.  He then says to Satan "you can take our bodies, but you can not take our spirits and you cannot take our souls".  I left that service knowing that Josh was anointed in an amazing way and would do great things for the Father in His kingdom.  And since that time I have followed him and listened to podcasts and watched videos and he is a might spokesman for the Lord.

It was then no surprise when I heard he was writing a book about the journey he and his family have taken through the valley of the shadow of death, that I would want to read that book.  It arrived at my house Tuesday morning and by Tuesday afternoon I had read every word.  Scarred Faith took me through the Jenny journey once again.  Again I was faced with the questions I had then "if thousands of prayers going up to God can't change His mind, what can?" "What do you do with a God who is all powerful, and you believe there is nothing he cannot do but He just chooses not to do it?"  Josh answers these questions in a powerful and authentic way.  We are left to lament and it is perfectly okay to ask god those hard questions.  Because the bottom line is Jesus overcame death and His victory gives all of us victory in Him and in the end that really is all that matters.

So while part of the book is Josh being authentic about his own faith struggle, the rest of the book of about what we as Christians are being called to do to bring parts of heaven down to earth.  Josh challenges us to come out of the brick and mortar that we call "church" and actually be the Church to a world that needs to know that there is hope and redemption available through a God that loves and adores them.  My heart was touched to hear about the different people that Josh has encountered and whose lives have been changed by him introducing him to our Lord, Jesus Christ.  I also was convicted by Josh and his family moving into inter city Memphis so that they could be active in the redemption of a community.  It made me want to move to Memphis and be  part of the Sycamore View church of Christ.

 The last book that changed my heart the way this book did was "Same Kind Of Different As Me".  Let me give you just a few quotes that captured my heart.  But you need to buy your own copy of Scarred Faith and be transformed.

• We grieve hard because we love hard.
• It becomes dangerous when friends of grievers feel like the need to do theology instead of just trying to be theology....offer a ministry of presence:'I am here to be with you, because I want you to know I care.'
• You will definitely want to read his honest letter to God on pages 53-56
• There are days that I don't need a God who will deliver me from the pit, just a God who will get down into the pit with me.
• Maybe the reason that faith is called faith is because seeing doesn't lead to belief but belief transforms the way we see.
• What if Christians made the simple commitment to be good neighbors?
• On numerous occasions, God reminded us that he has already taken up residence in the communities many have deemed lost or 'not okay to drive through'.  We just want to join him there.
• Jesus lived in a way that quickly garnered him the reputation as a friend of sinners.  How can followers of Jesus gain this reputation today?  How can churches become 'friends of sinners' and not just exclusive social clubs with flashy slogans or billboard ads.
• The church is at its best when it teaches people to engage the world in a way that says 'We don't care what form of suffering invaded your life.  We are here to walk with you, because that is what Jesus would do'.
• Stepping into brokenness...it's a guaranteed place to find God on the move, and it is where we catch  glimpses of God's creative and redemptive work.
• May God forgive us for taking better care of our buildings than we do our neighbors. May God have mercy on us when our capital campaigns are not asking how our facilities can become hubs for our neighborhoods.
• Only when we acknowledge the wounds in our hearts will wounds begin to be redeemed.

There is so much more, but I will stop.  My prayer for myself is that this not just be another book read, but that I will let the Holy Spirit continue to speak until my heart is changed.  I give him thanks that in his plan he knew the blessing the Ross family would be to me and he allowed us to get to know one another and share life and now he continues to use us all in his kingdom work.

If you are interested in watching Jenny's homecoming celebration and hear the powerful words that God spoke through the family on that day you can view it here http://vimeo.com/32590132

Transforming Books

If you could see the table to the left of my chair you would see 8 books waiting for me to read.  If you could see the basket to the right of my chair you would see another 4.  Then there is the book shelf in the office.  One shelf is filled with books I haven't read.  Oh, and then there is Amazon Kindle, where I have downloaded a plethora of free books!  I read a description about a book and I think "Oh, that sounds good" so I order or download the book and then it sits.  Now in my defense, I am reading a lot during the day but I am reading Facebook posts and internet articles.  So what I need to do is determine to turn off the technology and dedicate a couple of hours a day to just reading the books that are awaiting me.  I am confident that God has something He wants to tell me through all the different authors.

Last night I finished a reading a book by Larry James, The Wealth Of The Poor: How Valuing Every Neighbor Restores Hope In Our Cities.  I have known Larry for about 14 years.  He was the minister of the Richardson East church of Christ prior to my becoming the Children's Minister there.  So many of the members spoke of him in such enduring terms and told me stories of how that congregation started CAREcorp which is a food ministry.  They told me stories about how the daycare that operated out of our building was the first to accept AIDS babies and had even made national news with Jane Pauley from NBC came and interviewed Larry about that issue.  Larry left Richardson East after 14 years to begin Central Dallas Ministries in inner city Dallas.  It is now called CitySquare.  I had several opportunities during the 10 years I was at Richardson East to visit downtown and hear about the work Larry was doing in the inner city and a few times I was given the opportunity to serve for a few hours.  But after reading Larry's book, I wish I had understood more about his vision and the work he was doing. And I wish I had been more involved.

The Wealth Of The Poor lays out Larry's dreams and the work he feels God has called him to do.  He isn't about the business of helping the poor, he is in the business of eliminating poverty.  He challenged me to see the inequities of our systems that generate poverty.  He helped me to see the poor are not projects that need to be fixed.  If only more of them would do this or that they wouldn't be in their situation.  He caused me to ask myself the question do I truly know anyone who is poor?  Am I friends with anyone who is poor?  I had to confess "No" to both questions.  Do I care about the poor?  I thought so, until I read this book and now I have to ask myself that question with new enlightenment, do I really care about the poor?

Larry helped me to see that caring about the poor is not volunteering a few hours at a soup kitchen, or donating a few dollars for a project here and there.  Caring about the poor means I go to where they are and  I become friends with them.  I listen to their stories, I share my stories with them.  I ask myself "if I were in their shoes, how would I want to be treated?"  The book is riddled with scriptures that show what God's attitude is towards the poor.  This is just one of the many "When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:33-34

I could go on and on about this book, but then you wouldn't read it yourself.  So I will close with just two quotes that spoke to my heart.  But trust me, if you want to be transformed in your thinking about the poor and what God is calling us to do, read this book.  My spirit was definitely convicted that I need to begin to pray that it won't just be a book with some good ideas, but the Spirit will motivate me to have God's heart for his children that live in poverty and move me to action.

"People who are hungry, 'poor', homeless, ill, abandoned, strangers--the list goes on and on as we think about the possibilities attached to being human--don't need professionalism or service or case management as much as they need to be treated like regular people. After all that is exactly who they are--regular people with specific challenges, just like the rest of us. Most major life problems and challenges are best addressed in the context of genuine friendship."

"Stop talking about being redemptive, bring redemption
Stop talking about salvation, and insert a saving moment into the life of just one struggling person.
Stop preaching the message of reconciliation and become reconcilers.
Stop worrying about your message and live a message that produces hope."

Speaking Truth When Truth Is Hard

Some days you struggle with blogging.  This would be one of those days.  The last two days my Facebook feed has been saturated with a red equal sign symbol.  (Tried to post it here, but couldn't get it to work)

It is suppose to represent equality for homosexuals.  Since the Supreme Court is addressing the issue of same-sex marriage, people posted this symbol to show that they were in favor of same-sex marriage.  The more and more I saw the symbol pop up the more and more heart broken I was that so many have bought into the propaganda and the lie.  So for what it is worth these are some of my thoughts on the issue.  I have posted four times before on homosexuality, but the last time was 2010, so perhaps there will be a new reader or something new from my heart on this.

First of all, I don't know how such a small percentage of people have gained such a large voice?  The facts as best as I can find them, state that the homosexual population is less than 5%. "A Gallup report published in October 2012 by the Williams Institute reported that 3.4% of US adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Minorities were more likely to identify as non-heterosexual; 4.6% of blacks, 4.0% of Hispanics and 3.2% of whites. Younger people, aged 18-29, were three times more likely to identify as LGBT than seniors over the age of 65, the numbers being 6.4% and 1.9%, respectively."  Here is another source "The University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center, which has been conducting scientifically designed surveys on homosexuality for close to 30 years – far longer than the U.S. Census Bureau – found the percentage of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in the United States in 2008 was 2 percent – a number that has been stable since the late ‘80s, according to Tom Smith, director of the General Social Survey at NORC."

I am not sure what I want to say with this post.  I have posted enough scriptures in the past that there is really nothing more to say than the Bible is clear when it comes to God's thinking about homosexuality.  So I think my question is "how do Christians teach the truth of God's Word in an honest and effective way?"  Too many times we see pictures of  people holding up signs that have inflaming words on them and purport that God will send homosexuals to hell.  Do such people honestly think they are changing anyone's mind with such displays?  I don't think so.

The truth of the matter is we are told that the world will know us as Christians by the the way we love.

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35 "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." John 15:12  But loving people doesn't mean we have to accept them just as they are.  I am over weight. In fact the doctor says I am "morbidly obese".  I don't like hearing that, but it is the truth.  People that love me are concerned for my health and they will ask me what I am doing about losing weight.  Am I dieting, am I exercising, have I tried this or that?  Do I like it when they do this?  Not so much, but I understand their concern.  

We definitely need to create room in our lives for homosexual friendships.  We definitely need to find ways to get them into our fellowships at church.  However, loving them means speaking Truth. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 states "Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."  Did you see that? SOME OF YOU WERE.  Why did they change? Because they heard the Word of God preached by Paul and others and then they were washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Loving homosexuals is not putting up an equality sign on Facebook and aligning ourselves with their cause.  It is speaking Truth into their lives the same way we need it spoken into our own lives.  We need to be saturating the heavens with prayer right now, begging God to speak into the hearts of the Supreme Court and have them not try to redefine what God has already put in place with marriage.  It isn't going to change what marriage is, it is going to cause judgement to come down on our country.  We only have to look at Sodom and Gomorrah to see what happens when corruption runs rampant.  God is definitely a God of grace, mercy and compassion but we must never forget He is also a God of wrath and judgment.  Satan is blinding us all by telling us it is an equal rights issue and everyone should have the right to love and be loved.  Everyone is loved by an Almighty God who sent His son to die a brutal death on the cross for each one of them.  There is no greater love than that!!  So let's align ourselves with that love and show the world what a life transformed by that love looks like! Then as we have opportunity let us speak Truth.

They Will Be Known By What?

Lately I have been reading several different blogs about the demise of the church and how we are losing so many of our young people and the purposed reasons why.  I know that I am now considered in the "older generation" so that is the way my opinions will be viewed.  Never the less, I just felt the need to post some observations about what I have been reading. Basically, most of these posts are saying "the church would be better if...."

First there have been several posts on the women's role in the church.  I could list some of the popular bloggers on this topic, but perhaps it would be better that I don't as I am not meaning to attack them personally.  From these writings I have ascertained that women are feeling that their voices are not being heard in the church.  They do not feel their gifts are valued.  I am not going to address these issues, or express my opinions nor give a scriptural debate  It isn't the reason for this post.

There have also been a couple of articles about the church needing to provide a more accepting and less judgmental space for the homosexual community.

Another article suggested that if we took better advantage of technology and multi media we would attract more of the younger generation.  It was important to not just have one screen but several with different things going on with each one.

Finally, I read an article yesterday that the younger generation is more concerned about causes than Christ.  That used to the formula was Christ+Community+Cause and then in the 90's it changed to Community+Christ+Church, and now it is Cause+Community+Christ. The article was suggesting that if we were involved in causes such as sex trafficking, slavery, clean water, etc. then young people would flock to our churches.

Everyone of these articles had points that were worth considering and worth reading  But this is my problem with all of them.  Since when is the church about meeting my needs?  Since when has being involved in church been about what makes me satisfied?  The church has existed for over 2000 years, long before there was gender issues, homosexuality as alternative lifestyles, and media.  And hasn't the church always been about being the hands and feet of Jesus to those that are hurting and lost?

It seems to me that in John 13:34-35 Jesus told us what the church should be known for, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Imagine what could happen if we just did this one thing?  As long as Satan can keep us discontented and looking at all the peripherals then we are not the church God intended us to be.  As long as I as am individual am saying "if a church would just do___________, then I would be a part of it", I will not be part of the church as God intended it to be.  

This is my prayer "Lord, help us to be your church. Lord, let us look to You and You alone for our example of how to love God and love our neighbors. Lord, may we care about the people you cared about and may our mission be to be your hands and feet to as many as possible.  May we care more about the lost than the forms in our worship services.  May we be consumed with your Spirit and let nothing but love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self control flow in us and through us.  May our passion be bringing heaven down to earth  May we yearn for Heaven. May thy kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.  Use me as your instrument.  Thank you Lord for the blessing of your church in giving me community and fellowship to keep my eyes centered on you.  May we all love each other so much that we are known for nothing but that...His church that loves."

God's Desire For Me

Desire-1. a sense of longing for a person or object(Wikipedia) 
            2. to long or hope for (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Synonyms: as a noun-admiration, devotion, fancy, fascination, passion, yearning
                 as a verb- aspire to, be smitten, choose, crave, enjoy, have eyes for, pine, set heart on

My last post I wrote about yearning for God.  Desire is a similar word, but instead of talking about  my desire, I want to talk about God's desire.  Did you know that God desires you and me?  Look again at the definition, God longs for you.  Then some of the synonyms:  God admires you, fancies you, enjoys you, has eyes for you, pines for you. Is that the way you view God?  Me?  Well, I want to see God having that kind of pleasure in me.  I remember being surprised several years ago when I came across Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing."  Since that time, I have tried to embrace the fact that God has that kind of love for me.  I have focused a lot on the "rejoice over you with singing" but did you see "He will take great delight in you?"

Then this past Sunday night, Steve and I went to hear Micheal Card sing about what he entitled "Extravagant Grace". He led us through Passion week in song, and it was so powerful!   He said some things that I had never thought about.  I cannot say them as well as him, but I will try to capture it for you.  After Adam and Eve sinned in the garden they hid and God comes in Genesis 3:9  "But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?'"  God was seeking Adam and Eve, He wanted to be in fellowship with them, even though they had sinned.  When the children of Israel were wondering in the wilderness they lived in tents and in God's desire to be with them, God inhabits a tent.  The God of the heavens comes and inhabits the Tabernacle in His desire to make Himself known. Later it was the Temple. And then His ultimate display of love was coming in the flesh to live among us.  Emmanuel (God With Us).

God in the flesh.  Can you wrap your mind around that?  A runny nose, aching feet, gastrointestinal problems, tiredness, hunger, etc.  In order to be with us our God became human.  How would you rate that desire?  I think I am guilty of glossing over that aspect in that I assume He was more God than He was human.  And the God part over ruled the human part.  But the truth is He was 100% both God and human and therefore He experienced everything that I do.  It is amazing to contemplate!!

Then finally in His desire to be with us God doesn't live among us, He lives in us!!  He wasn't going to return to heaven and leave us alone.  So He inhabits us with Himself, the Holy Spirit. John 14:15-23 "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and 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. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them....Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."

As Michael spoke these words I had an "Aha" moment.  I have always believed that God loves me.  Grew up singing "Jesus Loves Me" and I have known that.  But it is not the same as realizing that God actually desires me.  He yearns for me.  The God of the universe wants to spend time with me.  How many days has he said "Where are you, Lynn?"  "Here I am Lord, on Facebook, watching TV, playing games.  Can't you see me?"  "But, Lynn, I desire you.  I want to spend time with you."  "Yes, I know Lord, I hope that we can do that sometime soon."  Really??? Is that really what I want to say to my God?  So as I am typing this, I realize that this is still about my last post and how I yearn to desire God, to desire time with Him.  After all, if He has that kind of desire for me, shouldn't it be reciprocated?  Not out of duty, but out of pure love and devotion?  He deserves nothing less.  My sweet husband Steve desires me as well.  He desires conversation with me, companionship and intimacy.  What would happen to our relationship if I ignored him?  If I told him I was too busy to spend time with him?  If I indicated that something else was more important to me than His attention?  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know if I were to do that our marriage would be in danger.  But because God is grace and God is forgiving, I think I can just continue to not heed His call and He will just be patient with me.  Well, that is true BUT what is that doing to my relationship with Him?  As I type these words I can sense Satan smiling "just what I had hoped for".

Thank you God for Your love, mercy and forgiveness.  Thank You for Your pursuit of me.  Thank You for your hearts desire for me.  I desire You as well.  May there be fewer and fewer moments where You ask "Where are you Lynn" because I am in Your presence and basking in Your fellowship.  In fact, I will quit typing now and close my eyes and listen to You sing over me. :-)

My Heart Yearns

Last Sunday in Bible Class we read this scripture in passing:

Job 19:25-27

"I know that my redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another.

How my heart yearns within me!"

YEARN, it caught my eye.  I asked myself "when is the last time I yearned for God?  For heaven?

I came home and looked up the definition of YEARN.

     1. to long persistently, wistfully, or sadly (Dictionary.com)

     2.  to long persistently, wistfully, or sadly (Miriam Webster)

Synonyms-long - pine - hanker - crave - aspire - desire - languish

Look at those synonyms again LONG, PINE, HANKER, CRAVE, ASPIRE, DESIRE, LANGUISH

Crave and Languish really jump out at me.  Do I crave and languish over heaven?  I think I have glimpses now and then but it is not part of my everyday heart.  If I am honest, I am too caught up in the here and now and what is going on in my day.  I often lose sight of "this world is not my home".  But Job's yearning was so much more than just desiring Heaven.  His yearning was to see God.  To be in God's presence.  And while that will be ultimate in heaven, I can actually experience that in the here and now as well.  And I find myself asking the question again "how often do I yearn for God".  Do I yearn for my God the same way I yearn for the next episode of Downton Abbbey?  Am I as eager to see what He is going to say to me next as I am to see who is going to win American Idol?  Do I awake in the morning with anticipation of what God is going to speak into my heart this day and do with my life?  Oh, how I yearn to answer that question "yes"!!

Why is God and His presence not the constant desire of my heart?  Why do I have to work at it?  Why is it not as natural as the air that I breathe?  Because I have an enemy.  An enemy who comes to destroy. "Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8) He puts so many distractions in my way and I am such a sucker.  I have such good intentions and the day ends and I have lost the fight one more time.  

I want to crave the Word of the Lord and a word from the Lord.  I want to crave the presence of the Lord.  I want to keep my eyes on the sky and remember that this world is not my home.  I want to constantly say with all sincerity "Lord, come quickly".  But in the meantime, may I find myself not just consumed with thoughts of my God, but may I desire His presence.  May I yearn to see Him in my day and may that time with Him make me yearn for Him face to face.  My heart breaks out in song as I type this.

"Oh God, you are my God, and I will ever praise You.

Oh God, you are my God, and I will ever praise You.

I will seek You in the morning, and I will learn to walk in Your ways,

and step by step You'll lead me, and I will follow you all of my days."

"My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God" (Psalm 84:2)

"My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you" (Isaiah 26:9)

I am not sure why I am finding it so difficult to blog these days.  When I look back at when I first started in 2007, I had 279 posts that year.  In 2012 I had 19 posts.  This will be my first for 2013.  I think the difference is Facebook, in that I tend to just put a statement there instead of paragraphs here.  But Facebook  also is a time consumer and I spend much too much time reading posts, articles and playing games which takes away my time from reading other sources, which is usually where I would get my thoughts for blogging.     Seems like a lot of my posts are thoughts I have about what someone else has written or said.

That being said, the other day I found a quote on blogging and put it on my Facebook and mentioned me blogging and a few people encouraged me to to blog again.  Then I logged on to find that Blogger had changed a few things and a new feature (or just one I had not seen before) was the ability to see who was looking at your blog and to say that I was shocked is an understatement!  Yesterday 5 people viewed something on my blog, last month 253 and since I started my blog 22,602 from 10 countries with France running the most after the US.  I thought that was really interesting and it motivated me to try to once again write with the hopes that perhaps some wondering soul would find something that would help them to see how awesome God is and how much He loves them. After all, if He cares about someone like me, He absolutely cares about you as well.

Honestly though, I think it is the quote I referred to earlier that actually motivated me to get back to trying to blog.  When I read some of my pasts posts they predominately are about some spiritual aspect of my life.  Some way that I am struggling to see God more clearly.  Consequently, I think I was closer to God during those days, as I was spending more time with Him.  So let me tell you about the quote by Anne Voskamp and how it motivated me to blog again.

"The blog is meant to be a bit of a side chapel — a place to slip into and still and encounter the glory of God — and come away again with a fresh sense that your life, right where you are, is a holy experience — that God dwells with you and in you, and where you are is holy ground, worthy of reverence and celebration and wonder. That little burning bush that is the signature of the blog — it echoes Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s words:

Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries,
And daub their natural faces unaware."

So even if no one sees this page but me, I want to write about my Holy encounters with God.  But even more I want to have Holy encounters with my God.  I want to spend more time with Him.  In order for that to happen, I need to have better control over the time eaters in my life.  I need to tell myself that I desire the time with God more than anything else.  Not just a short devotional or prayer time, but quality relationship time.  From the beginning I had tagged my blog "Trying to see God doing Ephesians 3:20 things in my life (more than I can ask or imagine).  There have been some great Ephesians 3:20 moments, but I think I would like to change my tag to Me and God: Our Holy Encounters.  I want to be the one who takes off my shoes and not the one who plucks blackberries and daubs my face unaware.