Sweet Land of Liberty

The Christian music community has a message for us. And it's a message I've heard repeated quite frequently in songs lately. And frankly, it's sad we need it at all.

On top of this being a political season which has put our country at odds, we've also been dealt blows with COVID-19 that just won't let go, racial issues, protests and riots and a few natural disasters like wild fires and hurricanes that are wreaking havoc. So while we struggle with various opinions on the latest issues of our time, we also are getting sucker-punched by the burdens of 2020. I've found myself saying, "Well, it's 2020," every time something else crazy happens ... and it seems there's been a lot of crazy.

The sad part is, in the midst of this, a lot of folks, a lot of Christians, are forgetting to love. And that's the message I've been hearing more and more frequently on Christian radio.

 In Josh Wilson's "Revolutionary:"

Why does kindness seem revolutionary
When did we let hate get so ordinary
Let's turn it around, flip the script
Judge slow, love quick
God help us get revolutionary

"Start Right Here" by Casting Crowns says:

We wanna see the heart set free and the tyrants kneel
The walls fall down and our land be healed
But church if we want to see a change in the world out there

It's got to start right here
It's got to start right now

 

And in Danny Gokey's "Love God Love People:"

 

We're living in a world that keeps breakin'

But if we want to find a way to change it

It all comes down to this

Love God and love people

 

I hear these songs and my heart breaks. Because as Christians we have two commandments Christ professed that encompass all, which Gokey summed up in just five words: "Love God and love people." But with all the bizarreness of 2020, we've forgotten it. People have got their heels dug in so deep that they won't listen to others. Even our presidential candidates displayed such behavior at the first debate with interruptions and name calling. 

I have friends who perpetually post political statements on their social media accounts, and frankly I am weary of it. Pretty sure everyone has already decided on who they are going to vote for, and honestly I've yet to see in the comment sections of those posts, "You have opened my eyes! I have changed my opinion." But it's not just political comments. It's statements on whatever the latest issue of the week is. Sometimes I feel these folks for not one moment will attempt to walk the shoes of others around them. And I bet there are a few folks reading this right now pointing at the other guy and saying, "I know, right, they don't get it," when it's likely you don't either.

I have opinions, too. Strong ones. But if you disagree with me, I am not going to hate you. Why? Because God told me to love you. He demands it. Loving people means loving the person who looks different from you, loving the sinners, loving the poor, loving the rich, loving the criminal, loving the unborn, loving the foreigner who lives among you, loving the other political party members, loving your church family ... loving your enemies. Why? Because GOD LOVES YOU. He loves you so much that His Son died for you. You who do not deserve it. And guess what ... His Son also died for the other guy, too.

It starts right here and starts right now. Love God and love people. Be kind. Stop the name calling. Stop the constant criticism. Stop assuming what you believe is 100% right. Stop assuming God is only on your side. And just love as God loves. Please, Christians, pause, reflect, reevaluate, repent, forgive and love. I'd really like to be living in the "sweet" land of liberty again.

Fair Warnings

During this stay-at-home sheltering time with the pandemic COVID-19, my husband and I will head out to Swayback Trail in Wetumpka to get a little outdoor exercise. We will hike 4 miles of the second half of the red trail because it, blessedly so, has two sections we just love from a nature standpoint: a beautiful gully where a small stream winds through woods and ferns and a part where it hugs the coast of Lake Jordan. As there are few hiking and folks are well spread out along the trails, it's easy to maintain good social distancing. It's been not only a wonderful respite from being indoors so much but also a time of worship for us as we delight in God's creation. Since we've walked this trail some in winter and now in spring, we've marveled at the change in seasons. We saw through the barren trees to all areas of the trail in winter, but now the spring green leaves and growing brush have filled in the many gaps.

When you are hiking, it's different than if you are just walking around your neighborhood because you spend most of your time looking down. You do this so you don't trip over the many roots or rocks along the path. Any occasional glance up can lead to a potential stumble, and we've both done it. Because you are focused so much on the trail in front of you, you can miss the beauty of the expanse around you. I stop often to admire everything that is around me. As my husband is typically behind me (he's 10 inches taller than me and can see over me), he has commented that he wished I had brake lights. I probably need one of those bumper stickers that says, "Makes frequent stops."

Recently we noticed that someone had come by with red paint and painted a number of the protruding roots and stones. It made seeing them much easier when hiking. However, making any changes or unauthorized improvements to the trail is prohibited unless working through the Trail of Legends Association. TOLA doesn't want the environment impacted negatively through possible changes no matter how well intentioned. But I couldn't help but notice the analogy of it all in today's times, with our proactive efforts (self-isolating, masks, hand washing) to protect us all from potential risks.

We live during a season where we are taking one step at a time of late. Wondering how long we will be stuck at home, will we get sick, when can some of us work away from home again or work at all, wondering when we can visit each other, shake hands and hug. Our eyes are on the immediate trail in front of us as we navigate the obstacles along the way, with the occasional stop to grasp what's going on in the world around us. In the midst of this season, we celebrate our greatest holiday ever: the resurrection of our Messiah, the one Whose blood covered all my sins in the most horrific of deaths so that I could enter eternity with Him and be with my Father, praise His Name.

No matter what trail in this life we're on, no matter what our obstacles to faith, the things we've tripped over on this journey of life, Our Savior has covered it all with His blood, His sacrifice. When I have asked for forgiveness for my sins, He has granted it. Because of that, we can see our way to God so much clearer. That doesn't mean the occasional root won't trip me up, but I have the capability now, thanks to Jesus Christ, to repent and be made clean. Glory to God for Him. And it is because of Him that I am more easily able to navigate those stumbling blocks as they come.

Unauthorized or not, I am thankful for the red painted roots and rocks. While maybe not aesthetically pleasing, I've been able to look up and around me a lot more frequently to enjoy the view and lose my footing less often. And in a time when we're not quite sure what the trail ahead holds, it's nice to at least know that where you are now, has fair warnings. And to know on this Easter Day, Christ has me covered regardless.

I Want To Go To Church

For the first time in my almost 55 years (my birthday is Sunday), I was told I couldn't go to church, and I wept. Last Sunday, my husband - a pastor at our church - told me the staff had decided based on the recommendations from the Center for Disease Control with this COVID-19 pandemic and in the best interest health-wise of our congregation, that church within the building would be canceled. We would still have online church, but no one could come to church. And it broke my heart.

See, church is my family. I don't have to be there. I get to be there. I want to be there. It's where my fellow sinners, hypocrites and repenters get together to worship my Holy, Awesome, Mighty, Most High God. I'm excited to be at church. I can't wait to hear the message proclaimed, the Scripture read, the music sung and to hug on my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I can't wait to learn. I can't wait to teach. I want to know what is going on in our families' lives since I saw them last. How can I comfort them? How can I pray with them? What answers to prayer have they had this week? Give me even more reasons to praise my Lord and Savior!

My husband and I have moved many times and attended many churches in the process. Because we are so far from our children, immediate families and extended families, our church has always become family. When we had a need, our church came through for us, just as we would hope to come through for them. We all love Jesus, so I can think of nowhere else I'd rather be than surrounded by these God-fearers and faithful in worship of the one who gave His life for me. Glory, Hallelujah!

But this Sunday (and perhaps more) will be different. We can't go. For our safety, for our parishioners' safety, we are staying home. We will listen to the message, like everyone else, online. Frankly, we can listen to as many messages as we want online at home. Could be a perpetual sermon Sunday. But as all consistent worshipers know, worshiping corporately is Holy Spirit super-charging. When I feel like I'm alone in my sin or circumstances, I'm reminded by the faithful that they are struggling, too. When I want to lift my hands in euphoric worship of the One True God while stirred deep in my soul by voices lifted to Him in precious harmony, I look around me and see the many around me bursting with that same pure presence of our Creator. I get my energy and passion boosted each week (sometimes several times a week) by this fellowship. So to hear that I couldn't just tore me up.

A couple days ago I heard the song Church (Take Me Back) by Cochran & Company Worship on the radio. The chorus goes like this:

Take me back
To the place that feels like home
To the people I can depend on
To the faith that's in my bones
Take me back
To a preacher and a verse
Where they've seen me at my worst
To the love I had at first
Oh, I want to go to church

Yep, more tears. Then there's the bridge: 

Oh, more than an obligation
It's our foundation
The family of God
I know it's hard
But we need each other
We're sisters and brothers

https://youtu.be/3eTOcrWu8mQ
 

Oh, I want to go to church. I want to go to church. I want to go to church. These Sundays when I can't, my heart will be hurting. Church is not an obligation to me. I won't get to Paradise any faster because I'm there each Sunday. But I want to be there. For me, worship is a tiny taste of Heaven every single week. 

For those who have never been, when you get the chance, don't miss it. For those who left for some reason where their feelings were hurt because of some other sinner within the building, when you get the chance to go back, don't miss it. For those who come twice a year at Christmas and Easter to make appearances for family sake or meet some inner obligation, when you get the chance to go back regularly, don't miss it. For those who go once or twice a month and feel that's enough to get your worship on, when you get the chance to go back every single Sunday, don't miss it. Don't miss it!

Because when it's not there, you will.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3hMWqYEAHg&feature=youtu.be 

Rest in the Shadow

One morning recently when out for a walk with one of the little boys I help sit for, I noticed the nearly 2-year-old, James, who walked along beside me, kept scurrying up to stay in my shadow. I don't mean that metaphorically, but literally. The temperature was in the 90s, so I am sure he was seeking a cool spot as we walked along. It soon became a game to keep him going. I would take a few steps and he'd giggle as he'd speed up to step on and in my shadow.

Today when I was reading Psalm 91 - one of my favorites - verse 1 made me catch my breath: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." Then in reading Psalm 121:5 "The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night." I thought of sweet James desperately trying to stay in my shadow and giggling as he quickened his steps to feel protected from the heat of the morning sun.

Oh that we could use that example as a true guide for our spiritual life. That we would keep pace with our Most High God to stay in His shadow. That we would excitedly and happily run to stay along with Him and rest in His protection from all that would seek to harm us. How do we ... metaphorically now ... keep pace with the Creator of the world? We do this by reading His Word, praying regularly, being obedient to His commands and loving His children. Psalm 91 gives us the information we need: "If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the Lord, who is my refuge, then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent,. For he will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways." (Psalm 91:9-11) and at the tail end of the Psalm in verses 14-16: "'Because he loves me,' says the Lord, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My Salvation.'"

When James or his brother walk along with me they will toddle off to chase a butterfly, head into a neighbor's yard to examine their basketball hoops or porch decor, peer over the edge of a drain to look down a gully and run into the middle of the road to pick up some tiny acorn they see. I find that I am constantly saying, "Come back over here. Don't step too close to the edge. Don't touch that. Get out of the middle of the road." It's my desire to protect these little ones from whatever danger they might stumble into or from doing any harm in their natural curiosity.

It's the same with our Father. His desire is to protect and guide us. So we need to listen and obey. And we know from 1 John 5:3 that "His commands are not burdensome." The beginning of that verse says, "In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands." Why? Verse 4 of that chapter tells us: "to overcome the world." Prov. 1:33 says, "Whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."

I told my 7th and 8th grade Sunday School kids last Sunday that "faith is obedience without reservation." It's trusting in our God and His commands that we can rest in His Shadow. That He has us completely.

When I asked a friend once what song I could use to create a customized ring tone on my cellphone for her, she thought for a moment and suggested The Beatles' song, "I'll Follow The Sun." The lyrics say, "Tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun." But I'd like to change those lyrics. 1 John 5:5 says, "Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." Who is the "My Salvation" from Psalm 91:16? Jesus!

So here's my plan ... "Tomorrow may rain, but I'll follow the Son" ... and stay the shadow of the Almighty. I feel safer already.

Slightly Off

I drilled the hole off by maybe an eighth of an inch, but it was enough. I was trying to install a towel bar that required me to use my left hand to drill because of the location. As I am a righty, somehow I misjudged and the hole was slightly off. When you've drilled into drywall, that can pose a problem as that eighth of an inch may make the stability of the bar less secure. I was growing increasingly frustrated with my ineptitude in completing what I thought would be a simple project. My husband saw me struggling and heard me say, "I don't know what to do," to which he sweetly replied, "Pray." I responded back, "I don't think God cares about my towel bar."

I can't believe that came out of my mouth, and my husband was quite taken aback. He replied: "That's not what my wife told me. She told me her God cares about everything."

With that statement, he was reminding me of a story early in our relationship. I was getting dressed for the day, couldn't decide what to wear and prayed out loud, "God, which shirt should I wear?" Brad then said, "You honestly think God cares which shirt you wear?" To which I responded, "My God cares about everything." I'd always believed that. A God who created the minuscule details of this beautiful world, cares about everything. My mother taught me that.

For me to respond about the towel bar as I did went against what I believed deep in my heart. So I clarified my statement to my husband immediately after that: "With all the more important things going on in people's lives, I hate to bother Him with a towel bar." But I went ahead anyways and quietly prayed, "Please help me, Lord." I had no idea how I would fix this, nor how to even pray for a solution. But then I immediately found a way to finagle some toothpicks into the hole to move the screw over just enough for make it work. I quietly said to my husband, "You were right. He did care about my towel bar."

Now I don't know that God was up in Heaven checking up on me wondering when I was going to ask for His help with this task, but I do know He cares when trials and unforeseen circumstances can irritate me to the point of anger and frustration. He says via Peter to cast those burdens (1 Peter 5:7). A God that knows the number of hairs on my head (Matt. 10:30) and names each and every one of the billions of stars in the heavens (Psalm 147:4), also cares about a crazy girl in Alabama installing a towel bar.

I hate that I let myself get to the point where I thought my frustrations were unworthy of a heavenly consultation. But I'm grateful for a husband who reminded me to Whom I belong and got me back in the mindset of giving God control. Glory to the Most High God for loving me enough to gently guide my tiny innovation and miraculously stabilize that which I could not. What an awesome, precious, loving Father we have.

One Bad Berry

I don't know why this happens to me so often, but it seems like every time a get a container of berries, after a day or so, I end up getting a batch of moldy ones. It starts with the one fuzzy, smooshy berry that is tightly packed in with all her ripe yummy berry friends only to spread her moldiness to everyone around her. Then a third of the berries end up in the trash. Doesn't matter the berries: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries ... happens every time. I try to catch the rotting berries early and separate from them the rest of the batch, but sometimes miss them until it's too late. Perhaps it's the conditions. I read that fruit needs to be a low-humidity bin in the refrigerator. But then again it could be that when packaged, that one berry was already infected.

How's the old song go? ♫ One bad apple can spoil whole bunch, girl. ♫ True. As the song alleges, it's not just with fruit. I bought a bag of ink pens the other day for my Sunday School class. When I opened up the package, one pen had blown ink all over all the other pens. I didn't notice it until I started passing out the pens to my 7th and 8th graders. In the process I got blue ink all over my hands and the kids' hands. A good hand sanitizer later and all the pens and our hands were ink free.

So, of course, this can be with people, too. When comparing Myers-Briggs personality types recently, our family read aloud the description of an ENFJ. We have quite a few ENFJs in our family, including myself, my daughter, daughter-in-law, mother and father-in-law, to name a few. ENFJs are Extrovert, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging types. When reading the description, we learned something very intriguing: ENFJs

 "can unconsciously over-identify with others and pick up their burdens as if they were their own. In the process, ENFJs may risk their own sense of identity. They have a natural ability to mimic because of this highly developed ability to empathize by introjection." [Please Understand Me by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates]

I have noticed this about myself throughout my life. If you're speaking in a Southern accent, I'll slip into it. If you're using sarcasm, I'm right there with you. If you break down in tears, look out, here come the waterworks. It's why I can't see horror movies - they truly scare me to death. So basically, I'm dangerously ripe next to the moldy strawberry.

But a person doesn't need to be an ENFJ to be influenced by people around them. I've seen all kinds of children and adults absorb the characteristics of the people they hang out with, whether kind or troublemakers. It's why we as parents carefully watch who our children befriend, knowing behaviors, opinions and personality traits can rub off on our kids. Or likewise carefully observe what they watch on television that they don't pick up on qualities we don't want them to imitate. Adults need to be careful themselves, however, as they are also susceptible to being influenced by those around them.

I think that's why I love daily reading my Bible and going to church. In worship, I'm surrounded by a bunch of people who are all there for a good "sanitation" process. We all know what the world surrounds us with, so we congregate in church to be filled with the written and spoken Word to clean off the smearing ink and remove the moldy from our lives. And it's not something we can do once a week, hence the daily Bible reading. I need regular introspection to be sure I'm imitating Christ. 1 John 2:6 says we need to "walk as He walked." 2 Cor. 3:18 says we need to be "transformed into the same image from glory to glory." Phil. 2:5 tells us to have the "mind of Christ." And Eph. 5:1 tells us to be "imitators of God." I don't always watch entirely appropriate things on TV or hang out with trustworthy, moral people, so the reminder of what is Godly is constantly necessary.

The flip side of this is that God doesn't necessarily want us to remove the sinners from our lives. Let's face it, Jesus hung out with them regularly. We do, too, when in worship. The church is pew-packed with sinners, praise His name, so I fit right in. And when sharing the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13, Jesus recommended leaving the weeds among the wheat, "because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them." Plus, I think Christ hopes the wheat stalks will have an influence on the weeds. I know there have been plenty of wheat stalks in my life that have certainly made a difference on this weed.

Now if only the ripe berries would have an influence on the fuzzy ones ... then maybe the whole batch could be saved.

The Missing Piece

 A family friend got us a puzzle to work on when they were visiting last week: a colorful seashell puzzle that featured a huge, prominent yellow starfish near the center. It was a gorgeous puzzle, but that starfish was a beast. We decided to save it for the end since every piece looked just like the next one. But at some point during the assembly of this 500-piece jigsaw beauty, we lost a piece. Not of the starfish, but rather of a bright pink shell. We looked everywhere for it, under the cushions, under the furniture. It was nowhere to be found. We just came to the conclusion is was gone and decided to finish the rest of the puzzle regardless. When it was completed, I texted a picture of it to everyone who helped us work on it. My daughter then commented, "Still missing that one piece." Even though that beast of a starfish was completed, the puzzle wasn't complete without the missing piece.

It got me thinking about our unique value to God's plan. Each created by God for a specific part in growing His Kingdom, we are all different, quirky, special, one-of-a-kind masterpieces designed for God's purposes. That gives a new perspective on our value as children of God. One can't be missing. I suppose that's reason Christ said he'd leave the 99 to find the one, "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish." Matt. 18:12-14

This became more evident to me when searching for particular pieces in completion of the puzzle. Looking for that piece that had a little bit of this or that color with just the right shape, I'd come across one that surprised me when it actually fit. The piece by itself didn't look like anything in particular, but put into the puzzle suddenly made a gorgeous picture. When we look in the mirror and wonder why we look a certain way, act a certain way, have specific talents or interests, it may seem we don't necessarily fit in, when in reality, we are a necessity. We help complete the plan ... and in the process become complete ourselves.

In the sermon Sunday, our pastor referenced Mark 1:11 - "And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."  He encouraged us to remember that our Father feels the same way about us as He does about His Son, Jesus. You are a child that He loves. With you He is well pleased. It's a message we all need to hear. In your unique, distinctive, particular, extraordinary way, you are a key part of God's plan to grow His Kingdom, and more importantly, He loves, loves, loves us, enough to chase us so that none go missing.

By the way, my daughter asked me to look under the couch to see if the missing pink piece was there. I thought we'd looked everywhere, but low and behold, there the missing piece was. We spent a lot of time searching for that tiny piece. It was worth the hunt, as the puzzle was finally complete.

And we're worth it, too. We may not know just yet where we fit in the completed picture, but God's got it, He adores us and creates us to be the rare, original soul that we are. Oh, that we would always remember our value ... and not just to Him, but to the other pieces interlinked around us.