Faithful

My God is FAITHFUL. He is true. If my Christian walk dependent on my faithfulness, then I would be toast. Are there 100% never faltering Christians out there walking the Pilgrim Highway? If there are then I think that they are probably lying to themselves and to us, but God knows the heart. I am SO grateful for His tender mercies that are new every morning. Your GOD is FAITHFUL and true. Each breath we take is dependent upon HIS FAITHFULNESS. Buddy, if you are not breathing, you are not walking and if you are walking in faithfulness today it IS because GOD is gracious and kind pouring out the power that is needed and it is His Righteousness that He has given you to walk in. When (NOT if but WHEN) we stumble and fall HE is there to pick us up and get us back on track. Our GOD is FAITHFUL and true. GOD is FAITHFUL to HIS WORD and ALL of His promises find there YES in JESUS.
Today I will count on HIS FAITHFULNESS!

 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;  his mercies never come to an end; they are new  every morning; great is your faithfulness.

                      Lamentations 3:22-23

Enthusiasm

ENTHU'SIASM, n. enthuziazm. [Gr. to infuse a divine spirit, inspired, divine; God.]

1. A belief or conceit of private revelation; the vain confidence or opinion of a person, that he has special divine communications from the Supreme Being, or familiar intercourse with him.

This is from Noah Webster's 1828 It just seems kind of off the charts.  

2. Heat of imagination; violent passion or excitement of the mind, in pursuit of some object, inspiring extravagant hope and confidence of success. Hence the same heat of imagination, chastised by reason or experience, becomes a noble passion, an elevated fancy, a warm imagination, an ardent zeal, that forms sublime ideas, and prompts to the ardent pursuit of laudable objects. Such is the enthusiasm of the poet, the orator, the painter and the sculptor. Such is the enthusiasm of the patriot, the hero and the christian.

I guess I will let my reader meditate on those definitions for awhile.  

It has been a full day. You might say that I met the day with enthusiasm. It is time to hit the sack. Tomorrow I venture into the unknown and that always boost the adrenaline.  

Do you think that Merriam-Webster has a definition as entertaining as these?

Dependent

Last month I started reading "Wired" the magazine and oddly enough, I am reading the paper version. There is just something about flipping through a magazine that you are holding in your hand. While flipping, I landed on an article entitled, The Atlas of Dirt Stalking The Planet's DNA. These are the sentences that grabbed me and dragged me over to the computer: "Problem is, the microbes are so interdependent that isolating the most industrious organisms is tricky. "They live together in communities," Jansson says.
Now if I go back to the publishing page that lists all the people that help to create this periodical, I see at work another interdependence. In days gone by, an NCFCA national tournament program listing all the tournament staff. Go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation leadership page and check out their team. You don't see Tiger Woods carrying his own golf bag. Steve Jobs brought us Siri but not ALL by himself. Madonna has her band and roadies. Even those who seem "strong" in this world don't make it alone.
The first time that God said something was not good in Genesis was in reference of man being alone.  Throughout the Word of God we find that God himself is three persons in One God and that man was not meant to live alone. 1st Corinthians chapter 12 describes the family of God as a body and how every part of the body is valuable. The human family continues because people have babies.

There is a dependence that every human being can agree to the need for air, water, food, shelter and sunshine. And I would content that we have a Creator who is also our Sustainer that provides for all of those things. Therefore there is something more that I need and that is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the burning fire that enables me to acknowledge that I am dependent upon God for these basic human needs. It is also the Love of God through Christ Jesus, a relationship with the living God and the friendship of my fellow human beings. We are social creatures and we were never meant to live life alone.
The first 21 years of my life, I hated being dependent upon other people and I guess you might say I resented God for setting us up this way. And now, even though I am struggling with relationships (who doesn't), I am still able to see that our dependence upon God and our interdependence with others are gifts.

cOuNt yoUr bLeSsinGs

3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1:3-6, ESV)

I have heard these verses recited from memory from my friend Nancy countless times. So that now when I read these verses, I hear Nancy's voice in my head. It is kind of nice since Nancy and her husband Dave just moved to Ohio. Friendship, is it a spiritual blessing? 

What are spiritual blessings? Well, let me take a stab at the question. First I would say that spiritual blessings are eternal. They can not be moved or destroyed. If we are friends and sisters (or brothers and sisters) in Christ then that will be for eternity. The Blessings are "In Christ." What do we have in Christ? Everything we need for life and godliness is how the apostle Peter put it. We have the Love of God, Redemption, Fellowship with the triune God, Forgiven, Peace, Grace, Mercy and the list goes on. The ESV Study Bible says that these a "saving gifts"and that the Holy Spirit guarantees these future Heavenly Blessings.  So, I imagine that if we are both on the Pilgrim Highway making our way to the Celestial City, then it is a blessing to be sharing in these saving gifts. 
This may not be the usual way to count my blessings. In fact, I thought about just quoting some of that Hymn and the history I read about the song said it was based on Ephesians 1:3-6 and that is what got me going in that direction. Hopefully, my gratitude is evident in this post. 

Believing God’s promises

"As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory."  2Corinthians 1:18-20

"all the promises of God find their Yes in him." 

From Genesis to Revelation there are promises that God makes to his people. Some have been fulfilled and others have not yet come to pass and still others are promises that are for all time. 

I heard Tullian Tchividjian say that "the struggle we all face is unbelief." We fail to believe God particularly his promises. One that is repeated over and over is God's love for his people. In Psalm 136 it states 26 times, "his[God's] steadfast love endures forever." It is His love for me that baffles me especially when I am so aware of my sin. And even in that He sent Jesus to die for my sins, to make it possible for me to even approach God in prayer and address Him as Father. 

In Romans 8 Paul tells us that NOTHING can separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Oh, how I am grateful for this truth. God is SO much greater than my sin and anything disastrous in all the world. His Steadfast Love endures forever.

Accordingly

I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,

the praises of the Lord,

according to all that the Lord has granted us,

and the great goodness to the house of Israel

that he has granted them according to his compassion,

according to the abundance of his steadfast love. Psalm 63:7

The beginning of the week in one way or another thoughtful Americans remember those who have given their lives in service to our country, in service to us. 

It has been some time since I have posted and I was inspired by Memorial Day to start off with gratitude. No matter what is going on in the world or in our lives, anytime is a good time to cultivate a grateful heart. Sometimes we have to push through a lot of stuff to get there. If we start with thanksgiving I believe it will help carry us through some of the hardest times.
It has been quite some time since I have written on my blog. Today, I started with getting some perspective on the day through what Mark Dever says is Jesus' descriptions of his followers Matthew 5-7, then I went on to Romans 8 and Galatians 5. Living by the Spirit is much more challenging than living by the rules or what some call salvation by works. There is not a whole lot that I want to say about what I read. I will say this: I am grateful for the Bible and for the Bibles that I own. In fact, the reason that I even read something by Mark Dever is I started to read the articles that are in my ESV Study Bible. It is great to read and be directed right back into the Scriptures. It is where I need to be. What a gift to be hungry and thirsty for the Word of God. My prayer is that I can never get enough until the day I die.

Content without it

"Those who are contented are fitted to receive mercy from the Lord. If you want a vessel to take in any liquor, you must hold it still for if the vessel stirs and shakes up and down, you cannot pour in anything, but you will say, 'Hold still', that you may pour it in and not lose any. So if we would be vessels to receive God's mercy, and would have the Lord pour his mercy into us, we must have quiet, still hearts. We must not have hearts hurrying up and down in trouble, discontent and vexing, but still and quiet hearts, if we receive mercy from the Lord. If a child throws and kicks up and down for a thing, you do not give it him when he cries so, but first you will have the child quiet. Even though, perhaps, you intend him to have what he cries for, you will not give it him till he is quiet, and comes, and stands still before you, and is content without it, and then you will give it him. And truly so does the Lord deal with us, for our dealings with him are just as your froward children's are with you. As soon as you want a thing from God, if you cannot have it you are disquieted at once and all in an uproar, as it were, in your spirits. God intends mercy to you, but he says, 'You shall not have it yet, I will see you quiet first, and then in quietness of your hearts come to me, and see what I will do with you.' I appeal to you who are in any way acquainted with the ways of God, have you not found this to be the way of God towards you? When you were troubled for want, perhaps, of some spiritual comfort and your hearts were vexed at it, you got nothing from God all that while; but if you have got your heart into a quiet frame, and can say, 'Well, it is right that the Lord should do with his poor creatures what he will, I am under his feet, and am resolved to do what I can to honour him, and whatever he does with me, I will seek him as long as I live, I will be content with what God gives, and whether he gives or not I will be content.' 'Are you in this frame?' says God, 'now you shall have comfort, now I will give you the mercy.'
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs

This book was written in the 17th century and in our 24 hour a day world, I believe that a lot of us have forgotten how to be still. 18 month olds are handed ipads and smart phones to keep them occupied. And right there I have 2 reflections that I could easily expound upon but this time I will not. Please just take in what I have quoted (pun not intended).  Perhaps my fellow Christians can think about this: How are we to be poured out like a drink offering, if we never take the time to be still long enough to be able let the One who is the Living Water pour into us? And if we are not being filled by the Living One then what is it that we are pouring out into others?

You are in mine and I am in yours

This morning I have been reading some blogs: I started here with Pen of a Wayfarer, then to my Brother in Christ who happens to be a pastor in Florida over here and lastly to a friend of a life giving friend on this page, which basically urged me to stop reading and get writing. I did finish reading this last post and then made my way to my computer. I found myself re-reading my last couple of posts and thought, "Wow is time marching on" which is true. I want to remember and I don't want to just let things pass by when people are impacting my life in a profound way and doing my best to humbly think that my presence in their lives is having a similar effect.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, therefore our Heavenly Father puts us in one another's lives to bless us. As I read in Jean's blog this morning:

"God wrote your story before you were conceived. Even before He spoke the universe into existence. Every “page” of your life — my life, any life — is part of His great unfolding plan. In our families, neighborhoods, communities, in all our coming and going, our life intersects thousands of other lives. Every time you or I interact with any soul — in the grocery store line, at the toll booth, in the doctor’s office, online — we become part of their story, and they become part of ours."

I thought, "Catherine, you need to acknowledge how the LORD is blessing you in the midst of the tremendous changes happening in your life." Life is constantly changing and I am indeed grateful that I have an Anchor for my soul, the Creator of the Universe, The Alpha and the Omega, the Author of my story who never changes.

It has been my privilege to have raised with Dan our three children, who are all adults, each attending college at the moment. Each one, loved, cared about and cherished. The effort, the struggle, and stick-to-itiveness of intentional parenting is still bearing fruit in my life.

Anitra is a young wife and mother of two small children who sought me out for encouragement in her parenting. Being with her and one of her little ones, I was reminded of how big mommy and daddy are in the life of small children. We are the most influential people in their lives. But children do not stay children for very long and it is only right that as they grow that not unlike John the Baptist we must decrease and the LORD Jesus must increase in their lives. This happens through EVERY stage of a child's development. It is good to be able to give Anitra the Big picture view of parenting, indeed we want to work our way out of a job by producing adults. That is not to say we cease being the mum and dad of Grace, Katie and Michael. We will always gratefully be so. Parents of young children train, teach, guide, direct, and discipline them because of the love that they have for their dear little loves. While we put in the effort to do these things, we then get to delight in them and enjoy their sweet company. Every time we meet together, I seem to be the one who is encouraged.

Jordan is a younger brother in Christ who asked me to tutor him and I am pretty sure that both of us are the students. It is not unlike when I was educating my own children at home, I learned so much during their growing up years. If you have been reading my blog for some time, you know that my philosophy of education can be pretty much summarized by the following quote from Plutarch:

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”

The flicker of the spark was there when Jordan came to me but he has just needed some help with the kindling, where to find it and how to stack it to get the fire going. Right now, he is pursuing his education vigorously. It is a wonderful thing to be a part of and again, it a totally different way from being with Anitra, I am encouraged.  

This post is just a way of acknowledging that the LORD is still writing my story and that these are two of the dear ones that have become a part of mine and I have become a part of theirs. And I know that there are people reading this post who are in my story and please know that I thank the LORD that you are.

Reading Day

Yesterday was our reading day. Katie, Michael and I were reading and Dan was working. We read a good portion of the day. The afternoon was peacefully quiet. It reminded me of the Wednesdays of their childhood when we would walk to the Marlborough Library, bring home a boat load of books and the house would be quiet the rest of the afternoon til dinner. It was good to be still, relaxed and not in a rush. Today has not been as quiet but equally relaxing.

For some time I have thought about moving on to a Wordpress blog. I already have a name and a focus picked out. The thing is I want to do a little more research in order to make my blog the way I really want it. Time to really buckle down, set my schedule and do my homework.

This is our first Christmas break without Grace home. We are so happy for her and Austin celebrating their first Christmas together and Grace getting ready to enter her last semester of her under graduate studies. Life is indeed changing quickly.

Well it was as Bono has sung..."all is quiet on New Year's Day....Nothing changes on New Year's day..."  but in a sense everything is changing.

The Name of Jesus

When I was a new believer and the Name of Jesus was upon my lips, tears of gratitude weld up in me. This probably happened for the first year or so of my pilgrimage. Somehow as time marched on my gratitude has waned. However in the past year or so, I have cried out to God, "I believe, help my unbelief" Life has taken some turns and bends that have caused me to doubt however, I continue to rediscover not only my need for gratitude but also my great need for the LORD Jesus Christ to reign and rule in my life.
There are so many things that I have been discovering and praying about these days, yet I have failed to write about them here. Sometimes they end up on an index card or in the margin of a book or even in a hand written journal.
In the last hour of 2012, as the fireworks go off in my neighborhood, I thought it might be a good idea to just post a few thoughts on being grateful for the Life of Jesus Christ. We often talk about being grateful for being forgiven, that our debt for sin has been paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ and it is necessary for our salvation and we failed to talk or write about the Righteous Life that God has provided for us through the Life Jesus led while here on earth.
Jesus walked in perfect obedience to His Father and as my son reminded me today, that Jesus said we are to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect. We say impossible and for us it is definitely impossible, "But with God all things are possible." So we do not only trust that Jesus has paid for our sins, but HE has also lived the Righteous Life that we could never live and has done it for us. This is an incredible MYSTERY. Who can fathom it?!

Walking perfectly with the Father
Jesus
Learning to obey
Obedience meant denying himself.
Leaving his home in glory to have no home here
Being hated
Being thought of as crazy by his earthly family
Serving rather than being served
Loving the unlovable
Touching the untouchable
Communing with His Father in prayer
Raising the dead
Being among the ones he had created
Trusting His Father
Willing to die
Taking Joy in doing the will of His Father
Knowing that he would make all things new.
Being the Beloved of the Father and delighting in making us His beloved brothers and sisters.
Jesus did not make one misstep. He summed up the Will of His Father, which also summed up the Law, by answer the question from the Pharisee, "What is the greatest commandment?" and Jesus answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind and the second is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself."
It is a short list of Jesus' Righteous Life and I am grateful that it is finished, done for me and Jesus was not "just an example" for me to follow but has done it all for me and for you.
Hoping that this new year will draw ALL closer to the LORD Jesus.

The Stories must be told

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ has been called "The Greatest Story ever told" and one of the movies about the life of Jesus is Entitled as such. There is power in the narrative. Whether it is in literature, the stage, film or audio drama, music all of these mediums are making an impact upon our lives.
We are drawn to the stories being told and we are drawn in by characters and their various relationships, by the events taking place, by the story line and of course by the message being delivered.

Stories - there are stories that are fiction, purely created by the author and their are stories that are real life stories, biographical, autobiographical, historical events, places, inventions etc. Regardless of fact or fiction, each kind has the power to make us think, inform us, move us and even the power to change us and the course of our lives. The writer of Proverbs says that words have the power of life and death and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Funny, I am writing a blog post and this is how I am procrastinating in writing my NanoWrimo novel. It is motivating me to get writing because it is November 4, 2012 and I am publicly stating that I am participating in the challenge of writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I have written every day but I am slow out of the gate, lagging behind my fellow writers.  

We need stories, we desire to be a part of our own story and to be intentional in playing our part.  In googling "the power of story" the search yielded 4,220,000,000 findings. You read that right: 10 digits in the billions.  Here are some quotes from my search:

"Gripping tales teach us, persuade us, and define us." from Psychology Today

"We put away our grammar books and Mr. Hatch said, Conley, today we are writing stories...you can write anything you want."   Susan Conley from TED Talks 

"If you don’t believe in the power of story watch an audience at church the moment the preacher says “Let me illustrate this point with a little story.” Folks who were restless stop fidgeting and listen. Even kids suddenly tune in. An audience that may have drifted away suddenly comes right back to the speaker and sits attentively at his feet. The entire audience is galvanized by even a simple story."  
from Mark Roberts at Westside Church of Christ Irving, Texas

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho" from Luke's Gospel where Jesus tells the story that answers the question "Who is my neighbor?" 

“Child,' said the Lion, 'I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own.” 
― C.S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy

During my thinking and listening time, this is what came to my mind:

"And God said....." Genesis 1  "the Word was with God and the Word was God...." John 1  "Write what you see in a book...." from the Holy Bible, the very Word of God from The Greatest Story Ever Told

God is Spirit. He is Greater than ALL. God is the Truth. God chose to reveal His Son through the written and spoken Word of His Prophets, sent Him to walk among us fully God and fully man, a mystery for sure and then continued to have His children record this Life in the Gospels, had Paul write letters to the Churches, the saints, to close brothers and finally God revealed to John, the Beloved Jesus returning in power and the end and that there will be a new heaven, a new earth and a new city.  The story of stories is to go forth and be proclaimed throughout the world. The story has been preserved through the millenniums for us.

No matter where we are in life and in the world we want to hear the stories that not only inspire and move us, but also that disrupt and challenge us. We want to stay connected - this is precisely why the stories must be told. And with that perhaps I will get going with my nano novel and see where my characters take me today.   

Biblica
This looks like a fantastic way to get a fresh look at the Bible. My friends, Sharon & Keith are reading through these books. It is fun to get my hands on them and be inspired by looking at the Word as an entire narrative. The Word of God is alive and active.

Before the Last Resort
A book about saving one's marriage and the LORD knows that marriages these days are in need of being saved. One reviewer said that anyone who is married can benefit from this book. The subtitle is 3 simple questions to rescue your marriage.

You are not a sinful wretch
My daughter, Grace sent this blog post to me. What an encouragement. The past couple of years, I have been struggling with my identity in Christ. As a Christian, I am to find my identity in the One who has called me his own. In Colossians it says, "And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him" (Colossians 1:21-22 ESV) Yes, we still sin but we have been made new by the Blood and Righteousness of Jesus Christ. When we choose the label Sinner over Saved One, then we are identifying with our former condition instead of our current standing in Christ.

So often, I find myself in conversation and getting practical help for living life in the Truth and then I forget, I don't write it down or make a mental note and I fail to take action. I don't want to be that person. There is plenty of trouble in this life but there is also plenty of help. We need each other. Everyday has enough trouble of its own. So often it take a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy for people to realize that we need each other. It is not something to be ashamed of but rather an opportunity to embrace our humanity every day. We were not created to walk through life alone. When our Creator made everything, he saw that "it was good" after creating all the major elements that make up life but then God said, It is not good that man should be alone.

Remember one another, love one another, be there for others and let others be there for you.

Every Day

As people who are blessed by God, every day we eat, dress, meet with others, read, write, work and walk along this journey. And every day, as an Image Bearer and a sinner, I need to remember the Good News, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today this is how I remembered by watching the following video.

Be yourself

My Bible is open often, my hand more often than not, my heart not so much. It is hard to live in this world and in this time in history. It is also exciting to live here in the 21st century where things change as fast as the leaves on the trees in New England. One thing that has not changed that much is people. We still have hearts, minds, and souls. There are more distractions than ever before and I realize that sometimes, I am not aware of what I am going through or what I am doing and why because I am afraid to simply be myself.
A dear friend of mine said to me years ago, "You are the loudest gentle and quiet spirit I know." It was one of the best complements that I have ever had. For those who know me well, know by my voice, my laugh and my sneeze are all naturally loud and some may even say I have an equally loud personality and that has made it challenging for me in being a Christian woman.  Some Christian women think I ought to change, conform to being a "lady."  Fortunately, I have friends who happen to be Christians that love me for who are am. They don't simply tolerate me but genuinely love me.

I read this post and while it talked about aging and beauty, it also quoted that scripture about the gentle and quiet spirit. The phrase actually modifies "the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty." Using the word "loud" to describe a woman in Christian circles is usually used in the negative.  Doing my best to shed the sin of caving to the fear of man, I have tried in vain to come to terms with this part of my natural makeup. It is best to just forget about what other people think, how they interpret the Scripture and do my best to be myself and to exercise self-control. If you are in a room full of women, a fire breaks out who do you want to notice sooner, the timid soul who is going to "be a gentle & quiet spirit" and pray for a man to come along to shout FIRE or me? Not only will I shout but I would take action. Do you see where this takes us when we "add" to what God has written? When we take Scripture out of context and apply it to what we decide, it is not actually an application but "adding words" to the Sacred text which by the way we are forbidden to do.

When we read it in context:
Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.  (1 Peter 3:1-7 ESV)

There is a great tendency to want to just lean on a few words and turn them inside out. (We have all been guilty of this) People take the principle of looking upon the heart which is one of the points Peter is making in this passages and apply it to my externals, the exact thing that Peter is saying not to do.

 I want to say to myself and others, Be Yourself. God has created you for His purposes. He is the Potter and we are the clay. When other clay criticizes you just for being you, gently tell them to take up with the Potter. There is so much diversity in the body of Christ and I hate to see it squashed by people who want the body to be divided in half: women who look, sound, dress and act alike and men who do the same on the masculine side.  A body like that lacks beauty and does not bring glory to the one who has made us. Keith Green wrote that "we are like windows stained with the colors of the rainbow." The Light of the World wants to shine through us and he has made each of us oh so wonderfully different.  

A Time, A Wedding and A Road Trip

(Be forewarned grammar nazis: This blog post will be raw, meaning that I probably will not correct any mistakes because I just need to write. If you do want to correct me (God knows I need it! and why the grammar police have not come after me in the comment section prior, I suppose I will never know) please send me an email and perhaps I will edit it some day.)

I have been very lacks in writing on this blog regularly.  There are no excuses. I am living life. The changes in my life are rapid. When our children were 3 children under age 5, I would often hear, "You must be a busy mom." It is challenging to document what is happening. My times of reflection have been spent in prayer and sometimes a letter or a few lines in a journal. I have started 2 different posts about Grace and Austin's wedding but I was not satisfied with either of them. Indeed I do love to write and it is high time that I love it enough to really give myself to it.

This summer we had our dear Katie home for the summer. Her first summer home since we lived in Gainesville, Florida in 2006. It was a delight to have our Red Girl here with us. And for the first time in her whole life she got to have her parents all to herself as Michael was at L'abri for 6 weeks this summer. She did miss him but survived being with us. Katie helped with painting projects and getting ready for the arrival of the bride and groom to be in our very new home.   My dear K mostly extended love and kindness toward me as I anticipated having all 3 of my children under one roof knowing that soon all three would be gone by the end of August.

The wedding week made our house a home with people coming and coming and then the day came for our little greek girl, Grace to become Austin's wife. It was a simple wedding where these two dear young people pledged themselves to one another in the site of God and witnesses. During the ceremony the bride's family sees the face of the groom and the groom's family sees the face of the bride. My dear friend Mary said, that is so that you can look upon the face of the one who you will welcome into your family. Tears of joy and wonder streamed down my son-in-law's face brought tears to my own eyes as I embraced him in my heart knowing how much Grace loves him and anticipates spending the rest of her days with him.  (perhaps one of my other wedding blog posts will eventually surface ;)

Less than three weeks later, Michael would pack up my car with his possessions leaving room for our suitcases and overnight bags. He has been packing cars since he was 10 and he knows what needs to go where. Our destination was Wheaton, Illinois just outside of Chicago.  Michael is at Wheaton College studying Philosophy and majoring in growing into a man of God. He has not come right out and said that's his major. These are my words as a witness to his young life.  Now the transition in the physical sense is complete. Three children raised up to be adults. WOW.  What a mighty God we serve.  The chapter has been closed. I went out with joy. The joy of knowing that our son walks in the truth.   Sure there were tears throughout August bittersweet tears happy for my children and sadness over a season, mostly sweet coming to a close.  Imperfect parents raising equally imperfect children in the Shadow of The Almighty: our joy, our strength, the salvation of our souls, the Trustworthy and Perfect Father presiding over us all.  This was the road trip where Michael would not be returning home with me.  Our last eaglet being launched and looking forward to seeing him soar with the wind beneath his wings just outside The Windy City.

A Couple of Older Birds in a New Nest

So today is Day 4 of what people call "The empty nest" and I have been meaning to post. Anyway, I thought that I would share my son's post. He is the last to the leave the nest where the old birds remain. Just click on "Do I dare?" on the side bar to read his latest post. You will be glad you did. I must say that I am proud to be this man mother. Hoping to write more soon.

Freed from everything

“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,
“‘You are my Son,
today I have begotten you.’
And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,
“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’
Therefore he says also in another psalm,
“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’
For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses."

(Acts 13:26-39 ESV)

I have been alternating reading this section of Acts 13 and the 17th chapter of Acts each day as of late. Each chapter contains the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. This line keep grabbing me "everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses."  Of course, you have to read it in context. We have to ask and answer the question: What is it that you are to believe in order to have this freedom? The first part of the answer seems obvious to me: the clause right before this one says: "that through this man (Jesus Christ) forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you" so we are forgiven of our sins. I can hear myself before I was a Christian saying, "So what?! Who cares? I am not interested in being a good girl and having no fun." There was no appeal to me. I was blind and I had no understanding of my need for forgiveness. Frankly, I didn't care. When the LORD opened my eyes and I saw that God was Holy and could not be in the presence of sin and that He loved me enough to pour out His wrath upon His Son Jesus who went to the cross willingly to die for my sins, that I might be forgiven and made righteous by His blood, then and only then did I see my need. The need goes far deeper and still more is being revealed as I seek Him. I believe that through "this man" i.e. Jesus Christ I have forgiveness of sins.
We can't just leave it at that.  The man, Jesus Christ died for my sins. If he was just any man, it would not have fulfilled God's requirement of a perfect sacrifice. Jesus lived a perfect life as a man and he is also God incarnate. Yes, I believe he is 100% man (100% God) who was raised bodily and did not see decay and is now at the right hand of the Father interceding for those who believe and trust in Him.  1st John 4 verse 2 states: "By this you know the spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God" I believe that Jesus Christ is God and that he came into the world just as we do, being born of a woman, he grew into a man. He counted himself as one of our brothers and being made like us in every respect as it says in Hebrews 2. I believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh.
Thirdly, there is the fulfillment of the Law. That Jesus is who He says He is. The Law of Moses was followed by the Jews. We might call them "keepers of the Law." They also possessed the hope of the Coming Messiah and some had their own ideas about what He would be about and how He would conduct His business. Some Jews, obviously, had their eyes open by the Holy Spirit and some did not. One of the mysteries is how God Almighty, Infinite in Power and Providence used all to bring about His Plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
The Freedom
By keeping the law of Moses seemingly to perfection by great works we can not be free. Even our BEST works are considered stained by sin. We can't have it so that our good works outweigh our bad deeds. If we could, then Jesus Christ died in vain and God could not be holy.
Christians who believe if they go to church every Sunday, tithe 10% or more, do good to their neighbors, friends and enemies, serve in the ministry of the Church and the Word in other words love God and their neighbor in their own power are not free.
Christians who believe that they are saved by Grace Alone through Faith Alone and can do whatever they want to do in this life. They are a law unto themselves and they too are legalists. There is no freedom for the law makers either.
Who can have this freedom?!
Those who believe that Jesus paid it all. Those who believe Jesus did for them what they could never do for themselves. Those who believe it is Jesus who paid for all of their sins. Those who believe that Jesus is the God/man who came in the flesh, lived the life that they could never live, died the death that they deserved and rose bodily from the grave. Those who believe that Jesus conquered sin and death motivated by the great love with which He loved us and made us alive that we might have LIFE Eternal. Those who indeed believe that Jesus plus nothing indeed equals everything are the ones who have been set free from everything which the law had no power to do.

"Now the LORD is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."  2Corinthians 3:17

Changes ever constant

All the words are twisted between a plethora of emotions;
Life keeps rolling faster as my aging parents slow down.
Tears fall easy as their grandchild weds,
Wasn't it just yesterday that I sang to my children tugged in bed.
My eyes are sore and my heart is full.
God's grace has sustained me for all the years gone by and He will
be faithful for the days that lie ahead.

Newlyweds step into the unknown.
Twinkle in their eyes, kisses on their lips.
Holding each other closer.  Loving. Forgiving. Enjoying.
Rehearse this love, remember that we are here for each other.
Life is not meant to be lived alone. Older ones and little ones
seem to need our care the most.

Live life knowing that you are loved and you will freely love one another.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

(Colossians 1:21-23 ESV)

The truth and gratitude and what is it that you need? Grace for today, hope for tomorrow and mercy to be. Just be.  Yesterday I was being by basking in The Presence of the LORD at the beach.  Not concerning myself with the time or the text or the email, just relaxing and resting at the Atlantic, it is where I experience the Almighty hand of God in creation and recognize my own smallness, how incredibly dependent I really am on God. And in less than 24 hours time, I find myself tangled up in the web of self-centered fear and can't fight my way out of it, drag my family into it and wonder why I can't seem to carry the love, rest, peace, joy, clarity, kindness and confidence I had in the LORD yesterday into today?

Identity Crisis: It breaks in to steal and kill and destroy because if I really knew that I "once was" and now "I am reconciled" then I would rise and walk in the midst of this day in the same spirit that I walked upon the sand and through the shallow water. So, I have fallen, and crawled and cried and been tripped up by my sinful response to my day and the way that it has unfolded. So, I find myself in an interesting place, another opportunity to preach the Gospel to myself, another day to look at My Rescuer in the face (in His Word because I hold onto the hope of One day meeting Him face to face) and there is where I am to behold my Identity. It is IN Christ, that I am reconciled by the Blood and Righteousness of Christ that HE may present me holy and blameless and above reproach because in and of myself, I can NOT cut it. And it is only when I realize that I am nothing without HIM that I can begin to taste the sweetness of light when I am basking in the LIGHT of the TRUTH which is available each and every day.

This morning I read: "Do not let your hearts be troubled....." from the Gospel of John. I started over, out loud, "Let not your heart be troubled, Catherine, believe in God, believe also in me...." Jesus goes on to say a few verses later, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure, his return to the Father but that He will not leave them orphans and He has not left us orphaned. He has sent His Holy Spirit who is also called the Helper. Where does my help come from? Where is my hope? One in the same, My LORD and my God who is with me. As Paul David Tripp tweeted 2 days ago: "No need to like feel like your alone today because if you're God's child, Emmanuel has moved in and isn't leaving."

Mine is to believe that Jesus is who He says HE is and that as His Child, I am who he says I am, loved, delivered, transferred, adopted, forgiven, being made new, kept, sealed, a sinner once enslaved and now bought by the Blood of Jesus Christ my Lord and I have been set free to live in the LIGHT of His grace and truth.

"God does not listen to sinners"

Context is EVERYTHING.
In the gospel of John when the man born blind is healed by Jesus and this causes debate over the healing, the man is brought a second time to The Jews and he says to them, "We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him." The healed man was defending Jesus. The teachers were insulted saying, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?"
The clause (not a "phrase" for all the Grammar Nazis out there who may read my blog and fail to ever send me an email or comment with corrections ;) "God does not listen to sinners" caught my eye yesterday. It is interesting. It seems like it was common knowledge among the Jews since the man said "we know" and Jesus is a friend of sinners and at the same time He is Holy. Jesus tipped the whole Jewish world upside down. The Jews were losing control. Jesus was healing on the Sabbath, hanging out with sinners, teaching without having gone to school, speaking with authority like no other.  A radical, Jesus' family believed he had gone mad.
So what happened? Jesus not only listened to sinners but dined with them, entered their homes, allowed a sinful woman to wash his feet with her tears, touched the lepers, called a tax collector, traveled with a traitor, spoke to a Samaritan woman, treated women as people, etc. This was just the beginning, His earthly ministry was nothing short of AMAZING; the Beloved disciple John wrote in his gospel, "Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world could not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:25)

Planned from Eternity past between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit that the Father would send the Son to die for sinners, God made a way for sinners to have a hearing. By Jesus' Blood and Righteousness we now have access to the Father. No longer in need of a priest to approach the Holy One, but now by the Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ Jesus: He bids us to come.  The writer of Hebrews says that we may boldly draw near to the throne of grace that we may find mercy and find grace in our time of need. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans: that God showing his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. On our own, dead in our sins and trespasses, God can not hear us, BUT now through Jesus Christ, who came in order to save sinners, we being covered in His Righteousness can now confidently know that sinners saved by grace alone can enter into the Presence of God, wrecked and messed up as we are at times, knowing that it is not in our own goodness, piety, and works that give us the ear of our Heavenly Father but by The Son who even now is interceding for us.

So, let us worship HIM in Spirit and in Truth. When we open the Word of God may we be granted wisdom to read it within the context of the whole Redemption Story. Let us call upon the Name of the LORD knowing that we will indeed be heard.