Words on a Page

Change is an interesting concept. Often times, it sparks controversy. For example…oh, I don’t know…let’s say bodies of water. I wonder if all maps and globes will need to be redone to say, “Gulf of America?” Seems like an unnecessary expense to me. See how that works? What some see as powerful statement, others see as a waste of time and energy. The other big debate is generational change. It seems to me that no one is willing to listen to anyone. I could reference the Book of Philemon in the bible. Slavery is wrong. It was then. It is now. End of debate. Do we exercise the same hate and disgust looking back in order to condemn slavery or do we accept that times change, people grow, and love should rule? If we cannot try to understand that each generation has social norms while trying to love that generation, past or present, we are all in bondage. Try a little compassion, folks.

I believe, just my opinion, that we are morphing into a society based on fear. There are ever so subtle scare tactics being dropped everywhere. This is especially true when we discuss the issue of strangers. Now let me be clear. I watch enough true crime mysteries that I agree unnecessary risks can be dangerous or deadly when it comes to the people we accept. Far too often, the Good Samaritan in today’s world falls victim to the crime and meanness of the very people they tried to help. What about the Good Samaritan in the bible? Had he not stopped to render aid and had he not given from his own income, the biblical account of the willing witness would probably have a tragic ending. Yet, the stranger ministered to another stranger. Yes, we live in a time that fear (probably mixed with a little greed) has left the stranger in need to fend for themselves. God’s people should be the Good Samaritan. Somewhere along the way, we chose to deny Christ’s parable instructing us to help others. Ho...

To speak or not to speak? Now, that is the real question. Despite what Shakespeare wrote regarding to be or not to be, when to speak and when to remain silent is really the tougher challenge. The bible teaches there is a right time for everything. Jesus spoke in some situations and remained silent in others. (We must study His life more often to determine how He decided whether to take a stand or to just be quiet.) As a Christian called to the ministry of words, I struggle knowing when, where, how, and why to use them. I’m not dumb. I know for a fact there are times I’m called to speak that I choose to shut up. I am also aware there are times I should stay silent that I simply cannot resist the urge to pounce. We simply cannot remain silent just because it feels better than to speak up. We also cannot speak up just to make ourselves feel better. It’s a delicate dance to walk in the Spirit while exercising the spiritual gift of self control. I heard someone ask recently, “Is your butt ...

A year ago today, I wrote a note in my bible. The text was regarding a fallen nation. The words talked about poor choices ending up in awful consequences. The note in my bible says this, “Surely America will not allow him to seek a second term?” Surely, they did. As I reread the biblical text and skipped over my human-based opinion via notes, I realized that I am stuck. I’m allowing external circumstances to dictate internal feelings. What goes on around me is not the boss of me. Jesus Christ is the Boss of me. ”Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me throughout the days of my life.” Surely they do because I can know that, despite external chaos, I have internal peace as I await my eternal home.

God’s name of Yahweh repeats His declaration of, “I AM.” I AM the Creator. I AM God Almighty. I AM the beginning and end of all things. I think when Yahweh speaks, we should listen. When He commands, through His word, that His people clean up their acts and put away the evil performed right before His eyes, I’d listen. When He declares that we are called to “learn to do well, seek justice, relieve the oppressed, defend the fatherless, and plead for the widow,” I’d listen. He calls His people to come to Him immediately and reason together so that we can figure things out together . He promises that if we are willing and obedient, and we follow His instructions, we will see good things happen and we will be blessed. But, if we aren’t listening, we refuse to follow His instructions, and are not applying biblical reasoning, we will regret it. Yahweh, can You force us to listen during these times of trials and turmoil? I know…I know…that “free will” thing.

We Christians believe in prayer. I’ve heard it said that God speaks to us through His word (the bible) and we (His children) speak to Him in prayer. Oh, we believe in the power of prayer. In fact, we demand it. We demand that public prayer be brought back to our nation. We want public prayer back in schools and at sporting events. Well, as long as the prayer says what we want and believe it should say. How does God speak to His children regarding that opinion? Let’s see: “When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you. Yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear.” I’m still reading the Book of Isaiah. I’m still reading and quoting the words of a Prophet. I’m still bewildered that God’s assemblies don’t get it.

Isaiah 1:4 is just a snippet of God’s message to His estranged children. He calls them out regarding their own sinfulness. In fact, He declares His children are “loaded with iniquity,” “evildoers,” and corrupt. God is not happy. In the last part of verse 4, God says His children have forsaken Him. He calls them, “estranged and backward.” Estranged is defined as, “no longer close or affectionate; alienated.” Backward can mean several things here: Backslidden - no longer worshipping or serving God alone. Backing up - literally returning to an old way of life. Backward can also mean not moving forward, not growing, but stuck in old thinking. Another concept is being out of touch with God due to literally turning our backs on Him. Sad thing is God’s estranged, sinful, alienated, evil-doing, corrupt, and backward children were unaware of their condition until a prophet pointed it out. They had a choice as we always do: Listen and learn OR don’t listen and spiritually die. Choose well, Belie...

The church at Galatia had a problem. Its people put arrogance ahead of grace and made a huge error. They decided their old ways, more specifically their former religious practices, made them superior to the rest of the world. They moved themselves from freedom in Christ to the bondage of opinion. In doing so, they demeaned the entire ministry of Jesus Christ and put the future of Christianity in danger. Spiritual leaders like Peter and Barnabas were not immune to the desperate panic of the Galatians. They, too, fell under the spell of believing that grace did not cover all sins. This error made them deny that salvation was available to ALL people regardless of differing opinions. The Galatians behaved as if everyone else had to follow their religious laws in order to be fully saved. While hypocrisy seems to be a word we throw around a lot lately, Peter and Barnabas knew better. Therefore, they were the very definition of the word. What happened? Instead of me telling you, read for your...

It’s cold outside and a winter storm is coming. I’m feeling a different need for hibernation. I sat in church yesterday with a feeling of bewilderment. I’m at peace. I feel the joy of my salvation. I love the Lord, my God, with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind. Still, I seem to be detached from church as a whole. I’m someone that used to be at church every time the door was open. I was a leader, a teacher, a pastor. These days, to be honest, my husband has to make me get up to go. I’m not mad at anyone. I’m not losing my faith. I’m am not interested in playing the games that often comes with church attendance. I refuse to go through the motions without meaning - real meaning. I know Jesus understands. After all, Jesus himself went into the wilderness. Jesus himself became angry at religious leaders. Jesus did not attach himself to ritualistic wrappings. He is real. He is genuine. He longs for us to be the same.

“Let us love one another.” “Let us love one another.” ”Let us love one another.” God’s word teaches it. In fact, loving others is a command for those who choose to represent Christ - Christians. But it is just so hard! When I was younger, I seem to be more open to loving others. With age, I find myself thinking people are crazy. Honestly, the choices we make (even Christians), the stands we take (even Christians), and what comes out of our mouths or posts doesn’t seem to represent Christ. I fall into the “even Christians” category. I am not convinced that the majority of Christians represent Christ fully (especially me).

Perseverance is our ability to keep trying and to hang on despite the length of our challenge or struggle. Patience may be hard. Perseverance is patience on steroids. The bible assures us that our perseverance will be our reward if we continue to love God in the struggle. Too many Christians give up and get angry with God instead of trusting Him no matter what may come. Applying “no matter what” in the trials of life produces perseverance and strengthens our faith.

I can’t decide whether I am patient or not. I suspect my level of patience is gauged by the situation. Case in point: grandchildren. I’m patient. My impatience rears its ugly head while driving. Oh, my gosh! Where are people learning to drive? Running stop signs seems to be okay for a select few. As my husband says - they think they’re special. Parking in fire lanes is appropriate for those special few. Give me a break. Park and walk. Better still, drop your passenger off at the door and circle the parking lot. I wish fire department members could issue tickets to violators. I would fervently applaud them. We can’t seem to embrace the speed limit issue. A man zoomed past me in a school zone and then drove fifteen miles an hour ahead of me in a 40 mile per hour zone. What’s up with that? Dear God, instead of teaching me patience, can You teach them how to drive?

The bible teaches that God cannot look at us when we choose evil over good. While He doesn’t stop loving us, He does not and will not make excuses for us. God turns His face away when we turn from His ways. It’s a slippery slope towards destruction for a person, people, and a nation. God does not long for our rationalization. He waits for our confession. Confession basically means this: We turn to God or away from Him. The choice is ours. He has the same choice.

I have a problem with authority. There. I admitted it. I’m not sure why I struggle with authority. After all, I had wonderful, Godly parents. I didn’t struggle with their authority - just everything that came after. I decided to research and study how Jesus handled authority. He basically addressed it, engaged it, empowered it, or ignored it. He addressed the authority of his day by calling them out and referring to them as vipers (dangerous snakes). He engaged authority when the rich, young ruler asked Jesus how to achieve eternal life. Christ told the rich ruler to sell everything he owned and donate the proceeds to the poor. When the leader Nicodemus approached Jesus, Jesus saw his sincerity of heart and provided spiritual answers to Nicodemus’ spiritual questions. When questioned about the authorities insisting that people pay taxes, Jesus basically said, “Give it to them.” In other words, don’t focus on that - focus on Christ. Let’s not be sidetracked or burdened by human authorit...

God tells us to love one another. Christ commands that we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Over and over again in the bible, Christian teachings encourage love above everything else. Sounds good, but how do we put that into play? Let’s be honest. Not every person is lovable and we don’t always feel lovable ourselves. Love takes effort. Even in those relationships we want to love the other person, unconditional love is hard work. When we allow frustration to rule our minds and hearts, love is hard to find. Frustration is a sign of giving up on God’s will in order to insert our own. Frustration tempts us to believe that this love concept is unrealistic and unimportant. The remedy is easy. When we are tempted to allow frustration to replace love, choose God over self. After all, God is love.

Fear can paralyze us. Fear undermines faith. Once we allow fear into our soul, it seems to fester. It seems to grow. The bible reminds us that, as followers of Christ, we have not been given a spirit of fear. We’ve been given the power over fear. We’ve been given a sound mind that does not allow fear to fester and grow. We’ve been given God’s love. His love will not always remove scary things from our lives. His love will guide us through the fear.

Despite the fact that we entered a brand new year about a week ago, I suspect some of us remain tired. Fatigue is a real thing. If left untreated, fatigue can turn into a whole different set of issues. There are times that I am physically tired. The answer? Sleep or at least rest. Other times, I am emotionally and mentally exhausted. Meditation, prayer and a literal vacation helps heal the tired mind and soul. What about spiritual fatigue? Have you experienced it? How do you treat it? It’s a real thing. We seem to give church staff permission to take a sabbatical. Yet, many lay leaders need equal time for equal rest. Jesus addressed it this way, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened. I will give you rest.” A simple solution for spiritual fatigue is to take a break and not think we need to be at church every time the doors open. Even Christ withdrew and rested.

God is the Giver of life. Since the beginning of time, He ordains who and what blesses our world. Life is interesting to say the least. Mankind debates it trying to decipher just when life begins and ends. Man belittles it through violence and destruction. Life offers us good days and bad days. It presents times of joy and times of pain. The bible teaches there is a right time for everything in life. Good, bad, joy or pain, life is life. As the song proclaims, “That’s life!” When our human life ends, our eternal life begins. Jesus Christ gave His physical life to offer us eternal life. Believe it or not, we choose to believe or not.

The Bible is very clear on the subject of anger. Being angry isn’t wrong. God gets angry. Jesus got angry. I suspect they are both very angry at us right now. Anger isn’t the sin. It’s an emotion. What we do with the anger defines our intent for wrongdoing versus standing up for righteousness. We are commanded to control our anger: “Be angry and sin not.” We are commanded not to allow our anger to fester or become rage: “Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Be prayerfully mad. Then, seek resolution.

I love the CBS Comedy Ghosts. I haven’t laughed so much at a TV show since the series, “Reba.”  I joined a Ghosts fan page on Facebook. The things that upset people never ceases to amaze me.  There are gay characters. Guess what?  I can turn the channel if that offends me. Of course, the same people offended by the gay ghosts voice their discontent by posting highly hateful words.  Christians’ ability to categorize their philosophy of sin also never ceases to amaze me. I’m glad God doesn’t do that; otherwise, we’d all be doomed. 

Everyone is an expert. Just ask us, including me.  It seems to me that most of us want to give our opinion (long before we are asked) and believe we know everything about any topic.  God’s word says, “So be humble under God’s powerful hand. Then he will lift you up when the right time comes.” Somewhere along the way, we decided humility is a sign of weakness. Nothing is further from God’s truth or His True One. If we want to be Christlike, we must be humble.

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” THIS is where my hope arises. What brings you hope?

I fear we’ve become a society of complainers. If the non-believing world is watching, which they are, I’m not certain Christ’s family is doing Him justice.  I am trying to spend a lot less time on social media. I don’t think there is any other place where our negativity is so brash - so bold. It’s as if most of us have decided our calling in life is to condemn the world. From movies to music and everything (and everyone) in between, we seem to sanction ourselves as the authority on all people, places, and principles.  If I am the only Christian some people will ever know, I wonder if they want to be one based on what they see?