August 16

Jeremiah 44:24-46:12, 2 Timothy 2:22-26 [reflection], Psalm 93:1-5, Proverbs 21:14-16

 "Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust." (2 Timothy 2:22a)  Wow!  If there was ever a timely challenge for today this is it!  

We live in a stimulating time.  Television, movies, internet, magazines, billboards -- all are designed to stimulate us in the direction that the owner wants us to go.  "Spend money!" "Indulge yourself!" "Upgrade today!"  The calls to "youthful lusts" surround us.  How can we resist?

The answer is in the next sentence. "Follow anything that makes you want to do right." Especially, "Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts." (vs. 22b)  We resist the stimulation around us by knowing what is right and pursuing it with others who love God.  

The lie of the enemy is that you won't have any fun if you don't "have it your way."  But the Truth says, "Pursue faith and love and peace [at their Source]" and "all these things will be added to your life."  A frantic dog runs around in circles chasing its tail.  At the end of the day the dog is panting and exhausted -- and still just as far from its tail!  

Are you exhausted today?  Perhaps you've been chasing your tail, stimulating youthful lusts that won't satisfy.  It's time to stop, breathe deeply, and embrace the truth.  "Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts."  Your longings will be satisfied.

Time for a Fresh Start

It is ironic (and hilarious) that in this year of living by myself (without adult children or growing grandchildren) I have not managed to add any posts to this blog!  I thought this would be the year for monthly or even semi-monthly blogging.  The old adage says: work expands to fill the time allowed.  That has certainly been true for me.  So, it's time for a fresh start.

It's time for a fresh start in Bible reading too.  I recently preached a sermon about "the B-I-B-L-E."  God's Word is written for daily use, not just Sunday review.  How many times I have started with a daily Bible reading habit, only to have it fall by the wayside due to sickness, or commitments, or exhaustion, or neglect.  

So why not accomplish two goals in one?  Blog on the Bible!!  I have a Two Year Bible, published by Tyndale and using the New Living Translation.  Each day there is a selection from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.  It usually only covers 2 pages so the selections are obviously short.

My challenge is to read all 4 entries each day and write a reflection on whatever hits me that day.  Want to join me?  I'll list the 4 Bible references, then choose one to respond to.  You can just read the one I wrote about and comment, or read all of them and pick one to respond to.

Not What I Imagined

When I think about my life, over the past year or the past forty years, a theme that arises over and over again is: It's not what I imagined.  As a youngster in sixth grade I wrote an essay (class assignment) about "Where I'll be in 20 years."  I wrote that I would be 32 years old, married with 2 children, living in Australia, working with my husband as missionary doctors.  The reality was very different.

At the age of 32 I was married with 2 children.  But I was neither a doctor nor a missionary nor living in Australia.  Instead, I was a stay-at-home mom, married to a maintenance man, living just outside Detroit, Michigan.  And a dozen years later I was a divorced mom of teenagers, trying to start over as breadwinner and sole parent.  Not what I imagined.

This story is not a story of woe, however.  Many things in my life have been better than I could have imagined.  I went to seminary and earned a masters of Divinity degree with all my tuition and books paid for by gifts and grants from individuals who believed in me... or believed in what God was doing in me.  My dream to be a pastor of a church by the time I was 50 was met with six months to spare.

As I think about my life, I find the theme of "not what I imagined" brings a wry smile to my face as well as hope to my soul.  The visions of my future never included the pain of divorce.  But neither did they include the joy of preaching every week as pastor.  They did not include teaching my two children for nine years at home.  They certainly never included teaching 91 children as a middle school teacher (which is my current occupation).

Perhaps this is the message that God wants me to hear:  God's plans for me are "not what I imagined."  They are what God imagined.  God knew the surprises -- good and bad -- that were waiting for me in life.  God knew the decisions I would make -- good and bad.  And God knew the plans that he has for me.

When the road of life takes a turn that "I never imagined" I can be sure that God is not surprised.  The Master Imaginer is steering this vehicle.  Detours are part of the plan.  The journey is the plan.  I don't have to fret that the route has changed.  I don't have to jam my right foot through the floor board trying to stop the ride.  My job is to relax; enjoy the scenery; let God guide.  Even if it takes me along a path that I never imagined.

Summertime Changes

This summer has brought changes to my life that threaten my identity.  For eight years I have been the sole (soul!) pastor of a rural church.  For six years I've been raising grandchildren.  I've had adult children sharing my house, my driveway, and my refrigerator. 

This summer all of those identities have changed.  My children have moved to their own separate places.  The grandchildren are living with their mother in a different town.  I am no longer pastor of that church.  Who am I now? 

Blessedly, God's Word answers the question of "Who am I?" without reference to roles, jobs, or human relationships.  God says, "I have called you by name; you are mine."

What a relief: my identity is centered in God!   God knows my name -- even the nicknames.  I belong to God.  I don't belong to my church, my children, or my grandchildren.  I belong to God.

Despite the summertime changes, my identity is sure.  On the days when I sit alone in a new apartment without toys or picture books or dirty glasses; when there is no deadline to choose a scripture, develop illustrations, or craft a sermon; when there is no list of people to visit or meetings to attend -- I still have an identity.  I belong to Someone who loves me, knows me, and wants me.

This month I plan to take advantage of the summertime changes and fall in love with God all over again.  After all, I belong to God!

The Living Word

I picked up a Bible from my shelf today that I've had for over forty years. It used to have a paperback cover. Now it is bound in red double knit fabric with cardboard inserts. The last few pages are barely held in by yellowing scotch tape. The spine came loose from the cover years ago. The first ten pages don't fasten to anything. The inside pages have markings of yellow highlighter, black underlining, red Flair pen, and pencil notes. This Living Bible, copyright 1971, is the story of my early faith. The verses I marked, the notes I made, as well as the pages without a mark, all tell of my struggles and growth as a Christian.

The freshness of this paraphrase in the 1970's was similar to the clear breeze that The Message brings for people today. I remember drinking in every page as if Jesus wrote it personally to me. This was NOT my mother's Bible! And my faith was uniquely and delightfully my own as well. -- Which was a good thing since I lived 700 miles from home and we didn't have unlimited long distance in those days!

I don't use that particular copy of the Bible anymore. I keep it as a memento of those early days. It is a good thing my faith does not depend on that book. It's too fragile to hold up to the demands of my life now. Preaching, teaching, praying, studying . . . those flimsy pages could never keep up. My faith is not in the printed word, but in the Living Word that the printed word reveals. The Word of God is living and active and sharper than a two-edged sword, separating our thoughts and motives (Hebrews 4:12). The Word of God was in the beginning with God (John 1:1). The Word of God became flesh and lived right here among us (John 1:14). That truth is too good to keep on a shelf!

Civil Religion

The U.S. constitution banned the creation of a civil religion. It forbade using religion as a criterion for public service. Freedom of religion would result in the virtue of the tolerance of individual beliefs. The unspoken assumption was that people have beliefs and that those beliefs would prompt people to work for the common good and protect the innocent. Every person would agree that self-serving greed was unhealthy for the individual and the community.

It seems the constitution set up a pretty good system. Justice, public service, and community safety all function fairly well without demanding belief in a particular religion. Maybe the system has worked too well. Today, people are more likely to expect support from the State than from God. It appears we have a civil religion after all. People believe the State will provide food, shelter, healing, and hope. When the State falls short of their expectations, some people become bitter and hopeless.

The Bible tells us that God is a jealous God. No one and no thing will be allowed to have the honor, respect, and focus that God deserves. Rule #1 says, "You shall have no other gods before Me."

As Christians we are are not immune to the trials and tribulations of this economic crisis. The difference should come in our response to it. If we expect the State to take care of us, we are putting our faith in the wrong place. The Bible tells us that "your heavenly Father knows you need these things."

How should we respond to the uncertainty of these days? "Seek first the kingdom of God and God's righeousness, and all these things will be added." Hard to do? Indeed! Unless you trust in God more than anything else. We need to be praying, reading the Bible, worshiping, and witnessing. We need to do these things: alone, with our families, and with other believers. Our lives may go through changes but God alone is our Source.

Who's In Charge Here?

"My life is out of control!"
Can you say "AMEN!"?

Whether it's the price of milk, or the cost of a prescrition, or the shortage of buyers for a house, the economy is prompting many people to cry out. "My life is out of control!"

The feelings behind that cry may be despair, or anger, or annoyance, or helplessness. Those feelings often lead us to panicked decisions that don't really help, and may make things worse.

Is it true? Are our lives really out of control in this economic squeeze? Actually, YES. the Bible reminds us that "our times are in God's hands." Proverbs tells us, "Man proposes, God disposes." When we feel like we have no control over a situation, it helps to know that Someone is in control. God is the God the past, and the God of the present, and the God of the future.

God has some very specific promises that apply to our out-of-control lives. "I will never leave you." "My grace is sufficient for you." "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your understanding. In everything you do acknowledge God and God will direct your paths."

It is normal to feel panic in the storm -- but it is faith-filled to grab onto the Rock! Our lives are not in our control; but they are in God's control. Jesus said, "In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world."