Every year I encourage and exhort you my readers to make some New Year's Resolutions. Some people hate the idea, others relish an opportunity to re-evaluate. Which are you? I ask this because the concept of time passing from an old year to a new year is a good point at which to reaccess your life. Do you need to make some spiritual resolutions?
Biblically speaking there is justification for this. In general, the Bible teaches us to "consider our ways"-Haggai 1:7. It puts self-reflection front and center and encourages us to focus more upon that, rather then pondering the ways of others. "Why are you looking at the speck in your brother's eye, when there is a log in your own?"-Matthew 7:3.
Jesus really got to the heart of the matter didn't he? In our sin nature, we would like to focus on what our ex-husband, wife or mother did rather than contemplate our own sins and misdeeds. We frequently come up with excuses for why we did the wrong thing but can so easily condemn others. Jesus dealt with this wrong focus and hypocrisy in the story of Mary Magdelene. You can read that story in John 8:1-11. The Bible takes spiritual resolutions to the next level. In your relationship with Jesus, it is always a good day to resolve to change for the better, not just at the New Year. We learn this in the story of the woman caught in adultery when Jesus says, "Go and sin no more."
However, we do find reference to a God ordained New Year’s celebration in Leviticus."Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an Holy convocation"-Leviticus 23:24-25. This feast came to be called by various names such as the Feast of Trumpets, and Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah literally means "head of the year" or new year. God instituted this special celebration and declared that it should be a sabbath!
This imparts a very special meaning to the concept of a New Year. Firstly, it places God directly at the center of the celebration. Secondly, there is the element of rest that God intended the Sabbath to have. For more biblical wisdom on the celebration of New Year's you need only go a few verses further in Leviticus to see the concept of New Year's being a time of repentance too. " And this shall be a statute forever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you". We have to take this to heart. Cleanse yourself from past sin and resolve to be a better person. Ask God to help you break your bad habits.
Why not take a relationship survey? How are things going? What can you do to change bad interactions. Is there someone who you exchange barbs with at school or work? Do you always fight with your parents? Sometimes, we get caught in cyclical patterns of interaction and think there is no way out. That is not true. Worse yet, it is a lie of Satan. It certainly does not represent godly thinking. Let's get in line with Jesus when he states that he does not condemn us but gives us the command to leave the old ways behind.
In other words, focus for a moment on what you are doing. Forget what your boss, boyfriend or brother has done and focus more on surrendering and following God in your own life. Are you sarcastic in the lunch room? Do you just go along to get along? Jesus wants us to make a difference in this world. If someone watching the whole thing can't tell who the Christian in the group is, then you need to make some spiritual resolutions. Don't be so independent and try to do it on your own. Be humble and realize that you need God everyday and in every way. Ask Jesu to help you make this a better year than the one before.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Monday, January 21, 2019
Keeping Promises
Do you keep promises? How important is it to you: to do what you say that you are going to do? 0r are you like Maryanne*? When you meet Maryanne, she is the type of person that you might instantly like. Beautiful, funny, warm and intelligent. She leads with her heart. She expresses vulnerability and does not leave you alone if you do the same. I met her at church one Sunday when she came over to talk to two people that I was speaking with. After I was introduced to Maryanne, she joined our conversation about the Pastors' sermon.
She impressed me as she seemed to take everything the Pastor said to heart. She even lead the discussion in a deep and meaningful direction. We connected and started a friendship. I looked forward to the times that we spent together. Her sweet, humorous text messages were always a lift in my day. As I got to know her better, it became clear that there were some glaring deficits in her Christian understanding.
It seemed that she viewed her Sunday Worship Service as entertainment. It was more about having good times or calming down her frayed nerves. Don't get me wrong, God promises us, peace that surpasses all understanding. Furthermore, it is great to hear someone would rather listen to a Pastor preach a sermon than stay home and binge watch Game of Thrones or something. Church is definitely better entertainment.
Still, there was signs that serving self lay at the heart of her new found relationship with the Lord. I hoped that I could encourage her by being a good role-model of Christian living. I liked to share stories of challenges that I faced and how I tried to honor Jesus in the choices that I made. I also shared about upcoming church events that I was excited about or chose to participate in.
Once such event, concerned an upcoming Church luncheon. The Annual Womens's Fellowship Luncheon* was a much anticipated event where women gathered to share struggles, victories, prayer and visions for the future. Ordinarily Jen* handled cooking and clean-up for this event. However, due to complications in her pregnancy, her doctor had put her on complete bed rest.
The head of the Women's Ministry called me since I had assisted Jen in the past. She wondered if I could fill in. The one problem was that the usual people who assisted at this event were not available this year. I would be pretty much on my own.
Undeterred, I felt happy to accept this challenge. To my surprise when I mentioned it to Maryanne, she enthusiastically offered to help me. She chimed in with, " we'll have a ball," and this will be great girlfriend time." I thought it would be a nice bonding experience too, but my emphasis had to be more of a practically one.
After all, come that Saturday afternoon, there would be fifty hungry mouths to feed! I told Maryanne my plan for tackling the event. The Wednesday before the luncheon, I would take two hours to shop for all the food, bring the groceries to church. Then, wash the dishes I would need and complete any chores that needed to be done before the cooking began.
Thursday and Friday I would cook two hours each day. This way the food would simply need to be heated up Saturday and served. After sharing an overview of the job ahead with Maryanne, I asked her where she thought that she would like to contribute. Her immediate response was she would spend some time cooking with me on Thursday & help serve on Saturday. In a loving affirmation she told me, that "she loved this church and would do anything for it!" I was inspired.
The weeks leading up to this event were busy for both me and Maryanne. We each had some bad news in our family. I wondered if I could handle it all as I turned to God in prayer. With less than a week to go before the luncheon, I was surprised to receive a rather abrupt text from Maryanne saying she is just too exhausted to help out at the event. No apology, no real empathy for me and where was that great love for her church that she had spoken of?
I sometimes struggle with forgiveness but in this case I felt a wave of forgiveness immediately. In fact, I kind of felt sorry for her. She seemed to have very poor coping skills. She does feel love for her church but does not understand that love is an action word. That giving your word means serving sometimes even when it hurts. Maryanne has yet to learn the principle of covenant love.
Covenant love is the kind of love that is forever. It loves when times are difficult. It is the kind of love that continues when people have wronged us. It is the love of Jesus Christ who forgives us each and every time we wrong or reject him when we confess our sins. Knowing how imperfect that we are Jesus still chose to die in our place. The luncheon was successful, thank God. But, pivotal for me, I learned something important that day about covenant love and keeping promises. I must extend that to others.
* the names and some events are changed to perserve anonymity.
**V.B.S. stands for Vacation Bible School
She impressed me as she seemed to take everything the Pastor said to heart. She even lead the discussion in a deep and meaningful direction. We connected and started a friendship. I looked forward to the times that we spent together. Her sweet, humorous text messages were always a lift in my day. As I got to know her better, it became clear that there were some glaring deficits in her Christian understanding.
It seemed that she viewed her Sunday Worship Service as entertainment. It was more about having good times or calming down her frayed nerves. Don't get me wrong, God promises us, peace that surpasses all understanding. Furthermore, it is great to hear someone would rather listen to a Pastor preach a sermon than stay home and binge watch Game of Thrones or something. Church is definitely better entertainment.
Still, there was signs that serving self lay at the heart of her new found relationship with the Lord. I hoped that I could encourage her by being a good role-model of Christian living. I liked to share stories of challenges that I faced and how I tried to honor Jesus in the choices that I made. I also shared about upcoming church events that I was excited about or chose to participate in.
Once such event, concerned an upcoming Church luncheon. The Annual Womens's Fellowship Luncheon* was a much anticipated event where women gathered to share struggles, victories, prayer and visions for the future. Ordinarily Jen* handled cooking and clean-up for this event. However, due to complications in her pregnancy, her doctor had put her on complete bed rest.
The head of the Women's Ministry called me since I had assisted Jen in the past. She wondered if I could fill in. The one problem was that the usual people who assisted at this event were not available this year. I would be pretty much on my own.
Undeterred, I felt happy to accept this challenge. To my surprise when I mentioned it to Maryanne, she enthusiastically offered to help me. She chimed in with, " we'll have a ball," and this will be great girlfriend time." I thought it would be a nice bonding experience too, but my emphasis had to be more of a practically one.
After all, come that Saturday afternoon, there would be fifty hungry mouths to feed! I told Maryanne my plan for tackling the event. The Wednesday before the luncheon, I would take two hours to shop for all the food, bring the groceries to church. Then, wash the dishes I would need and complete any chores that needed to be done before the cooking began.
Thursday and Friday I would cook two hours each day. This way the food would simply need to be heated up Saturday and served. After sharing an overview of the job ahead with Maryanne, I asked her where she thought that she would like to contribute. Her immediate response was she would spend some time cooking with me on Thursday & help serve on Saturday. In a loving affirmation she told me, that "she loved this church and would do anything for it!" I was inspired.
The weeks leading up to this event were busy for both me and Maryanne. We each had some bad news in our family. I wondered if I could handle it all as I turned to God in prayer. With less than a week to go before the luncheon, I was surprised to receive a rather abrupt text from Maryanne saying she is just too exhausted to help out at the event. No apology, no real empathy for me and where was that great love for her church that she had spoken of?
I sometimes struggle with forgiveness but in this case I felt a wave of forgiveness immediately. In fact, I kind of felt sorry for her. She seemed to have very poor coping skills. She does feel love for her church but does not understand that love is an action word. That giving your word means serving sometimes even when it hurts. Maryanne has yet to learn the principle of covenant love.
Covenant love is the kind of love that is forever. It loves when times are difficult. It is the kind of love that continues when people have wronged us. It is the love of Jesus Christ who forgives us each and every time we wrong or reject him when we confess our sins. Knowing how imperfect that we are Jesus still chose to die in our place. The luncheon was successful, thank God. But, pivotal for me, I learned something important that day about covenant love and keeping promises. I must extend that to others.
* the names and some events are changed to perserve anonymity.
**V.B.S. stands for Vacation Bible School
Sunday, January 6, 2019
My Missions Trip- Part 2(Meet the Kids)
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.- James 1:27.
God's purpose and meaning for me being on this Missions Trip began to grow clearer as I met the children at the group homes /orphanages. There were three homes. The first home was dedicated to the care and education of children with special needs.
There was adorable Katya*who berated herself for the clumsiness brought on by her brain injury and dear Alexei*, who was struggling to get used to the higher dosage of psychiatric medicine that he was issued.
As I entered the first home, I saw a group of smiling and sweet kids come streaming into a sun-filled, recreation room. The window was large, almost filling up an entire wall and plants crowded its' sill. The room was decorated with Persian-style carpets, lace curtains, and had a piano and a television set.
Dan* came straggling in after every one was already seated in the chairs that had been set up in a circle near the door. He situated himself in a corner trying to be part of the group and not part of the group. He was still in transition, grappling to accept his current situation after being here just one month.
The ages of the children ranged from 8 years to 16 yrs of age. There were mostly boys and some girls. Here I was, in the thick of things, on my very first day, only somewhat prepared for what to expect since I was the newest member of an American visiting group. Now, the reality began to settle in.
We started our day with a group devotion, where I had reminded people that we Christians needed to be a mini Body of Christ as we began to serve the community that we sought to be a blessing to. After that, we loaded the van with the craft projects that we would be using for that day. Our next stop was a local market to buy food for ourselves and the children. In addition, we bought school supplies which would eventually be placed in a gift bag for the kids.
As we began our day with the children, I felt like an early Christian must have when Christ sent them out on the Great Commission. The stories in the Bible show the disciples of Jesus traveling far and wide to preach the Gospel or Good News of Jesus Christ. I had that sense of preaching on a street corner as I began my trip.
On the first day, Meg* the leader of this Missions Trip opened up with a prayer and gave a short lesson from the book of First Peter. She then directed me to start a craft class. I had no idea before our trip what crafts we would be doing. Meg took care of buying craft kits before we left the United States. The first day of our visit the craft would be Fun With Clay.
This choice ended up to be brilliant, for as the children pressed in and worked their clay, the shyness that we all felt in the situation began to melt away. The stretching and molding of the clay proved to be relaxing and as the clay was transformed into figures and objects so our relationships began to transform.
I marvel to think how God has prepared me probably my whole life to be on this trip. My love of history and music coerced me when I was a child to make imaginary trips to the country I now visited. It was then that I began to pray for this country in a very special way. The special way a child prays with all their heart.
I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.-John 14:18
As I got to know the many children who inhabited these orphanages, I learned of situations that we wish no children ever had to experience. Stories of abuse and abandonment. Stories of poverty and injustice. I saw flashes of anger, frustration, and loneliness in their behavior. Some of the children seemed detached, while others seemed overly affectionate. I longed to comfort them on so many levels. On the practical level, it was by giving them some of the food, clothing and necessities that they needed. I had a feeling this was just a pittance, but I hoped that the children felt our love in the little things that we did.
I don't think that any one comes back from a trip like mine and doesn't desire to do more to help children such as these. Out of these feelings I had an idea to give them a homemade gift. I went to my Church and asked them what they thought. They were very enthusiastic. The project is called Operation Knit-A-Scarf. This initiative will endeavor to get one hundred and fifty handmade scarves made for the children at these three homes.
Why a hand knit scarf? A handmade scarf is a special way to say that I love you. It says that you are special and treasured. It shows that someone took the time and energy required to make you a gift. I found a simple beginner key-hole scarf pattern and have handed that out at Church and among my friends. So have other people. I hope and pray that many children who are struggling with feelings that their family rejected them might let the warm and cozy creations be like a little hug or kiss.
God has blessed this project in so many ways. It has even grown outside of my church. Complete strangers have donated yarn to this cause and even knitted or crocheted some scarves for these children that they don't even know. I just received a large bag of hand-crocheted scarves that Meg* received recently. I feel like I am experiencing Jesus multiply our small effort like when he multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed a multitude!
For the Lord who calls you is faithful, and He can be trusted to make it so!-1 Thessalonians 254
I knew that teaching them about their loving Father and Jesus their Savior would leave these children with something far more permanent and life-changing than what I was able to do for them in the short time that I visited them. I shared some very personal stories highlighting how God brought me through my own childhood trials and tribulations. Most importantly, how God can do it for them. These children need more than just platitudes. They need to cling to the promises of God and begin to learn new ways to behave and believe in order to survive the harsh realities that living in an orphanage entails. Please lift up these children in pray and beseech God on their behalf. They have touched my heart in a unique way.
When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.-Psalm 27:10
* names were changed to protect identity.
God's purpose and meaning for me being on this Missions Trip began to grow clearer as I met the children at the group homes /orphanages. There were three homes. The first home was dedicated to the care and education of children with special needs.
There was adorable Katya*who berated herself for the clumsiness brought on by her brain injury and dear Alexei*, who was struggling to get used to the higher dosage of psychiatric medicine that he was issued.
As I entered the first home, I saw a group of smiling and sweet kids come streaming into a sun-filled, recreation room. The window was large, almost filling up an entire wall and plants crowded its' sill. The room was decorated with Persian-style carpets, lace curtains, and had a piano and a television set.
Dan* came straggling in after every one was already seated in the chairs that had been set up in a circle near the door. He situated himself in a corner trying to be part of the group and not part of the group. He was still in transition, grappling to accept his current situation after being here just one month.
The ages of the children ranged from 8 years to 16 yrs of age. There were mostly boys and some girls. Here I was, in the thick of things, on my very first day, only somewhat prepared for what to expect since I was the newest member of an American visiting group. Now, the reality began to settle in.
We started our day with a group devotion, where I had reminded people that we Christians needed to be a mini Body of Christ as we began to serve the community that we sought to be a blessing to. After that, we loaded the van with the craft projects that we would be using for that day. Our next stop was a local market to buy food for ourselves and the children. In addition, we bought school supplies which would eventually be placed in a gift bag for the kids.
As we began our day with the children, I felt like an early Christian must have when Christ sent them out on the Great Commission. The stories in the Bible show the disciples of Jesus traveling far and wide to preach the Gospel or Good News of Jesus Christ. I had that sense of preaching on a street corner as I began my trip.
On the first day, Meg* the leader of this Missions Trip opened up with a prayer and gave a short lesson from the book of First Peter. She then directed me to start a craft class. I had no idea before our trip what crafts we would be doing. Meg took care of buying craft kits before we left the United States. The first day of our visit the craft would be Fun With Clay.
This choice ended up to be brilliant, for as the children pressed in and worked their clay, the shyness that we all felt in the situation began to melt away. The stretching and molding of the clay proved to be relaxing and as the clay was transformed into figures and objects so our relationships began to transform.
I marvel to think how God has prepared me probably my whole life to be on this trip. My love of history and music coerced me when I was a child to make imaginary trips to the country I now visited. It was then that I began to pray for this country in a very special way. The special way a child prays with all their heart.
I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.-John 14:18
As I got to know the many children who inhabited these orphanages, I learned of situations that we wish no children ever had to experience. Stories of abuse and abandonment. Stories of poverty and injustice. I saw flashes of anger, frustration, and loneliness in their behavior. Some of the children seemed detached, while others seemed overly affectionate. I longed to comfort them on so many levels. On the practical level, it was by giving them some of the food, clothing and necessities that they needed. I had a feeling this was just a pittance, but I hoped that the children felt our love in the little things that we did.
I don't think that any one comes back from a trip like mine and doesn't desire to do more to help children such as these. Out of these feelings I had an idea to give them a homemade gift. I went to my Church and asked them what they thought. They were very enthusiastic. The project is called Operation Knit-A-Scarf. This initiative will endeavor to get one hundred and fifty handmade scarves made for the children at these three homes.
Why a hand knit scarf? A handmade scarf is a special way to say that I love you. It says that you are special and treasured. It shows that someone took the time and energy required to make you a gift. I found a simple beginner key-hole scarf pattern and have handed that out at Church and among my friends. So have other people. I hope and pray that many children who are struggling with feelings that their family rejected them might let the warm and cozy creations be like a little hug or kiss.
God has blessed this project in so many ways. It has even grown outside of my church. Complete strangers have donated yarn to this cause and even knitted or crocheted some scarves for these children that they don't even know. I just received a large bag of hand-crocheted scarves that Meg* received recently. I feel like I am experiencing Jesus multiply our small effort like when he multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed a multitude!
For the Lord who calls you is faithful, and He can be trusted to make it so!-1 Thessalonians 254
I knew that teaching them about their loving Father and Jesus their Savior would leave these children with something far more permanent and life-changing than what I was able to do for them in the short time that I visited them. I shared some very personal stories highlighting how God brought me through my own childhood trials and tribulations. Most importantly, how God can do it for them. These children need more than just platitudes. They need to cling to the promises of God and begin to learn new ways to behave and believe in order to survive the harsh realities that living in an orphanage entails. Please lift up these children in pray and beseech God on their behalf. They have touched my heart in a unique way.
When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.-Psalm 27:10
* names were changed to protect identity.
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