Eyes to see

Fear obstructs our vision and spoils our view--let me illustrate

I was flying to Toronto in a small and I mean, small plane! There were 18-seats, 20 if you count the pilot and co-pilot and only 6 of those 20 seats were filled.

We had to walk out on the tarmac to get to the plane and the weight of my backpack made me wobble as I walked up the stairs and ducked my head to go in!

We took off and for once, I did not feel the fear that usually floods me at take-off, instead I felt a thrill of excitement as we raced down the runway and took to the sky.

My excitement vanished a few minutes later as we hit a spot that was a wee bit bumpy. It truly was only a wee bit--I have heard the horror stories and this was nothing, but one little wobble was all it took and my heart was in  my throat. 

My eyes were closed to all around me except the jerking of the plane, and the flashes of lightning! I was sure that we were flying through a thunderstorm and I was terrified!!

When I finally relaxed for a moment and the bouncing ceased--I saw what I had been missing--

First of all the "lightning" that I had been seeing was merely the wing lights flashing through the clouds. My fears were based on a reality that existed only in my mind--not in truth. 

And what I saw as I looked out the window was the breathtaking beauty of a sunset from above the clouds!!

And then the words of Psalm 139 came to me "If I ascend into the heavens You are there!" And I realized that while physically my fears had kept me from seeing the beauty of God's creation that  spiritually my fears had blinded me to the fact that He is with me wherever I go.

Footprints

  I was reading Moses's address to the children of Israel; recounting the faithfulness of the Lord as they journeyed in the wilderness and I noticed a few things.

  "The Lord your God, who goes before you..." (Deut. 1:30a)---The Lord God lead the way--when they arrived at their next destination He was already there. They were never without the presence of the Lord. I take comfort in this as I travel at the end of this week that as I go the Lord is with me but He also goes before me as only the omnipresent God can. When I arrive at each new place He is already there.

  "The Lord your God carried you as a man carries his son" (Deut. 1:31b). Not only did the Lord of the universe, Creator of all things go before them--but He carried them. And not in a rough, uncaring way but in the way that a father carries his son---

in the hold of His comfort,

in the safety of His arms,

 in the discipline of His embrace,

He carries me!!

Eucharisteo

"And wine to gladden the heart of man,oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart." Psalm 104:15

Luke 22:19-20 "And He took bread and gave thanks and broke it...likewise He took the cup..."this cup is the new covanent in My blood."

The wine which brings joy to the heart of man took on new meaning that night as He became the wine poured out for the salvation of the world, of you and me.

The bread that is given to support, refresh and strengthen man's heart is made alive in the Bread of Life who was broken that we might stand.

We give thanks once a week--we celebrate eucharist and the Wine of His blood brings joy to our hearts and the Bread of His body strengthens our hearts. And the oil of His Spirit washes us anew, causing out faces to shine, our lives to shout His praise.

Friends & Family

I heard the old Michael W. Smith classic "Friends are friends forever"  this morning on the radio and I started thinking about how friends are gifts of the Almighty God. He uses the friends in our lives to be the hands and feet of Jesus. And as believers in Jesus Christ our friends are also our family fulfilling both parts of Proverbs 17:17, " A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity."

I would like to briefly recount a few times that the Lord used my friends to reach down and surround me with His love in a way that was "just like Jesus," unmistakably Him.

When I got my wisdom teeth out my dad took me home and then went to the store to fill my scripts before the novacaine wore off. My mom was working and so my little brother and sister were the only ones home with me. My mouth was completely numb and apparently my gauze was completely soaked because the next thing I knew I was drooling blood. My poor younger sibs were staring at me wide eyed not sure what to do and I was sure that I would not be able to change the gauze on my own. At that moment there was a knock at the door and my mom's best friend walked in. She had come over with a stack of movies for me to watch. She changed that nasty gauze for me and reassured us all simply by her presence. I remember thinking, "that is true love."

Another time that was maybe a year or two ago I was at church and feeling very alone. I had just listened to a sermon on marriage and was feeling a bit forgetten. I was walking quickly to the nursery to find my sister trying to hold back the tears when a young man who had recently graduated from the high school youth group that I help lead, called my name. I turned around almost reluctantly, and he said "Megan, I just want to tell you how special you are and how much you mean to me as a friend and leader." He gave me a hug and held on as I sobbed tears of joy that the Lord had not forgotten me.

Recently at work one day I was choking back tears as I read an email from a friend that brought me joy and heartache. I was trying to slip unnoticed into the back when my co-worker caught me. She offered the words of encouragement that I needed right then as one who has shared the same mingled joys and pains.

I am sure that I have more stories to tell, and as I think of them I will share because they are really testimonies of this great truth: WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS!!

The Foolishness of God

"Come lose your life for a carpenter's son

For a madman who died for a dream

Then you'll have the faith His first followers had

And you'll feel the weight of the beam"

"but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." 1 Cor 1:23-24

A babe in the straw

Was the God who inspires awe

The Word of God made man

So that we might understand

From Nazareth, the carpenter's Son, 

Came with a purpose, the Father's will to be done

He had no to place to lay His head

He left the throne of heaven to stand in our stead

He chose his followers, called them by name

they were not perfect but none would ever be the same

He chose the outcasts of this world to declare His word

In the weak of this world His message was heard

And today He calls you

His message is true

On the cross He did die

but now is risen on high

Will you bow the knee?

will you answer His plea?

The Word Became Flesh

I have been thinking about the importance of sharing the gospel--and what that looks like in my day to day life. 

I have thought about famous quotes from great theologians like Sir Francis of Assisi who said "Preach the word at all times, and when necessary use words." And I have wondered--is it ever unnecessary?

Can we effectively share the truth about who the Lord Jesus is by    actions alone? And if not what is the role of words? I mean, we all agree, I hope, that our lives should reflect the Lord Jesus Christ, but many of us would disagree about when and how we speak of Him to those around us.

I don't want to debate methods--but I want to just point out what the Lord showed me from His word this week "The Word became flesh." John 1:1 I think that this answers the question---there is no either or the Word was Incarnated for us. We must speak and we must act as our Lord has called us to.