Have you found Jesus yet?

I read this in a book that I started last night, Why the Jesus Seminar Can't Find Jesus and Grandma Marshall Could by David Marshall:

Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Have you found Jesus yet, Gump?
Forrest: I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for him, sir.  (quote from Forrest Gump)

And then, thought of the lines to one of my favorite songs:

looking for love in all the wrong places.
Looking for love in too many faces.
Searching their eyes, looking for traces
of what I'm dreaming of. (Lyrics from Looking for Love)

And then heard, so clearly:
Psalm 46:10  He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I also got to thinking about part of a book that I had read that spoke about Mary carrying God, pregnant with the Creator, and then compared her with God inside her, to us, having Him inside us.

Romans 8:9-11 (New International Version, ©2010) 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[a] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[b] his Spirit who lives in you.

Why go looking, when He is right there, inside us, just waiting for us to open our hearts and ears and hear Him?!? 

Revelation 3:20 (New International Version, ©2010)20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

And the carol, “Do you hear what I hear?”
“Do you hear what I hear
A song, a song
High above the tree
With a voice as big as the sea”

John 10:27-30 (New International Version, ©2010)27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

I had a daily devotional today that spoke to being busy, feeling guilty for resting, and yet, how can you hear that still small voice when racing around, being busy?

“Listen to what I say
Pray for peace people everywhere”

Psalm 23:1-3 (New International Version, ©2010) 
Psalm 23
 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, (italics mine)
he leads me beside quiet waters,
 3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
   for his name’s sake.

I am pretty sure that Jesus is the one who does the finding, we just need to listen more, and isn’t that the case anyway?!?  I don’t really believe in New Year’s resolutions, but that would be a good one to make, to listen more, and to actually hear what is said.

Happy New Year!

The most wonderful time of the year

And, for some, the loneliest.

“Are you lonesome tonight”  Elvis

Are you lonesome tonight,

Do you miss me tonight,

Are you sorry we drifted apart?

"It is not good that man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18).

I have been hearing from various friends and family about how the holiday season is so hard, the scrabble for gifts, the worry about bills, the wanting to be with family and not being able to. 

And it is so easy to get caught up in the rush, hustle and bustle of the time, that we get overwhelmed and lose track, burned out and discouraged.

It’s hard – to remember the reason for the season, to realize that we are not really alone.  I got an email, once upon a time right after my dad died that knocked me off my feet:

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and was rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job)! is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love.  It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear.  Open our hearts not just to those who are close to us, but to all humanity.  Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.

Everyone is dealing with something, and while surrounded by so much rushing, and happiness and busyness, there are empty nesters, and those mourning, and those seeking.  Blaine Larson sings a song where there is one line that struck me hard:  How do you get that lonely and nobody knows?

No cheerleading this time, but a simple and heartfelt request – reach out to someone who looks lost.  Offer hugs to those you might not think of offering to any other time of the year.  Say hello to someone.  Give.  It need not be money or food, but a smile, a thought, time.  You never know, it could change or save someone’s life.

Hope Hurts

(from Love Hurts by Nazareth)

Love hurts, Love scars, Love wounds and mars
Any heart not tough or strong enough
To take a lot of pain, take a lot of pain
Love is like a cloud, it holds a lot of rain
Love hurts, Ooo-oo Love hurts 

I told my counselor the other night that hope hurts and she looked at me in bewilderment and asked why it would hurt!  Imagine, having to explain why it would hurt.

"Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free",

Words from the tablet on the Statue of Liberty (which could als be what God is saying to us), and so many immigrants looked to those words and found hope.  But look what they were leaving, and again ask, why it would hurt.  They were leaving family, most of them probably already dead, and knowing there was nothing for them in their homes any longer.  They took those steps to us to save their lives, but the leaving hurt, and the guilt of those left behind.

It hurts when you have lived for so long, in the rut.  And the rut, it gets really comfortable – you know it, you know what to expect.  You don’t get surprised, even if it is bad things that happen, because that it what you have learned happens, what you have become accustomed to.  Leaving that rut, there is fear.  Things might look better out of the rut, but you have been conditioned and so can’t believe that it could happen for you.  And that is where hope hurts.

(from My Hope is You by Third Day)

To you, O Lord, I lift my soul

In you, O God, I place my trust

Do not let me be put to shame

nor let my enemies triumph over me

My hope is you

Show me your ways

Guide me in Truth,

In all my days

My hope is you

(from You are my hope by Skillet)

Times are hard
Times have changed
Don't you say
But I keep holding on to you
It's hard to keep the faith alive day to day
Leaning on the strength I've found in you
You're the hope of all the Earth

You are my hope
You are my strength
You're everything
Everything I need
You are my hope
You are my life
You are my hope
You are my hope

Far beyond what I can see or comprehend
Etching your eternity in me
Nations stream and angels sing, "Jesus reigns"
And every knee bows down
You're the hope of all the Earth

Yes, hope and love can hurt initially, BUT . . .

He understands that fear and pain, the want but holding back.  We can learn to hope, starting out small, and learning the trust that we can place in Him.  He understands, for He hoped:

Luke 22:42

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

And he hurt from love:

John 11:33-35 (Lazarus)

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

Jesus wept.

And He gave up:

Mark 15:34

And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

But . . .

He also rose again!

Acts 2:24

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

And he did this for all of us! 

I have an Eeyore coat and on the patch it claims, “the positive pessimist.”  It fits me pretty well – the slogan as well as the coat.  But I am working at overcoming the pessimist part and just being positive.  And you can too, thru Him!

Backstage Passes

William Shakespeare wrote: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts...

Job Chapter 1:6 "One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them..."

Isaiah 6: 1 "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.."

There are areas of reality that we can't see. I like to think of these dimensions as "Backstage". In the bible, we get a few peeks behind the curtains of our five senses.

Why write about this? Out of sight. Out of mind. There are a few important things about backstage that DOES effect our every day life.

Many people tend to think about prayer as a feeble 'hail mary' football pass in the closing seconds of the game. If you could see prayer backstage then you would quickly drop that notion. Prayer is mighty. Modern science is acknowledging the power of words. The phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword" is in the shadow of God's statement "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit"

Then there's God's seal. Us Christians have some kind of identification on us that points out whose we are. The Enemy can see it and that changes what his options are. Many of us are very afraid when we meet bad people. We're not sure what or how to respond. A look backstage to see all the angels there would be very reassuring.

Then there's God, Himself. Backstage could be a lot nearer than we guess. What if the curtains were a veil. God could be a lot closer than you thought.

The bible teaches that there are areas that are real that we can't see. Faith with a humble request for permission allows you to glimpse backstage. Isaiah was forever changed after he saw the Lord. Job put his hand to his mouth and retracted his remarks. Personally, I think it's time that God's sons and daughters stopped ignoring their spiritual blessings in this area. We can certainly request access. I pray that you will.

In Defense of Rhythm

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.  [1 Cor 14:33].   Now this verse context has to do with the worship service.   You see structure and coherence in everything God created.  The migration patterns of the animals with their beneficial instincts are one example.  Our family institutions which protect the vulnerable woman in pregnancy and early childrearing are  just another example of God's wisdom in action.

One of the sweetest whispers that I get from God is "You are not late."   That worry creeps into so many situations.  Picking up the children from school.  Getting chores done around the house.  I have this anxiety that I am behind schedule.  Being led by the Spirit is not an every day thing yet.  I still love my agenda.  When I am being led by God, there is a pacing to it.  There is rhythm.  It is recognition of this ordered, structured wisdom that is in part my evidence that God is in something.  My instinctual efforts to hurry it up, to double check the clock prompt God to reassure me that His timing is spot on.   I am not late.

WIsdom is not only what we should do or who we should do it with, but when something should ideally happen. Eccles 3:1 "  There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. "   Staying in your season protects you. Moses was the appointed leader of the Israelites.  He killed the Egyptian thinking that the Hebrews would rally to his leadership.  Their reply? “Who made you ruler and judge over us?"  It was 40 years or so later before Moses would be promoted by God to lead the Israelites from their captivity.

God may start small.  Zech.  4:8 "After that, the Word of God came to me: "Zerubbabel started rebuilding this Temple and he will complete it. That will be your confirmation that God-of-the-Angel-Armies sent me to you. Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings? They'll change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place!" Going back to the vision, the Messenger-Angel said, "The seven lamps are the eyes of God probing the dark corners of the world like searchlights."


However God leads you, it has a rhythm...pattern and order.   In what situations have you felt His touch?  It is the specifics that make it clear.  Please share your encounter with God with us!

That 40 days in the desert? That was no picnic!

I read in one of Max’s books, and for the life of me can’t remember which one right now, that addressed Jesus being taken into the desert by satan and being tempted after 40 days and nights of fasting.  The reference that Max wanted to make was that it was more than just the couple of examples that we read about in the bible.  It wasn’t a sneak attack and then get a reprieve to gear up for the next attack.  It was 40 days of constant struggle and misery.  And it really got me to thinking.

We have been told that there is nothing that we can suffer that Jesus hasn’t already suffered for us, that there isn't anything that any of us could ever go thru that He hasn't already so that He understands and has complete compassion.  He suffered in this way so that there is no pain that He cannot know, understand, and be able to help us get through, so take this one step further, to the belief that He knows:

• what the fire felt like in the concentration camps
• the fear of an unplanned pregnancy
• the fear of going into battle
• the need to be touched when disease ridden (the leper He healed)
• how it feels to be an physically or emotionally abused (the woman at the well)
• the feelings of being dirty and unclean after a rape or molestation
• clinical depressionthe false sense of power over other people/issues
• the unnatural high from any type of addiction

 This song comes to mind:  John Michael Montgomery (The Little Girl)

She said I know that man up there on that cross

I don't know His name

But I know He got off

Cause He was there in my old house

and held me close to His side

As I hid there behind our couch

The night that my parents died

She didn’t know Him, and her parents were too wrapped up in their addictions (if you know the song) to hear Him speaking to their hearts, so He went to the one that He could help, where He knew that suffering.

In "A Farewell to Arms," Ernest Hemingway writes, "The world breaks everyone and many are strong at the broken places."

A line out of the movie "Seabiscuit," says:  "You don't throw a whole life away just because it's a little banged up."

He suffered for us, went on the cross for us, and came out the other side so much stronger!  And you hear stories of similar strengths from adversity;

• the people from abusive relationships that go on to strong relationships and volunteer opportunities
• those that overcame addictions to mentor those trying to overcome the addictions

Remember these lyrics from Skillet and “The Last Night”

This is the last night you'll spend alone

Look me in the eyes so I know you know

I'm everywhere you want me to be

The last night you'll spend alone

I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go

I'm everything you need me to be

The last night away from me

This is the last night you'll spend alone

Look me in the eyes so I know you know

I'm everywhere you want me to be

The last night you'll spend alone

I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go

I'm everything you need me to be

He’s been there, done that, and is there to lead us through!

Introductions

We are three women, each separated from the other by thousands of miles, but united in love and friendship.  In choosing pen names, we are free to discuss life without jostling our family, friends or children.  The names we picked are African because one of us is from Nyeri, Kenya.  Each name means something wonderful.