Pretty Please?! With Hot Chocolate Mousse and Cherries?

I came to the end of my rope this week with my grown daughter and grandkids living with me. It has been eleven very long, exhausting months. People rooted me on to ‘hang in there’ and ‘keep holding on!’ I decided I would rather let go of the rope and if I was lucky, I might fall in front of a Mac truck on the autobahn or into shark infested ocean waters. Now that sounded like fun!

My daughter’s lifestyle and mine clashed. Not because I am a Christ follower and she is not but because I directly oppose liars, cheaters, manipulating, dirty, lazy people that like to take advantage of everyone.

The religious term is fervent prayer. I was not fervently praying for her to get accepted into her own apartment… I was desperately crying, inwardly screaming and anxiously freaking out!! How religious was that? Wow!

I would find myself at all hours of the day and night saying, ‘Lord, she has to get accepted into that apartment!’ Then I would add, ‘please?’ Please? Well, while I am at it why don’t I say, ‘pretty please?’ or ‘with chocolate syrup and honey nuts?’

Does God really care if we say please? Are there any recorded ‘pleases’ in the Bible? Did God, Jesus, Paul, Jeremiah, Job or any others ever say please for something? Can you imagine as the people go to the temple with their offering they hand the animal to the priest and say, ‘Can you please sacrifice this on behalf of my family?’

I am not trying to rude or obstinate. Do the kids in the African village say ‘please’ when they ask for their food or bedding? It is the voice of the privileged people in the dignified countries that teach their children from birth to say please and thank you.

If God is no respecter of people then he doesn’t NOT hear my prayers if I forgot to be polite and add please at the beginning or end of the prayer. God see’s my heart. That is all God see’s. That’s all he wants to see. Our hearts. Our words, the order they are spoken and the inflections used have no bearing on how he hears. He only hears the heart.

My daughter did get the apartment. (Longer story but that was a miracle!!) I ran around telling everyone, ‘There is a God!!!’ I wasn’t necessarily being facetious. I was starting to wonder.

After all, I no longer attend the religious function most Christians call ‘church’. I am also not bound to the bible as my rulebook. I no longer honor the traditional tithe or ‘guilt offerings’. I am learning to see and be viewed by my savior through the eyes and heart of pure grace. (NOT as a license to sin!) I am jumping out of the religious box that Christians have built as a memorial to their God. I am continually searching for ways to let my God out of any contraptions I have placed him in while I was dutifully following all the instructions of my past pastors and teacher of faith.

For some of you reading this you might think God forbid! He shouldn’t answer any of her prayers even if she does add ‘please’ one hundred times! She must have secret sin in her life! She is doing all the things my pastor said I would die a spiritual death if I tried! Doesn’t she know she is opposing God? Doesn’t she know what the bible says about that stuff??

Yes. I know exactly what it says. Do you my friend know what it really says about performing all these religious, ritualistic, obligatory functions? He just wants your heart. Not your performance. Get to know his heart alone. And let him know yours.

(See my other post on this picture at http://controversialatbest.blogspot.com/2007/05/grace.html)

He Loves Me!

We have all heard the story about Mary and Martha. We have heard the story about Lazarus being brought back from the dead by Jesus. Last night I read the stories with a bit of a different twist.

I have been in the institutionalized church for 27 years. I have heard every version of these stories preached by many a preacher, teacher, pastor, or anyone else that wanted to tell it their way.

The premise of the story is that there was a little town called Bethany where Mary and her sister Martha lived. A man named Lazarus, who was possibly their brother, dies.

John 11:5 says, ‘Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus’.

The words ‘love’ and ‘loved’ occur about 400 times in the Bible. Wow! God loves me! We hear it sung as children’s hymns and songs. We see everywhere in our church buildings where it’s read on banners, posters, cards, bulletins, etc., ‘John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life’.

I obviously ‘knew’ God loved me. Wow.

Last night while reading an eBook by Frank Viola, (can be downloaded at http://www.ptmin.org/bethany.pdf) I read a verse as if for the first time. I know it was far from the first time but it gently jumped out and pricked my heart.

John 11 tells the account of Jesus getting word that Lazarus was dead. Jesus says in verse 11, ‘Our friend Lazarus is asleep. I must go wake him’. (My translation.) In verse 32 Mary comes to meet Jesus and falls at his feet saying, if you were here he would not have died. Verse 33:
When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.

It’s not about Jesus not getting upset with her for accusing him of allowing her brother Lazarus to die. If you notice, Mary is always at Jesus’ feet. The place of servant hood and humility. Jesus knows Mary’s heart. And when he see’s her fall at his feet, broken in pain for the death of her brother… he didn’t give her a cute cliché of a promise, or give her a positive thinking quote, he didn’t try to prove his power to her by conjuring up all sorts of throaty rebukes to the devil.

He gently asked where the body was.
John 11:35 He wept.

Wow. It says the Jews were amazed and said, ‘Behold how he loved him!’ They were amazed that he had such a love for this man. Jesus calls Lazarus his friend and then shows those around his greatest love by wanting to free him from his snares.

Jesus saw that Mary and Martha’s heart was broken and… he wept.

The scriptures have always said that he loved us and cared about all our problems but when I read that all of a sudden, it came alive! He cares about my marriage, my broken heart, my situations at home; he cares about things that are breaking my heart.

Wow.

John 11:41-43 And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

I have to trust that God knows my Lazarus and will be able to raise it from the dead!

The Chasm

Each day as I lay my head down to nap or sleep for the night I sigh and wonder why I must live in my aloneness of having a husband that doesn’t love me. I am saddened by the distance between us and cry to God to help me understand why I must live daily in such solitude. I wonder why my husband as a man does not desire me as a woman. What went wrong? Why the great chasm between us? Will it ever end? Will it stop? Will it go away? Or am I left to wonder these things every time I try to lay down and rest my weary soul?

Entertaining Strangers!

This is a repost from something I received. If you have a heart towards Jesus, this should touch you.

Ruth went to her mailbox and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address.

She read the letter:

Dear Ruth: I`m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit.
Love Always,
Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table.

"Why would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special.I don't have anything to offer." With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets.

"Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner."

She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents. Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least. She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.

A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with grand total twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.

"Hey lady, can you help us, lady?"

Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans; she hadn't even noticed two figures huddled in the alley way. A man and a woman, both of them dressed inlittle more than rags.

"Look lady, I ain't got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us lady, we'd really appreciate it."

Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad and frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to.

"Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him."

"Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway."

The man put his arm around the woman's shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart.

"Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them.

"Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out something else to serve my guest."

She handed the man her grocery bag.

"Thank you lady. Thank you very much!"

"Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering.

"You know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why don't you take this one?"

Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman's shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street...without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest.

"Thank you lady! Thank you very much!"

Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too.The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.

"That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day".

Dear Ruth: It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.
Love Always,
Jesus

The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed.

The Lift-off was Exhilerating!!!

We spent the evening getting the balloon in good working order and making sure our two riders were up to the challenge. Everything was going according to schedule.


Thursday May 17, 2007 lift-off commenced at12:28 p.m. It was a windy, blustery day. The Western skies were dark and ominous. To the East the sun was still shining. The balloon was being pulled directly to the West.

We planned for extra time before lift-off to take plenty of pictures for documentation. The winds slowed the process down quite a bit. We were still able to get some good shots.

The guitarist was there playing the ‘Ascension Day’ melody. He performed unusually well today!

Some of our pictures were able to capture the breathtaking area surrounding the lift-off pad. The river was at a full roar.

Inside the balloon was information of the longitude and latitude of take off and whom to contact in case of ‘an emergency’. The two female riders that volunteered for this first inaugural Ascension Day Balloon Ride were stupendous in their energy and delight! They smiled and waved the whole time even when a major wind gust almost tipped the basket over! They were brave!

We video taped the actual lift-off and watched as they ascended into the dark clouds. They swiftly moved westward at a great speed. Soon they were but a dot on our screen.

We are hoping that this adventure will spark a unity with believers and non-believers alike to begin celebrating with great tradition the Ascension of our Lord Jesus! People of all faiths are welcome to celebrate the adventure of being carried the through the skies.

We are hoping the exhilaration of commemorating our Lords ascension will allow God to move in the hearts of the heathen and Christian alike.

To be able to spend the day together to treasure an extraordinary time of praise, worship and prayer, while being transported in the clouds is heavenly! Visualize Jesus ascending into heaven to sit at the right hand of his father. Experience the floating effects that only a balloon can give you. Feel the wind beneath your wings.

We are hoping next year will be more fruitful and one of the highest spiritual events of 2008! Come and join us!

Feel free to email us your comments at AscensionToday@Yahoo.com!

We are still looking for our Ascension Day mascot. If you have any suggestions let us know!

We hope your Ascension Day was as special as ours was! See you next year!!!

Do You Know What Tomorrow Is????

Tomorrow is Ascension Day!! My husband and I are excitedly looking forward to the official/non-official inaugural Ascension Day lift-off! Wow!
We will spend the rest of the day and evening preparing the balloon and getting the details ready.

If it weren’t for his Franklin planner reminding him of the day tomorrow I might have missed it completely! What a sad state that would have been. But I was duly reminded and preparations are being made.

Maybe in about 10-20 years after this first official/non-official lift-off, the day will be celebrated with much more flair as they do Christmas and Easter. Do you think it could grow to be that big?

I suppose we should find a mascot. Like the bunny is for Easter. Well Christmas doesn’t have an animal to represent it. I guess Rudolph is as close to a mascot as any! Some suggestions have been a flamingo or penguin. Please feel free to send any mascot suggestions.

We will be documenting the lift-off tomorrow May 17, 2007! I will be back to tell you all about it and show the pictures.

Stay tuned!

Farewell to Falwell

It is a sad day. Today the great Jerry Falwell passed away. He was so great in many people’s eyes, hearts and minds. He did so much for the Christian causes. He was definitely a doer and not a hearer only. I am sure he will be greatly missed.

Personally, I am deeply saddened by the thought of his passing. I read the massive accolades that were attributed to his name and character. Everyone in America at some point has heard of the name Jerry Falwell. It would be like hearing the name Billy Graham. To many, they are synonymous with Christianity.

Again, I am deeply saddened. Not so much by his death but wondering what he is doing now. Right now. In my memory loss, I cannot exactly tell you the exact biblical details of what happens when a person dies. Does that person go directly into the presence of almighty God? Do they wait a specified time to be ushered into… heaven… or hell? I honestly do not know. I do know what has been taught to me for most of my life but I am not completely sure that I am ready to hang my hat on those theories until I am able to do an in-depth study for myself.

Will all of Jerry’s ‘doings’ get him in to heaven? Was he so busy doing Christian things that he couldn’t find some solitude and time to have a deeply committed relationship with Jesus? Did all of the accolades from the men of this world afford him humility before his maker? Did he get to take any of his riches, be it money or praise, to heaven with him? If in fact, we are under the premise that he did go to heaven.

We are completely taught by the pulpit that ‘good’ men go to heaven and that men that are considered godly will go to heaven. Forbid, with all that they did; with all the good they brought to this world, with all the mouths they fed, people they taught, buildings they built, services they attended or held, rallies, conventions, seminars, money they brought in, books they wrote and especially all those that they spoke about Jesus to ~ no one should even hint that they wouldn’t get into heaven!

Dear friend, don’t be fooled or misled by the trappings of this world. Even if they are clothed in what looks like the richest garments of righteousness, only One knows for sure where one would go or where Jerry went at his moment of death. Just as only God will know ultimately, where you will spend eternity.

Yes, there are scriptures where we as Christians are called to be doers. But Christ is looking for a Bride, not a whore. We are to be sold out to him. Not the causes that may have his name lightly stamped on them. He is looking for a devoted bride that will look to him for everything. A loyal, dedicated, constant and committed bride that will always look for his best in the situation not trying to attain a name for herself.

My prayer would be that the Lord would be gracious to me, a sinner, that if he were to bless me in any sort of ministry to his body and bride that it would always be under the banner of his name. If I were to do something for the Husband, that it would be for his glory alone and that the stamp of approval would be for him and not for my accolades. I pray they would see the Husband when they meet the Bride.

An Organic Emerging!

This is how I see it for today. There has been an odor in our shower the last few days. I scrub and we wipe the stall down after every shower, have clean towels, etc. I cannot figure out what the smell is. We just re-caulked last month so it isn’t any mildew. It is a ‘dirt’ smell. I think the word would be ‘organic’.

In my spiritual journey, I notice the new buzzwords are organic and emerging. This smell was both! I sniffed everything out. Today I opened the container that held a chamois that my husband uses to dry the shower stall. That was the smell. It wasn’t a ‘bad’ smell per se, it was just different and not one I was used to smelling in my bathroom.

This is similar to where God is taking us. He is trying to show us something organic and emerging… and different. Not bad. Just different. We are used to the clean fresh smells of an organized church and church setting. Everything in its place and everyone taking their rightful places on stage for their timed performance. We are even used to the smell of the old Law of religion and it smells ok to us. We are used to it. It is safe. There are boundaries. It seems easier to be told what to do, when to do it, how to do it and to whom. Then when God wants to open new doors to his real reality, our senses back away as if it is a bad thing.

We have been so assimilated with the thoughts and ideas that everything from the pulpit has been from God. That if the ministry is large or if they are able to ‘perform’ tricks and healings then the Holy Spirit surely must have his hand upon it. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It is sad that the stench of old Law, religion and sin draws our attentions but the pure odor of an organic emerging repulses us. God definitely has his work cut out for him.

Baby, I am Perfect!

When a couple has their first baby, that child is perfect. All the way from its pointed head to its scrawny toes.

Whether that child is three or eight they are perfect and completely accepted in the parents eyes. The neighbors might have a different opinion but to the parents they are the best.

This represents our Christianity. We are to come to God just as we are. He loves us just as we are with all our imperfections.

The problem I see is that too many folks are content to use that as a justification to ‘stay’ just as they are. ‘Well God loves me as I am, right?’ Yes, he does. But in his perfect infinite father-ness he wants you to continue to grow up and grow healthy and strong to face the world as an adult.

Is that not the ultimate chore of every parent? To equip the child from birth how to be independent? While our dependency should be on God and him alone the chore is for us to learn that dependency in its fullness.

This creates a huge problem because man in himself wants to rule and reign. He wants to dominate and not be dominated. That directly opposes Christianity because we can choose to let God have us or we can have us. He will let us decide our fate and let us live in our muck and mire that we create.

I know a young couple that has a 5-month-old girl. They watch her every move. They know what teeth are popping through and how she rocks to try to crawl and how she eats and what she likes or does not like. She is a constant growth. You can see the changes almost from day to day.

If our Christianity isn’t a constant growth then is it stagnant or simply dead? The growth should be visible.

There are plenty of scriptures that speak of the fruit and growth. The one I chose is John 15:8, Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples.

As Christians, we should be bearing much fruit- it glorifies the Father. If one were not bearing much fruit would it be necessary to say that their life is not glorifying the Father? And I would want to know why someone that chooses to go by the name of Christian wouldn’t want to be glorifying God? Is that not our eternal purpose? If we can’t do it on earth then can we fathom an eternity doing it?

Golly gee I have so many questions! It will be a sad day for sure for a whole lot of these folks that think they are ‘Christians’ and think they are ‘ok’ in God’s book because God is a God of love and loves them no matter what. A sad day for certain.

Pray with me for their eyes to be opened and their ears to hear. For their hearts to be softened to the truth. We all know people like this. They might be in your direct lives. It may be you. Pray for mercy and repent before a holy God that is as an old lover tossed to the side just waiting eagerly and patiently for you to come back.