A Special Invitation

”Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?“ ‭‭Mark‬ ‭12‬:‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I’ve been reading the Bible for as long as I have been able to read. This was one blessing of growing up in a Christian home, connected to the church.  

In the Southern Baptist Church of my childhood, every year we would receive a new box of offering envelopes. On these envelopes, there was a checklist that apparently was tracked by someone keeping church records. As I think back on that, today I’d say that the checklist would feel a bit intrusive. But as I have always been a bit achievement-oriented, I am very thankful for that intrusion. I credit those little offering envelopes with helping me develop some valuable spiritual disciplines.

I can still remember the items on the checklist:

• Present
• Bible Brought
• Bible Read Daily
• Lesson Studied
• Giving
• Worship Attendance

As a child, I wanted to be able to check off every single box every single week. On some level, I still find myself checking that list in my head.  

I LOVE going to church. On the occasions that attending a Sunday morning gathering is not feasible, I feel so very out-of-sorts. 2020 really challenged me for this reason. While I am thankful for the availability of services to watch online, it’s just not the same. There is something very grounding in the act of going to a specific place to gather with other believers to worship God and to hear His Word.

I have the Bible app on my phone. I love that I can always have Scripture so easily accessible at any moment. But I love having my printed copies of the Word. I sometimes notice that I seem to be the only person still carrying a physical Bible to church, but I love having my Bible in hand. I don’t have a box on an envelope to check off anymore to get credit for having brought it. I bring It because it has become a valuable discipline.

Having been connected with the church since the “cradle roll,” I remember the little pink baby Bible with my name stamped on it. As I learned to read, I began to read that little copy of the Scriptures. I remember times where I would try to read through verses, chapters, and books of the Bible, underlining everything as I read it. I think I still have that little New Testament somewhere. It’s kind of a mess thanks to all of the underlining and highlighting I did, and at one time that bothered me. As I look back on it, though, those actions were so useful in building in me a habit of reading the Scriptures.

I completed my first journey through the whole of Scripture on my 18th birthday. I considered that my gift to myself. Interestingly, though I had professed faith in Christ as a child and been baptized, it would not be until the following spring that I would come to understand what that truly meant. My Christian walk through those first 18 years had been habit and obligation. An amazing shift occurred in my life when I moved from habit into relationship, and I believe that reading of Scripture was key in bringing me to that shift.

For many years, I looked to my experience as an 18-year-old college freshman as my “salvation experience.” Over the years, I have been able to see that my childhood profession of faith was an important part of my faith journey. I cannot say with certainty at what moment in time I became “saved.” To some that will sound like sacrilege. I know that both my childhood experience and my 18-year-old encounter were both vital to my spiritual development. (Throughout his writings, Paul speaks of those who are “being saved,” which is a theological discussion for another day.)

I’ve been reflecting on some of these things today, huddled under a blanket with a heating pad, just trying to get warm on this chilly morning. I’m nearing the end of my annual read-through of the Bible, preparing to start all over in just a couple of days. I’ve been considering how to turn this daily/yearly discipline into something deeper. I was talking with a friend just a couple of days ago about this very thing.

The Lord brought to mind a plan I’d heard about before, and as I’ve been investigating it this morning, I believe it is a direction that He is leading me to in the new year. Using a combination of resources, including the YouVersion Bible app, YouTube videos, and podcasts, I plan to work through “The Bible Recap” this coming year. I’m here today to invite you to join me on this journey in 2024.

That’s what I’m thinking about today - not just A THOUGHT, but a whole bunch of thoughts…

It’s Going To Be Okay

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.    Psalm‬ ‭139‬:‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Looking back on 2023, I wouldn’t say that it was an easy year, by any means.  But to be fair, I don’t ever remember an easy year.  Maybe in childhood…?

But this morning, a friend’s shared post on Facebook has me looking back on 2023 with fresh eyes.  

Certainly, this has not been the easiest of years.  

I started the year with an absolutely terrible job. 😣  I finished the year with a job that I very much enjoy, but which doesn’t quite pay the bills… 🫤

I started the year in Florida. 🥰🌞 I’m finishing the year in Texas. 🥴🥶

I started 2023 living in a fifth wheel at an RV park, dreaming of someday living in a house without wheels. 🏡 And I’m finishing the year living in a fifth wheel at an RV park, dreaming of someday living in a house without wheels. 

Life does not always go as planned.  I’d say that life does not often go as planned - almost never, in fact.  At least, life does not go as WE plan it.

In truth, life goes EXACTLY as planned.  My big God has planned my life.  He has not been surprised or anxious about anything that has happened in the course of this year.  None of 2023’s happenings caught Him off guard at all.  And nothing that felt out of my control was out of His control.  Not for a moment.

And so, as 2023 is drawing to a close, I don’t want to spend these last few days in worry or anxiety.  I am so, so grateful for the blessings of this year.

I’m choosing not to enter 2024 with fear and trembling.  I’m not going to dread the days ahead, though, no doubt, many of those days will not go smoothly.  My goal for the coming new year is to walk with greater faith, trusting the Author of my story.

On Christmas Eve, my pastor brought up a quote from C.S. Lewis that I’d never heard before, and it has gotten me thinking…

“If Shakespeare and Hamlet could ever meet, it must be Shakespeare's doing. Hamlet could initiate nothing.”

The ramifications of this concept - Christmas, literally, was the moment the Playwright entered as a relatable character in the storyline - the God of the universe revealing Himself to frail humanity that could not fully comprehend Him in His Sovereign Deity - it blows my mind!  And it brings me great comfort.

I don’t have to know the details of 2024 in advance in order to be able to walk into the new year with confidence.  I know the Author of the story.  He’ll get it right.  I’m sure of it!

And so, this 28th day of December, 2023, I’m taking a few minutes to look back at some precious moments tucked in amongst stressful circumstances.  I’m remembering how truly blessed I am, and how wonderful it is to know a trustworthy Savior.

I encourage you to do the same.  Open up that picture roll on your device and allow yourself a few minutes to scroll.  Remember where those smiles came from, those really bad selfies, and the rainbows that came after the storms.  That same God who brought you through 2023 is ready to walk you into 2024.

It’s going to be okay.

…Just a thought…

 

Mean Girls

...And Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram... and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.  And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah...     Matthew 1:3,5-6 ESV

I heard that they are releasing a remake of the movie Mean Girls.  I find most remakes unnecessary at best, and it is doubtful that I will watch this one.  The original, though, my kids and I found greatly entertaining.  It was not so much the movie itself that we enjoyed.  Rather, the introduction always found us laughing.

The movie told the story of a girl who was entering the public school system in high school after having been homeschooled up to that point.  The introduction to the film highlights some common misconceptions about homeschool families in a most hilarious fashion.  We found that segment highly relatable.

As I read through the Scriptures each year, the genealogy of Christ always stands out to me.  This is particularly true around Christmastime.

Genealogies in the Bible are generally a list of men's names: so-and-so fathered so-and-so who fathered so-and so...  

The genealogy of Jesus, interestingly, contains the names of four women.  And these are not just random women, nor are they women who immediately come to mind as examples of Proverbs 31 women.  And while they weren't necessarily "Mean Girls," they were not good girls, by any means.  

I believe there is an important truth to be learned from the inclusion of the "bad girls" in the genealogy of Christ.  These women serve to remind us of the redemptive nature of our God.  "Redeemer" is perhaps my favorite of the many titles given to Jesus, as it reminds me that He is the One who can turn ashes to beauty and bring a message out of the mess.

Tamar

Matthew identifies Christ as a descendent of Judah by Tamar.  Tamar was Judah's daughter-in-law, not his wife.  She became pregnant with Perez, Jesus' ancestor, through prostitution and deception.

Rahab

Just a few generations later, another prostitute is named in the Savior's ancestry.  Rahab's unseemly profession placed her in a unique position to come to the aid of the children of Israel as they were entering the Promised Land.  And apparently, having been saved in the fall of Jericho, Rahab changed her ways and was granted a husband and family of her own.  

Ruth

While Ruth is held up as an example of love and faithfulness for the way she cared for her dead husband's mother, there is more to her story.  Ruth was a Moabite.  The Lord had commanded the Israelites to keep themselves separate from the Moabites.   Nonetheless, Naomi and her husband had left Israel to live in Moab, and Naomi's sons had married Moabite girls.  That Boaz would consent to marry Ruth knowing her heritage gives added nuance to his role as kinsman redeemer...

Bathsheba

Matthew does not even call Bathsheba by name but refers to her as "the wife of Uriah."  Her affair with David led to the murder of her husband.  Yet of all of David's wives, she was the one through whom our Savior would be born.

These bad girls were not excused.  They were REDEEMED!  And isn't that the point?  

If it were up to me, I would have done things differently.  I think I would have at least put Abigail, David's more heroic wife, in the lineage of Christ.  I would have made some tweaks down through history to build a solid and respectable ancestry for the Messiah.  Thankfully, it was not up to me.

Our God is a patient and forgiving God.  He is the One who can turn our failures into victories.  He does not require that we always get things right, and He does not hold our mistakes against us - even the really big mistakes.  Rather, He redeems those shortcomings, giving us second (third, fourth, fifth, five-millionth, etc.) chances.

In this Christmas season and beyond, let's give thanks to the God who did not exclude the bad girls from the heritage of His Son, and let us find hope in His redemptive nature.

...Just a thought...

Praising God in the SOMETIMES

Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.     Philippians 2:27 ESV

My daughter, her husband, and their home came through a terrible storm over the weekend, safe and unharmed.  I have been praising the Lord for this!  After seeing the devastation caused by the tornado that went through their town on Saturday and being unable to reach them for several hours after learning of the storm, it was truly wonderful to hear Millie's voice when we were finally able to get through very late Saturday night.  

As pictures and videos have continued to post showing the destruction caused by this tornado, as related deaths have been confirmed and funds have been set up to assist those who have lost their homes, my heart has broken for the victims all while rejoicing at Millie and Jacob's blessing.  And so I have been at odds with my own self with regard to my response to this event.

Many years ago, we received a letter from a pastor in whose church we had recently ministered.  He wrote to shame us for publicly praising God for His protection through a horrific accident where we'd been hit by an 18-wheeler in our bus.  It was unkind and insensitive, he said, for us to give glory to God for sparing our lives and providing for us since other people's loved ones did not survive their accidents.

Was he right?  I pondered and prayed on the matter for quite some time after reading that letter.  My conclusion was that it is NEVER wrong to praise the Lord.  Clearly, though, that experience has lingered in my heart and mind and still sometimes leaves me second-guessing my responses.

And so, as I was reading Paul's letter to the Philippians this morning, I was once again reminded of this incident from years ago.  And I was reminded that praising God for healing, protection, and provision is most definitely an appropriate response, as Paul shows us.

Epaphroditus was evidently a member of the church at Philippi who had been sent to minister to Paul during his imprisonment.  Epaphroditus had been quite ill, but as Paul stated, "God had mercy on him."

So then, if Epaphroditus had not recovered, would that mean that God had NOT had mercy on him?  Other people that the Philippians knew had probably succumbed to illness around the same time that Epaphroditus was ill.  Did God love them less?  Should Paul have kept his gratitude to the Lord to himself?

I would have to say a resounding NO to all of the questions above!

Our perceptions and understanding of the ways of the Lord are so very limited in our humanity!  The sovereignty of God is a difficult concept to grasp.  But questions related to sovereignty call us to deeper faith.  These questions bring us face-to-face with the SOMETIMES nature of God.

SOMETIMES...

The Lord protects us in potentially deadly situations like accidents and storms.

SOMETIMES...

People die in accidents and storms.

SOMETIMES...

People recover from life-threatening illnesses and injuries.

SOMETIMES...

People die from illness and injury.

SOMETIMES...

We get the raise.

SOMETIMES...

We get the lay-off notice.

Life is full of SOMETIMES situations.  Our prayers are sometimes answered in exactly the way we hope.  But sometimes, it seems that we get the exact opposite of what we've asked for.

Hannah asked the Lord for a child, and not long after, Samuel was born.  Sarah prayed for a child, but Isaac was not born until Sarah was well advanced in years.  Did God love Hannah more than He loved Sarah?  Of course not.  

Because God is sovereign - knowing all and seeing all through time and space - He always does what is right and best.  There was purpose in Sarah's waiting.  And there is purpose in our waiting.

Paul himself had some malady from which the Lord did not deliver or heal him (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10), but God healed Epaphroditus.  Did God love Epaphroditus more than He loved Paul?  Not at all.

The point is that no matter which side of the SOMETIMES we land on, our great God is worthy to be praised.   As Paul said in this same letter to the Philippians:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  (Philippians 1:21)

And so today I will both praise the Lord for delivering my loved ones, and I will pray for those whose outcome was different.  I will praise the One who sees the big picture that I cannot see and Who is ALWAYS worthy to be praised - even in the SOMETIMES.

...Just a thought...

Messy Christmas!

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law.     Galatians 4:4 ESV

I have been so longing for Christmas!  

It has been a year of change.  And change - even "good" change - produces stress.  Or at least that's what I learned in a psychology class many years ago.  And it is what life has confirmed.

So as a lot of things in my life have been changing this year - good, bad, and indifferent - I have looked forward to all of the holidays with a different kind of longing.  Something about the constancy of Christmas itself just feeds my need for stability and familiarity.  And so, my playing of Christmas music and watching of Christmas movies commenced a bit early this year.

I am so, so blessed.  But I am not on any level "living the dream."  It's not that anything in my life is bad.  It's just not anything like what I thought my life would look like at this juncture in history.  

Maybe you can relate.

I'm just living my life.  I like my job well enough.  I'm happy in my church.  My marriage is solid.  My children and grandchildren are happy and healthy.  My dog seems appreciative when I feed her.

But life just feels... different.

Out here in west Texas (or the wilderness, as I like to call it), the wind blows.  A lot!  The wind has blown our grill across the drive more than once, and it completely flipped the neighbor's grill last week.  It rocks my little house on wheels, sometimes to the point that I wonder if we're just going to topple over one day.   It is an unsteady feeling that has become a bit of a metaphor for my life.

There just seems to be so much uncertainty in life and in the world around me.  And it seems like the Lord just doesn't show up in the ways that I hope and expect.

And isn't that EXACTLY what Christmas reminds us? 

God came down to earth in a most unexpected way.  It should not have been unexpected, as it had been prophesied centuries earlier, but it did not happen in the way the Jewish people had hoped.  When the Jews were looking for a powerful King who would rescue them from Roman oppression, God sent a helpless baby to a poor young couple at the most inconvenient time and place imaginable.

Every Nativity set I've ever seen is so neat and tidy!  Everyone is neatly dressed in clean clothes.  They're all smiling and serene in this clean little barn with all of those quiet, well-behaved animals.  The hay is clean and soft.  It's just so peaceful!

But as I'm thinking about that first Christmas, I have a feeling that it looked nothing like my nice porcelain manger scene.

For starters, a baby had just been born.  There is nothing neat and tidy about childbirth!  Without getting too graphic on the specifics, I can't imagine that anything in the barn was very clean to start with.  But after a woman just gave birth there, I'm sure it was even less clean.  And Joseph and Mary's clothing?  Probably not very clean before the birth since they'd just traveled a long way on dirt roads, and they probably hadn't bathed for quite some time.  But those clothes could not possibly have been clean after the birth...

A more realistic scene at the Nativity would probably be of a messy and exhausted young couple holding a messy baby in a messy barn where there might have been some messy animals (or at least some messy evidence that they'd been there).  Some messy shepherds found their way on dirty feet through messy fields and dirt paths to come see the messy family in the messy barn.  And all this happened at a messy time in history.

But right in the middle of the mess lay our Redemption.

So, if your house is looking a little messy this Christmas season, and if life is not going exactly the way you had dreamed that it would, perhaps that is exactly what you need to celebrate.  Neat and tidy may be what we long for, but it all starts with a mess.

And perhaps the constancy I'm seeking in this season is really just this simple reminder that God moves in unexpected and often inconvenient and uncomfortable ways.

Messy Christmas to you all!

...Just a thought...

Ready to Serve?

But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people.    Ezekiel 3:24-25 ESV

(See also Ezekiel 3:26-27, 4:4-12, 24:15-18; Jeremiah 27:1-2; Isaiah 20:2-3; Hosea 1:2, 3:1-2)

It's that time of year again...

My annual read through the Bible has me at that point where the Lord is giving odd, difficult, uncomfortable, and humiliating assignments to the prophets.  These assignments are so very different from what comes to my mind when I think about the ways I'd like to serve God!

And that is probably where my thinking really begins to go awry.

By definition, "service" has very little - nothing, really - to do with what I would like.  Service is about someone else.  It's about following someone else's instructions.  To serve is to set aside what I want or think in order to fulfill another's request or interest.

Webster's definition of serve is to work for; to labor in behalf of; to exert one's self continuously or statedly for the benefit of; to do service for; to be in the employment of, as an inferior...

So quite simply, doing "what I want" is not really service at all.

In my morning Scripture reading, I saw Ezekiel get instructions about being tied up in his own house, unable to speak except when God would temporarily heal his tongue long enough for him to share a prophecy.  After getting free from that assignment, Ezekiel was sent to lie on his left side, again tied up so that he couldn't turn over.  Thankfully he'd only be stuck in that position for a little over a year (390 days), and then he'd be allowed to turn over on his right side for forty more days!  He was instructed to measure out about a cup of food to eat daily, prepared in a most unappetizing manner (see Ezekiel 4:12-15), and he would have less than three cups of water to drink each day.  

Around the same time this was going on with Ezekiel, Jeremiah was given the privilege (?!) of putting an ox yoke (a big, heavy wooden collar) and walking around with that on his neck.

Plenty of other unpleasant instructions were given to the prophets.  Isaiah was called to walk around naked and barefoot for three years.  Hosea was instructed to marry a prostitute, and when she left him to return to prostitution, God told Hosea to bring her back and continue to love her.  Ezekiel will eventually lose his wife as a sign to rebellious people, and he will be denied the chance to mourn the loss.  

That is what service looked like for the prophets.  

It wasn't Christian service as we think of it today.  We think that we are "serving God" when we "give up" two hours a month to help out in some area of ministry in our local churches.  Posting Scripture on social media, giving a couple of bucks to the homeless guy on the street corner, volunteering to help at some church event, bringing a dish for the potluck - these are our acts of service.  

And these are certainly good things to do.  I don't mean to suggest that anyone should stop doing these things.

But I wonder...

Is it really fair to consider these little token actions "service"?

And so, I'm torn.  When I pray that God would open doors for me to serve Him, am I really prepared for Him to answer?  Truthfully, I want to do things that are pleasant and that fall into the category of "things I enjoy."  I'd kind of like to serve in fun and convenient times and ways.

I'm not really here with any sort of answers today.  This is just something I'm thinking about, and something I would challenge us all to think about a bit more seriously.  What are we really prepared to do to serve God?

We are living in unusual times.  Provision and comfort look a little different each day.  And as Christians, none of this should really take us by surprise.

So today, let's take an honest look at what following the Lord really looks like.  Let's not fall into disillusionment and discouragement as life happens and things don't play out in the ways that we'd hoped.  As we remember the prophets, let's be grateful for the relative comfort God has afforded us, while seeking to know and serve Him better.

...Just a thought...

No Wrong Moves

I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.     Jeremiah 10:23 ESV

As I read this verse this morning, I was not sure quite what to make of it.  I mean, I had highlighted the verse previously, so it immediately stood out to me as I read.  But the words seemed very applicable to the thoughts that were already swirling in my head. 

As I contemplated, I thought it might be helpful to view the verse in another translation…

NLT: I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own.  We are not able to plan our own course.

NIV: Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.

Well, I determined that I was understanding the verse correctly, but still I had questions (still HAVE questions!) in light of current circumstances of life.  I mean, am I not supposed to make plans?  How am I supposed to know which way to go?

We’ve just made some pretty significant life change.  We’ve moved to a new state, new jobs, new terrain, new struggles.  We’ve done a lot of praying, a lot of thinking, and a lot of decision-making.  While we’ve taken steps with great trepidation and care, we have stepped in the direction we felt we should go.

We’ve also done A LOT of second-guessing!

In this season of change, Jeff and I seem frequently to be asking ourselves and each other, “Did we make the right move?”  It’s fair to say that we’ve been feeling a little off-balance…

But as I’ve continued to consider Jeremiah’s words, I began to understand them as a simple commentary on the sovereignty of God.  And I began to take comfort.

 

About a month ago, I applied for a job that I was certain would be offered to me.  At my interview, a position with the agency was all-but offered.  I left with promise of a confirmation call later in the afternoon.  The call never came.

 I rationalized that they got busy.  For the next week I told myself that they had listened when I said I would be out of town for the week and were probably waiting to call me after I returned.  There was no doubt in my mind that this agency would consider me a valuable addition to their team and would certainly offer me the job.  I had some reservations as to whether or not I would accept the job (thus I had waited and not immediately followed up with them), but I could not imagine that they wouldn’t call me back. 

The position the agency was looking to fill is not the sort of job people are beating down the door to get.  It’s the kind of job where, if you get a warm body, you generally hire the person.  If you get someone who is experienced and capable, you count yourself fortunate and move heaven and earth to convince them to work for you.

About a week ago, I got a notification from Indeed that the agency decided not to move forward with my application.  Seriously -  I got a notification from Indeed!  No call from the lady who said she’d call me the same day.  No email thanking me for making the long drive to the location and taking the time to meet with them.  Just an automated email from an online search engine notifying me that someone had gone in and unchecked a box to indicate that they were not interested in hiring me.

I’ll admit, I was a little ticked off!  I had decided I didn’t actually want the job, and I’d already lined up work that seemed more interesting and far less stressful.  But I was still annoyed. And I remain confused.  I cannot figure out any reason – good or bad – that this agency would not have tried to hire me with the qualifications I brought to the table. 

Jeremiah had my reason: God directs my steps.  

That’s what I said I wanted.  I asked Him to do that.  I prayed before sending the application.  I prayed before, during, and after the interview.  I asked.  God answered.

 

Sometimes, I think we all get really worried about making a wrong decision.  We worry that we’ll choose the wrong college, marry the wrong person, buy the wrong house, take the wrong job, pick the wrong restaurant for lunch after church on Sunday.  For me, all through life, that fear of making a wrong decision has left me prone to indecision.  I avoid making unnecessary commitments, and I procrastinate on making necessary ones.  As Charlie Brown of Peanuts was often told, “You’re too wishy-washy!”

Am I the only one?  

I am so encouraged today by Jeremiah’s words.  I’m not ultimately the one who is planning my course.  Yes, I make choices moment by moment, day by day.  I worry and question and think and overthink EVERYTHING!  I’m so afraid of making a wrong move!  But I cannot make a decision that is going to thwart God’s plan, which ultimately means that I CANNOT make a wrong move.  I am not powerful enough to mess up what God has willed, and that is such good news!

I am not in control.  And neither are you.  I pray that news will encourage you today.

…Just a thought…      

Leaving Elim

Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.  Exodus 15:27

They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt.  And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.  Exodus 16:1-2

The early wilderness days for the children of Israel were action packed!  They escaped Egypt only to get trapped between the Red Sea and the army of Pharaoh.  God parted the sea and saved them, but then they found their way to Marah.  The Lord sweetened the bitter waters, then led them to the oasis of Elim.  Finally they’d found their place of blessing and rest!

But not for long.

 

I’ve been thinking about Elim today….

We’re getting ready to head toward the wilderness in just a few days… or so it seems to me anyway.  We’re heading to west Texas, which may not actually be the wilderness, but I think it’s pretty close. 

And since I was already thinking about Elim, I looked in the Scriptures and found some irony there…

Elim was a place of springs and palm trees.  We’re leaving the land of springs and palm trees – literally.   We’re currently located in the vicinity of some pretty famous springs – Silver Springs and Rainbow Springs, just to name a couple.  And there’s a palm tree just beyond my driveway -- several of them, actually.

We’re moving to Lubbock, where I think there’s dust and dirt and maybe even some tumbleweeds.  But there aren’t springs and there aren’t palm trees.  That I know of.

I’m not sure I’ve ever lived so far inland…

And honestly, this #FloridaGirl is feeling a little apprehensive.

I’ve always read through the Exodus stories with very little compassion for the faithlessness of the wandering Israelites.  The Lord rescues and provides, rescues and provides, provides, provides, and the children of Israel rebel and complain.  But I'm realizing that they sound a lot like me, actually, and today I’m feeling a little more compassion for them.

God took the people to Elim.

Elim was a great place.  It was beautiful.  It was refreshing.  It was a place where the children of Israel experienced the blessings of God.  They enjoyed pleasant days, camping by the water, resting under palm trees, and generally having a good time.

But they couldn’t stay at Elim.  They were headed for the Promised Land, and Elim was just a rest stop on the way to their ultimate destination.

But I think I would have wanted to stay in Elim.  I don’t think I would have been very anxious to leave the oasis to head back into the desert.

And that’s what’s been on my mind.  What did leaving Elim feel like? 

I think leaving Elim must have felt confusing.  After all, didn’t God bring us to Elim on purpose?  It’s easy to believe that God is taking care of us when we’re in Elim. In Elim, blessing and abundance are all around us.  Life is good, and it feels good.  Rest, refreshing waters, joyful celebration – life in Elim is great!  Why would anyone ever want to leave?

But God said move.  So they moved.

And what a frustrating move that was!  From abundance to lack, all over again!  It was as if their worst nightmare had come true.

Moving on into the wilderness, they quickly used up any stores they may have taken with them from Elim.  They were hungry (or even “hangry” apparently).  They were tired.  They were probably hot and dirty.  And they grumbled.

I probably would have grumbled too.  I think I would have been disappointed and confused.  Why make us leave Elim, where life was pleasant and comfortable, to move to the desert, where life was hard?

Well, some pretty exciting stuff was getting ready to happen, but none of it would have happened had they stayed in the comfortable place.  The children of Israel were holding onto what felt adequate and secure.  But God was planning the miraculous.

Leaving Elim brought them to a place of need.  Again.  And God provided.  Again.

God taught His people about daily bread.  He gave them meat in the evening, manna in the morning, and He would do this continually for years to come.

Then He took them to the mountain where He would give the people instructions on how to live happy, productive lives.  They would hear the literal voice of God! 

And eventually He took them right to the Promised Land.  But they were so caught up in the past and so stubbornly oblivious to the miracle-working nature of God that they missed it.

I don’t want to miss it.

Now, I’m not really expecting that Lubbock, Texas is going to be the Promised Land.  Maybe it will be.  Or maybe Lubbock is quail and manna.  Maybe it is a place to hear the voice of God.  I don’t really know.  All I know is that it’s not Elim. 

For now, I’m going to take a few days to enjoy the springs and the palm trees, or I will if this rain ever stops!  And when it’s time to set out from Elim, I’ll move on.  God’s not taking me anywhere that He’s not going, and that’s amazingly comforting in this moment. 

That’s not to say there won’t be some grumbling along the way.  I know me better than that!  Fortunately, my Father knows me even better, and I have to trust that He knows best.

…Just a thought…

Daily Bread

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.     Exodus 16:4 ESV

Daily bread is one of the hardest concepts I personally face in trusting God.  It is a lesson in trust that the Lord brings to me repeatedly, probably because I have been such a poor student.  Like the children of Israel, I struggle to live in the here and now.  While I generally don’t long for Egypt, I tend to cling to the struggles and scarcity of the past.

Before God sent the first manna, He was very clear about how it would be disbursed and how the people were to gather it - a day’s portion every day.  He went on to give instructions for the Sabbath, the only allowance for gathering more than one day’s portion at a time.  The concept was simple and straightforward, and it was explained in detail before the first encounter with manna.

So, when manna came the first time, everyone got excited, gathered and ate their fill.  Of course, even though they had been specifically instructed not to do so, there were a few people who gathered extra to save for the next day.  I confess, I might have been one of those people.  Living the uncertain life on the move, remembering yesterday when food was scarce, and not knowing necessarily what change in location and circumstance tomorrow might bring, I probably would have gathered a little extra - just in case.

“Just in case” translates “unbelief.”

Trying to hold onto yesterday’s bread for today produced worms and stench.  And it gained the anxious (disobedient, faithless) a rebuke from Moses.

Daily bread was not just about feeding a physical hunger.  It was about testing the people’s faith and obedience.  The spiritual need of the children of Israel was greater than their physical need.  And so, God brought two lessons in one.  “I will provide,” and “you need to trust,” go hand in hand.

Trust is demonstrated in obedience.  

I read a story recently about children and marshmallows that illustrates the point very well.  Apparently, an experiment was being conducted in which children were given a single marshmallow, then left alone, with a promise that they would receive additional marshmallows if they waited to consume the first until after the tester returned.  This proved to be a very inexpensive experiment.  Very few of the children obeyed the simple instruction.  Whether the children failed to trust, or simply did not want to obey, the result was the same.  They ate the single marshmallow, so they did not receive the prize.

Such was the case for the children of Israel.  Failing to trust and obey cost them dearly.

God already knew that He was leading the people to a land of plenty.  He knew that the wilderness would bring many challenges, and that the Promised Land would bring even more - different, but more weighty challenges.  And so He started with something simple: trust Me for daily bread.  “Trust the provision.”

Ultimately, the Israelites did learn to trust for daily bread.  They failed in plenty of other ways, but they trusted the Lord for manna every morning.

The sad but important truth is this: God did not intend for the people to survive on manna for forty years.  He hadn’t wanted them to have to spend forty years wandering in the wilderness.  Including about a year that the children of Israel spent at Mount Sinai while God gave the Law and while the tabernacle was constructed and its furnishings made, it appears that Moses and the people arrived in the vicinity of Canaan about two years after leaving Egypt.  Spies were sent to check things out, and upon hearing their report, the people were fearful and refused to go into the Promised Land.  So instead of entering a land of plentiful fruits and grains, the Israelites wandered for thirty-eight more years, eating manna for thirty-eight years longer than should have been necessary.

When we fail to trust the Giver of the daily bread, we delay the blessings He has for us.

The good news for the children of Israel is that in spite of their unbelief, God continued to provide them with literal daily bread.  For forty years, manna appeared on the ground six days of every week.  Without fail.    Even when the people were faithless and rebellious, still the manna came.  

Daily bread can be a hard concept to master.  We want tomorrow’s bread today.  In truth, when we are ready, God will bring us into the place of abundance.  But first we must learn to trust for daily bread, praying, as Jesus Himself taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread..."

Trust. Obey. Today.

...Just a thought...

Hungry

 …for forty days, being tempted by the devil.  And he ate nothing during those days.  And when they were ended, he was hungry.  Luke 4:2 ESV

Jesus was forty days in the wilderness without food.  Some days, I can’t go forty minutes without food!

In the wilderness, you discover that there are things that you thought you needed that you may not really have needed.  Much of what we consider necessity is, in fact, luxury.

That’s not to say that food is a luxury, though the way we indulge here in the US would certainly fall in the category of “luxury.”  Food is necessary for life and health.  But you can live for a little while without it.  Apparently, you can live for about forty days without eating.  But you will be hungry.

We tend to think of hunger as being a bad thing.  We avoid getting to the point that we truly feel hungry.  Perhaps, this is what makes us picky eaters and indulgent parents.  It can also make us fat!

But I believe that hunger is actually a very good thing.  It is a feeling that we need to experience.  It is important!  Hunger reminds us of the difference between needs and wants.  It also has the power to develop gratitude in us.

The wilderness brings us to a place of hunger.  

For the descendants of Jacob, the wilderness was the path from Egypt to the Promised Land, from slavery to freedom.  For them, it was a physical wilderness – a place where food and water were scarce.

In the wilderness, there is scarcity.  Scarcity leads to hunger.  And hunger humbles us.

It opens our eyes.

in the wilderness, we find opportunity.  We learn simple, but vital truths that are hard to learn in times of plenty.  

In the wilderness, food is scarce.  For Jesus, it was completely lacking for forty days.  For Him, it wasn’t even DAILY bread in this season.  It was NO bread!

And yet, when tempted to make His own bread, Jesus held fast to His trust in the Father.  He trusted that God would provide in His own way and in His own time, and Jesus did not waver in that trust.

There is a hard and uncomfortable truth in the matter of daily bread that cannot be overlooked.  Before the daily bread, there was hunger.

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.      Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV

Sometimes, God lets His children go hungry.

This is not something that we like to think about.  It is definitely not something that we want to experience.  And it kind of goes against our modern perspective on God.  

On some level, most of us have bought into the idea that God just wants to bless His children.  While it is true that God wants to bless us, it is also true that we often do not recognize His blessings.  We have created a mental picture of what we think His blessing will look like, but in fact, our mental picture often looks like indulgence - not blessing.  

As we come to understand that God is our Provider, we must be careful that we do not get confused.  Sometimes, God will bring us into seasons of abundance.  Sometimes, though, we will experience seasons of just enough.  Both of these circumstances are evidence of the blessing of God.  And beyond the seasons of “just enough” there may be seasons that seem like “not enough.”  

Blessings sometimes look like roadblocks, closed doors, and even sometimes loss.

And - this is a tough one - sometimes our losses are someone else’s blessings.  Sometimes, we must feel pain so that someone else can experience life.

A few years back, I had a friend whose brother was suffering from advanced kidney failure.  Without a transplant, he would have died.  My friend subjected herself to the pain of surgery to donate a kidney, followed by a long, uncomfortable recovery, all so that her brother could have life.

Jesus Christ submitted Himself to unfathomable pain and suffering and rejection, so that we could have forgiveness of sin and eternal life.  For our blessing, He experienced abandonment by His Father in the most painful moment of His life!

If we genuinely want to follow Christ, we should not expect that things will always go well for us.  And we should not be surprised that God sometimes lets us go hungry for a season.

But He does not let us go hungry forever.  He will not let us starve to death.  It is when we are hungry that we can truly come to understand that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Reflect: Has there been a time when you felt like God was not providing for your needs?  Could it be that what you lack could be the Lord’s means of directing you back to His Word, and calling you to trust in Him alone?

Remember: Hunger helps us understand provision.

Not by Bread Alone

And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”  But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”     Matthew 4:3-4 ESV

At the end of forty days in the wilderness, when he knew Jesus was hungry, the devil came to Jesus with the temptation of provision.  The insinuation here is that the Father was not taking care of Him, so Jesus should just take matters into His own hands, and therefore, the suggestion to turn stones into bread.

So often, this is how the enemy will approach us.  We tend to have a pretty good idea of what we want our lives to look like.  Even in our prayers, we generally know what we want God’s answers to look like before we even ask Him for anything.  So when life does not look exactly the way we think it should, the devil comes and magnifies this for us:

“Didn’t you ask God for such and such?  I don’t see that here, do you?  Maybe you should quit your silly ‘waiting on God’ and just get busy.  You know what to do!”

Sadly, we often listen to the deceiver, and we question God.  

We begin to believe that maybe He didn’t hear us, and we may cry out to Him with the implication that He’s not listening.  And all the while we berate ourselves for our lack of faith.

Or we think that God really doesn’t love us, or we wouldn’t be in this situation.  We think that there is something wrong with ourselves and we may sink into depression.  And so we just stop looking for the answer.

Or we get angry with God, and we believe that we know better.  After all, we told Him what we wanted and we likely even suggested to Him what we thought His answer should look like.  And since He hasn’t come through, we take matters into our own hands and try to turn the stones to bread.

Not surprisingly, Jesus’ approach was different.  Jesus went to Scripture.

When faced with the question of whether His Father would provide, Jesus went back to another wilderness story.  He quoted the words that Moses spoke to the children of Israel before they entered the Promised Land.

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.  Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV

Jesus understood that His greatest need - even after forty days without eating - was not food.  His greatest need was God!  Knowing God’s Word and trusting God’s Word was as vital to survival as food.  And while the devil wanted Jesus to think that God was not providing, Jesus took the opportunity to remind him why God allows hunger.

God’s track record on caring for the hungry was pretty good.  In fact, over and over in Scripture we see that God provides.  But He wants us to trust Him and not try to take matters into our own hands.  

God provided abundantly for Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.  When they stopped trusting His provision and tried to take matters into their own hands, food became a struggle instead of a gift.

In the wilderness, the children of Israel continually struggled to trust in the Lord’s provision.  And yet, the Lord continually provided for them water and bread as He sought to help them understand His goodness.

When the disciples saw a hungry crowd and thought they needed to come up with a solution, their best idea was to send the people away, or to possibly pool their resources to buy a little food so that maybe everyone could get one bite. God had a better plan.  His plan is always better than ours.  

The temptation will likely always be to try to figure a way out on our own.  But maybe it is time to learn this lesson that God has been trying to teach His people for generations - this lesson that Jesus understood clearly and thus responded to the tempter.  The lesson is simple but profound.  Man does not live by bread alone.

Reflect: What is it that you think you need right now?  Is it possible that the need actually is deeper?  Can you trust that God will provide?

Remember: Man does not live by bread alone.

Through It

[Give thanks] to him who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 136:16 ESV

When I was teaching preschool, my favorite part of the day was circle time.  Depending on the age of the class I was teaching, our circle often did not look very round…  But that is not the point!

Circle time was a time for silly songs and rhymes and stories.  It was generally fun and filled with giggles, but at the heart of the circle was learning.  Hidden in the songs and stories, important lessons were being taught that would pay dividends in learning for years to come.

A favorite circle time activity was the Bear Hunt.  If you’ve never gone on a bear hunt with a group of preschoolers, you’ve missed a treat!  But in case you’re not familiar with how bears are found, let’s just say that it is not an easy process.  All along the way, obstacles are encountered.  From tall trees, to rivers, to mud pits and tall grass – as we make our way through the imaginary forest in search of bears, we cannot avoid the obstacles.  We must face them head on and deal with them.  

As I walked the path through the imaginary forest with children, we would talk our way through each barrier we faced along the way.  “We can’t go under it.  We can’t go around it.  We’ll have to go through it.”  

And so it is with the wilderness times in life.  These times are challenging, but they are unavoidable.  There is no getting around the wilderness.  You have to go through it.

For real.

We are living in an age where most things can be done virtually.  From church services to school classes to business meetings and job interviews, even doctor’s appointments – all of these activities can now be done from the comfort of your couch at home.  You can even take a virtual vacation to Paris or go sky diving through someone else’s video presentation.

Why not take a “virtual” journey through the wilderness?  We would love a bird’s eye view of the wilderness, all from a safe distance while sipping sweet tea at home.  But the truth is, many of the things that are currently being done virtually really should not be done that way.  There are some things that need to be experienced or observed firsthand.  Things need to be touched, smelled, pushed, pulled, picked up and put down.  

Your wilderness lessons cannot be learned vicariously.

Sure, there are a lot of things that we can learn through the wilderness experiences of others.  The Bible is full of wilderness stories!

Still, if you find yourself in the wilderness, it’s important to recognize that there are specific lessons there just for you.  These things must be experienced BY YOU in order for them to have the right impact.  You can’t go around them; you can’t go under them; you must go through the lessons.

When the Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness, He could have turned and walked out.  He did not.  He submitted Himself to the lessons and experiences that the Father had set before Him.  These forty difficult days of preparation would provide the foundation not only for Christ’s earthly ministry, but for the exercise of our faith these many years later.

As the writer of Hebrews put it, 

For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.     Hebrew 2:18 ESV

The Bible tells us that Jesus was TEMPTED in the wilderness.  We don’t get a lot of information about what the first forty days of temptation looked like, other than that Jesus ate no food and was exhausted at the end.  

We do, however, see three specific temptations at the end of the forty days that probably ring familiar with us all.    The three areas on which the devil focused his temptation of Christ are very like the areas in which we find our own faith tested:

Provision, Protection, and Pride.

These three temptations were brought to Jesus at His lowest point, when He was hungry and tired.  

Interestingly, it is a pattern that we see throughout Scripture.  These three themes seem always at the heart of temptation and struggle.  From Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, to the children of Israel on their way to the Promised Land, to the disciples as they walked the earth with Jesus, questions of provision, protection, and pride lie at the very heart of faith and trust in God.

These are the struggles that we will face in the wilderness.  As we look at how Jesus responded to these temptations and as we see in the Scriptures how the Lord brought others through these same struggles, we have the opportunity to build a foundation from which to fight these battles in our own wilderness days.

But we can’t go around the wilderness.  We’ll have to go through it.

Reflect: Which of the three temptations would you identify as the greatest struggle for you personally?

Remember: You can’t go around the wilderness.

Someday Is Today

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold  our original confidence firm to the end.  As it is said,“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”      Hebrews 3:13-15 ESV

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.  Ecclesiastes 9:10 ESV

I went out for a walk with Bailey yesterday evening.

It was a dual-purpose walk.  It was about the right time for her usual evening walk, so there was that... More importantly in the moment, though, it was a respectable means of procrastinating.

I have multiple projects started - writing projects, crafting projects, cleaning, organizing, reading, etc.  But I really struggle with finishing.  Finishing is just hard for me!

Yesterday I was feeling weary.  That's not really unusual at all.  And there was no good reason for it.  But I just felt tired.  I had already pretty much resigned myself to heading to bed early and trying again tomorrow to get something done.

But then the critical question came to mind...

What am I waiting for?

Initially, I answered myself with, "I'm waiting until I have more energy.  I'm just tired today."

But that was a pretty poor answer.  Before I even finished the thought, I knew that was not the right answer.

More energy? That's a good one, right? I'm fifty-four years old!  Do I think I'm going to magically turn into an energetic young person someday?!?!  

So as Bailey and I walked, I contemplated.

What AM I waiting for?  I've made up many bad answers to that question over the years...

I'm waiting until I'm older.

I'll do it after I finish high school.

I'll get to it after college.

I've got too much going on right now.

After I'm married, then I'll be able to.

When the kids are out of diapers, when they're napping, when they're more independent, then I'll be able to get things done.

I'm waiting until we get off the road and settle down.

When we get out of the bus and have a real house, then I'll be more productive.

Let me finish homeschooling the kids, and then I'll have time.

If I didn't have a house full of kids...

If I didn't have to work such long hours...

If I just had a little time to myself...

Someday...

So many excuses! Wow!

Clearly, I've been waiting my whole life! But for what?

What am I STILL waiting for?

Someday?

Someday, maybe all the planets will line up, and all of the bills will be paid off, and everyone in my life will be happy, healthy, and secure, and I'll be living in a nice big house with dedicated workspace and a proper desk and craft table, and then maybe, finally, at long last, I will sit down, focused, undistracted, and ready to write, create, and finish these projects.  

Someday, I'll get to it.

Or perhaps someday is today.

The time and energy and circumstances that I have are the time, energy, and circumstances that I have. It's not really complicated.

So it's high time I got busy!

I'm not getting any younger.

My SOMEDAY is TODAY!

Maybe I can't get all of the someday projects accomplished in a single day, but I can make progress on at least one of them.  I'm done waiting around.

How about you?  What is your "someday" project or plan?  

Maybe your someday is today, too.

...Just a thought...