Pausing to Ponder. A Thankful Tuesday Post.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." (Philippians 4:4 NASB)

I came across this very familiar verse a few days ago in my daily Bible reading time, and it hasn't let go of me since. I've been thinking about it. Pondering it. It's a very timely verse for all seasons of life.

Rejoice in the Lord.

Rejoice always.

Always. That's a powerful word. An all-encompassing word. A pretty direct word.

Think about it. Ponder exactly what it means.

Rejoice when your candidate wins the election.

Rejoice when your candidate loses the election.

Rejoice always.

Rejoice when you are sick, and rejoice when you are healthier.

Rejoice when you have cancer, and rejoice when you don't.

Rejoice when everything in your life is going wonderfully well, and rejoice when it isn't.

Rejoice always.

Rejoice. 

"For the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10 NASB)

Rejoicing in the Lord is not about circumstances.

Rejoicing in the Lord is about knowing who the Lord is, knowing His character and His ways.

It's knowing the truth, and placing confidence and trust in that truth.

Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." (John 14:6 NASB)

Jesus said, "And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (John 8:32 NASB)

When we know truth - when we know THE TRUTH - we are set free to rejoice always. In every circumstance.

Because joy doesn't come from circumstances. Joy comes from Jesus.

Circumstances are just circumstances. Stuff happens. Life doesn't always go our way. It isn't always pretty. Or easy. Nor was it ever promised to be.

But, when we remain grounded in the truth of who Jesus is, when we stay centered there, then we can have joy in every circumstance and in every situation. In the good times. In the bad times. And in all the in-between times.

Not silly-smile happiness all the time. But deep down joy, in the core of our being. Because we know truth. Because we know The Truth. Because our joy and our confidence and our strength are in Him.

Pause to ponder that truth today! And rejoice!

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." (Philippians 4:4 NASB)

It's Almost Over!

What a week! And I'm not talking about the Presidential election. I spent my week being sick. Very sick. Sicker than I can remember being in a very long time. But it's almost over. I'm on the mend.

This morning I've been thinking back over the last week, and I realized a few things about myself.

I know I'm really sick when...

• There's a week's worth of newspapers on the coffee table and I don't even care.
• I don't even notice how dirty/messy the house is.
• I don't care how much dirty laundry there is.
• I sleep about 18 hours a day.
• I don't drink coffee.

I know that last one is difficult to believe, especially for those who know me well. But it's true. Hubby has always said it's the best way to know I don't feel well. And I haven't had any coffee since the Sunday before Election Day.

I know I'm getting better when...

• I begin to notice that week's worth of newspapers and wish they would go away.
• I notice that the perpetual daily calendar in the kitchen window hasn't been changed since before election day.
• I no longer wheeze when I breathe.
• My throat no longer feels like it's filled with glass shards and razor blades. (I'm not sure what that would actually feel like, but it's the best way I know to describe the worst "sore" throat I ever had. This wasn't "sore"; it was pain!)

I know I've made progress when...

• I take that week's worth of newspapers to the recycle bin. (Of course, I had to rest after I did that!)
• I can take a shower and not need a nap afterward.
• I'm ready to eat something other than soup or cream of wheat.
• I really want to get started on all the laundry and housecleaning. (Now, if I only had the energy!)

This has been a rough week. Besides feeling lousy, I haven't been able to talk. At all. Not a sound. Oh, the frustration!

The good news is that the end is in sight. The swelling in my throat is almost gone. I'm breathing better, and I'm sleeping less. The antibiotics are clearing away all the infection. And I'm beginning to feel almost human again. I still can't talk, but I'm sure that will improve soon.

It's almost over. Life will soon be back to normal.

Maybe I'll even have a cup of coffee today!


"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT)

The Great Good Thing. A Book Review.

Before I read this book, I had never heard of Andrew Klavan who is a well-known, award-winning novelist, nor had I read any of his previous work. What attracted me to this book was the subtitle: A Secular Jew Comes to Faith in Christ.

The Great Good Thing is Andrew Klavan's story. He is that secular Jew and this is his memoir. This is the account of how, in his words, "by the hilarious mercy of God, I had made my way to the great good thing."

In the first chapter, Klavan is heading to the church to be baptized; in the last chapter the baptism takes place. In the thirteen chapters between, Klavan shares some of the events of his life that played a part in leading him to the great good thing.

This is not a typical conversion tale, if indeed there is such a thing. It is not a book about doctrine or theology. It is an interesting, well-written account of an agnostic Jew who ends up at a baptismal font at the age of 50. Klavan is very open about how he fought the call of God, a call first glimpsed in a childhood Christmas at the home of a beloved babysitter.

The Great Good Thing: A Secular Jew Comes to Faith in Christ is Andrew Klavan's life story. It is wonderfully written, just as might be expected from an award winning writer. It is interesting account of an interesting man's journey to Christ. A highly recommended read.

I received a free copy of The Great Good Thing by Andrew Klavan from Book Look Bloggers and Thomas Nelson Publishing in exchange for my honest opinion.

It's Election Day. A Thankful Tuesday Post.

It's Tuesday. It's Election Day here in the United States.

On this Tuesday, I'm thankful for the privilege of voting. Voting is a privilege denied to many around the world, a privilege many around the world only dream of.

We are blessed in this country to have this privilege. To be free to go to the polls. To voice our opinions through our ballot choices.

On this Tuesday, I'm thankful for the founders of this country. Thankful for their wisdom in designing this system. And I'm thankful for the men and women who, for more than two hundred years, have fought and died so that we might continue to have the privilege of voting. Let's not take it for granted.

Beyond the privilege of voting, I am thankful today that no matter what the results of today's election may be, God is still God. God is still in control. God is still sovereign. We need to cling to those truths.

There has been a lot of stress over this election. Many today are anxious as they await the results. We are stressed and fretful and worried. This has been perhaps the most contentious election season in modern history, and many are weary of it all.

Because that is true, on this Tuesday I'm thankful for the Word of God. Thankful for its truths to cling to even in the midst of stress and weariness over this very long election season.

I'm thankful today for these words that remind me Who is in control:

"Daniel said, 'Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding. It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him." (Daniel 2:20-22 NASB)

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear." (Psalm 46:1-2 NASB)

"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10 NASB)

Especially today, how thankful I am for these words of truth! How thankful I am that, no matter what happens today, the sun will come up tomorrow. God will still be God, and God will still be in control.

Today, may we rest in that truth. May we keep our eyes on Him. May we vote. May we continue to pray. And may we be still - cease striving - and know that He is God.

"For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You." (2 Chronicles 20:12 NASB)

Awesome!

A few weeks ago, as we were beginning our study of 1 Peter, I asked our Life Group to name the most over-used word in the English language.  Predictably, the word love was mentioned. Since we were digging into 1 Peter 1 that day, I was hoping the word hope would be mentioned, and it was. 

We use the word hope a lot. I hope we have ice cream. I hope it doesn't rain. I hope my candidate wins. I hope my team wins. I hope I can lose some weight. When we use hope in these contexts, we're usually doing some wishful thinking. But in the New Testament, hope is not wishful thinking, but settled certainty. That's what Peter is telling us when he reminds us that we have been born again to a living hope.

Another overused word we mentioned on that particular Sunday was the word awesome. This must be one of the most over-used words in our language! Everything these days is awesome! Whether we're talking about a ball player or the weather or what we had for dinner or the movie we just saw, it's all awesome!

The word awesome can mean "very impressive" or "overwhelming" or "causing feelings of reverence or admiration".  Any of those definitions could be used to describe yesterday at First Baptist Spartanburg.

Yesterday morning's worship services were multi-campus, something that is unusual for us. We sang the same songs and heard the same message, all together simultaneously, on three different campuses, thanks to modern technology. Yesterday we were celebrating the launch of a new ministry opportunity known as The Bridge at Green Street. So, in the main Sanctuary on Main Street downtown, and in the Hangar auditorium across the street where our contemporary services are held each Sunday, and in the Sanctuary of the former Green Street Baptist Church, we worshipped together and celebrated the greatness of our awesome God.

It takes a lot of people behind the scenes for something like this to come together. Getting all the technology in place and then having people to operate all that technology on a Sunday morning is quite a feat. A meal was served at Green Street after the services, which required many, many people to set up and later clean up, to serve the food, and to get kitchen supplies from the main campus over to Green Street. There's a lot involved in an event like that. On the main campus, many people did double duty to cover the responsibilities of people who had gone over to Green Street to help out. A lot of people were involved in all that happened across our campuses yesterday, and I am certain that this morning, a lot of people are very tired!

Often it is easy for us to get so bogged down in the details of how something is going to happen, to be so stressed over all the behind the scenes details, and then so exhausted when it is all over, that we miss the awesomeness of the day. That's true for our multi-campus worship yesterday, and it's true in life as well. We are sometimes blinded by our stress and our fatigue and our personal responsibilities, and we miss what God is doing.

Yesterday God was very present at First Baptist Spartanburg. It was evident across our campuses.

Just as God was very present and at work across our campuses yesterday, it is also true that God is at work in our country in these days leading up to tomorrow's election. No matter how that turns out, we know that God is at work as we see the numbers of people who are crying out to Him on behalf of our country. It's easy not to notice that in the midst of this contentious and often chaotic election season. But stop and think about how many people you know personally who are committing serious time to prayer for our nation. How long has it been since you heard so many people calling for prayer and repentance and revival in our nation? How long has it been since you were aware of so many prayer meetings specifically on behalf of our nation? Not on behalf of a particular candidate, but on behalf of our country. All this is evidence that God is work in our country and in the hearts of His people.

No matter how tomorrow's election turns out, God is still God. He is still in control. He is still about the business of answering prayer. He is the same yesterday and today and forever.

And our God is awesome!

"O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God!" (Psalm 68:35 NASB)


You can watch our awesome multi-campus worship service here:
https://livestream.com/fbcspartanburg/events/3355219/videos/141149457

My Never-Ending Reading List

I recently read a blog post over at SheReads.org titled 4 Novels I Read As A Child That Are Still Informing My Writing Today. The title of the post intrigued me since I am both a reader and a writer.

The writer of that post is younger than I, and the four books she mentioned were not part of my childhood. But reading her post caused me to begin to think about the books I remember from my own childhood. The books I loved most and would return to again and again.

Certainly among my favorites is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I read Little Women more times than I can count, and I also read Little Men and Jo's Boys. Of the four March sisters in Little Women, Jo was my favorite. Perhaps it's Jo's struggles to be taken seriously as a writer that inspired my own writing journey.

The family dynamic was part of what drew me to Little Women, as well as to Five Little Peppers and How They Grew and to The Bobbsey Twins.

Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew were childhood reading heroines, and Black Beauty by Anna Sewell is on my list of favorites as well. I also loved reading biographies of men and women of days gone by.

All this sounds as though I spent my childhood in the corner of the attic surrounded by books, reading from morning 'til night! Nothing could be further from the truth. I had a very active childhood, with lots of time outdoors and lots of fresh air and sunshine. Even so, there was always time for reading, and my books were among my best friends!

My love of reading continues into the present, and there is currently a rather tall stack of books here on my table awaiting my attention. Earlier this week I finished reading Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering, a fun murder mystery set in 1930s England. It was not nearly so gruesome as many mysteries set in the current day, and had to be solved the old-fashioned way, without benefit of DNA and other technologies. There was some humor and a little bit of romance, along with plenty of twists and turns, so it was a good read.

I'm currently reading The Constantine Codex by Paul L. Maier, which has to do with biblical archaeology. It's a good combination of history and mystery, with fictional archaeologist Jonathan Weber and his wife Shannon discovering what they think may be a discarded biblical manuscript. I'm not too far into this one yet, but I'm enjoying it so far.

Once I finish with The Constantine Codex, I'll be turning my attention to some non-fiction.  The Great Good Thing and I am n are next. Then we'll see what's next after that! My reading list is never-ending!

What are you reading this week?

 

 

I'm Tired

The last couple of weeks have been particularly busy, and I'm tired. And I stayed up too late last night, which didn't help. (I was watching baseball. Can you believe it? Me, voluntarily watching a baseball game on television! Yay, Cubs!)

My fatigue has little to do with a busy schedule or an extra-innings baseball game. My weariness goes far beyond being physically tired.

I'm tired of political ads and insults and tweets.

I'm tired of dirty tricks and October surprises.

I'm tired of media who want to control what I think instead of merely reporting facts and letting me decide for myself.

I'm tired of a political ruling class who wants to overrule the will of the voting public.

I'm tired of the animosity.

I'm tired of this election season.

This has been a particularly contentious election season. Certainly it is to be expected that people will disagree about candidates and about issues, but this time around, the disagreements seem more disagreeable. Social media plays a part in that, to be sure. People will tweet or post things that they would never say to or about another person face to face. The anonymity and lack of accountability that social media brings to our world has brought out the worst in us.

Even beyond that, there's an ugliness about this election season that is heartbreaking. Christians are accusing other Christians of compromising their faith or of selling out their convictions, depending on which candidate they have chosen to support. And those insults are coming from both directions. It's an ugly political world out there. And I am weary of it all.

This has not been an easy political season for me. I used to enjoy politics, but no more. I can barely stand to listen to news broadcasts any more. As I have said before, neither of these major party candidates was my first choice. Or second. Or third. But there is a process in place to choose candidates, and these are the ones we are left with.

Certainly as Americans we are free to support whichever candidate we choose and for whatever reason. Or we are free to support none of them. We are free to express our opinions about our candidates and our reasons for supporting them, and our reasons for not supporting other candidates. Free speech is a right guaranteed to us by the First Amendment.

But does our right to free speech give us the right to insult and demean and belittle? The level of vitriol and rhetoric in this election season far exceeds anything I have seen in my lifetime. What saddens me most about it all is the way Christians are at each other's throats. Flinging insults at one another. Accusing those who support a different candidate of compromising their faith, or of selling their souls, or of losing their salvation, or of things far worse. That sort of behavior wouldn't be particularly surprising coming from the unbelieving world, but it is heartbreaking to see how Christians are turning on each other.

Is this the way we are modeling Christ to the world? Is this how we are to be salt and light?

I do not mean to say that all who are Christian should line up behind one particular candidate. Each of us must make an individual decision as to which candidate we will support after a careful examination of all the issues and of each candidate's platform and positions on those issues. Then, having thought about it and prayed about it, we must vote.

We won't all agree. But we don't need to be so disagreeable!

I will be glad when next Tuesday is behind us. But my fear is that the ugliness is here to stay.

 

 

The Letter F

If you have ever watched an episode of the television show "Sesame Street", then you are familiar with the phrase "Today's show is brought to you by the letter.....". I'm borrowing that phrase today, and today's post is brought to you by the letter F.

F as in fog.

It's a foggy morning here in the Upstate of South Carolina where I live.

Recently we have experienced beautifully clear autumn mornings. Today is completely different. We're fogged in today. 

 

If you know someone dealing with a chronic illness or with cancer, you may have heard them talk about fog.  Chemo fog.  Fibro fog.  Brain fog.  The effects of the disease or of the medication to combat the disease may sometimes cloud their thinking.

 

Many are experiencing a kind of "election fog" as we make our way to November 8. There's confusion over who to vote for and what to make of the daily scandals. There's corruption everywhere we turn. We're weary of it all and just want to wake up from this bad dream. We feel like we're in a fog that won't lift!

 

We experience fog in all sorts of ways in life. Circumstances can fog up our thinking.  So can attitudes. Or the way we spend time. Or the way we don't spend it.

 

Often our thinking gets foggy because of a lack of time spent in God's Word and in prayer. Because of a lack of time spent worshipping, both corporately and privately.  Because of a lack of fellowship with other believers.

 

That kind of fog blocks our view. We can't see things clearly.

 

When we lived in the mountains, on most days there was a clear view of the mountains in front of our house.  But on some days we couldn't see them at all. Fog obscured the view.  I knew the mountains were there, but I couldn't see them. I knew there were trees in front of my house, but I couldn't see them. It's much the same here in our neighborhood this morning. I'm unable to see many of the trees I know are there.

 

 

 

That brings us to another "F" we need to consider.  Faith.

 

The Bible tells us that "we walk by faith, not by sight."  (2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV)

 

It's by faith that we trust, even when we can't see. 

 

It's by faith that we believe in God, even though we can't see Him.

 

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  (Hebrews 11:1 KJV)

 

Faith is being sure, even of things we cannot see.

 

Faith is believing in God. But it's also more than that. Faith is not only believing in God; faith is believing God.

 

Remember Abraham in the Old Testament? Abraham is a great example of faith.

 

Abraham believed God.

 

• Even when he didn't know where he was going, Abraham believed God and obeyed. "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance.  And he went out, not knowing where he was going."  (Hebrews 11:8 ESV)
• Even when he didn't know how God's will would be accomplished. "By faith Sarah received power to conceive, even when she was past the age."  (Hebrews 11: 11 ESV)
• Even when he didn't know when God would fulfill His promises. "The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as He had promised.  And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age."  (Genesis 21:1-2 ESV)
• Even when he didn't understand why. "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son Isaac."  (Hebrews 11:17 ESV)

 

Abraham believed God.

 

He believed His promises. Even when he didn't understand, he still believed.

 

That's faith. 

 

Believing God.

 

Believing. And trusting that God knows best. That God has a plan and a purpose.

 

Even when we don't understand.

 

 

 

"Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." (Romans 4:3 NASB)

 

 

 Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory!
O glorious victory, that overcomes the world.

(Yates/Sankey)

 

A Song of Thanksgiving

"Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving

To God the Creator triumphantly raise,

Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,

Who guideth us on to the end of our days.

His banners are o'er us, His light goes before us,

A pillar of fire shining forth in the night,

'Til shadows have vanished and darkness is banished,

As forward we travel from light into light.

His law He enforces, the stars in their courses,

The sun in His orbit, obediently shine.

The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,

The deeps of the ocean proclaim Him Divine.

We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing,

With glad adoration a song let us raise,

'Til all things now living unite in thanksgiving

To God in the highest, hosanna and praise!

                                                                              -Katherine K. Davis

Those are the words to a hymn titled "Let All Things Now Living", written by Katherine K. Davis and typically sung to a traditional Welsh melody. It's one of those hymns we don't sing in church any more, but it's still one of my favorites.

 

I was thinking about this song this morning. Not because we have sung it recently; we haven't. We sing some wonderful music in our church. New songs, old songs, the great hymns of our faith. But we haven't sung this particular hymn recently; in fact, I can't even remember the last time I sang this hymn in a church setting! Rather, this morning it has been called up from deep in the recesses of my memory. It's a catchy tune, but this morning the text has my attention.

 

Perhaps it's because I'm not as young as I used to be!  Or perhaps there is some other reason. In any event, I am becoming more and more aware of how much I take for granted. How often I forget to say "thank you". It's not that I'm ungrateful. Forgetful, yes. A little scatter-brained sometimes. Distracted. But not ungrateful. 

 

Today is Thankful Tuesday, a perfect day for a "Song of Thanksgiving"! And I have so many reasons for thanksgiving this morning, not the least of which is the beauty of the world around me. I love this season of the year with its brilliant reds and golds. With its spectacular sunsets and breathtaking morning skies. It's a beautiful season of the year, my favorite season, and I am so thankful.

 

 

There are so many reasons for thanksgiving this morning beyond just the beauty of the season. I'm thankful for my husband and my family. For dear friends. For my church family. For my pastor. For my health. 

 

I'm thankful for the privilege of prayer. I'm thankful that God hears and answers. I'm thankful for those times when I utter a prayer with a very specific request, and within just a few minutes I have my answer! And I'm equally thankful for those times when the answer is a long time in coming. The times when I'm learning how to wait and how to trust. I'm thankful for all that those times are teaching me about God and about faith.

 

I am so very grateful for a Sovereign Lord. One who knows me best and loves me most. One who has all things under control. One who knows exactly how this election will turn out, and exactly why it will turn out that way. One who has a purpose for all things.
 

This morning I am so very grateful. For another day of life. And for the privilege of living it for Jesus!

So very grateful.

It's a good day for a song of thanksgiving!

"My heart overflows with a good theme."  (Psalm 45:1 NASB)