Yesterday we marked another anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our country. Where were you on that awful day? Even after all these years, most of us who were alive at that time can probably remember where we were on September 11, 2001. Those events are burned into our memories.
Life as we knew it changed forever on that day. I remember well the shock and the grief and the numbness that followed for so many days after that horrible day. For many those feelings are repeated each year as we mark another anniversary and as we see those horrible events replayed over and over and over on television.
Life changed that day. We've grown accustomed to taking our shoes off at the airport and to having our purses and backpacks inspected. Sadly, we're no longer surprised by acts of violence.
But not everything has changed. It is still true that "my refuge is in God." I still grieve with and for those families who lost so much on that day just because their family member went to work that morning. I still grieve for the families of first responders and military personnel who, on that day and in the years that have followed, paid the ultimate sacrifice. I am still grateful for men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.
Even more, as I reflect on the ways that life has changed, I cling to this unchanging truth:
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Therefore we will not fear." (Psalm 46:1-2)
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Monday, September 10, 2018
The Red Card
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead." (1 Peter 1:3 NASB)
This morning I was thinking about that living hope when Facebook stirred up a memory from our life on the road in 2015, a memory of the red card.
In the weeks we were on the road, we stayed in more than thirty different hotels. Most of those hotels were Marriott properties.
Because my husband traveled a lot for work and spends a lot of time in Marriott hotels, he has achieved Platinum Elite status with that particular hotel chain. As a result, our room key cards at Marriot hotels are platinum and are marked platinum elite, and those key cards give access to things like the Concierge Lounge (when one is available) and free coffee and other perks.
But at the hotel Facebook reminded me of, the one in Maryland, we didn't get a platinum key card. We got a red card. It gave the same access. Free breakfast. Free dessert. Free coffee. The only difference was that it was red.
As Christians we have a red card of a different kind. Our red card access comes through the blood of Jesus, shed for our sins.
Because of that shed blood, we are in an eternal relationship with the Savior who offered His own blood on our behalf. And because of that shed blood, we now have access to an eternity in Heaven in the presence of the One who shed His blood for us.
That is infinitely better than free breakfast!
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.......In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us." (Ephesians 1:3, 7-8b NASB)
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
I Want To Pray Like That
Have you spent any time lately in the Old Testament book of Daniel? It's powerful stuff! Daniel has a lot to say to us. About things that have already taken place. And about things that are yet to take place.
And Daniel has much to say to us about prayer. If you read the first part of Daniel 9, you'll find Daniel praying.
In his book The Handwriting on the Wall, Dr. David Jeremiah says, "this prayer is an example of what praying ought to be."
And I think to myself, I want to pray like that.
Daniel began his prayer by saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments." (Daniel 9:4 ESV)
Daniel began with praise. With adoration. With worship. Daniel knew His God. He acknowledged God as God. In notes from a previous study of Daniel, I found these words I had written in the margin: Daniel prayed as if God is God.
I want to pray like that.
After Daniel acknowledges who God is, he goes on to the next section of his prayer, found in Daniel 9:5-15. Once he has acknowledged God, then he confesses sin, the sin of his people. He is very specific in his confession. This is a lot more than a quick "forgive us our sins" before rushing on to make a request. It's much more than a tag line at the end of a prayer: "forgive us our sins. Amen."
"We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened.....To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame.....because we have sinned against you."
As I read Daniel's prayer, I realize this is how we......how I.......should be praying. As we pray for our cities and our states and our families. As we pray for our nation and our world.
I want to pray like that.
What's wrong with our nation is not about me pointing fingers at what they have done......the politicians and the pagans and the perverts. It's not about who is or isn't President. It's about what we have done. About how we as a nation have sinned and turned aside from God's way. I'm part of the nation. You are part of the nation. We as a nation have sinned against God.
Daniel worships. Daniel confesses. Only after that does Daniel make a request.
I want to pray like that.
Daniel begs forgiveness for his people. "O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem.......O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act." (Daniel 9:16, 19 ESV)
I want to pray like that.
Daniel's prayer was not about Daniel. It was not Daniel-centered. Daniel was not a selfish pray-er. The focus of Daniel's prayer was the Person and the character of God.
"For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy." (Daniel 9:18 ESV)
I want to pray like that.
Daniel's prayer is a good example. It's a good model to follow. Especially when we're tempted to point fingers at others for all the problems we see around us. Or when we're focused on ourselves instead of on others. When we fall into the "life is all about me" trap.
We're living in tough times. But so was Daniel. He and his people were in exile in a foreign land. Even so, his focus was not on circumstances, but on God. In spite of tough times, he continued to pray God-centered, rather than self-centered, prayers.
I want to pray like that.
"Lord, teach us to pray." (Luke 11:1 ESV)
Monday, September 3, 2018
Welcome to September!
September. Already. It's hard to believe that summer is over and we're moving into the fall season.
I love this season of the year. Even though it isn't officially "fall" yet (at least according to the calendar), it already seems like it. School back in session. Football (Go Gamecocks!). Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Pumpkin Pancakes. Pumpkin everything.
I look forward to September every year. September has a crispness in the air that I miss during the summer season. Of course, here in South Carolina, we're still waiting for the crispness. But it will come soon. Leaves will soon be turning. We'll be eating more apples and less watermelon. It's a beautiful time of year.
We begin September with Labor Day, a holiday where ironically we celebrate work by not working. Whether you're working at your job today, or finding some labor to do around the house, or just taking it easy.......Happy Labor Day! And welcome to September!
"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." (Colossians 3:17 NASB)
I love this season of the year. Even though it isn't officially "fall" yet (at least according to the calendar), it already seems like it. School back in session. Football (Go Gamecocks!). Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Pumpkin Pancakes. Pumpkin everything.
I look forward to September every year. September has a crispness in the air that I miss during the summer season. Of course, here in South Carolina, we're still waiting for the crispness. But it will come soon. Leaves will soon be turning. We'll be eating more apples and less watermelon. It's a beautiful time of year.
We begin September with Labor Day, a holiday where ironically we celebrate work by not working. Whether you're working at your job today, or finding some labor to do around the house, or just taking it easy.......Happy Labor Day! And welcome to September!
"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." (Colossians 3:17 NASB)
Monday, August 20, 2018
Hard Questions
Summer is ending, at least in the part of the world where I live, and children are going back to school, which makes today definitely an occasion for prayer. For my grandsons. For teachers as they resume their responsibilities. For friends who are sending their children off to school. For educators and students all across this great land.
For some, this back-to-school season is the last first day of school before their children graduate. For others, the journey is just beginning. In every case, the back-to-school season is time for some serious praying. Because it's a hard world out there.
Yet even as our children venture out into this hard world with their new clothes and new lunchboxes and new book bags, across the world there are children and parents facing a different set of circumstances. And they could only wish for a beautiful late summer day with a new lunchbox and new book bag, and for the opportunity to innocently begin another year of school. Across our world, for many, life is a much harder reality
.
Recently I've been doing some reading in the Old Testament book of Daniel. As I think about everything going on in our country and our world, Daniel's story becomes so much more than just a Bible story I remember from childhood. Daniel's story is very much the story of many men and women and boys and girls around the world.
In Daniel's day, King Darius had signed a decree that no one could worship or pray to any god or man except himself. The penalty for violating this decree was to be cast into the lion's den. And that, of course, is equivalent to a death penalty, since we all know what would happen if a person were to be cast into a den of hungry lions.
How did Daniel respond? He knew the decree had been signed. He knew what would happen if he continued to pray to his God. Even so, "when Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously." (Daniel 6:10 ESV, emphasis mine)
In spite of what it might cost him, Daniel continued to pray, just as he had always done. If we bring Daniel's story into the 21st century, Daniel is very much like men and women and children in the Middle East and elsewhere today whose lives are on the line because of their faith in Jesus. For Daniel, the command was to renounce his faith or face the lion's den. Men and women and children in many parts of the world are faced with a similar threat: renounce your faith, convert to Islam, or die.
The question is often asked, why doesn't God put a stop to this? Why doesn't He protect these people from this kind of persecution?
My question is a bit different. Why do they have to suffer like this and I don't? Why am I protected from this kind of suffering? Why is there this level of persecution and suffering in some parts of the world, and not in others? No one stands at the door of my church to prevent me from entering. No one is knocking on my door this morning and holding a gun to my head to prevent me from praying or reading my Bible. And for that, I am very thankful indeed.
But what if they were? Would I be strong enough in my faith to stand firm? When that kind of persecution comes to this country, and it may at some point, will I be strong enough in my faith to do as Daniel did? Will I be strong enough in my faith to continue doing as [I] have been doing previously?
If it were difficult to go to church, if there were men with guns blocking my way, would I go anyway? If I were commanded not to pray, would I pray anyway? When persecution comes, will I stand firm?
Why are believers in other parts of the world suffering such profound persecution? Why do some suffer and not others? Why them and not me?
Hard questions.
But things we need to be thinking about.
"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed." (1 Peter 4:12-14a ESV)
"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3:12 ESV)
For some, this back-to-school season is the last first day of school before their children graduate. For others, the journey is just beginning. In every case, the back-to-school season is time for some serious praying. Because it's a hard world out there.
Yet even as our children venture out into this hard world with their new clothes and new lunchboxes and new book bags, across the world there are children and parents facing a different set of circumstances. And they could only wish for a beautiful late summer day with a new lunchbox and new book bag, and for the opportunity to innocently begin another year of school. Across our world, for many, life is a much harder reality
.
Recently I've been doing some reading in the Old Testament book of Daniel. As I think about everything going on in our country and our world, Daniel's story becomes so much more than just a Bible story I remember from childhood. Daniel's story is very much the story of many men and women and boys and girls around the world.
In Daniel's day, King Darius had signed a decree that no one could worship or pray to any god or man except himself. The penalty for violating this decree was to be cast into the lion's den. And that, of course, is equivalent to a death penalty, since we all know what would happen if a person were to be cast into a den of hungry lions.
How did Daniel respond? He knew the decree had been signed. He knew what would happen if he continued to pray to his God. Even so, "when Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously." (Daniel 6:10 ESV, emphasis mine)
In spite of what it might cost him, Daniel continued to pray, just as he had always done. If we bring Daniel's story into the 21st century, Daniel is very much like men and women and children in the Middle East and elsewhere today whose lives are on the line because of their faith in Jesus. For Daniel, the command was to renounce his faith or face the lion's den. Men and women and children in many parts of the world are faced with a similar threat: renounce your faith, convert to Islam, or die.
The question is often asked, why doesn't God put a stop to this? Why doesn't He protect these people from this kind of persecution?
My question is a bit different. Why do they have to suffer like this and I don't? Why am I protected from this kind of suffering? Why is there this level of persecution and suffering in some parts of the world, and not in others? No one stands at the door of my church to prevent me from entering. No one is knocking on my door this morning and holding a gun to my head to prevent me from praying or reading my Bible. And for that, I am very thankful indeed.
But what if they were? Would I be strong enough in my faith to stand firm? When that kind of persecution comes to this country, and it may at some point, will I be strong enough in my faith to do as Daniel did? Will I be strong enough in my faith to continue doing as [I] have been doing previously?
If it were difficult to go to church, if there were men with guns blocking my way, would I go anyway? If I were commanded not to pray, would I pray anyway? When persecution comes, will I stand firm?
Why are believers in other parts of the world suffering such profound persecution? Why do some suffer and not others? Why them and not me?
Hard questions.
But things we need to be thinking about.
"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed." (1 Peter 4:12-14a ESV)
"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3:12 ESV)
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Getting Older
I celebrated another birthday this week. To celebrate, we headed to the beach and had a great weekend filled with good food and good times. Since my stroke in November 2016, every day is a special day to celebrate! These months since the stroke have given me a new appreciation for life. A new awareness that each day is a precious gift not to be taken for granted. And every birthday celebration has become even more significant.
Birthdays bring inevitable thoughts about getting older. I can remember when, once upon a time, I thought anyone who had passed their 60th birthday was really old. Having passed that milestone several years ago, I no longer think of it in quite the same way. Because the truth is, I really don't think of myself as old. I don't feel old. At least, not on most days.
I remember reading several years ago that Jonathan Edwards, that great American preacher of days gone by, had seventy resolutions for his life, all of which he wrote while in his early twenties, and which he read every week for the rest of his life. His Resolution 52 has become my resolution as well.
"I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again. Resolved, that I will live as I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age."
Having passed another birthday, Johnathan Edwards' resolution continues to be my resolution, for the coming year and for however many years lie ahead: to live as I shall wish I had done.
Birthdays bring inevitable thoughts about getting older. I can remember when, once upon a time, I thought anyone who had passed their 60th birthday was really old. Having passed that milestone several years ago, I no longer think of it in quite the same way. Because the truth is, I really don't think of myself as old. I don't feel old. At least, not on most days.
I remember reading several years ago that Jonathan Edwards, that great American preacher of days gone by, had seventy resolutions for his life, all of which he wrote while in his early twenties, and which he read every week for the rest of his life. His Resolution 52 has become my resolution as well.
"I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again. Resolved, that I will live as I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age."
Having passed another birthday, Johnathan Edwards' resolution continues to be my resolution, for the coming year and for however many years lie ahead: to live as I shall wish I had done.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
A Fresh Start
When I began thinking about this post, I planned to say "Welcome to August". But since we're already a week into the month, that probably wouldn't be the best way to start. Since it took me longer than expected to get brain wrapped around this topic, instead of thinking about a new month, I'll focus on a fresh start. That's what August gave us with this new month. A fresh start. A clean page on the calendar.
When I turned the page on the "official" family calendar on the side of the refrigerator, I smiled. It's my birthday month. We will be spending a few days at the beach this month. And it's one month closer to fall and cooler temperatures!
We often think of a new month as a clean slate. A time to start over. But if your calendar looks anything like mine, it isn't exactly a blank page. There are a number of activities already listed. August is shaping up to be another busy month.
Even so, there's something refreshing about turning the calendar page. A new month means new opportunities. New adventures. New challenges to be faced.
Turning that calendar page also means moving on. Leaving the previous month behind. Letting go of all the less-than-we-might-have-liked-them-to-be moments. The new month is time to let all that go, and time to move forward. And for us, it also means that the official date for retirement has arrived.
Every day is a fresh start. An opportunity to move forward. Whether it's a new job. Or no job. Or a weight loss plan that has gone off track. Or frustration about a relationship or a health issue. Every day is the gift of a fresh start. An opportunity to try again. To move forward.
A couple of years ago, as we moved into August, I was completing a writing project. Beginning a new month moved me into a new season, from writing to editing. Editing can be a tedious process: checking spelling; replacing one word with another; rearranging sentences; formatting; doing it all again; and then doing it all again; and again. Editing gave me an opportunity for a fresh start. To look at what I had written with fresh eyes.
Editing is not just for books or magazine articles. Sometimes our lives need some editing as well, and a new month is an ideal time to stop and consider what might need to be edited in our lives.
Editing some things out of my life is an area where the Lord has been really dealing with me. As in, what things in my life need some correction. What additions need to be made? What things in my life need some fine-tuning. What things in my life need to be deleted. You may find that to be true in your life as well.
Here are a few questions to help you get started in your editing process.
What foods need to be deleted from my life? What foods need to be added?
What habits need to be deleted from my life? What habits need to be added?
What corrections need to be made in my speech?
What needs to be deleted? In my activities. In my recreation. In my reading. In my TV watching. In the way I spend my money.
What needs to be added? In my activities. In my recreation. In my reading. In my TV watching. In the way I spend my money.
Life is a process. And all those processes need some editing from time to time.
What better time than today, as we have begun a new month, to take some time to consider what changes might need to be made. There's no time like the present to do a little editing and make a fresh start.
"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." (Philippians 3:7 NASB)
When I turned the page on the "official" family calendar on the side of the refrigerator, I smiled. It's my birthday month. We will be spending a few days at the beach this month. And it's one month closer to fall and cooler temperatures!
We often think of a new month as a clean slate. A time to start over. But if your calendar looks anything like mine, it isn't exactly a blank page. There are a number of activities already listed. August is shaping up to be another busy month.
Even so, there's something refreshing about turning the calendar page. A new month means new opportunities. New adventures. New challenges to be faced.
Turning that calendar page also means moving on. Leaving the previous month behind. Letting go of all the less-than-we-might-have-liked-them-to-be moments. The new month is time to let all that go, and time to move forward. And for us, it also means that the official date for retirement has arrived.
Every day is a fresh start. An opportunity to move forward. Whether it's a new job. Or no job. Or a weight loss plan that has gone off track. Or frustration about a relationship or a health issue. Every day is the gift of a fresh start. An opportunity to try again. To move forward.
A couple of years ago, as we moved into August, I was completing a writing project. Beginning a new month moved me into a new season, from writing to editing. Editing can be a tedious process: checking spelling; replacing one word with another; rearranging sentences; formatting; doing it all again; and then doing it all again; and again. Editing gave me an opportunity for a fresh start. To look at what I had written with fresh eyes.
Editing is not just for books or magazine articles. Sometimes our lives need some editing as well, and a new month is an ideal time to stop and consider what might need to be edited in our lives.
Editing some things out of my life is an area where the Lord has been really dealing with me. As in, what things in my life need some correction. What additions need to be made? What things in my life need some fine-tuning. What things in my life need to be deleted. You may find that to be true in your life as well.
Here are a few questions to help you get started in your editing process.
What foods need to be deleted from my life? What foods need to be added?
What habits need to be deleted from my life? What habits need to be added?
What corrections need to be made in my speech?
What needs to be deleted? In my activities. In my recreation. In my reading. In my TV watching. In the way I spend my money.
What needs to be added? In my activities. In my recreation. In my reading. In my TV watching. In the way I spend my money.
Life is a process. And all those processes need some editing from time to time.
What better time than today, as we have begun a new month, to take some time to consider what changes might need to be made. There's no time like the present to do a little editing and make a fresh start.
"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." (Philippians 3:7 NASB)
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