My Favorite Valentine Memory

Long ago - way back in the 70s - a shy young woman was visiting a girlfriend she had met the previous summer when they both worked on the staff of a church camp.  This young woman and the girlfriend made plans to attend the church "college and career" valentine party.  Also attending this party was a young man who had recently been discharged from the Air Force and had come back home.

I have to tell you that the only thing I remember about that party was that young man!  I was the shy young woman.  And that young man is now my husband!  I was told many months later that he went home that night and told his dad he had met the woman he was going to marry.  I have to confess that it took me a few weeks to come to that conclusion!!  But it didn't take many weeks for me to recognize this young man as my soulmate, as the love of my life!

And now....40 years years later (we met in 1971).....nothing has changed.  Well, a few things have changed!  We have grayer hair, and a few more pounds, and some wrinkles.....all those things that are part of the aging process.  What has not changed is the absolute certainty that this man is one of the very best parts of my life!  These days, when I think about Valentine's Day, I don't think about hearts and flowers and where we will go out to dinner (or even if we will!!!).  I think about that Valentine's Day in 1971.....one of the most significant days in my life!!

In an era when love is defined by Hallmark movies and ridiculous sitcoms where life's problems are easily resolved in less than 30 minutes, I am grateful to God that He knew exactly who would be best for me.  I'm grateful beyond words that this one He placed in my life is so much more than I ever dreamed of!

Life hasn't always been easy.  We have had to deal with some really hard stuff over the years.  We've laughed together.  We've cried together.  We've prayed together.  We have had some hard times.  And we have had wonderful fun.  I wouldn't want to do this journey called life with anyone else. 

Is It for Real?

We had our snow "event" yesterday.  No big deal really......just a few inches.  The really good news is that the sun came out yesterday afternoon and melted most of it.  That sunshine was deceptive......I almost went out to sit on the front porch!  Almost......the chairs are still covered in snow, and even though the sun was shining, it was definitely not a warm afternoon!  But a sunny afternoon has been such a rarity around here this winter.......and we have a bright sunny morning again today!  Wow!  Is spring really on the way?  Is this for real?

When we were considering moving here to the mountains, we were told that we could expect "long spring, long fall, short winter, short summer."  That sounded good to us.  We were coming from the extreme heat of Florida summers.  Prior to that we had experienced the extreme cold of Minnesota winters.  So something less extreme was very appealing. 

That optimistic forecast turns out not to have been exactly accurate!  In the few years we have lived here, we have experienced short spring, short summer, short fall, and very long, very cold, very snowy winters!  Not exactly what we had in mind!!

This morning's blue sky and sunshine gives me hope!  The crocus leaves poking through the ground give me hope!  The weather forecast for the weekend (spring-like temperatures) gives me hope!  I admit that I was a little skeptical about that groundhog and his forecast of an early spring.  But right now I'm feeling hopeful!  And after yet another long, cold, snowy winter......hope feels good.  Something to look forward to feels good!

"Thank God for the promise of spring."  (Bill and Gloria Gaither)

Life Is Short

That's the thought that has been resonating with me for the last 24 hours.  I found out yesterday that a young man we knew when we lived in Denver had died suddenly.  He was in youth group with my boys.  He was the same age as my younger son.  He left behind a wife and three young daughters. 

I've been traveling down memory lane a lot since I heard the news.......remembering the Wilson family; remembering good times in Denver; wondering what happened to a lot of the people we knew there and where they are now.  I've been giving thanks for my family.  I've been giving thanks for all the friends we've met along our journey.  We've moved a lot over the years.......not exactly what we expected when we first married, but it's the way life has worked out for us.  In all that moving, we've met a lot of people.  Some of them we are still in touch with.  Some of them we have lost touch with......and that makes me sad.  I find myself missing what might have been.

So I've been remembering......and wondering.....reflecting back and looking forward......realizing that, as my husband and I often joke, we're not as young as we used to be!  Life is short, and the days in front of me are less now than the days behind me.  I want to live them well.  I want to make every day count.
That's my prayer today.

I'm also praying for the Wilson family.  Praying that God will comfort them as only He can.

It would be a privlege to pray for you as well.  You can leave your requests in the comments section.

Waiting - Again!

The weatherman says there's another "snow event" on the way....again!!......so I'm waiting for it to get here.  There's been a lot of that this winter!  We had a small "event" yesterday, but this one is apparently a bigger "event"!  I'm really tired of these "events" and am ready for spring to get here!!  I know that my friends in New England and in the Midwest have had much more of these "events" to deal with this winter.  I'm sure they are probably ready for spring, too!!

I was thinking this morning about how much "waiting" is a part of my life.  Right now I'm waiting for answers to a couple of very specific prayers.  I'm waiting for a resolution to an issue that is weighing heavy on my heart.  I'm waiting for snow.  I'm waiting for my husband to get home from California.  I'm waiting for a replacement for my broken Keurig.  I'm waiting for the computer to finish downloading some photos so I can work on a photo book.  Lots of waiting.

And I'm reminded that waiting is part of life.  The Bible has a lot to say about that.  I looked in my  Strong's Concordance this morning and found LOTS of references for wait, waits, waiting.  I didn't count how many, but trust me......there are lots!  Here are a few that jumped out at me this morning.

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27:14)
"I wait for Thy word." (Psalm 119:81)
"I wait for Thy word."  (Psalm 119:114)
"I wait for Thy word, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope." (Psalm 130:5)

Don't you think we often think of "waiting" in a negative way?  We're impatient (at least I often am!) and want what we want when we want it.......example - that new Keurig I'm waiting for!!  Or we're looking for an answer to prayer to come even before we've prayed!!  There's also the sense of dread often associated with waiting......like waiting for yet another snowstorm to come.

But waiting on the Lord, waiting for His word.....that puts waiting in a different light.  It's more the sense of eager anticipation.  Look at these two verses in the New Testament that give us that sense of waiting:

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3:20)
"To wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come." (1 Thessalonians 1:10)

Now that's worth waiting for!!

"looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession."  (Titus 2:13-14)

Random - Or Maybe Not

Yesterday was a long day.  I drove home from Florida with a sleeping dachsund as my travel companion.  Thirteen hours in the car is a long time!!!  Lots of time for thinking about all sorts of things.  It was Thursday......my day to pray for you.....but because I didn't get on-line before I left, I didn't remind me to send your prayer requests.  So, I just prayed for whoever and whatever God brought to mind.  Quite a variety of things, I can assure you.  So, while it may have seemed random to anyone who might have been able to overhear (yes, I was praying out loud while I drove.  Molly didn't care.  She was still sleeping.), I think there was really no randomness at all, since it was God who brought all those things to my mind.  I know He did, because I asked Him to!  He's good about things like that!

My thoughts also wandered (again, seemingly random) to the tabernacle in the wilderness, and I reviewed the structure of the tabernacle and pondered the verses that came to mind.

I remembered that there was only one doorway to the tabernacle; one way in to meet with God.  And I remembered "I am the door" (John 10:9) and "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6).

I remembered the bronze altar of sacrifice.  And I remembered "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29).

I remembered the laver for cleansing.  And I remembered "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  (1 John 1:9).

I remembered the table of showbread, the lampstand, and the altar of incense in the holy place.

The showbread reminded me "I am the bread of life." (John 6:48).
The lampstand reminded me "I am the light of the world."  (John 8:12).
The altar of incense reminded me "He (Jesus) ever lives to make intercession for us." (Hebrews 7:25) and  "the smoke of the incense which are the prayers of the saints went up before God." (Rev. 8:4).

I thought about the holy of holies, behind the veil, where the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat sat.  And I remembered that "we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus."
(Hebrews 10:19).

So I spent a lot of time in the car.  I thought a lot about these Scriptures and others. (In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't remember all those references!!  Some of them I looked up this morning!!). I prayed for friends and family, for situations I'm aware of, for current political events in our country and around the world.  I sang.  I experienced the presence of God.  I worshiped.

So perhaps it wasn't so random after all!

Worship Format - Some Food for Thought

The following post was shared on Facebook by http://www.prophecywatch.com/. It was originally posted on http://www.sharperiron.org/.  I have copied it and am sharing it here because it seems so pertinent to the topic we have been considering recently.  I hope I have not violated any copyrights by doing so.  That is certainly not my intention.  I share it because I believe it gives us some food for thought.  I would love to have your comments.

How a Worship Format is Destroying the Evangelical Church


http://www.sharperiron.org/

During my lifetime, many evangelical churches in American have moved from Bible-oriented gatherings to music-dominated meetings. Interestingly, both sets of religious gatherings typically bore the title, “Worship Service.”

When the evangelical church was Bible-oriented, this “worship” paradigm was in place:

(1) Not all elements of the service were considered equally important; the exposition of Scripture was clearly the first and foremost priority. All other competitors vied for a distant second place.
(2) When the term “worship” was used, it was the equivalent of our modern casual expression, “doing church.” It is important to note that the preaching of the Word was considered part of worship, as were announcements, testimonies, communion, prayer, singing, the offering, and special music. This was the typical structure of a “worship service” before 1980.
(3) Many evangelicals viewed music as a “warm up for the sermon.” In this regard, many leaders did not seem to often respect music ministry as actual ministry but many others did.

The Change

But the paradigm has changed in many churches. The most important change was what the word “worship” communicates. The word “worship” is now used by clergy and laity alike to refer to the religious feelings aroused by music.

(1) The change in paradigms began with the addition on an article: “the” worship. As trivial as this seems, this was the beginning of emphasizing music and separating preaching and announcements from worship. We now have “the worship” and “the sermon.”

Here is just one possible scenario resulting from this change in definition. John Member has schedule a meeting with Pastor Jones. Let’s eavesdrop.
     “Pastor, I think we need to cut down the time you preach. Fifteen minutes is plenty, I think.”
     “I don’t agree,” replies Pastor Jones, “studying the Bible is crucial for every Christian.”
     “Oh, I agree that the Bible is important, Pastor,” responds John Member, “but our morning service is  billed as the morning worship service, so it should be mainly about worship, not preaching.”

In the above hypothetical conversation, you can see how the two meanings of the word “worship” are colliding with one another. In the pastor’s mind, Bible study is an important part of worship, but not in the mind of John Member. He views only music as “worship.”

(2) Other terminology changed. Schools that offered a major in church music (or “sacred music” for the hoi polloi) changed the major to “Worship Arts” (about the same time shades and curtains became “window treatments”). The song leader became known as the “worship leader.”
(3) Music became more emotionally intense, and a confusion between the emotional and the spiritual helped set music on an untouchable pedestal. Worship had become something one felt, not something one did. Worship was judged as good or bad based upon how it made worshippers feel. The Scriptures no longer defined good worship; the individual had become the discerner of truth based upon how he felt.
(4) In mega-churches, elitism and an attitude oriented toward musicians performing to the standards of other musicians (rather than aiming to bless the congregation) seems to be the norm. In some cases, musicians have become a special religious caste (like a priest, they lead the sacrifice of praise into the holy place).
(5) Even though Colossians 3:16 implies we should aim our hymns and songs both vertically and horizontally (we sing to one another and in our hearts to the Lord), the entire concept of worshiping God in the third person is gone, despite the fact that many Psalms speak of God as “He” rather than “You.”
(6) The goal of worship is creating a religious atmosphere and its attendant feelings. Often times worship leaders are weak in biblical and theological matters, but because more Christians value “worship” above theology, some of these leaders are carving out a pattern for church with little regard for biblical teaching about what the church is supposed to do when gathered.
(7) Here is the pattern: eventually worship (music and that religious feeling) is considered almost on a par with Scripture, then equal to Scripture, and eventually superior to it.* The Scriptures become subservient to the music and are used more as transitions between songs than holy word to be expounded. Biblical sermons have given way to self-help lectures or emotionally charged sermons with lots of illustrations—replacing the previous Psalm 1 mentality. The idea of worshiping God through deep Bible study and meditation in the Word is unknown; worship now means music and feelings.

The consequences & dangers of the new “worship format”

Religion is back in vogue. We used to hear “I’m not religious, I just love the Lord,” or “Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship.” Because of the new emphasis on religious feeling, it is fair to say that we have moved back into the domain of religion.

Worship has become a religious experience dependent upon something else than the gathering of Christians to study the Word, pray, celebrate communion, and sing a few hymns. Based upon modern viewpoints, the early church must have done a poor job of worshipping God.

If the church is about worship, and if worship is a religious feeling induced from a church gathering, then, if I get a stronger version of that feeling somewhere else, that is where I need to be. Rather than the Bible, a passionate feeling of worship becomes the canon by which I measure truth.

As a result, Christians not only move from evangelical church to evangelical church, but they also desert evangelicalism. Our heritage is based upon the centrality of Scripture; we are really novices at the religion game. But even if we competed well on a religious level, are we right to trash the primacy of Scripture? What about the convictions of the Reformation?

The problem is not contemporary music, seeking to have meaningful worship through songs of praise, etc. The problem is displacement. When we displace the knowledge of the Word and solid doctrine with music (whether we call music worship or not), we are no longer under the lordship of Christ. The Christian life includes public worship, but the highest form of worship is hearing and doing the Word of God. That is why the ultimate “worship book” in the Bible, the book of Psalms, begins with emphasizing constant meditation on the Word. The longest Psalm (119) makes the point even more emphatically. God seeks those who worship Him in Spirit and in truth. It is hard to worship God in truth if you don’t know the truth and if you do not make the truth a priority.



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A Borrowed Idea

My friend Jeanette over at Sweet Jeanette has a very special thing going on Tuesdays.  She calls it "Prayer Request Tuesday" - a day devoted to praying for prayer requests that are left as comments on her blog.  (And her blog is great, by the way.  You should check it out.....she's in my Blog List over there on the sidebar.)

Anyway, this idea has really tugged at my heartstrings, so I've decided to "borrow" her idea and spread the praying around to another day of the week.  Beginning today, I'll be devoting time each Thursday to intercessory prayer.  It would be a privilege and joy to pray with you for things that are on your heart......and if it's something you don't want to be specific about, just say "unspoken request" or something like that. 

I haven't come up with a title for these new Thursday posts.  I'm trying to be creative, but I keep coming back to "Prayer Request Thursday"!  If you have any ideas, please share them.  And share your prayer requests as well.  I'll be praying with and for you.