Wrapping up the Year...

Merry Christmas! I’ve been thinking about what to wrap up for Jesus, as He is the birthday King. I was left with a sense of empty hands and didn’t know what to bring. I pondered what would honor Him and show Him my grateful love and this thought that moved me deep within, I encourage you also to give.

Each year, six days from now, we all begin a new. A list of resolutions we write to change and undo, the damage of the past years habits, the choices we’d like to see removed and so this list we create with a solemn vow to improve. And yet we endlessly fail again, perhaps with the same vows from last years end, and so this year I suggest that we wrap up these lists and place them before the One who can indeed help us succeed.

The problem with resolutions is the problem with man, we simply can’t change on our own and that is God’s plan. We have to realize that we will fail, and in knowing this weakness we will then succeed. Our resolutions are only as good as our recognition of God’s power in our lives and God’s power in our lives is only as good as we are willing to surrender to His will. Our gift to Jesus this year should be our wrapped up lists of what we will change and recognize that it is only He who can change us. This is what we need and what He wants for His birthday.

So I am making a list and checking it twice, I encourage you to do the same, I’ll make sure that I’m honest with what needs to go and give it to the King. Then I’ll take out the gift-wrap and boxes and bows and place this list under the tree, I’ll address it to Jesus and sign it with love from His creation, His child, from me.

Merry Christmas dear friends, we pray that you will have a New Year full of God’s grace and His Power of change in your lives as you surrender to His will in 2009!
Under His Mercy, The Selby Clan
Russ, Mary, Alethia, Abigayle, Adilynn and Austin

Sadness For My Country

I have been reading the blogs on Change.gov in regard to healthcare. In the conversation, the idea that somehow this is a "right", that this is all important and what will save our country, makes me sad. Our country needs missionaries! Our country needs the Lord Jesus Christ, not a Universal Healthcare System! The heart of our country is deceptively wicked and going to hell, but they are looking for a free government handout to fix their perceived woes.
Jesus said it best when he said that the sick need a doctor. Our country is sick, morally so, and in need of a Great Physician.
Pray for healing. Pray for our America and the "right" that it was founded on. The right to worship in freedom and in truth. Our dear country needs a Savior, not a Universal Healthcare System!

Sacrifice? Give me a break!

Oswald Chambers kept me from being a Jonah the other day. God asked us to stay and continue to help with the Greer kids even after Kevin returns from the Ukraine. In my heart, as we were talking to them on Skype, I knew the answer was yes, but of course we prayed first, because it is the 'spiritual' thing to do. The following morning, all three of my devotionals screamed: You will say "yes". Mr. Chambers spoke loudly in 'My Utmost for His Highest', "How can we talk of making a sacrifice for the Son of God! Our salvation is from hell and perdition, and then we talk about making sacrifices." Okay, Lord, I hear you. This is not a sacrifice.

Then I read in 'A Pillar By Day' this statement, "When we choose to take up the cross and say, "It's not about the what's easiest for me. It's about what's best for the most people I can possible reach and help. I'm going to go and do this, it's the way of the cross." (Jon Corson) Again, nailed between the eyes and the heart...I say "Yes Lord, I hear You."

Then, as if this was not enough, (Peter do you love me, feed my sheep!) I read Philippians 3: 7-11, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider the passing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." Father, I hear you. There is no sacrifice in doing this, it is just what your Son would have done with joy in His heart and a smile on His lips. This is not the way of the cross, this is a walk in the park with the Lord.

I am so guilty of thinking that I am doing such a sacrificial work for the Lord when I step up and "do" for the Lord, but am I bleeding? I am not a martyr! Am I giving up my very life blood for another? Do I have scars in my hands to prove this sacrifice? We American Christians think we give up, 'sacrifice' so much....PLEASE! Name one thing that falls in the category of "The fellowship of sharing in His sufferings" that occurs in our lives in the United States. Quickly, the Jeopardy theme song is playing....name one sacrifice that we have made that is the way of the Cross. Times up. Nothing. Right?

I hope that this has speared your heart straight through, as it did mine. We look around and see what we are missing, the bad economy and the lack of vanity items we may be forced to give up, the time we lose by being a 'servant for God', in the nursery, babysitting, helping our neighbors, the list can go on, and yet the is no blood, sweat or tears. Tragic that we are soft, pampered and ill prepared for the fire that previous Saints have suffered through and even those in the persecuted church around the world today endure, they have shared in the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, I will not be a Jonah. Whales are beautiful on the outside only. I will go to Nineveh and not take a side trip inside this beast because I choose not to obey when I am called to serve.
How about you? Feeling sacrificial?

voting made possible by a long wait in line

An hour and a half ticked by as I watched the people around me stirring in their seats, talking with the stranger next to them, all waiting for the same event. I have never had the privilege of waiting so long to cast my ballot. It was exciting to see the amount of people who were voting today. There was a sense of urgency and perhaps pride in the crowded waiting room. The lack of apathy should be cause for celebration, and yet I feel doomed to the inevitable. As I looked around the room, I was the minority in almost every sense of the word. It was America in waiting, as far as the melting pot image goes, that we have grown to know and appreciate. All walks of life were represented. I saw several gays, many Latinos, two old couples who just arrived off the bus from Woodstock, a woman sporting her donkey covered democrat t-shirt stating: Sex and Voting....you fill in the blank. and the Afro-American (to be pc) were out in force. I am sure there were some conservatives in the mix, but if looks could kill, the conservative vote was in the line of fire.

I had a blog discussion with a young man this past week regarding Obama and his extreme stance on abortion. Abortion has been on the back burner this campaign season, because the saviour effect, the economy and biased media has controlled the discussion. But abortion should continue to be a key talking point for Conservatives and somewhere along the way, it was stashed in the baggage hold of the election train. The young man didn't want to really discuss the abortion issue, he was taking offense to the comparison of abortion and slavery. He thought it was in poor taste because of the color of the Democratic Candidates skin. This comparison has been strongly made in past forums and long before Obama ever came on the scene. The young man encouraged me not to vote for a candidate based on one issue. I agree, but turned the table on him as his argument fails in view of the fact that most of the people I saw voting today were voting because of the one issue: Change "A black man for president". They haven't really read what the Obama plan means for them. They probably haven't been on the official website and looked into what he believes for education, war, energy, health care. I have read the fine print and would not vote for him even if he was my favorite shade of green. His philosophy of life is not the Christian World View that I hold and that I love and cherish.

So is there hope for those of us who cling to a Biblical World view? Can conservatives still win in this election? Only if the grassroots conservatives make up their mind to not lay down and play beat already can we save this country from a dangerous left turn.
Vote. Wait in line and vote. It matters more than ever. Make history and know that no matter what happens, you have earned the right to complain.

boycott obama

Hi everyone,
My dad, Tom Logan, sent the following letter to Fox because of the audacious amount of time that has been given to Obama for a commercial during the World Series.

Dear Sirs: It has come to my attention that Major League Baseball has moved the start time of World Series game 6 back 8 minutes to accommodate FOX so they can air a 30 minute campaign message by Sen. Obama. Who applied the pressure to cause such a decision? It is obvious that FOX will be paid handsomely for that air time, but what caused Major League Baseball to buckle under . . . more money? or a political agenda?
I will be watching each game and taking note of every sponsor. I will not buy one product from any of them and I would think others might do likewise.
Tom Logan

Here is a new article regarding the commercial.
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) –
Barack Obama might have the power to move the World Series by a few minutes.To accommodate the half-hour October 29 time buy by the Obama campaign, Major League Baseball has agreed to move the start time of World Series Game 6 by about 15 minutes, from about 8:20 p.m. ET to 8:35 p.m."Fox will accommodate Senator Obama's desire to communicate with voters in this longform format," Fox Sports said in a statement. "We are pleased that Major League Baseball has agreed to delay the first pitch of World Series Game 6 for a few minutes in order for Fox to carry his program on October 29. If requested, the network would be willing to make similar time available to Senator McCain's campaign."Along with CBS and NBC, Fox was approached by the Obama campaign last week to purchase the 8-8:30 p.m. time slot October 29. If a Game 6 is needed, Fox is obligated to carry the game. That prevented the network from agreeing outright to carry the commercial, which was cleared by CBS and NBC last Thursday.The blessing from MLB clears the way for Fox to air the promo and collect upward of $1 million in ad revenue for the half hour, more than what either CBS or NBC was charging.While a big network ad buy from a presidential candidate is rare, it's not unprecedented for a network and sports league to move the start time of a sports event to accommodate a political broadcast. In early September, the National Football League moved up the kickoff time of the opening-night game -- which aired on NBC -- to 7 p.m. to make sure that the game would be over before Sen. John McCain stepped up to the podium to accept the nomination of the Republican party during its national convention.Reuters/Hollywood Reporter Please respond in like manner, passing this boycott on to other friends and letting the news media, who has worshipped and promoted the ground that Obama has walked on, that Americans are not pleased to have America's game politicized in such a blatantly partisan manner.

Thank you for your Patriotic help!
Under His Mercy,
Mary Selby

to be

To just "Be" in Christ...that is the question. How to "be" at His feet on Sunday (or any day), when you are called to serve is a line I am trying to walk. How to Prepare for the Sabbath, to gather the quail and manna the day before, prepare the meal, and gather the firewood so that the day of Worship is a "being" day in Christ not a "doing" day.
God created the Sabbath for man to find rest in Him, to be still and know that He is God. I am trying to find that balance and yet serve Him by leading others into worship. Even if I were sitting at His feet, physically before Jesus as Mary was, could I shut down my concerns and my desire to please and "do" perfectly and really worship? How do we take the gifts that are only ours because they come from the Giver of Life and cast them before His throne is such a way that we leave earths presence and enter into His?
How to "be" in a "do" world is a life long lesson I am afraid, and I don't think I am anywhere close to getting it.
But I pray today, that I can "be" with God in worship and see His face while all else fades away.

Please God, show us the rainbow

Up and down, angry, confused, befuddled, tears, hurt, pain, questioning, numb, and the list continues. We humans are dealing with all of these emotions, as we reel in the past week's loss of a precious child. We search for reasons to comfort, we want to understand the mind of God on this, we cry because there is no other way to deal with the vacuum that is left by such devastation.
I think that last time I really had this out of control, "this can't be happening", feeling was on 9/11, but this is more personal. It is a friend and sister in the Lord who has had two planes crash into her home. The first bomb is the battle that her first born is fighting through, the battle of her lifetime: brain cancer. The second fatal explosion was the loss of her unborn child this past week. Both have left an indelible mark, and deep scar that will remain forever.
So many people have expressed so much mourning and loss for this family, complete strangers for the most part. The humanness of this has transected all back grounds and has challenged even the deepest and strongest faith in God.
Oh God, please if you read blogs, show us something in all of this that represents the rainbow, that shines like Resurrection Sunday, that demonstrates that You alone are glorified and victorious. We humans can't understand this and we are hurting. Please my Lord, read this cry from many human hearts and show us your loving, gracious, merciful hand in a situation that seems like You weren't around on Thursday last.

Sometimes it just won't make sense

There is a time for everything, yet it seems most of this time doesn't make sense. This time
on earth is cloudy with a chance of confusion and only the lamp to light our feet.

My dear friend's unborn baby died last night. My dear sweet sister has
been in the battle of a life time for the life of her oldest daughter. Little Lauren
is battling a brain tumor, and now Hilary and Gordon are battling the darkness
of losing this precious baby. And all we can do is battle on our knees for them
against the prince of darkness who comes to rob, steal and destroy.
I can't wrap my brain around this. But I do know that I must continue to
pray for them, so that the mortal enemy of their souls won't get a foot hold.

It is a time to pray. It is a time to seek God's eternal kingdom, where every tear
will be wiped away. There is a growing desire for living outside of time, where
the life's pain can't reach and where holy perfection resides.

A Time for Everything
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

But for now, as life continues to not make sense and death continues to bite and sting, we must find time to pray.

Never to Return to Neverland

I have been letting my first born go from the moment I knew she was to "be" and learning to leave her in the loving and ever present hands of God. And yet, as she has physically gone away to college, I find myself having to place her on the altar again and I am faced with a very real physical and emotional pain that sends me to my knees trusting her to God's perfect and loving care.

It isn't a matter of worry for her safety or even her walk with the Lord, but a matter of cutting the very heart strings, the "Umbilical Cord", that we have shared through daily living and loving and learning together. Nothing can really prepare a mom for the amputation that occurs as she watches her child learn to fly. There is an actual cutting that takes place and the blood and tears she thought she once shed for her child seems to be a mere paper cut in comparison to the surgical procedure that occurs when that child becomes all grown up. Just as it hurts to birth a baby, the leaving the nest is also a birthing process and the labor pains are difficult at times. Only this time, instead of having a precious newborn lying in her arms, she is left emptied armed and watching as the newborn walks away as an adult, never to return again as she once was.

It is part of life, and yet, as with all things, the joy of childhood is balanced with the pain of growing up and never returning to Neverland. A corner is turned, and though that little girl looks more and more like you did at that age, she will show small glimmers of what was and the sweetness of her girlhood, yet she will never really be that person again. She will become a woman, molded by her childhood and reflecting her parents, but she will be her own person, her own "masterpiece" created before hand to do good works for God.

This is really what we strive for as parents, our children following in the footsteps of the Savior, as their feet turn away from home. Yet the pride we have in seeing this come to fruition does not dull the pain much in the letting go and again we find ourselves following the footsteps of the Savior, trying to lean on Him through this transition period. I wonder as I watch my daughter leave home and the pain of separation, knowing it is only miles and days, not eternity, what must God the Father have felt as He let His Son walk out the door and become a baby with a death sentence on His head. Did Abba also feel this type of pain? He spoke as a proud daddy over His Son while Jesus walked on earth, but was there also a sense of pride, watching Him leave His heavenly home, knowing the path that this Son was about to live and fulfill. I think God the Father must have felt a little of what I am feeling now. I know that the future is in God's hands and that my girl is also under His protective wing; so as I weep, missing my friend, I trust God with my heart as well, to care for it, as He cares for my girl.

Nothing can prepare one's heart for the labor pains that come with a child leaving home except to continually go to the Father and trust Him with His Daughter, His workmanship: my daughter, my child, my pride and joy.

Life is all about the wait

I waited patiently for the Lord, He inclined and heard my cry....
Life is all about the wait.
God is about Glory.
My life brings Him glory only when I wait on Him.
To live a glorifying life and a life that glorifies, means I must live in patient waiting on God.
Waiting for His good pleasure.
Waiting for His direction.
Waiting to serve Him.
Waiting to "be" for Him.
Waiting to "do" for Him.
Waiting to hear from Him.
Waiting to see Him.
I don't have to wait to pray to Him, for He is always available.
But do I make Him wait for me?
I am really that arrogant to make Him wait?
Yet, God is gracious and merciful and does patiently wait for me, to get my act together and stop doing my way, my things, and get back into waiting on the Lord.
Waiting...like a server at a restaurant. Waiting hand and foot for the Creator of the universe. Waiting for the Lover of my Soul. Waiting for the Author of my life.
What is the rush? Why not wait patiently for the Lord? Doesn't He have my end in sight?
Wait on the Lord, I say wait on Him....and live!

The blind leading the blind

I think it a sad commentary on marriage in this country, in this world, when the statement "after "x" amount of years, and you're still happy...or in love...etc. It seems rather horrible, dishonoring, when we have to give a standing ovation or free desert or a complimentary meal for being married for so long. Shouldn't marriage be expected to last and not expected to fail? Yet this is the world in which we marry. If wine and cheese are supposed to be better with age, shouldn't something of a sacred nature grow more beautiful and deep and happy with age as well? Just like our relationship with the Lord should grow deeper and more profound as it ages, so should our human relationships. Our friendships do, the relationships with our children do, but we seem astounded when a marriage lasts and is happy to boot.
Russ and I always joke in a very serious manner, that we are going to be married and in love for the next 98 years. I think that is one of the reasons that we have made it through all the ups and downs we have had. Quitting is not an option and divorce is a sin, and Christ is the center. Our focus , though at times gets inward and lost in the daily irritations and details, yet somehow we turn our eyes from our feet and our selfishness, and outward toward God, each other and the road ahead. That perhaps is the secret to a long, happy marriage...not, a marriage that gets by because it must for the children's sake or any other excuse beside sticking to one's covenant of love and faithfulness, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, till death do us part, as long as we both shall live. In these very vows there lies the promise of hardship along with happiness, the two walk hand in hand, as a married couple must as well.
G.K. Chesterton stated, "Love is not blind; that is the last thing that it is. Love is bound; and the more it is bound the less it is blind." As love grow old together, and the eyes do grow dim with age, marriage is bound because of what it has seen of the other, and what the other has seen of oneself. It has no where else to go but deeper in and further in love.

What are you waiting for?

What are you waiting for Lord? Is it me that is waiting or are You? I am holding up the process or are You? What are you waiting for? I waited patiently for the Lord, He inclined and heard my cry...Have you heard Lord? Have I been patient enough? Those who wait one the Lord will renew their strength, they will mount up on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary.... God I am waiting...I haven't any place to go and I am weary...Please hear my cry and answer me.
I am still waiting on the Rock in the middle of the raging river, waiting Lord, waiting for You to make the waters subside. Some days it seems that their is a change in the water, a slowing, a calming and a bit of sun peaking through the stormy sky, but then nothing happens, nothing changes and all things remain as before....standing between two points, with no place to make a move, or a decision. God we are standing on Your promises, and we are weary, and we are begging you to hear our prayers, our cries, our passionate pleas, and yes my begging that you would alter the course of this raging river and give us dry, solid and conclusive ground to stand on.
What are you waiting for? Is is me or is it You? Please Lord, could you say, times up? Could you call our name as we wait and tell us it is our turn? I am listening, but perhaps not hearing....I am straining my eyes to see a direction, but can't make anything out. Please strain Your eyes to see my tears of earnest prayer, and Your ears to hear my prayers....Oh God, what are you waiting for?

summer's coming

Dragging myself through the motion of teaching, yet hounding my children to be diligent till the end, makes me realize that either I am a hypocrite, or have forgotten that they are but children and tire as easily as I. How does one keep on keeping on, when the end is in sight, yet the end will not be reached even when all is officially said and done? How do I keep pressing on, knowing that once this page is turned, there is no sure thing on the next sheet of unwritten paper.
Does anyone really ever have a sure thing? Can we really ever know what tomorrow will bring? Does looking forward to summer make sense if summer may never come, or summer may be a scorching draught with no end in sight, or shade to cool one's life?
What is hope, if it isn't waiting for what is to come tomorrow, that may improve upon today. What is pressing on, if one doesn't have hope in something?
Summer is coming and perhaps with it, a change in the season of my life. Yet if not, how do I press on for Fall or Winter...or Spring of next year? How does anyone press on? Summer is coming, and with it the hope of change....

heavy hearts

heavy hearts draw me to God
nothing helps to ease the load
only prayers aimed heavenward
keep my mind and heart and soul
from spinning down a deep abyss
from losing hope and sleeplessness
heaviness drives me to my knees
searching for the One who sees
all the pains earth has to give
all the evils in this life we live
turning to face the only One
who has passed the test
has heard well done
heavy hearts need a God that knows
the pain of which this life bestows
on young and old rich and poor
each of us must bare a load
thus heavy hearts come from
heavy chains and bags and yokes
that bear His Name
His yoke is easy His burden is light
this heavy heart needs His respite
and asks the God who gave it all
to carry my load and hear my call
heavy hearts need lifting

life everlasting

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Siimon, that your faith may not fail. And when ou have turned back, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:31-32.My friend's funeral was yesterday. I only met him only once, but I know his wife and therefore I knew him because of her. Richard was diagnosed with a rare cancer and given weeks to live. He was sent home from the hospital to die. Yet, God saw things differently. God saw the plan of much longer than weeks. God saw what Richard would do for Him in the seventeen months he had to walk on this earth and God said, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."I believe that Satan wanted to sift Richard and Diana like wheat. I believe that God said, "Have you considered my servants Richard and Diana? They are blameless and upright, they fear God and shun evil." (paraphrase Job 2) I think that Satan said, "It is because you have blessed them. Strike his flesh and he will curse you. So will Diana. Take her best friend from her and she will curse you!" "Skin for Skin!" screams Satan, and Richard walked with a rare form of cancer, and an even rarer FAITH that all the world, including Satan was allowed to witness.Diana never gave up her faith that God would heal Richard. She said, "I believed that Richard was going to have a complete healing. I believed without wavering that the God who performed miracles in the Bible, still performed miracles today. Richard defied all medical knowledge and baffled the doctors on a weekly basis. They couldn't explain it, but we could. It was God. We are not able to understand the perfect plan that God has for each of us, but we do know that He is a loving God who only does what is best for His children. Richard was so happy to be right smack dab in the middle of God''s will for him. He soon began to realize that he was to sacrifice his miracle of healing here on earth so that others would receive theirs, just like Christ did for us." (quote from the memorial servise program.)John 12:24-25 says, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernal of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." There was so much fruit present, new seeds, at Richard's service yesterday, standing room only really. The testimony that he gave was evident in the harvest that sat in the pews. Perhaps the greatest testimony however was the children that he leaves here on earth to carry on the work that God has already started. His daughter sang a song from the musical Wicked that said, "BECAUSE I KNEW YOU...I HAVE BEEN CHANGED FOR GOOD." This is Richard's legacy to his children and to his wife and to those of us priveleged to know him in some manner. BECAUSE I KNEW YOU...I HAVE BEEN CHANGED FOR GOOD! Can and will anyone say that about you? Will your life and therefore your death produce a harvest of fruit? I hope that mine will. I hope that any sifting that I will go through will result in fruit in the lives of others and praise from God. What about you?

Heroes

Heroes
A routine trip to the library put my children and me in the presence of “Heroes”. As we left the children’s book room, we were invited to participate in a “Welcome Home” reception for a group of Marines just returning from Iraq. It was an opportunity too special to pass up and an important lesson to be shared with my children. These are the “Heroes” of America and America’s children need to be given the opportunity to rub shoulders with the men and women who give their all for this Great Nation of America, the “Heroes’ who keep this nation free for the next generation’s children.

These Marines, in full dress uniform, represent what is bold and beautiful about this country. As they stood at attention honoring one of their fellow soldiers; the discipline, the structure, the brotherhood that was displayed, in many ways represents this country as a whole. We too should stand at attention in unity when one of our nation’s “Heroes” walks by, for they are the very essence of the liberty we take for granted. They deserve more than a small and not well attended reception in a quiet room of a library. And yet we have forgotten them in our busy lives, the lives of peace, freedom and the pursuit of happiness that we enjoy at the expense of our Military and their families.

Most American’s seem to reach deep into the goodness compartment of their hearts after any tragedy occurs in the world. It defines us as a great nation, a giving nation, a people who care, and yet we are a nation that grows cold as quickly as it ignites behind a particular cause or event. We no longer are a people who stick to a goal until it is finished. We start well, but most never even finish the race. We are a nation that is defined by microwave passion, quick results and impatient longings. And I would assert that most American’s today could not have made it as a Pilgrim, a Patriot, or a Pioneer. We dream big, start strong and when the going gets inconvenient we quit, point fingers and find another banner to march under for a while.

America’s children, my children, must learn that America was built on the backs of men and women who gave there last breathe to the cause of freedom. They need to understand that life is not a fast forward to the best parts, but a dedicated grind, a discipline and a sacrifice to keep what is truly free, beautiful and brings joy. Our children must rub shoulders with the “Heroes” who live up to this standard, the men and women who are the present day Pilgrim, Patriot and Pioneer of this Great United States of America.

Give us this day our daily bread

Give us this day our daily bread. These are words that Jesus used with the disciples when He shared with them how to pray. Our Father who art in heaven hallowed by Thy Name. If I truly believe that there is a Holy God in heaven, a Father whose very Name is Holy, then what will my life, my thoughts, my actions reflect? Am I desiring to see His kingdom come? Do I want His will done on earth as it is in heaven? By my very life, I don't live like I desire this. Heaven is holy perfection. Heaven is the throne room of the God of Creation. Heaven is bringing glory to God the Father and Jesus Christ always. Heaven is worship. Do I desire His perfect will, as it is portrayed in heaven to be portrayed in my life?
Give us this day our daily bread. The request for daily sustainance comes only after the allegience and surrender and worship of the Sustainer is given. Only then do I come ready to ask the Father to meet my needs. Does Daily Bread only refer to the physical? I submit that it does not. I believe that I should be asking God to give me what I need daily, the bread of His Word the Bible, to sustain and strengthen me for that day. To meet the spiritual hunger, the needs that I will have, so I will continue in an attitude of doing the Father's will. As with physical life, where we tend to eat at least three meals a day, we should begin to work on adding more meals to our spiritual life as well. Snacking on God's word through out the day would result in continued strength for journey of life with its hills and valleys. When I climbed Half Dome in Yosemite, having continual hydration as well as beneficial food to continue giving nourishment and strength to complete the climb was crucial. The food taken had to provide not only bursts of energy, but sustained energy as well. If I lived my life spiritually in this manner, I would eat a hearty breakfast, full of protein...the meat of the word. I would drink continually through out the day, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer. I would snack on the word through Scripture memory, grabbing spare moments to read short passage or verse. I would make sure that I had the milk of the Word as well. The words of Psalms or Proverbs could give me the short bursts of needed energy that eating a peice of fruit might provide. I need to be more concerned about my spiritual diet. I need to choose carefully what I eat, that it is not wasted nourishment or leathal nourishment. There needs to be planning in my day, so that I will eat the daily bread that God has given me. As with every meal, I need to thank the Father who provided for my physical and spiritual hunger.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

But I say, “Walk in the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh sets it’s desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness carousing, and things like these of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16-25)

God is very specific as to what a Spirit-filled life looks like versus the sinful nature, and because of His “specific-ness”, we can test our lives, our motives and I believe even our music to determine what list it falls under. If one is led by the Spirit, abiding with God, the Spirit checks the heart and one’s walk when it is not Spirit led and producing fruit. Does this apply to worship? It absolutely applies, although music is only part of worship. Worship is about our daily lives and whether we are presenting ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice, which is our reasonable service of worship (Romans 12:1-2). Evaluating ourselves under the textual microscope of Galatians, can help us determine if our lives are Spirit led and fruitful or inheriting something other than the kingdom. I believe we can and should evaluate our music through this lens as well. C. S. Lewis says in his book The Weight of Glory, “All our merely natural activities will be accepted, if they are offered to God, even the humblest, and all of them, even the noblest, will be sinful if they are not (54).” So no matter what form our worship takes, done for God in humility it is acceptable.

A musician, skillfully trained and knowledgeable in musical theory, might wrestle with what God deems as “Good” music, “His Music”. Here is a scenario: Joe lives in a backwater town. He has played the guitar for 6 months and his buddy plays the jimba. They are the worship team for church. They play, “Let it Rise” and “More Love, More Power”, it’s what they know. The congregation joins in worship. They aren’t worried about how they sound; they come as children of God, doing their best. This is their offering. Is it not acceptable? Wrong rhythm? Show me a verse. Wrong words? Maybe? A heart broken in worship before God = a pleasing aroma.Joe is off key, he plays to the best of his 6 month ability, but God is honored because his life and therefore music represent a Spirit-filled life, an offering of praise. Does it sound good to a musically trained ear? Maybe not. Does it sound good to God? His ear is trained to hear the heart, not necessarily the sounds of the music. I believe that God takes the sounds that we make for Him, purifies them with fire and it becomes music that even the angels enjoy.

The Bible says we are to play skillfully to the Lord. The skill is what the Lord has given us and we use it, even if it is a drop in the bucket compared to another man’s skill, to glorify Him. God doesn’t quantify the skill, He requires that we do all to glorify Him. Just like the woman with the mite, she gave of what she had. Ultimately she gave back to God what He had given her, and we are to do the same. We are to give, to play, to teach, or to sing skillfully with what God has entrusted to us. God is very descriptive and detailed oriented. His Word lays out in precise detail how the Old Testament temple was to be crafted and how the New Testament church is to be orderly. He tells us how sin is to be dealt with and how salvation must be received. Even our bodies give evidence of the amazing detail God has ordained. However, nowhere do I see, in either the Old or New Testament a detailed description of the genre or style of music that is to be played. And if one could go and find the music of Israel, 3000 years ago, and learn to play the songs and sounds of this chosen nation, they still wouldn’t necessarily be God’s favorites. Why? They were still written by sinful men. David was filled with the Spirit and inspired when he wrote so many of Psalms, but the melody for these God inspired verses are lost in antiquity. Is it because God desires that we find a new song in our hearts? It is the heart of the song, the life giving words that bring a person to reflect on the beauty of the Lord, the music itself is only the gift wrapping. We have an advantage in that we always have the Spirit, if we are a child of God. He is our Counselor, our Spirit of Truth, our Comforter and our “Conviction” (John14:17 & 26, Hebrews 4:12). The music of ancient Israel, though beautiful, came from feeble men, like you and me. Although they were a chosen people, that didn’t keep them from repeatedly sinning against the Lord, like you and me. Our heritage, chosen and washed by the blood and sealed with the Holy Spirit can help us make music that is godly and holy, because it is generally written during times of devotion and prayer and study with God. We also can take a song written by a child of God, even an ancient Jewish hymn and make it a clanging symbol, if we are playing and singing it with a divided heart.One must follow God’s lead and prayerfully seek Him in the matter of correct musical style, because no where is it described in the Word. To dictate a style by justifying it with the traditions of the rabbi’s, is to add (like the rabbi’s, Pharisee’s and teachers of the law) something that is not part of the true worship of God. John 4:24 says that, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” This is the requirement God demands of our music, it must line up with this and it should produce the fruit of the Spirit as well. This is a good furnace to test our worship music and our motives. To much is given….much is required. As a Christian musician, one must desire to know God and His heart.

One must recognize the Creator, and create music to bring honor and glory to His Name alone.Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Handel all had gifts that were at times used for God’s glory. The music they crafted is “high music” and I believe that all generations would benefit from listening well and appreciating their music. It is a well rounded person who can enjoy many forms of art. There is music however, that in comparison is barely music. By most standards, today’s music falls very short of this standard of “high music”. However, if played by a willing and humble servant of God, it is majestic to Him because He hears tones we can not, the tone’s of a worshipping heart (1 Sam. 16:7) and the Spirit that dwells within the individual communes with the Father (Romans 8:26-27). Music is highly important to God. He created it. He wrote an entire hymnal in His Word in the book of Psalms. Our responsibility is to come before His presence with singing and praise as a result of what Jesus Christ has done for us. This is ultimately the only reason we can praise Him. There is freedom in knowing that I come through the blood, my heart is cleansed by the blood, the reason I sing is because of the blood and my offering of love is not to the law but to the law giver and the only One who fulfilled the law. We sing and worship and live and breathe in the grace that He provided, and not under the law. Praise God, because I know that I would never have anything worthwhile musically or otherwise if I was still under the Law. We have much to praise the Lord about! To much is given….much is required.

The Hairs on My Head

The Hairs on My Head
Today I spoke to a brave little hero. She is as tall as a yard stick at best, and wore a plastic spider ring on her finger. She had blue painted toe-nails and a few shaved spots on her head. She told me about going to Disneyland this past Monday, about the Hospital where the Bear is and about her cousins coming to play today. She said her nurse's name was Andrea and she told me her Doctor's name. On Tuesday, my brave little hero had a brain biopsy and today, Thursday, God made it possible for her to be sharing these precious little memories with a world worried adult, putting into perspective how precious each day's memories really are.
God knows the number of hairs on my little hero's head, even after it was shaved for surgery. He knows how many hairs have begun to regrow since Tuesday's invasion. He knows that we are so caught up in our own lives, that we couldn't possibly handle keeping track of these kind of things, and so He does it for us. He keeps our tears in a bottle, He numbers our hairs and His "God Thoughts" toward us are precious. I don't understand why a sparrow will fall, but God sees it and cares. I don't know why a four year old little girl would get cancer on her brain stem, but God sees and He cares.
I will try and savor the precious moments each day and remember that tomorrow really does have enough worries for itself. I will realize that this moment is all each of us really has and that we must live right now for Christ and for those loved ones He has placed in our lives, for tomorrow may not ever come. I will try and enjoy the feeling of fatigue, as it comes from living hard and doing well. I will look at my children each time they come in the room as if this was the last time to create an impression of their faces in my mind. I will love my husband like we were saying goodbye for eternity and love him each moment with an eternal love. I will remember my hero Lauren, forty-eight hours out of brain surgery, and live like this child, not knowing what tomorrow will bring, but trusting my God to count my hairs, make the sun rise, capture and care for my tears, feed me and clothe me and never leave me nor forsake me.