03/30/13

This is a bit longer, but so good to read on this Easter weekend.  It comes from the book Where Is God When It Hurts?  by Phillip Yancey that I have shared previously. 

Where is God when we are hurting?  He is right there because He suffered more than we can ever imagine....

Enjoy:

"The record of Jesus' life on earth should forever answer the question, 'How does God feel about our pain?' In reply, God did not give us words or theories on the problem of pain.  

He gave us himself. 

A philosophy may explain difficult things, but has no power to change them.  The gospel, the story of Jesus' life, promises change.

The Execution

Love's as hard as nails

Love is nails:

Blunt, thick, hammered through

The medial nerves of One

Who, having made us, knew

The thing He had done,

Seeing (with all that is)

Our cross and his.

(C. S. Lewis, "Love's as Warm as Tears")

There is one central symbol by which we remember Jesus.  Today that image is coated with gold and worn around the necks of athletes and beautiful women, an example of how we can gloss over the crude reality of history.  The cross was, of course, a mode of execution.  it would be no more bizarre if we made jewelry in the shape of tiny electric chairs, gas chambers, and hypodermic needles, the preferred modern modes of execution.

The cross, the most universal image in the Christian religion, offers proof that God cares about our suffering and pain.  He died of it.  That symbol stands unique among all the religions of the world.  Many of them have gods, but only one has a God who cared enough to become a man and to die.

The scene, with the beatings and the sharp spikes and the slow torment of suffocation, has been recounted so often that we, who shrink from a news story on the death of a race horse or of baby seals, flinch not at all at its retelling.  Unlike the quick, sterile executions we know today, this one stretched on for hours in front of a jeering crowd.

The promises Jesus made must have seemed especially empty to the people of his day.  This man a king?  A mock king if ever there was one, with his brier crown.  Someone had thrown a fine purple robe over him, but blood from Pilate's beatings clotted the cloth.

More unlikely - this man God?  Even for his disciples, who had pursued him three years, it was too much to believe.  They hung back in the crowd, afraid to be identified with the mock king.  Their dreams of a powerful ruler who could banish all suffering turned into nightmares.

Jesus' death is the cornerstone of the Christan faith, the most important fact of his coming.  The Gospels bulge with its details.  He laid out a trail of hints and bald predictions throughout his ministry, predictions that were only understood after the thing had been done.  What possible contribution to the problem of pain could come from a  religion based on an event like the cross, where God himself succumbed to pain?

The apostle Paul called the cross a "stumbling block" to belief, and history has proved him out.  Jewish rabbis question how a God who could not bear to see Abraham's son slain would allow his own Son to die.  The Koran teaches that God, much too gentle to allow Jesus to go to the cross, substituted an evildoer in his place.  Even today [the early 80's when this book was originally written], US television personality Phil Donahue explains his chief objection to Christianity:  "How could an all-knowing, all-loving God allow His Son to be murdered on a cross in order to redeem my sins?  If God the Father is so 'all-loving,' why didn't He come down and go to Calvary?"

All of these objectors have missed the main point of the gospel, that in some mysterious way it was God himself who came to earth and died.  God was not "up there" watching the tragic events conspire "down here." 

God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself.  In Luther's phrase, the cross showed "God struggling with God."  If Jesus was a mere man, his death would prove God's cruelty; the fact that he was God's Son proves instead that God fully identifies with suffering humanity.  On the cross, God himself absorbed the awful pain of this world.

To some, the image of a pale body glimmering on a dark night whispers of defeat.  What good is a God who does not control his Son's suffering?  But another sound can be heard: the shout of a God crying out to human beings, "I LOVE YOU."  

Love was compressed for all history in that lonely figure on the cross, who said that he could call down angels at any moment on a rescue mission, but chose not to - because of us.  

At Calvary, God accepted his own unbreakable terms of justice.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  ~  John 3:16

If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  ~  Romans8:31-32"

~ Phillip Yancey "Where is God When it Hurts?" pages 229-232

03/26/13

I just have to share what the Lord did last week.

I must say I was hesitant to post this because I was concerned this would be perceived as me talking about what I did.  Instead, please make sure you read it as what Christ did THROUGH me because I am still amazed at how He gave me more "loaves and fishes."

Last week I received an anonymous card in my mailbox at school.  On the outside it said "Let us give thanks..." and on the inside it said "... and reflect God's goodness! 

Then it stated:

 "You are a blessing to our family, and we are so grateful for all you do at WCA!  Thank you for giving of yourself each and every day.  Please use this small token of our appreciation and celebrate YOU!  (or to bless someone else)

Inside the card was a $20 bill.  I was so shocked and moved by what someone chose to do for me.

I honestly was not thinking of anything I needed for me.  The Lord has been so good to us and blessed us with what we need when we need it.

Then it hit me.

I have been wanting to buy more things for the homeless ministry we have been helping but haven't had any extra to do so.  I knew then that the Lord wanted me to use that money for them.

I kept the money in the card inside the envelope and put it in my purse.  I figured I would get by Walmart eventually!

A few days later, as Wes and I were checking out at Walmart for some things we were needing for the family, I saw the envelope and remembered I still had that money to spend for the precious ones we have been getting to know.  I had Wes stand over by the checkout areas and wait for me while I picked up a few items for the homeless. 

I was so excited to be able buy vienna sausages and packets of tuna.  I tried to add the amount in my head quickly and make sure I used the money I had wisely.  I had it all in my hands.... it was comical.

I got to the checkout and the price was less than I had thought so I was excited to figure out what to do with the last few dollars for them.  When I went into my purse to get the envelope, and opened it up, I did not see a $20 bill as I had thought.

It was a $50 bill.

I promise you all.... when I took that money out of the card originally it was only a $20 bill in there!!  I was so shocked when I opened it up at the register and saw more!  I stood there for a few seconds with my mouth agape.

I was beyond excited.... this meant I could buy more sausages, and... well, STUFF!!  The Lord had seriously doubled the five loaves and two fishes with which He had originally blessed me!!

I dropped off what I had just bought with Wes at the grocery cart and told him to hang tight... I was off to get more stuff.

This time I took a shopping cart.

Do you want to know what joy filled my heart as I filled that cart?  Talk about the vienna sausages that were put inside.... and more packets of tuna... beanie weenies and beef ravioli.

That may not sound like a scrumptious meal to most of you, but the look on those homeless faces when they are able to freely receive, well, it is more than I can describe in words.

I thank the Lord for how He worked in this and give Him all the glory.

I am "magnifying the Lord!" 

03/22/13

I realize I have been MIA yet again.

It's my Kindle... that is the problem.  :)

You see, I have found all kinds of books on there that have broadened my horizons that I don't think I would have found if not for the "cheap e-book" sections.  They have led me to more and more books that have spiritually strengthened me along with my Scripture reading and devotions.

One I just recently finished is Where is God When it Hurts?  by Phillip Yancey.

This book has been phenomenal. 

I am not as good in Science as, say, my brother.  However, the older I get the more I enjoy learning about how things work.  This book begins with how our body works and how pain is an important part of our lives... whether we care to admit this or not.  (Just ask someone who deals with diabetes and the deadening of nerves to realize that pain actually helps protect us and gives us warning signals.)

Our bodies are DESIGNED by our Creator.  He, in His wisdom, designed our bodies so intricately that there is no way we happened by "chance."  

Here are a few facts that I learned from the book and wanted to share.  I was amazed at the differences in touch with our skin.  It was something I *knew* because we feel things everyday, but I didn't understand it in this detail! 

These facts deal with what researches have discovered in measuring the touching of something to skin.  It is measured in grams (per square millimeter of skin surface).  All that is in green came from Where is God When it Hurts? by Phillip Yancey pages 26-27.

Sensitivity:
"Tip of tongue - 2 grams of pressure

Fingers - 3 grams of pressure

Back of hand - 12 grams of pressure

Back of forearm - 33 grams of pressure

Sole of foot - 250 grams of pressure

Thus, the skin, a single organ displays a very wide range of sensitivity to pressure.  We use our tongues for such intricate acts as forming words and picking food particles from between our teeth.  We use our fingers for playing the guitar, writing with a felt-tip pen, and the caresses of love.  These areas of the skin require a fine-tuned sensitivity.

But less critical areas hardly need such sensitivity: we would tire very quickly indeed if our brains had to listen to such dainty pressure reports from the foot, which faces a daily rigor of stomping, squeezing, and supporting weight.  Thus, while fingers and tongue can detect a feather touch, other parts of the body need a good sound slap before they report unusual activity to the brain."

I could literally go on and on.... and on.  This book has enlightened me in so many ways to the miraculous makeup of our bodies.  There are details we take for granted every day, but we miss them or really feel them terribly when something goes wrong.

I will continue to relate this to how pain is good in future posts.  I hope you will stay with me through this.  I have been learning much.

03/11/13

I love these guys.... they are lemurs and are so much fun to watch at the Zoo. 

 

So let's talk about duct tape today.

I have a funny story first....

Some people know this about me, while others do not.  

For those who know me in real life, this does not surprise them.  In fact, it just adds to my "Mrs. Fowler" moments....

Early in my teaching career I used to have to wear dresses/hose, etc.. each day.  Now we are able to wear pants if we so choose.

Well, in those early years, and on one of those days I wore hose, those said hose did not want to stay up.  

You women out there know what I am talking about.

I tried lots of things to help with that because it was at the beginning of the day and I had a lot of hours before I could take those puppies off!

After trying those different things... I found duct tape. 

I didn't think it would be too bad.  In fact, I was quite pleased all day as I walked around without having anything fall!  I figured this was the answer I could use time and again if need be...

Fast forward to that evening....

I think the entire world heard when I took off said hose with said duct tape on them.  I was not ready for what I felt!

OH. MY. WORD.  

I still remember that pain and it wasn't pretty.

Let's just say the freedom I felt at that moment was welcome...... that is, after I got over the healing process.....

I have had cause to laugh at myself numerous times throughout the years because of this memory!!

Lately the Lord has brought another twist to this story.... one that gives me a different perspective and I have been able to share with others.

For a long time I was duct taped in my box of life.

I was a Type A/ control freak/OCD individual who was thankful for the box she had duct taped herself into.. it was comfortable.

I liked my little box... I really did.

Then, the LORD BEGAN TO TAKE OFF THE DUCT TAPE.

I wasn't ready... I didn't realize the pain that would be involved!

God knew that in order for me to begin seeing the world He intended for me to see I had to get out of my box.  That required TEARING off the duct tape.

Sometimes the yanking was slow.

Most of the times the yanking was fast and furious and I didn't know what had hit me.

However, the freedom that He has allowed me to feel because my own restrictions are gone have been so overwhelmingly filled with joy that I don't ever want to go back in that box again!!

Don't get me wrong, the pain that went along with it was not fun, but I am THANKFUL I could FEEL the PAIN!  The pain is what helps me remember what the Lord has done for me.

I am reminded time and again of John 10:10 -

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

The Lord wants you to have abundant life!  If you are too duct taped into your own box of desires and controlling then you will never know abundant life in Christ.  

Allow Him to take off the duct tape.

Just know that even though it is painful, He is there every step of the way healing as He pulls you free.

03/04/13

I have seen a project done by a friend of mine that I loved.

It is a sign she made out of scrap wood from when they were building their home.  (Please go see it here.) 

My friend is amazing with decorating on a budget and just knowing how to do so many neat things.  

I have wanted to do this project for some time.... I even made space for it on my mantle!

However, as it always seems to do, life has gotten in the way.

I knew the only time I would be able to do it was summer and I already have a list of things to do then.

A few weeks ago I got the idea to use a coupon I had gotten for a canvas.  (I loved the fact that I got over $100 off of it!)

I figured I could use my own talent of my photography and my love for designing to make my mantlepiece.

I asked the Lord to show me the verse I should put on the canvas knowing I would be looking at it A LOT.  I also wanted it to be a witness to others coming into our home.  

I began searching the Scriptures asking the Lord to show me what I needed to use.  I turned to many familiar passages that brought me joy.  

I had underlined them in my Bible.

I had written meanings in the white spaces.

They just weren't what the Lord wanted me to use.

He then turned me to Romans 11:36 - the verse He gave me after He gave us Glory.

I knew that was it!

I began to search through all of my pictures to find one that would go with our living space as well as one I could have enough room to write the verse.

I then visited dafont.com (I LOVE THAT WEBSITE) and picked out a few neat fonts that would allow my creativity to flow.

After it was done I showed it to Wesley and Mikayla and they loved it. 

We couldn't wait for it to get here... but we had to wait a couple of weeks....

Last week, it came...... what do you think?

I was so excited with it!  I love looking at my mantle seeing something I was able to create in my own way and having a verse that has meant so much to our family.

I keep remembering the words I wanted to use this year and they are "magnify the Lord."  

I pray people see this clearly when they enter our home. 

02/25/13

I know, I know......

I have been MIA for a while.

Life just doesn't slow down enough anymore for me to get my thoughts together!

Plus, I have tried to read more and spend more "still time" with the Lord.

With that being said, I have to share some things I have been learning from what I have been reading.

I had never heard of Cherie Hill before I found her as a $.99 book for my Kindle right after Christmas.  I had bought this book and it was waiting in my carousel on my Kindle for some time before I began reading it.  I was reading others I had bought, too.  Well, I began reading this one - Waiting on God - because I thought it would help me as I helped a friend while she was waiting on a job.  

Little did I realize it that the Lord had me start reading it when I did because I NEEDED IT!

It is a book that I believe I will refer back to many times.  I will probably re-read it soon.  It has such meat to it on what God is doing in our lives.

I thought I would share some things out of it to encourage you as well as get you to think.

Here is a portion that really has stuck with me since I began the book.  I have shared it with others and it has brought tears to my eyes.  Enjoy:

"One of the most critical decisions in your faith that you will continually make throughout your life is:  'Do you trust God, or not?'  Do you believe He's holding onto you or not?  It is a question you must answer.... it is the decision in your faith that determines the outcome of your life.

Here's a little story, you'll surely enjoy, and hopefully you'll take its message with you in your life.

Some years ago, on a hot summer day in Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hold behind his house.  In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind his shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.  He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the sore.  His mother, in the house, was looking out the window and saw the two as they got closer and closer together.  In utter fear, she ran toward the water yelling to her son as loudly as she could.  hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a u-turn to swim to his mother.  It was too late.  Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.  From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs.  That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two.  The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go.

A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.  Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived.... His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal, and on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he could show him his scars.  The boy lifted his pant legs, and then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, 'But look at my arms.  I have great scars on my arms too.  I have them because my Mom wouldn't let go.'

We can relate in our lives as we reflect upon God's love for us.  The enemy has been pulling on us, tugging on us, and we have scars.  We have scars of a painful past.... of sins that have left their mark.  And our greatest sin is our unbelief during our 'waiting places.'  But what we must never forget is that some of those wounds are because God refused to let go.  In the midst of all that you've been through, God has been holding on to you.  In your 'waiting place,' as you fight through the pain and suffering, God never lets go."

~ Cherie Hill, Waiting on God

02/07/13

Seasons.

I love them.

There are some places around the world that do not have them.

Ever think about that?  I do, often, as I teach Geography to my students.  :)

When God first created the world, there were no seasons.  Every day was the same... there wasn't even rain until after the Great Flood.

After the Flood, God allowed seasons to happen....

Genesis 8:22 

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

I have seen a lot on Facebook and heard others around me always complain about whatever season we are in.  

Some people love the hot weather so they complain when it is cold.

Some people love the cold weather and they complain when it is so hot.

Some people hate when it rains because it messes up their plans.

Some people pray for rain because they are in such need of water.

I could go on and on.

I can't sit here and say that I have never complained about a season because I have, but God is teaching me more here.

The other day I was outside during recess and it was a very COLD, windy day.  I began to think about the seasons in life and how they compare to our seasons of the year.

We all have seasons of life with coldness and bitterness.

We all have seasons of life with warmth and freedom.

We all experience the rain of sadness.

We all experience times of drought.

What do we do with those seasons?  Do we wish them away and desire the other season, counting down the days till we can "wear flip-flops again?"

OR....

Do we find contentment in the season we are in and just bask in the fact that we are alive, learning, and growing?

In typing this, the Lord revealed something else to me.... what if He gave us the times of seasons after the Flood to help us have a visual of what real life is like?  I have never thought of that up until these past few moments!  Seasons come and go... just as good times and hard times.  

BUT THAT IS LIFE AS WE KNOW IT.

I am not perfect in this... as you can tell, the Lord is revealing things to me about this as I type. 

However, why do we wish away our lives complaining about the season we are in and wanting a "better one" to hurry up and come?  

The Lord is teaching me instead to be still before the Him, accept the season, live through it, and learn from it.