Do we know what love is?

Ann Voskamp, Sat. Feb 8 blog from A Holy Experience. “The 1 Command that Could Resurrect the Church, Our Hurting Places & the Sisterhood of Women”. Profound article, convicting in its simplicity. I’ve pulled out a few quotes to give the gist of the topic flow, but the power & the blessing is in reading the whole article.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34–35)

Ann writes, “The way we live that, you’d think this was some flimsy, take-it-or-leave-it suggestion…. There’s a reason He called us His Body and not His Estate….. You’d think Christ’s own were known by who they avoid, who they disdain, who they call out, who they label. You’d think being known by your love was being known as a liberal instead of a Christian, and there are thousand things backward about this….

Christians need to be most careful with words if we are the most Christ-full…. The Body of Christ has a thousand angry opinions, a thousand fractions and divisions and circles, all these cliques of circles, all these walls. But none of us are not broken. Brokenness breaks us from our need to be “right” and breaks us open to our need to extend the grace we have been given.

Love is the very foundation of Truth: without love, Truth crashes, a clanging gong. Without love, Christ didn’t send you. Love is the language of Truth and grace is the dialect of God and Truth is only understandable if spoken with understanding love…. What can wound Christ more than Christians cannibalizing each other?

Puritan Richard Baxter in his work The Reformed Pastor brazenly wrote: “He that is not a son of Peace is not a son of God. All other sins destroy the Church consequentially; but Division and Separation demolish it directly…”

….(we should be) The Christians who instead of waging attack on the implicit issues of another’s faith life — spend our lives openly encouraging an explicit faith in the living Christ. We are sisters who really believe the Bible, that “The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Tim. 2:19), and we could be the ones who stop judging and simply make our lives about the joy-filled proclamation of knowing Him and making Him known.

….We could be His daughters called to be Peacemakers and Rift Menders and Fence Destroyers, the ones who know that the brokenness of humility is the secret to community and the harshness of pride is what builds walls of division. We could be the sisters in Christ who are done with fearing guilt by association and ready to live grace by association.”

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/03/the-1-command-that-could-resurrect-the-church-our-hurting-places-the-sisterhood-of-women/

I personally know this to be true from past life experiences… And now one thing I know for sure is that all is grace. “The message of Christian orthodoxy isn’t that I am right, and someone else is wrong. It’s that I am wrong, and yet God is filled with grace.” Recommended reading: Humble Orthodoxy, Joshua Harris (or Dug Down Deep, ch 11)

Ingratitude – the Source of all Our Sin?

I am currently doing a great book study of Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts with a terrific group of women from Crossroads Bible Church. The book is a “Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are”. I haven’t read a book like this for some time. Walt Whitman writes, “Finally shall come the poet.” Ann Voskamp just might be that poet, having that rare gift of the soul of a poet writing prose. Her writing full of description and passion, Ann moves from memories to the present, from her thoughts and feelings to the external. She evokes strong emotions with her words, and has a gift for using metaphor, ( as Christ did), and then placing you right in the middle of it. She writes in raw, earthy, vivid, visual imagery.

Ann is a beautiful narrator, using stories to make you feel, help you see, and give you hope to find yourself in the story. She is a communicator who draws beauty out of the simplest of details, using stream-of-consciousness as her method of writing to reflect her observations and feelings, inviting us inside her mind, her interior dialogue, as she processes her thoughts and experiences.

Chapter one sets up her reason for writing the book. She has lived in a very dark place for a long time, among other things, having witnessed at the ago of 3, the tragic and horrible death of her 18 month old baby sister, and later she struggles with the “why” of the death of 2 infant nephews. This darkness would later lead to attempted suicide. She asks, How in this world so full of hurt, losses and crushed dreams, do we live fully in grace? In her hunt for the answers, Ann’s epiphany is that Satan’s sin in essence was ingratitude, and it became the sin of all humanity. We are never satisfied with what God gives us and we continually demand more! And so, we have more, know more and see more, but it is the ugliness, the pain and the loss that we did not know or see before the Garden. And still we are empty; and continue to look to the material world as a means to fill our emptiness, instead of a means to communion with God!

Ingratitude – is this really the catalyst of all my sins? Sight was perfect in the Garden where, for one brief moment, we saw a world spilling over with goodness. Our eyes fell on nothing but the glory of God, we saw God as He truly is, good. Now everywhere we look we see evil, suffering, loss, scarcity and injustice, “holes in the canvas of the world”, as Ann calls them. Can I choose grace daily, she asks, choose to say yes to what God freely gives, whatever He gives, and receive it with gratitude, using these holes in the canvas of our world to see through to God?

“If I am ruthlessly honest,” Ann writes, “I may have said yes to God, but I have lived the “no”. Ruthless honesty is required to admit our actions do not always match our words. We say we believe, yet are resentful and angry when our lives are less than our expectations. To really witness the light, we must experience the dark, the dark questions of where a good God is in all of this, the dark dissatisfaction with God and what He gives me…… The idea simmers in us that there was more to a full life than God allowed Adam & Eve to see, yes, there was more…. the dark side. Sin, ugliness, emptiness, loneliness, the lie that God is not good, that He is not loving. In the garden of Eden, Eve (we) were filled, then emptied, and now without Him filling us daily, we continually want more. Today is not sufficient, never enough.

Ann offers a hard question: How do I give up resentment for gratitude, gnawing anger for spilling joy, self-focus for God-communion? One thing I know for sure: every time I choose resentment, grumbling, complaining, unthankfulness, I focus on the self, and every time I choose gratitude, I put the focus on Him and glorify Him in that very act of giving thanks.

Attitude versus Gratitude

In preparation for a book study on One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp, I have been thinking a lot about gratitude, and how it affects our daily lives. I find it interesting to “google” the topic itself, or related topics to see what others have written, believe or have taught on gratitude. I like this by a blogger named Debi Pearl: Thankfulness is how we think: joy is the abundance it produces.” (Created To Be His Helpmeet, Debi Pearl). If joy is truly the result of a thankful heart, than it only makes sense that a lack of joy is a lack of (gulp) gratitude – right? Most of us would never consider ourselves ungrateful individuals, but how many of us are truly living in the “fullness of joy” that Christ promised to believers? I, for one, have some room to grow in this department!

Christian singer and speaker Sheila Walsh refers to gratitude as “walking a thank-you journey.” [Joy for a Woman’s Soul: Promises to Refresh Your Spirit, p. 106.] How true this is! Do we thank God for what He has given us in whatever season we’re in? Do we thank Him for the things in our lives that we experience each day? Do we ask the Holy Spirit to check our attitude? Do we bless others around us no matter how we feel on a particular day?

One of the dictionary definitions of grateful is “pleasing to the mind or senses, and “agreeable or welcome”. This is consistent with the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians, where he sets forth rules for living holy, which include being thankful along with forgiving grievances, loving each other, walking in peace and unity, and singing unto God.

The more I think about gratitude, the more I realize attitude cannot be separated from gratitude. I dare to say that attitude is the most important factor in our Christian lives and impacts everything we do, including whether or not we are thankful. Attitude can make or break you. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day. We cannot change our past … we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude, how we choose to react to life happening. I am convinced that life is ten percent (well, the % may not be scientifically precise!) what happens to us and ninety percent how we react to it. The reality and the blessing is that we are in control of our attitudes. It is a choice.

Isn’t grumbling and complaining, (spouting off about how life stinks), really ungratefulness, ingratitude? Could it be that when we grumble, we are complaining, not simply about our circumstances, but about the sovereign God and His provision for our lives – our daily bread? Not being grateful for whatever each new day brings (good and bad) says “I want more than you gave me today, God. What I have, who I am, where I am, how I am, is simply not enough, God.” Wasn’t this the message of the Garden of Eden? No God, I want more – to know more. I can take it from here.” One of the very first things to impact me while reading One Thousand Gifts was that Satan’s sin was ingratitude, and it becomes the first sin of all humanity. By wanting more, we became empty, and began to see our material world as a means to fulfill our emptiness, instead of the means to communicate with God! (Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts, Pg 14-16).

So how do I wake up to joy, grace and beauty in a world filled with emptiness, horror, want and despair? It is found in an attitude of gratitude that Paul describes in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances.”. Thankfulness is how we think: joy is the abundance it produces. It is an attitude and it is a choice!!

Stop Flapping and Soar Like an Eagle

Stop Flapping and Soar Like an Eagle

I love to watch eagles, and am fascinated by God’s word using the analogy of eagles in Isa 40:31. Those who wait on the Lord will soar on wings like eagles. To soar on wings like an eagle…… What exactly does it mean? What would that feel like? What does God want us to learn from the powerful eagle? Jill Briscoe, Christian author and international speaker and teacher, spoke at Crossroads Bible Church on Apr 31. She was amazing, speaking on Isa 40:31 and how we can ride the thermals of life through the power of Christ in us, as the eagle seeks out and rides the wind thermals, using them to its advantage. Her message: Use what’s against you to work for you”.

The eagle is known as a bird of freedom. Above all other birds, it is the soaring eagle, with its size and weight, that gives the impression of power and purpose in the air. It advances solidly into a wind thermal, which is a rising current of warm air, like a great ship, cleaving the swells and thrusting aside the smaller waves. It sails directly into the thermal, where lesser birds and airplanes are rocked and tilted by the air currents.

When an eagle first leaves its perch, its broad, powerful wings allow it to climb. Circling over the middle of a rising thermal, an eagle will spread its wings, and soar, allowing the warm air to lift it to heights up to 3 miles above the surface of the earth. By using the power of the thermal, soaring is accomplished with very little wing-flapping, enabling the eagle to conserve energy. Long-distance migration flights are accomplished by climbing high in a thermal, then gliding downward to catch the next thermal, where the process is repeated.

Eagles can literally die if they expend too much energy flapping their wings during flight. Flapping requires 20 times more energy than soaring. Eagles learn to wait for the thermals to come up on them. Sometimes they will remain perched for days before they can catch a good, strong thermal, where they can then launch onto and combine a mixture of flying and soaring to get them to where they want to go without using much energy, and thus cover long distances relatively effortlessly. When they are riding the thermal, the eagle appears to fly effortlessly and gracefully. Without the thermal, the eagle’s flight appears awkward and clumsy.

Just as the wings of the eagle allow them to fly and soar on those wind thermals, without being destroyed, in the same way the only thing that will allow us to ride above the thermals of life, with all its trauma, difficulty, challenges and sorrow, is to stop flapping on our own strength, and soar on the strength and power of the Holy Spirit. If we do not have the faith, belief and confidence in the Lord and His Holy Spirit to guide and empower us to fly into and rise above the adversities we face in this life, we will flap and flap on our own power and fail to overcome and rise to new heights.

As the eagle waits for the thermal, we often have to wait for God to direct our walk, before we act. “Not by your might, nor by your power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord. (Zechariah 4:6). True freedom is soaring into the thermals of life, on the wings of the power of the Holy Spirit, through whom we can do anything! And so we learn to wait on the Lord, and stop flap, flap, flapping on our own strength. Believe and trust that He will give you the strength to soar into and through life’s thermals on the wings of the Holy Spirit. Happy Soaring!!

If there is no Hell, a good many preachers are obtaining money under false pretences

So much controversy, a virtual firestorm over Rob Bell’s new book on Hell, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.  I spent an hour last evening, listening to an hour interview of Rob Bell by Lisa Miller, Newsweek editor, Jewish and an atheist.  Wow, it was exhausting!   I then spent another couple of hours reading article after article about what all this means, and what he really believes.  Is he a heretic or merely confused?  Is he dangerous to Christians, especially the younger demographic, disillusioned with “church” as we do it today and living in and influenced by a “postmodern” society?  

Rob Bell is the Founding Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, in Grand Rapids, MI.  He graduated from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.  But somewhere along the way, he, Mainstream and Evangelical Christianity parted ways.  He is charismatic, flippant, passionate, and fearless in his pursuit of what he believes to be God’s story, which becomes our story. 

 After reading several blogs, articles by others, and listening to several of his videos, as well as this interview last evening, I wrote my immediate impressions – could be wrong, but this is what I was left feeling.  

RB is a perfect representative of the emergent church (EC) community, (Wikipedia has a good descriptive overview of this movement), everything is on the table for discussion, to be redefined in light of our postmodern culture, no apparent absolutes, talk of stories and not truth, and social justice now, on this earth, being the main focus. I thought they had faded from the scene, but it appears not.  With this new book on Hell, RB has brought the issues Emerging Church has with Christianity today right to the top again, with guns blazing.  

In his interview with Lisa Miller, he was inconsistent and confusing, impossible to pin down on what he really believes, at the same time he manipulates his answers very skillfully so we will buy the book!  From this interview, it is hard to determine if he is a universalist, as many in the Christian community accuse him of being, or exactly what his theology is on God, (he didn’t answer if God is an actual being when asked directly), heaven, hell or the resurrection. I understand from one commentator that it is very clear in the book that he believes that none will be lost, that God will win all to Him through His love.  Clearly an attractive thesis, but is it scriptural?  RB does not use scripture to back up or support his claims/statements in this interview. 

Very disappointing gobbiligook from him when questioned on what he believes about the resurrection.  He says,  “it’s not about how we evacuate this earth, but about the goodness of this world, dirt, sweat, sex, vineyards, ….earthly affirmation that this world is good!” What planet is he living on?  To which his interviewer, Newsweek editor, Lisa Miller, states, “Well, I don’t understand the Resurrection, and it’s clear you don’t either!!” Yikes.  What happened to “Be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies in you”? He states that “God being good is a fresh new radical idea”.  Really??  Never once states Jesus is the Son of God, or mentions His sacrifice, when asked is he sure Jesus is the only way.  One critic wrote “His book on Hell is full of opinion and feelings, without any scriptural support”.  That is how I am left feeling after watching, listening to this interview.  

All that being said, I think the conversation is stimulating.  We are called to be like the Bereans of Acts 17, to  study to show ourselves approved (2Tim 2:15), something RB seems to struggle with, yet he is provocative enough to hopefully send us all running for our Bibles to see what it actually says, and what we really believe and why!   I can’t help but feel that Rob’s book is a reaction/response to Calvinism and unconditional election, but as is in much from this EC “movement”, or conversation, as they prefer to call it, once again, the pendulum swings too far.

Links to a couple of interesting, well written reviews by Kevin DeYoung  and Tim Challies if you wish to read the kind of reaction he is stirring up in the Christian community.  YouTube has many of RB’s video shorts if you want the messages straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, before you approve or condemn. He also has his own Mars Hill church web page.  I will read the book, but not to find out if there is a hell or not.  That the Bible is very clear on, and the Bible is the foundation of my theology on Hell – however, a topical study to shore up that belief might not hurt! 

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/03/14/rob-bell-love-wins-review/

Love Wins – A Review of Rob Bell’s New Book

Waiting on the Lord……

Waiting on the Lord has so much meaning to me that I decided to make it my blog page theme.  I love Isa 40:31!   This scripture has become very meaningful to me because it seems I have spent a lot of my life waiting for the Lord to show me His will in my life in fairly significant ways.  It is also a very visual inspiration to me as my husband and I love to bird watch, and eagles are the most magnificent birds to observe.  Interesting that God would use that analogy, as they are very beautiful and elegant in flight, have extremely keen eyesight, and are powerfully built with broad wings enabling swift direct flight.  It is the strength of their wings that God refers to in Isa 40:31 and He often uses the analogy of wings as representing protection.  Psa 91:4 …under His wings you will find refuge….

One of the important exhortations of the Bible is the call to “wait on or have hope in the Lord.” Even though our loving Father promises special blessings for waiting, (more on blessings in next blog!), waiting is one of the most difficult exhortations of Scripture.

Psa. 27:14 Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.  Psa. 62:1 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him alone comes my salvation…

What exactly does it mean to wait and why is it so hard?

We live in a “want it now” society, one where most of us demand instant gratification.   Yet we live a life full of waiting…..  we wait in line at the store, at toll booths, in traffic, for activities to start and finish.  We are so prone to take matters into our own hands, to follow our own schemes in “getting it done”, whether it’s as simple as cutting the line in traffic or at a store, or more complex in not waiting on the Lord to give us an answer, a way, a resolution, that perhaps we fear is not what we want to hear.  

Wrapped up in the meaning of the verb “to wait” in scripture is hope, eager expectation and being still.  Wow!  It seems that waiting should be a positive experience, not something we dread.  Let’s look at what waiting really involves and what blessings it will provide if we can manage to patiently wait for Him to direct our walk.

The Old Testament emphasis is on the daily walk and the need to wait on the Lord and His providential care in the pressures of life.  In the New Testament, the focus is on the promise of Christ’s return. The emphasis, however, in most contexts where the words for waiting occur,  is on the impact waiting on the Lord’s return should have on our daily walk.

Waiting involves: 

1. A passage of time
2. Confident expectation  – based on knowledge and trust in God and His goodness
3. Negatives and positives – it is not passive – things we should do, should not do; Requires obedience and patience
4. Truly seeking the Lord’s will
5. Resting in God’s timing
6. Taking action at the right time

What are the BENEFITS of waiting on the Lord?

1. It allows God to sustain and satisfy us
2. It allows God to strengthen and enable us
3. It builds character
4. It lifts us out of despair; causes praise to God
5. It encourages others; gives greater ability to witness

So why should we wait on the Lord?   All of the above benefits!!  It teaches us who God is and what He is capable of doing and who we are and what we are not capable of doing!

Every Party has a Pooper

We all know negative-oriented people, don’t we? You absolutely can count on such pessimistic people to espouse views that are cynical and jaded. Behind every silver lining they see the cloud. Behind every cloud, they anticipate the world’s worst storm. Things are seldom right with the world. It won’t work, people won’t like it, I can’t find work, I hate working, it’s too hot, it’s too cold, life is hard, woe is me, and on it goes.

Pessimism, from the Latin pessimus (worst), is a state of mind which negatively colors the perception of life. Value judgments may vary dramatically between individuals, even when judgments of fact are undisputed. The most common example of this phenomenon is the “Is the glass half empty or half full?” situation. We sometimes justify it by calling it “Keeping it real…….”

But we don’t often expect this negative view of life from Christians, do we?  Why are some people so determined to see the world through a glass “half empty” instead of “half full”? How difficult it is to live James 1:2-3 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”

Psychologists call it “defensive pessimism.” This oddly downbeat view of life, they say, helps such people to cope with life’s real bumps. In a way, pessimistic people “suffer in advance,” and that is supposed to help them to minimize the impact of actual blows when they come. But isn’t that what we, as Christians, look to God for – that strength to get through any trial – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”. Phil 4:13

So, you see, the sourpuss who ruins your day by raining on it, is doing more than “being negative” in pronouncing their low expectations. They are protecting themselves, but at your expense. Their premature pain actually protects them from experiencing greater pain later, when they might be forced to face defeat of upbeat expectations. Isn’t this in the same genre as making yourself feel better by criticizing or putting someone else down?

When we are tempted to view life from that negative, pessimistic viewpoint, let’s ask “Would Christ speak or react like this?” Is this an acceptable approach to anything for we who walk with the Lord?  God knew what struggles we would face in life and He provides ways to deal with difficulties whether trivial or serious burdens.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable; if anything is excellent or praiseworthy; think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9

In other words, if I can’t say something good, don’t say anything! Hope springs eternal for most of us.  So don’t worry about the incurable curmudgeon, annoying though he or she may be. You cannot change them, and may actually cause more anxiety (for everyone) if you try. Focus on your own attitude. Be a beacon of positivity. Speak the word of God in love. Many will be drawn to your attractive light and the fact that your words reflect the nature of Christ.

Accept that some people process the world by seeing the dark side first. And some remain lodged in a viewpoint where every ray of light seems to exist only to create large looming shadows.

Make peace with the fact that you probably cannot change someone’s basic orientation to life, no matter how strong your own optimism and how forceful your powers of persuasion. Leave that task in God’s capable hands as difficult is that is to do. We just want to tell that person that their “glass half empty” approach to life is destroying their joy and is an obstacle to God using them as an inspiration to others!

Attitude is a choice. But it is a highly personal choice for an individual to make for him or herself, with God’s help through the power of the Holy Spirit, not allowing Satan a foothold in our minds. Remember, you are never alone in your struggles. There is a God who loves you and who wants to use these struggles to empower you and strengthen you and others through you!

Father’s Day 2010

This Father’s Day, June 20, 2010, was a very precious celebration of life in the Horner household. I am overwhelmingly grateful to our omnipotent and loving Father God for His mercy in sparing my husband Mike’s life and allowing us to celebrate this Father’s Day.

June 10, 9:40am: I received a phone call from a dear friend who was with Mike, that no wife or family member ever wants to hear. “Ann, I have just taken Mike to the ER at Arlington Memorial. We think he is having a stroke……..”

“God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain” C.S.Lewis

My thoughts were erratic, but my prayers were anything but, as my friend, Kathryn, drove me to that hospital, and I, somewhat distraught, called all the family members, and we requested prayers from every possible area of the country. I discovered Phil 4:6-7 is not easy, and James 5:16 is not difficult, and that you can pray fervently, non-stop, dial phone #’s and carry on a conversation all at the same time. “Oh Dear God, my Loving, Merciful Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Savior, please let him live to run the race another day, that he can know you as I know you. And not to be selfish Lord, but I am not ready for this cup.” or something like that……

10 days ago our Loving Eternal Father opened the floodgates of heaven and answered our profoundly impassioned prayers, poured out an overflowing cup of mercy and granted life. My husband, Mike, had a stroke on Thurs. June 10. We spent 2 days in ICU, 3 additional days in the hospital and he was discharged on Mon, June 14. God heard our prayers and answered with the blessing of healing. The only residual damage Mike has suffered is weakness and lack of coordination in his left hand. The prognosis is that he should be able to recover most, if not all the use of his hand.

“I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, How awesome are Your works, that my soul knows very well”
Psalm 139:14

From time to time in our daily Christian lives, we are tested on what it means to wait on the Lord. I certainly learned what it meant that day as we waited for an answer to our prayers. This time the answer to this particular situation came quickly and was full of mercy and grace. Other times the waiting seems to endure forever, and it seems the answer will never come, or it is not what we wanted to hear. Through this experience which could have had such a different ending, I was very humbled and grateful to the Author of our Faith, our Healer, our Protector, who promised He will finish the work He has started in Mike. This was the best Father’s Day ever. I pray that we are blessed with many more Father’s Days together and that throughout these, our golden years, we can soar together like eagles in everything we do!

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles……” ISA 40:31