This, Then, Is Love

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.


Love never fails. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NIV

Today, a video popped up on  my Facebook news feed, from the Desiring God ministry page.  It is a video story about a couple named Ian and Larissa.


At the time, I had several things going at once; things I was researching on-line, and then, of course, there was the usual circus-like atmosphere at home -- phones and doorbells ringing, dog barking because phones and doorbells are ringing -- so I was somewhat distracted.  And unless something REALLY jumps out at me on Facebook, video-wise, I will often bypass it in my intense state of distraction and trying to shut out all the aforementioned noise. 


THANK YOU GOD that THIS was NOT the case this afternoon!  


Interestingly enough, there was no eye-catching thumbnail nor cleverly crafted words in the post to jump out and grab my attention to this post and video.  It was actually just a gentle nudge I felt from the Holy Spirit to check it out.  I'm so glad that I obeyed that nudge.  


Ian's and Larissa's story is a sweet and simple story of love.  Real, pure and true love.  Love that doesn't disintegrate or disappear 


when life gets hard


when plans suddenly make a 180 degree turn


when suffering becomes a du jour item on your menu


when what you've always wanted doesn't come packaged the way you dreamed or wanted


But very often -- and I can declare this truth personally -- our greatest gifts and blessings do not come packaged the way we've dreamed or wanted. 


This is not to say that as I watched this video, with tears streaming down my face, I did not have questions that chased one another through my head.  Questions for God that echoed the ones that author and Women of Faith speaker Sheila Walsh asks in her book 'Living Fearlessly,' a book I'm currently reading; questions that perhaps you have, and I'm sure, questions that Ian and Larissa have for God as well:


"What if my hopes and dreams are different from Yours?"
"If You can heal, why are there times You choose NOT to?"
"If You love me so much, why is life so hard?"
"Will You give me more than I can bear?"
"Where ARE You in all of this?"


These are questions for which there are no answers, this side of Heaven anyway.  All I know is that it is obvious that Jesus Christ was not only invited to Ian's and Larissa's wedding, but He was invited into the very center of their marriage. 


A marriage based on the selfless, completely committed, unfailing and unconditional love of Jesus.

As you watch this video, I invite and encourage you to please pray for Ian and Larissa. And have some tissues ready.  For this, then -- is Love.

The Story of Ian & Larissa


This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience—it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive: it is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance.


Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails.


Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen. ~ 
1 Corinthians 13:4-8, PHILLIPS Translation

Worship Song Sunday -- Stronger, by Hillsong

There is truth
that sets me free,
Jesus Christ
Who lives in me.......

Spirit of the Savior, by David Jean

I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me. ~ John 14:6

You Are More

Taking a drive tonight, this Tenth Avenue North song came on the radio.  I've heard it played M-A-N-Y times there, as well as over and over on my iPod. And I'm pretty sure our praise team sang it in church somewhere along the way. 


But tonight, this song really came at me in a different way, moving in and taking up residence in my head and my heart.  Rearranging some things, like ill-placed furniture. 


I think there are times in our lives --


moments.....


seasons......


-- that we forget the whole point of this song and the essence of its lyrics.  I know I have -- and often, still do.

I slip

I stumble

I slide back

I beat myself up so terribly for doing so.  And then, I begin focusing on 

Where I've been

What I've done and/or what's been done to me

Who I was  

Wrestling with....

The poor choices I've made

The mistakes from my past

The problems I've had to deal with along the way, many (if I'm entirely honest) of my own making

Like ghoulish specters, their memories reappear, following me around and coming back to haunt me. 

BUT THEY NEED TO GO!


And instead, I need to remember and focus on 

Where I am now

What's been done for me

Who -- and Whose -- I am

I am not the same person I was 40 -30 - 20 - 10 years ago.  I should never think or look at myself -- and neither should you -- as less of a person because of who I used to be, how I spoke or because of people and things I was involved with.  These things are not the sum of who I am.


All because of Jesus and His transforming love and grace, I am more.  You are more.


We've been remade.


Selah.........

When Jesus Says "You Must Follow Me"

Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”  Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then He said to him, “Follow Me!”


Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”


Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me." ~ John 21:18-22, NIV

It was an extremely busy time at our church this morning. Besides our usual three service times, we had baptisms during two of those services, a reception in between to honor and say ‘thank you!’ to a wonderful woman who has served God by teaching our church’s 2-3 year olds in Sunday school classes for over 50 years (can you imagine?) and then a special and very important Congregational Meeting at the end. 


To be honest, I always seem to get anxious whenever there’s a lot scheduled to take place at church -- no doubt a spiritual warfare tactic straight from the enemy of my soul.  Because that anxiety I begin to experience then generally translates into my battling to attend church that day.  Yes, I admit it -- there are times I don’t WANT to go to church (GASP!).  Sometimes, that battle takes place at home; sometimes, it takes place in the parking lot of my church.  Yet, I’ve always found that whenever I choose to respond to Jesus’s still, small voice and the offering of His love and perfect peace over the enemy’s great big mouth and his offering of nothing but chaos and anxiety by walking into the building and taking a seat, I come away blessed beyond measure.   I find there is always some particular, hand crafted message from Him awaiting me somewhere.


Today, I received it through a sermon and the celebration of baptism.


Our pastors wrapped up a sermon series entitled ‘Wake Up!’  This morning’s ‘Wake Up To Purpose’ sermon centered around John 21:18-25, where, after Jesus tells Peter to “Follow Me!”, Peter kind of side-steps the invitation and seems more interested in what’s going to happen to the young disciple John instead.


The message --


That life is about more than just ourselves and what we can gain


That Jesus’s call to “Follow Me” is specifically, tailor-made for each person


To make the decision to listen to and go where Jesus leads us, remembering Who the Leader/Teacher/Lord is and who the follower/disciple/servant is


To relinquish our quest for control, because our life is not our own


To STOP comparing our lives with someone else’s and START following Jesus


-- was distinctly personal and extremely convicting for me (and this was just in the first service!). The sermon was not the only place I heard this message in recent days. I’ve been bombarded by it in songs and two very different books I am currently reading, one fiction and one non-fiction, as well as the Bible itself. 


During the second service, the same Scripture verse was referenced, but our senior pastor shared these three points with us, complete with questions about how this was being lived out in our lives:


Love God
Obey God
Follow God


Do we -- do I -- love God enough to obey Him and follow Him however, whenever and to wherever He leads?  Again, serious questions I’ve been bombarded with again and again recently. 


All this leading up to the baptisms…….


Just for the record -- baptism itself does not save.  I’m sure most of you know this, but for years, I DID NOT know this truth. 

Being baptized is simply an act of obedience to God (Jesus Himself was baptized in the River Jordan by His cousin, John), as well as an outward sign, a public announcement, if you will, to everyone that you have already made a sincere decision AND a heartfelt commitment to follow Jesus.  During baptisms, our pastor has often described it as akin to his wearing a wedding ring, which is an outward sign to the world that he has made a serious life commitment of love to his wife. The ring itself doesn’t make him married -- it’s merely a sign, a public declaration that he ‘belongs’ to someone.


So, choosing to be baptized is a step of obedience and our public declaration that we too ‘belong’ to Someone -- Jesus Christ. It’s an outward sign that reflects the change within us, and symbolic of having our sins cleansed or ‘washed away.’

Our church has held baptism services several times a year for many years, and in our worship folders, the names of those being baptized has always been listed.  Lately, though, that has changed.  While there are always those who have called the church and asked to take part in a particular baptism on a particular date, our pastor has recently begun to open it up to anyone THE DAY OF the baptisms who has made a commitment or a recommitment to love, obey and follow the Lord and who feels moved by Him to come up to the altar and be baptized. 


Today was one such amazing, incredible day.  Young, old and in between came up this morning to be baptized.  Some shared inspiring, touching, tearful testimonies that left many of us weeping tears of joy right along with them, while cheering loudly for them as they came up out of the water. It was something to see and to hear how Jesus had relentlessly pursued them. Even though not all shared their stories, it was obvious to me that each one had heard and heeded the voice of Jesus saying “Come, follow Me!,” and were now showing their love for Him by stepping out in obedience.


One young man really captured my heart and the essence of responding to the call.  His name is Brian, and I’d never seen him nor his girlfriend at church before (our church is rather large and I don’t always stay for both services).  Both stated that neither of them had come to church this morning with the plan of being baptized.  Brian could barely contain himself as he stood behind his girlfriend, watching as she struggled to speak through her tears.  At one point, he covered his face with his hands, weeping.  It was very moving.


When his turn came, he was laughing and crying, shaking as he stood in the water while our pastor held onto him.  The joy on his face was apparent, a reflection of the change that had, at some point, taken place in his heart and in his life.  


And then, Brian spoke the words that pretty much brought down the house.  


When our pastor asked him if he had planned on coming up front and being baptized this morning, Brian said no.  And that really, he had only gotten up during the service just to go to the bathroom, and the next thing he knew, he was up in front of the church, getting ready to be baptized! 


So humorously ironic, isn’t it?  One minute, this guy’s responding to nature’s call.  And then the next minute, he’s responding to Jesus’s call (who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor?).  


Hmmm…..so I guess after all of this rambling on, my whole point in feeling lead to share and post this today is for us to realize and remember that Jesus CAN and WILL speak to us even in our most mundane, commonplace moments and very often, in the most unexpected of ways, calling us to follow Him in loving obedience


However
Whenever
And to wherever He leads.

We need to STOP comparing ourselves with everyone else. We need to STOP worrying about what He’s doing with our brother, our sister, our friend, our neighbor or our coworker. Basically, what is that to us?  


It should be nothing to us. 


Because Jesus says: “YOU must follow Me.”

I have decided

To follow Jesus

I have decided

To follow Jesus

I have decided

To follow Jesus

No turning back,

No turning back.....

Worship Song Sunday -- Here I Am, by Shawn McDonald

"Come to Me with empty hands and an open heart, ready to receive abundant blessings.  I know the depth and breadth of your neediness. Your life path has been difficult, draining you of strength.  Come to Me for nurture.  Let Me fill you up with My Presence; I in you, and you in Me."  ~ excerpt taken from the April 27 devotional entry of 'Jesus Calling," written by Sarah Young.


A pure, simple and honest song of worship to the Lord.


A song that says:


Today, lay it all down -- EVERYTHING -- at Jesus's feet and open yourself up to Him.  The fears, the deep seated hurts and scars; the desperate needs, the dark, ugly, hidden things and all. 


Invite Him into all of it.

And He WILL come.


I lay myself at Your feet
Asking You won't You meet
Won't You meet me?
I cannot do it on my own
I cannot do it all alone.  
Here I am, oh, tonight
With my arms open wide!
Won't You come inside
Won't You come inside, God?
Come and fill this heart of mine
I'm in need of You
Of Your touch, of Your life, of Your love
I need You,
I need You ~ lyrics to Here I Am, by Shawn McDonald

Walking Through The Hard

When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. ~ Job 2:11-13, NIV

I wanted to share something with all of you out here in the Blogosphere, and it is now my extreme honor to do so.  


Today's post focuses on how we as Christians often deal with those people in our lives who are broken, hurting, struggling and suffering.  Many on a daily basis.   Most times, since we seem to be really uncomfortable around them or are unsure what to say, we simply avoid them.  


Or sometimes, like Job's buddies, we try to pinpoint their problems with misspoken words in the hopes of 'fixing' them.  Job's friends were really off to a great start in comforting him in his time of need....until they opened their mouths.


Or perhaps -- you yourself are among the broken, the hurting, the struggling and the suffering.  And nobody really seems to understand what you're dealing with or knows what to say to you.


I did not write this.  It was written by someone else, a young woman named Rebekah Bell, who posted it on her Facebook page.  Rebekah's friend, Christi Armstrong, a Christian mom and poetry and blog writer (like many of us here), felt her friend's message was of such an important nature that she shared it on HER Facebook page, which is where I found and read it.


And after reading it, I too felt so strongly about the subject matter, that I contacted Christi and asked for her and Rebekah's permission to share it myself. 


As Christi noted when she reposted this:

"The only way things will change is if we all actually change them. Jesus went to the hurting and sat with them, where they were. He didn't sit in His comfortable life and avoid the pain others were going through. We need to start living like Jesus..." 


Amen, sister, amen!  Read on -- let Rebekah Bell's words and her heart's cry seep not only into your mind, but into your heart and soul as well.  And perhaps -- let them change you and how you see those in your life who are hurting as they attempt to walk through the hard......

To Walk Through The Hard 
by Rebekah Bell


So God is teaching me how to “walk through the hard." 

This past month has been insane.  Not just because of stuff in my universe… but because many people I love are going through genuinely "tough times".  Tough health news.  Tough relationship news.  Tough job news.  Tough times in their lives.

And what has been unusual for me is to watch Christians "dive into" these tough situations.  These situations are in different parts of the country.  Dealing with different varieties of Christians.  But the response, across the board, seems to be the same.  Well meaning followers are attempting to fix other people’s complex situations with "one size fits all" answers.

Without divulging details of anything, many of these situations are degenerating. Some involve diseases that won’t end in recovery.  Relationships that are broken in ways that would be difficult to ever fix.  Jobs that were lost because of a dying economy, making finding replacement positions immediately unlikely.  

In this, how does the church help?  Promises of prayer. Which are nice, but lonely solutions.  People sit alone in their damaged lives, while you wander off to your happier situation to pray.  Some tossed around trite scripture passages talking about "seasons" or "making things perfect in their time" or that "God has great plan for you."  Which are nice.  But like handing someone a flashlight without batteries, when faith is shaken by circumstance.

And sadly, I am not much help either.  My heart isn’t full of grand solutions.  Recently, I had to face the reality of my Grandmother’s mental condition.  First, you have to understand, my Grandmother was my rock.  She helped raise me.  More than a Grandmother, she was my friend. We chatted about school.  She taught me to drive. When times were hard, growing up, she let me sit in her house and cry (that happened a lot).  My Grandmother now seems to have developed dementia.  The person that I loved has changed into someone unpredictable.  I am watching one of the most precious relationships in my life slip away and I can’t stop it.

To help me deal, someone gave me the "it gets better" speech.  Seriously.  From this, there is no better.  The relationship that I once had is going to slip away, not get better.  

What I need is people who are willing to help me "walk through the hard."  Not tell me "look for the better."

But this is where Christians seem to "land."  Easy quotes that are supposed to make things better.  A prayer.  Pat on the head.  And you are off.  Faith bright and shiny.  Into a world with complex situations. Shouting "keep the faith" at people, from the safety of shore, as they bail water from a sinking boat.  

Why can’t we let the bad stuff be bad?  The hard stuff be hard?  Situations remain broken.  Why are we quick to stick a band aid on a broken leg and tell people that they should be able to walk around.  Where does this impulse come from?

I think that it is because faith in a loving God is threatened by unlovely circumstances.  

And that is hard to deal with.  To travel that road.  And we are generally unwilling to do it.  We pray for protection in our lives and are happily isolated from the difficulties of others.  Holding out for them pretty pictures of uncomplicated faith, rather than sitting with them in the dark places, where there aren‘t beautiful things.  

I think we fear the hard.  That is why we can’t let it be hard.  And to me, empirically, the inevitable conclusion seems to be that God is frequently unwilling to make things easy.  He lets them be hard.  

Thus, if we are to call ourselves a people of a true faith, it is time for us to embrace the presence of hard things. To seek out darkness and not run away.  To resist the urge to make the complex, less than what it truly is.  To allow the faith to exist in the dark and forbidding places of life.  Situations where "better" is unlikely.  And not abandon those who are in pain, to the pain they are feeling. 


It is time to learn to walk through the hard.


"Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn." Romans 12:15, NIV

Worship Song Sunday -- My Hope Is In You, by Aaron Shust

Show me Your ways, LORD,
teach me Your paths.
Guide me in Your truth and teach me,
for You are God my Savior,
and my hope is in You all day long. ~ Psalm 25:4-5, NIV

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken. ~ Psalm 62:5-6, NLT


Life is hard.  That's a given, isn't it?  We all would love to live a smooth, happy life that moves about on an even keel.  No surprises or shocks.  No hard times or difficulties.  No road blocks or detours.  


Unfortunately, that's just not possible.  Jesus warned His disciples (and that warning stretches through the centuries down to us) that  "in this world you will have trouble" (John 16:33).  There will be times when life doesn't go the way we'd hoped or planned.


But -- Jesus didn't leave them nor us with merely a dire forecast.  His next words in the same verse -- "But take heart!  I have overcome the world"  give us something else.  Something better to hold onto.  


Hope.  Jesus gives us hope.  Always.

Let our hope be in Him, all the day long. 

Waiting For Answers......

Waiting By The Window, by Dee Beard Dean

Finally, peace has come.


All form of movement 
and reckless striving ceased.


Serenity reigns again.


The wind once loud, 
strong and bullying, 
Still blows, but now --
Barely above a gentle whisper.


Finally, the sun 
breaks through the clouds.


Warming the air.


Warming my heart.


Warming me.


Lighting up my bedroom 


Lighting up my life


As I sit by the window
And wait 
for answers.


Answers to 
My prayers.


Answers I am certain
Are on the way……

The Sunrise, by Aracely Calderon