The Holiday Press

"And there appeared to him an angel from heaven strengthening him." Luke 22.43

The Last Night of Jesus by Stefan Kuhn

This morning we read about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane ... in the olive press, in the press of prayer to His Father to remove the cup of sacrifice. Then, Jesus says, "Nevertheless, not my will but yours, be done."

Holidays can be such a press of sacrifice for us. Oh, nothing like Jesus' sacrifice ... of humbling himself and becoming human, born in the messiness of childbirth ... or of humbling himself and giving his life, dying in the messiness of crucifixion. But, the press of the holidays can be a place where we learn ... even a little ... about humbling ourselves in the messiness of life. The press of the holidays can be our opportunity to experience and practice "His divine power [which] has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him - Jesus! - who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature..." 

(2 Peter 1.3-4a)

I don't know about you, but that is astonishing to me ... simply astonishing that I may become a partaker of the divine nature. Me ... in all my brokenness and frailty and failure? Yes, even me. Even you. Because of Jesus himself, His divine power, which has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

The Father sent an angel from heaven to strengthen Jesus in his press. Jesus sends himself, his divine power to help us in ours. In Him we have faith. And, because of that faith we practice virtue ... like Him. And, that virtue gives us deeper knowledge ... of Him. And, that knowledge enables us to have greater self-control ... like Him. And, self-control grows a steadfastness within us ... like Him. And that steadfastness increases godliness ... like Him. And, godliness nurtures brotherly affection ... in Him. And, brotherly affection blooms into love ... as Jesus loves. The divine nature growing in us ... in Him.

Is this easy? I think not. After all it's in a press that we learn these things. So, during the holiday press, we can choose to grow like a green olive tree ... like those in the garden ... as we look to and ask our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ to send to us divine power to trust in the steadfast love of God and wait upon his name ... to be like Him. When we do this we say with Jesus, "Nevertheless, not my will but yours, be done" in me and through me.

Please do let me know if an angel appears.

How Christmas Feels

"Ironically, in those times when it least feels like Christmas, it might be most like Christmas. When nothing seems comfortable, or normal, or familiar, we are closer to experiencing the purpose of Christmas than at any other time."

- Dan Schaeffer

This past Sunday a little booklet was tucked into my church bulletin, Finding Peace at Christmas. At the time I didn't think much of it. I already had my Advent devotional routine set and wasn't going to add anything to it. But, yesterday morning this little booklet kept turning up on my desk. I'd move it over to a chair or to the floor and before I knew it it was back on my desk. OK. OK! I'll read it!

And, what a gift!

The first 8 pages were an edited excerpt from Dan Schaeffer's book The Real Spirit of Christmas. He describes how Christmas and the holidays can be a challenge for many of us because they don't hold the "perfect holiday spirit" - the decorated tree and home, the festive dinner, the joyful family gatherings. In fact, many of us face broken family dynamics, serious illnesses of family or friends, homelessness, joblessness, depression, and more. What Rev. Shaeffer suggests is that this is when we feel the Christmas spirit most because this is when we become "keenly aware of how much we needed God to enter our world. We can't make heaven on earth, no matter how hard we try, no matter how much we decorate. Sin has affected and infected everything we touch. We needed to be rescued. We needed a Savior."

And, so He came.

God's love for us was so great that Jesus gave up everything to come and rescue us ... to save us. He is the gift of Christmas. And, as we remember that first coming we are assured and confident of His coming again. There ... there it is. The gift of Christmas ... hope in Jesus Christ ... at his coming and his coming again! So, as we feel the Christmas spirit ... in what ever kind of Christmas we find ourselves in ... may we be filled with the wonder of His love and be comforted by His grace.

A Season for Kindness

Dear All,
I don't know if you read the blog by Miriam Rockness about Lilias Trotter, but today is such a good one I want to share it with you. It is about kindness and how it changes us and others. With the season of Thanksgiving upon us and Christmas around the corner, this short devotional may change the way we journey through it. Another changing season ... enjoy...

Acts of Kindness

Courage for the Changing Seasons

I just downloaded an upgrade for my Mac. One change that came with it ... I was able to answer a phone call with my iPad! At first, I didn't know what to do. But, I couldn't find my phone so I tapped that little green button that said, "accept". And, voila! I was speaking to my sister. Now, I can text through my computer, make a call from my iPad, and well, as it has been all along, I can do almost anything with my phone. Changing seasons.

These changes only make me aware of other changes happening around us all the time. There are changes in the natural world, the nations of the world, our communities, our churches, our families. There are changes in the seasons, in knowledge and understanding, in laws and governing, in relationships, in treaties, in headlines, in ... fill in the blank. It was Heraclitis that said, "Change is the only constant in life."

So, how will we face these changes?

In the love of God our Father.

And, we will walk into them with courage and faith in His love for us to keep us and guide us and save us from all the unknown of these changes.
In change we have no fear ...
because we know that God our Father is for us.

This song from Bethel Music has become one of my favorites for this changing season that I live in. I hope it will encourage you as well for whatever season you find yourself in. The words of the song follow the video.

I stand before You now

The greatness of Your renown

I have heard of the majesty and wonder of You

King of Heaven in humility I bow

As Your love, in wave after wave

Crashes over me, crashes over me

For You are for us, You are not against us

Champion of Heaven You made a way for all to enter in (to Your love)

I have heard You calling my name

I have heard the song of love that You sing

So I will let you draw me out beyond the shore

Into Your grace

You make me brave

You make me brave

You call me out beyond the shore into the waves

You make me brave

You make me brave

No fear can hinder now the Love that made a way

You make me brave

You make me brave

You call me out beyond the shore into the waves

You make me brave

You make me brave

No fear can hinder now the promises You’ve made

Seasons Change

The fall color right now is spectacular ... S - P - E - C - T - A - C - U - L - A - R !

I have watched this tree change color over the past weeks as I walked Jump and Joy. They are oblivious to the beauty around us. Well, that's not completely true. They have watched the increasing number of squirrels storing up nuts and the like for their winter reserves. This has ushered in another new season for me. I need to be on "squirrel alert" as I walk my two "squirrels". This has caused me to consider this new season that slowly unfolds before me.

Last Thursday, my friend Martha and Team Martha* seemed to be at the end of a season. Her doctors here told her they had nothing more that they could do to help her win her battle again AML. BUT ... what a great word to give hope ... BUT ... there was a doctor in another hospital who may have ... something? So, off went Martha, and yesterday she got the news that there are more than one options for her! She may still be in this season of battling AML BUT there are other things that can be tried to win this battle! Same battle but a new season ... with renewed and greater hopefulness.

As I walk through my own season of looking for full-time employment, I want to be more like Martha. I want to be more like Jump and Joy. I want to walk in hopefulness ... even if I can't see the way ahead. I need to be on full "squirrel alert" in order to see the change of season, to see the different ways God is at work on my behalf ... because He is working. He is. This change of season means I continue to put my faith and hope in His unfailing, faithful, chesed love ... because it is unchanging.

I started thinking about this season change when I went through the Pittsburgh Airport a few weeks ago. Every time you ascend the escalator to the gates this is what you see:

Yep! You see T-Rex in all his glory. Here is someone who had trouble adapting to a change of season. As I passed him, I thought to myself that I don't want to become like him. I don't want to break under the change of seasons and become fossilized. This requires what I mentioned before ... being on "squirrel alert" for the ways God is working on our behalf and to hope in God's unfailing love.

The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
Psalm 147:11

*My name for those of us who are walking with her through her season of battling acute myloid leukemia (AML).

Eucharisteo - Remembering Corrie

How do we remember Corrie? Such a big person in such a small package, her life compressed into such a short time. It made her a full-fledged time and again day-to-day miracle. She didn’t think of herself as a miracle. I mean … she knew that she was living each day because of God’s miraculous work in her life … but she didn’t think of herself as a miracle. … But, she was a miracle, she was. She was a miracle for each one of us because of the way she lived her life and in her generous spirit, shared herself with us … she let all of us be a part of the miracle of her life.


So, how do we remember this miracle called Corrie?
The first word that comes to mind is COURAGE. Within the first few months of meeting Corrie I asked her if she wanted to drive with me to IKEA to purchase some supplies for the church. IKEA Atlanta. She showed up with a full bag of her own supplies just in case anything went awry and also knew where the closest hospitals were located along our route. And, off we went. What I didn’t know at the time was that Corrie hadn’t been off the island since her initial surgery let alone a 10-hour round-trip to Atlanta! It took great courage for her to do that. Time and again Corrie pushed herself outside of her fear … in order to live life … most recently buying a scooter to go back and forth to the beach. It’s parked in the Meyer’s garage.

The second word for Corrie is COMFORT. Corrie took comfort in knowing Jesus her Savior and Friend. She loves Jesus. And, yes I use the word love in the present tense. While she lived among us she looked to Him for help and strength, for purpose and hope. Through her prayers and in her worship, in her serving she relied on Jesus … for her life. She took great comfort in Him … and showed us how to do the same. And, now … in the present tense … she sees him face to face and she loves Him. That is her greatest comfort.

And, my last word? COLOR. It’s the best “C” word I could come up with for her joy, happiness, and delight! Whenever Corrie greeted me she would fling out her arms, phone in hand and cry out “DeVaticus!” … All those nicknames she had for us: Shannie, Joogles, Neeser. … Such joy she had. And her greater gift of joy was being with the St. Luke’s children and youth. Godly Play, Backyard Bible, Sunday School, Wednesday Family Night, Middle School … teaching them, laughing with them, loving them, … giving them her joy … in Jesus Name. She so loved you all and wanted you to know her greatest love … Jesus.

So, how will we remember Corrie? Let’s live with COURAGE, pushing ourselves outside our fear … in order to live life! Let’s live that life in the COMFORT of knowing Jesus, relying on Him for help and strength, for purpose and hope. And, let’s share with one another the COLOR, the joy of loving in Jesus’ Name. When we live like that, we remember Corrie. AMEN? AMEN!

In Memory of My Good Friend, Corrie

Shannon with Corrie sending me a hello photo...

That's Corrie on the right. I think Corrie's middle name was Joy. When she greeted you it wasn't a demure, "Hello" it was an exclamation of your name with her joy and gladness spilling over at seeing you. It makes me smile just thinking about how she called out, "DeVaty!" in the Ministry Center, across the parking lot, and even on our phone calls.

Corrie would do anything for you ... even if it cost her time and energy, which for Corrie was a very big gift. Her illnesses often left her with little energy ... sometimes difficult to get out of bed in the morning ... but if you had a need and Corrie could help, she would make herself do it ... spending herself for you. What a gift. Corrie was a gift to us and remains a gift. Her life will continue to urge us on to love and good deeds in the Name of Jesus.

She is now dancing with joy around His throne ... probably with her earphones in and on ... and through our tears and sadness at our loss we dance with her, rejoicing that she is now free of pain and struggle and full of the joy she spread while she was with us.

Thank you Corrie for all you gave and will continue to give us. Praise be to God for Corrie Meyer, our friend of Joy and Gladness.

Sam: A Lesson in Waiting at the Ready

This is Sam.

He has chased a squirrel up a tree. He has been at his tree post for quite some time ... standing and watching and waiting for another view of the squirrel. On occasion, he will jump up onto the trunk of the tree, straining to see into the branches. Maybe that squirrel is hiding there? Maybe that squirrel is going to make a leap for the fence? Maybe that squirrel will come within reach and ... he'll have him!

This is the squirrel.
Can you see him up there on the garage roof? He's watching Sam from his very secure perch. Sam cannot see him.

As I watched Sam and this squirrel play out their morning ritual, I was reminded of what it is to wait ... ready for action. Sam will stay at the base of that tree watching and waiting and circling and sitting and ... at the ready ... until he is called into the house. If you look closely at the picture his tail is wagging. He is waiting with great anticipation ... joy even! ... at what is coming. He knows that the chase of this squirrel will end ... one day ... in such fun. It may not be fun for the squirrel, but it will be for Sam!

Shouldn't we wait this way for what God has for us? Shouldn't we watch for how God is working, circle around all the things that happen and look for his handiwork? Shouldn't we sit and listen for His movement ... even when we don't see or hear Him? And, most importantly ... shouldn't we do this with joy, knowing that our Father in heaven delights to give us all good things? Yes, we should. And, we need to do it because it gives us hope for all that God wants to give to us.

Sunday's readings include the passage from Exodus about the institution of the Passover as a feast of remembrance ... a remembrance of God's salvation. Our Great Thanksgiving is that remembrance of God's saving act through the sacrifice of Jesus His Son and our Savior. He is our hope in all things and through all things. The ritual of the Great Thanksgiving is worth waiting and watching and circling and sitting at the ready ... to celebrate. Because it is in the Eucharist that we find our hope ... our Hope in Jesus. And, He is our Joy.

Nobody knows the troubles I've seen...

Dear All,
The following link is for the opening chapel address by Dr. Ryken of Wheaton College, Wheaton IL. It is a powerful message for waiting on the Lord in a time of trouble ... any kind of trouble. It's about 20 minutes but worth every minute.

The link will take you to Wheaton's WETN site. Click on the video camera below the photo to watch and listen to the message.

Dr. Ryken's Opening Chapel Address

Waiting and the Rose of Jericho

This is perhaps one of the most beautiful examples/metaphors of waiting. As you watch this video imagine that it is Jesus the Living Water that brings to life after a time of "dormant" waiting. (If you click on the link you will get the full version.)

The Rose of Jericho by Christopher Jobsen

Waiting and Leukemia

I live with a friend who has been in a war with leukemia since the end of January. Since then, my job has been to take care of her house and her precious pups. Actually, not pups but two standard poodles, which ... wait ... I digress. Watching my friend over these last 6 months, I have learned so very much about waiting ... waiting in the active, ready-to-go, on-red-alert stance. There is never a moment to let down but a myriad of moments to let go ... of control. It's this paradox of praying in the confidence of God and the power of His Spirit within us and the humble relinquishment of our inability to do anything to change the situation.

6 chemo treatments, 6 bone marrow tests, 1 remission, 1 relapse ... a return of leukemia cells to over 70%. And, now we wait ... as we live each day beginning with prayer to our Mighty God. We live each day recognizing that He is God and we are not. And, we live each day in the hope of resurrection life ... in this present moment, right now, in this day ... resurrection life today. We live as we wait. Live ... in the active, ready-to-go, on-red-alert stance.

And, I live these days amazed ... in awe.

And, I learn.

What do I learn? To pray with all that I am to our God who loves us so much that He gives us life ... and then live it! Not just getting through today or making it to a certain day or date, but living life today ... living abundantly because God has blessed us with so very, very much. It requires vigilance (thank you Terry for that word) to keep our thoughts focused on the goodness and grace and gifts that surround us ... a mantle of God-ness ... his character in action that blesses us. And, it requires relinquishment ... letting go of wanting to control and looking for the ways God is at work ... looking for His blessing ... and then receive it, offer thanks and praise for it and ... live in it.

Road Construction and Jacob

I spent a good deal of time yesterday sitting in a line of cars and ... you guessed it

... waiting.

That wasn't my plan, but that's the way it happened. When I first saw the road construction signs I thought I would skirt around it by taking another route ... only to find ... yep ... more road construction. Road Closed. Detour. Expect Delays. Lane Closed. It took me three times longer to get to where I wanted to go.

As I sat in those lines of cars I noticed the person behind me getting more and more frustrated. Looking at the time. Looking out the window to see what was happening (which was completely blocked from view). Angry talking on the phone. Agitated looking around for a way out. ... No way out. ... What occurred to me was that I didn't feel like that at all. I couldn't do anything about these setbacks. It actually became a bit funny because any route I tried another construction sign rose to meet me. OK ... I guess I'm learning something more about waiting.

Jacob certainly knew about waiting. Actually, he chose to wait! He offered to wait 7 years to marry his beloved Rachel. And, he worked to pay for her hand! Think of that! Offering to wait. Hmmm ... offering to wait.

Waiting can be an offering if we choose to make it so. Waiting can be a time to reflect on the ways God has worked and giving thanks. Waiting can be a time for looking for ways God is at work and giving thanks. Waiting can be a time for how God will work and giving thanks.

Remember the past. Watch the present. Hope for the future.

And, give thanks.

Imagine Jacob's joy ... JOY ... on the day he married Rachel. Joy made all the greater because he chose to wait.

As I sat in those lines of cars yesterday, I chose to give thanks ... for the joy of taking my Mum to lunch and on a drive through the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, which are displaying the most wondrous colors of green, for the wonder of dogs running ... and running and running and running at the dog park, and for the lusciousness of throwing with porcelain on the wheel. Choosing to make waiting an offering changes the mind of my heart ... and it gives God the offering of thanks and praise that is due him. It was my pleasure to give it and I think, it was just as much His pleasure to receive it.

Wait: An Action Verb

A friend of mine sent me a blog post by Roy Lessin and this caught my attention

As we walk with the Lord, He will put us into situations that require challenging solutions. He doesn’t put us into these situations so we can solve them, but as a way for us to discover how He will solve them. They come to us as tests. They are not theory tests that we take with a pencil and paper, but living tests that are based upon things we are actually experiencing. These tests are not given to frustrate or defeat us, but to deepen our faith and to help us learn the Lord’s ways. 

Whenever we face these situations, it is a natural thing for us to “lean upon our own understanding.” We like to put our minds to work and figure things out, solve problems, and come up with plans that bring the needed answers. God, on the other hand, is not dependent upon human resources, or human reason to answer any question, solve any problem, or meet any need.

This, my friends, is what waiting is all about. I don't have to understand or figure it all out or come up with the answer to "Why?" or "What if?" The answer is waiting on God (Yes, Janet ... an action verb!) and then, wait and watch and walk into what He is doing or is going to do. This means keeping our eyes on Him ... seeing His love and grace and mercy that abounds in all around us. Waiting grows faith. Waiting strengthens our feet and arms for action. Waiting keeps our hearts prepared. Waiting makes us ready for each day ... today ... not for some time in the future. Waiting on God ... looking to the Lord Jesus ... involves us in our daily living in a very real, active, faltering, challenging, tangible, loving, exhilarating, frustrating, life-giving way.

Waiting makes us, shapes us, and molds us into His likeness ... if we choose to be at peace and wait on Him each moment of every day.

Hidden or Unhidden God is Present

Yes, I know the quote is really "Bidden or Unbidden God is present" but right now "Hidden or Unhidden God is present" is a better quote for my life. Yes, I know it's been awhile. And, although I've been "hidden" from the blog, it doesn't mean I've been ... well ... hidden from life. Rather, the opposite is true. The stuff of life has so filled my days that writing on the blog has had to take a seat and wait a while. Which, when I think of it, is what I am doing still ... waiting ... but waiting in a much different way.

Following the Eucharist on Easter morning I went for prayer and during that time in prayer a word came to me ... a command really:

  be at peace  

That's sort of what it looked like except that it came rushing at me out of complete blackness (for some reason Blogger text formatting doesn't make the background color the size of the font ... harumpf). It was such a direct command that it caught me in its intensity ... and its invitation to ... well ... be at peace. Stop worrying. Stop fretting. Stop looking for what is next. God is with you now, so

  be at peace 

My sister said that I changed so dramatically, it was as though I flipped a switch. Well, you betcha! If God gives a command I'm not going to question it ... I'm going to do it.

Since then, I have been thinking on what it is to wait. This is not an in between time. This is not a time of looking for what is next. This is not a time of searching for the way forward. This is the time to live life ... right now. The church calls our present season "ordinary time". I say it's "extraordinary time". This is the time to wait with{IN} Him. I know I've talked about this before, but being on this side of 18 months of waiting, it looks quite a bit differently than it did before.

I will post more about this but for now ... may you

be at peace

+++

Easter Sunday

O Lord God, our Father, You are the light that can never be put out; and now you give us a light that shall drive away all darkness. You are love without coldness, and you have given us such warmth in our hearts that we can love all whom we meet. You are the life that defies death, and you opened for us the way that leads to eternal life. I am not a great Christian; I am humble and ordinary. But your grace is enough for me. Arouse in me that small degree of joy and thankfulness of which I am capable, that timid faith which I can muster, that cautious obedience which I cannot refuse, and thus bring me to that wholeness of life which you have prepared for all of us through the death and resurrection of your Son.

Do not allow me or any of your children to remain apathetic or indifferent to the wonderful glory of Easter, but let the light of our risen Lord reach every corner of our dull hearts. Of my dull heart, Father. Amen.

- Karl Barth (adapted), Call of God
from Ruth Etchells Just As I Am

Good Friday

From Just As I Am by Ruth Etchells

Christ, whose bitter agony
was watched from afar by women
enable us to follow the example
of their persistent love;
that being steadfast in the face of horror,
we may also know the place of the resurrection,
in your name. Amen.

- Janet Morley, All Desires Known

O my Lord Jesus, I cannot bring myself to watch you through this horror: yet their persistent love kept them watching by you to the end. Help me to face the Golgotha truth of human life, Lord; and so discover with wonder that you do not only watch alongside me, but shield me from its full terror with your own body and spirit. So may I join with you and the women in steadfastness: and with them discover that this is a place of redemption.

Lord, let us be with you, wherever you are crucified today,
Wherever the will of man crosses the will of God:
For being God and man, you are stretched out on the cross of God's purpose 
and our rebellion.
Where the will to violence crosses God's will for peace,
Where lying and corruption cross God's will for truth,
Where greed and possessiveness cross the use of God's plenty,
Where we live not for others but for ourselves,
Where ugliness and disease cross the will of God for beauty and well-being,
There let us find you, racked on the cross,
And there let us be with you and share your pain,
And bring about with you, in union with your sacrifice,
That redemption which you are accomplishing in your passion.

- Margaret Cropper, Draw Near

O Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times I have racked you on the cross of God's purpose and my rebellion. Let me gaze at that cross and recognize what my wilfulness has done. So join my grief with your passion, Lord; that with your whole creation I may be redeemed. Amen.

There's Only What You Do

There's only what you do.
Everything else is inside your head.

But what you do is just the expression
of who you are
and what you know.

And what you do covers a multitude of sins.
You do your tone of voice
....
You do the silences between your words
as well as the words themselves.
You do the songs you sing.
You do the cup of tea you made your mum.
You do the way you spend your money
and the way you didn't spend it.
You do the love you make
and all the love you didn't make.
You do the atmosphere you change within a room.
You do the rocking of the baby in your arms
....
But ... what you do is the expression
of who you are
and what you know.

If what you are feels wrong or not worth much
scrunched up in a miserable little ball,
It goes without saying the way you do will mirror that.
And what others do you will receive
much the same.

'Doing Love' Love Burning Deep, Kathy Galloway

Oof. Those last few lines hurt a bit. I didn't want to write them out for you to read. I wanted to remove them, leave them out ... like some leave out certain lines of Scripture when reading it ... because they don't want to read them, hear them ... because of the truth they speak. Those last few lines are truth ... to one degree or another they are true ... for most of us. But, then Ruth Etchells gave a prayer to open it up for us today:

"O God of Love,...
Give me, now, the grace to open myself to you: this morning let me face those barriers within myself which shut out your love, and accept it fully in thankfulness:
- trusting you that its demand will not be too great for my frailty;
- letting its healing warmth teach me of my great worth in your eyes,
so that all I do and am is shaped by it. And let me see all that others do in the light of that love. So may the love I 'do' today shine with the love in which you have secured me. AMEN."

Ninth Day, Morning
Just As I Am, Ruth Etchells

Just As I Am

O LORD God,
help me today
to recognize
how significant my life is,
even when it seems obscure and unnoticed.
Keep me conscious that I
live it out
in your presence
and that all I am and do matters infinitely,
not just to me,
but to you,
and to the sum of good in your world.

So, Dear Father,
take my living today
into your keeping.
Give substance to my longing to serve you,
deepen my understanding of you and your dealings with this world,
and strengthen my will.
Help me to a more deeply assured control of my thoughts and feelings,
and the speech and action that flow from them:
teach me to bring them constantly under your care. ...

2nd Day - Morning
Just As I Am
Ruth Etchels

Resolution: Walk in the Light ... in this very moment!

I've read a lot of resolutions lately. Well, after all it is the new year, the time for resolutions. But, maybe the time for resolutions is not only for the beginning of a new year ... but for this very moment, for this very present moment, for this now? If you have read any of my postings about living in the present, making a choice for today, taking a step toward faith ... toward kindness or grace or loving ... now ... then, you know what is behind this thinking about resolutions being for this very present moment. But, in case you haven't or have forgotten ... like I have ... then here's what I'm thinking ... again ...

In today's lectionary we read about Eve taking and eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The LORD God commanded that Adam and Eve not eat from this tree, or they shall die. Two things struck me as I read this narrative: 1. Why wouldn't Eve trust the serpent? She had never known mistrust. She didn't know about deception or lying ... which is what the crafty serpent did. And, 2. It says "she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate." Hmmm. Was he with her when she was talking with the serpent? Hmmm. "She gave some to her husband" ... which means he had to have been with her and he had to take it from her and then eat it. He trusted her. Of course, he did. And, she trusted him. Are light bulbs going on in your head? Both of them seemed to have forgotten what God said, listened to the serpent's temptation, and then they both made a decision to take and eat. And, darkness came into the garden.

Isn't that what we do? I do! I know what God has said ... I read it everyday! Then, I walk along in my day, not aware of the temptations of the serpent who slithers across my path wanting to trip me up. Unlike Adam and Eve, I know about mistrust and lies and deception. I know better but, like Adam and Eve ... I listen to that voice and I forget God's voice ... His words of life to me. The serpent tempts me to forget God; he tempts me to walk into darkness.

BUT ... here is the Good News! "...we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it ... namely Jesus ..." Hebrews 2 

We know Jesus! He is our salvation! 

Everything is in subjection to Him. Everything! Even that slithering snake! There is nothing outside His control. All around us may look dark ... full of despair or disillusionment or discouragement or disdain or discontentment. You know the darkness that is around you. That is what the serpent wants us to see. That is what the serpent wants us to take and eat. He is a liar! 
All around us is the Light of Christ ... His grace and favor, His love for us and joy over us, His faithfulness to care for us and provide for us. In Him there is no darkness! In Him is Light ... and His Light is our life! 

It's time to make a resolution beginning in this very present moment and every moment onward ... to choose to take and eat of Christ's life, to choose to walk toward His Light. On occasion will we turn toward the darkness, take a step in that direction? Yes. We will. But, that it what repentance is about. Turn away from it. Make a resolution to choose to walk toward Christ ... to walk in the Light of Christ even when darkness is all around us.

Our Plan - God's Plan

I moved to a new address on December 22. It wasn't my plan to do this, but it was God's plan. Moving to a new address and working in a ceramic studio/store was not where I planned to be or what I planned to be doing a year after leaving my last place of ministry. I thought I would be happily shepherding a parish family by now. But, God wanted me here because at 11:30pm on New Year's Eve I needed to drive my new housemate to the Emergency Room. Fourteen hours later she had surgery to remove an undetected tumor that appears to be cancerous. I know that none of this was her plan and I know it wasn't God's plan, but what was God's plan was that I be here for her. This whole sequence of events ... on top of the sequence of events of this past year ... has awakened me to a new understanding of "walking by faith and not by sight".

In our daily living everything around us may look as though it's falling apart, working against us, going in the wrong direction, raising troubles on every side. That's what it looks like; it looks dark. But, as believers in Jesus Christ we walk by faith and not by sight. We walk in the Light. Does that mean that at times we won't tremble or fear? I don't think so. But, it does mean that we choose and take steps of faith that will not let fear and darkness have its way with us. With our sight fixed on God who is faithful and good we say, "We are troubled on every side, yet not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." - 2 Cor 4.8-9 This kind of walking looks to God in prayer, seeks others to pray with, searches the Scriptures ... in order to see and know how God is working for our good. This kind of walking is what brings the Light into our darkness and into the darkness of this world. This kind of walking brings hope.

Recently, when I was feeling particularly discouraged a good friend of mine sent me V. Raymond Edman's book, The Disciplines of Life. This book has renewed me, challenged me, strengthened me, and encouraged me ... to walk this life of faith. I know it will for you too. I believe it is out of print so if you can find a copy, buy it! It is solid meat of Truth that we need to hear in order to live this life of faith ... to walk by the Light of Christ.