Thankful for Bananas & Vacations

I was driving in my car with my four year old when she asked me if Thanksgiving is the day we thank Jesus for things. I smiled and told her it is. She continued,

"Like grass?"

     "Yes, like grass."

"And trees?"

     "Yes, and trees."

"For apples and pears?"

     "Yep, apples and pears."

"And bananas?"

     "Even bananas."

"For houses?"

     "Yes."

"And cars?"

     "Yes, thankful for cars."

"And hotels and vacations?"

I knew she'd crack me up eventually. We have no travel plans for this holiday season and the last hotel and vacation experience she had was several months ago. However, the idea of a vacation and the fun of a hotel, as long as it has a swimming pool, are always forefront in her young mind.

In the Old Testament, thanksgiving (Hebrew: towdah) means confession which leads to praising and giving thanks to God. It also means to bring a thank-offering before God. Even the root of the word reveals that thanksgiving includes extending your hands before God in surrender, confession, and praise.

I am thankful for a lot this season. Like my youngest, I am thankful for creation, food, a home, and even vacations. I could add more to her list as well. But, most of all, I am thankful for a loving Father-God whom I can come before in confession. I’m thankful He turns my tears of repentance into tears of joy. I am thankful His Son died to make that relationship possible and will return again to establish a kingdom of peace on earth. I am thankful His Spirit indwells me now to guide and help me as I walk this journey on earth.

Shout at Jesus: 4 messages we yell out everyday

I recently taught on Psalm 100. While studying and thinking about shouting, I came across something interesting in the four gospels. A lot of shoutin' is going on in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - but it all comes down to four basic messages.

1.  The demons shouted at Jesus:

“You are the Son of God!”

(Luke 4:41)

“What do you want with us, Son of God?”

(Matthew 8:29, Mark 5:7, Luke 8:28)

2.  Those in need of healing cried out:

“Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

(Matthew 20:30, Mark 10:47, Luke 18:39, and others)

3.  Those who believed shouted:

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! 
Hosanna in the highest!”

(Matthew 21:9, Mark 11:9, John 12:13, and others)

4.  Those who rejected Him cried out:

“Crucify Him!”

(Matthew 27:23, Mark 15:13, Luke 23:21, John 19:6, and others)

Which group are you in?

Are you in need of spiritual healing and recognize that only He can make you whole? Open your mouth and cry out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me. I need your grace and healing to make in me a new heart and a fresh start.”

Do you recognize He is the Son of God but don’t care? Do you know He was more than just a man but choose not to accept it as part of your life? Is your lifestyle mocking God, like the demons? Do your life choices shout, “You are the Son of God, what do you want with me, Son of God?”

Maybe you don’t believe. His life annoys you and you wish He would just go away. You are shouting out, “Crucify Him!” Maybe you are angry at something from this world and this life. You’ve directed that anger at Him and again, you cry out, “Crucify Him!”

Finally, maybe you recognize He is your Creator God who loves you and gave Himself for you. You know He came and died for your sins, resurrected, and will come again to take you to be with Him. You cry out, “Hosanna – Save me, I pray. Blessed are you – I praise you – who comes in the name of the Lord!”

What are you shouting at Jesus today?

Who's in Charge: Considering election results

Out of the mouth of babes.

I just arrived home after running a few errands. As this is Election Day, my final stop was to vote. After leaving the bank, my four year old daughter asked, “Where are we going next?”

I answered, “We’re going to vote.”

“What’s vote?”

Trying to simplify the process down to her childlike level, I replied, “Voting is when the people get to pick who leads our country and who takes care of everything.”

She paused for a minute, probably pondering my answer. Then, she started singing one of her favorite songs from church. She hadn’t sung this song all morning; I haven’t heard her sing it since. But at that moment, after hearing about who leads our country and who takes care of everything, she started singing,

J-E-S-U-S,

No one better from the east to the west,

Higher than the highest,

Better than the best,

J-E-S-U-S.

How’s that for a campaign slogan? I think she may know more than the rest of us.

“Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: “Praise be to the name of God forever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning” (Daniel 2:19b-21).

God's Timing or Satan's Attack?

I was supposed to receive the first published copy of Seven Roles, One Woman in late September. The week came and went without a word from the publisher. I eventually received word they had a problem registering the ISBN number so printing would be delayed. A week passed. Then two. My contact at the publisher told me I should have already received it; she would check on the problem. Another week passed. Halfway through the following week I contacted the publisher again. I discovered my contact was no longer with the company and, although the printer had received the order, no one in their company had followed through on it. They promised to put a rush on the printing and shipping.

Why am I sharing this with you? During the first part of that series of delays I kept thinking, “This is God’s timing” or “I will receive the book when it is the right time. God has a plan in all of this.” About halfway through the month of September, though, I began to wonder if all the delays were an attack by Satan to stifle the spread of God’s Word and discourage me in my ministry. I increased my prayers for the situation, all the while unsure as to what was going on in the spiritual realm as problems persisted in the physical realm.

Last Wednesday I was supposed to begin teaching the study to a class at my church. As the time neared to begin, I knew it wasn’t going to be available on time. I had to make a different plan. I decided to teach on one Psalm per week until the study was ready. I knew I wouldn’t run out of Psalms before the book was published and I also knew I could stop any time when it did become available. I chose Psalm 23 for the first week and proceeded to prepare my lesson.

Psalm 23 is perhaps the most well-known passage of Scripture in the Bible. The only passage that might compete with it for popularity is the famous John 3:16. Despite its overwhelming familiarity, I learned so much preparing that lesson. Someday I’ll share those things here, but for now, that’s not the purpose of this article.

I went to church that night to teach. I like to get there early to set up the classroom and make a pot of coffee. While doing those things, my husband showed up at the church building with a video camera in one hand and a package in the other hand. He had found the study on the front porch. Unknown to us, the UPS guy had delivered it earlier in the day.

I still don’t know if it was God’s timing or Satan’s attack that led to the delays in finishing the book. However, I did learn something that night. If it was God’s timing, then it was a good thing. If it was Satan’s attack, then his plan backfired. Either way, my class had a wonderful time gaining some new and fresh insight into the beautiful 23rd Psalm. I believe God wants us to take every opportunity to trust Him and serve Him, even if things aren’t working out right. Even if Satan is trying to block us at every turn.