Time-warped again

I am living in a virtual world and I am a virtual girl.

If that last sentence put your mind into the lyrics of a famous 1980’s Madonna song, then you are in just the right head space to join me in following God along in today’s revelation. Yes, today!  Finally I return to this blog and tell you how I’ve lost all sense of time in this pandemic age. It’s going to take a little longer for me to set the back drop, get to the drama and then tell you where I’m at so I appreciate it if you make it through the next thousand words.

The material girl wouldn’t survive in my virtual world. There is no excess, shopping experiences are limited, few movie sets exist, less glamourous events are available to display your diamonds to millions in person and spas still don’t have full services available. Instead of doing all that, if you are like me, you’ve spent a majority of 2020 and 2021 in the comfort of a small physical space and a deep mental zone.

Like me, you may have journeyed far into your inner self and pondered who you are, who are you relying on for provision and what stuff you really should be carrying on your person and storing in your space physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

The Bible says “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’.” (Hebrews 13:5)

In this past two years, some pastors would say something like this; although God wouldn’t want to plague the world, He would use this time of isolation and 6-feet distance from all that mattered to us in life to create room for Him to reawaken us as we depend on Him, should we choose dare to believe He could get us through this. One of the greatest pastors I ever had has been spending 15 minutes online each morning with his flock since the day I was searching for toilet paper, Good Friday 2020 precisely. The wisest counsel I received from this virtual sunrise communal prayer space was “make your now place your best place.”

Lord knows my mind would love to return to the 1980s when I was a carefree youth under the provision and protection of two amazing parents. There was no room for worries in my mind full of dreams then. So many times I’d return there as I slept and wander the familiar streets of my hometown, the greatest city on earth – NYC. On the other hand, if I dared to turn on the news, my mind would be forced into fear of the future and all its unknowns. Less not forget the crazy rabbit trails I’d end up on searching medical advice online (and that’s not even the just the pandemic symptoms, I had other issues arise in 2020).

I decided I couldn’t be past or future; I had to settle in to my now place. It was easy as an introvert to seize the opportunities of this digital world; remote work, gym classes, online therapy sessions, grocery orders with delivery, museum visits, YouTube concerts, professional development and much more without ever leaving my living room. I’m even more amazed how I’ve grown spiritually as I took on more and more opportunities to serve with a virtual ministry where I continue to make more new friends faster than I’d ever meet people in person. I also love the friendship groups and church small groups who met on Zoom with me and developed a closeness that would have taken years to develop. Telework, for sure, is the best 9 to 5 ever and has allowed me the breathing room to take care of my own health while being way more productive without office environment distractions.

Most of all, I learned God is my provider and He gives in abundance. I’ve reflected on His goodness in my life so many times. Oh the things I overcame and the places I will go with Jesus by my side! This shift into a pandemic world would just be another challenge I’d endure because of the trust I have in my God. I can have hope and confidence in Jesus.

Scripture says “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in ALL things at ALL times, having ALL that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

Some days in the last two years weren’t always bright and it would take faith without seeing to get through. In the middle of the timeframe from my last blog to this one, my world was completely shaken when my at home family dynamic completely dismantled. The way I was living my daily life and who I was living with would be ripped from me in the middle of the night like the thief who comes to steal and destroy. As if that wasn’t traumatic enough, all of this happened two months after a best friend unexpectedly died in her sleep. Grief struck again but I was equipped by faith to press through it's season (and I had a great support dog at my side).

Everything that was happening all at once would have been the perfect storm. But I took the focus to my Perfecter’s opportunity to intervene.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith …” (Hebrews 12:2)

This is my Jesus. I choose “yes” to His invitation to hold His hand as He gets me through dark valleys, gives me green pastures to rest and creates paths through raging storm waters.

With Him, I spent half of 2021 purging physical possessions. While transitioning from one residence to the next, I looked forward to weekend outings to purge stuff at donation centers or meet buyers. It took six months to inventory all of my possessions and evaluate their value in my life. The toughest decisions were made on the stuff that contained emotional value. My new place couldn’t contain the old things physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually (I literally have zero storage closets).  With God, I created a now place in a small apartment that has all many minute details that point to the memories of my favorite places. This made it easier to settle in to my current location in mind, body and spirit.

As I parted with the past I had to come to Jesus with every role I played in my more than four decades of life. And like in the end of Madonna’s video for “Material Girl,” I got in the shanty vehicle of life driven by a humble man who would take me away from the Hollywood set I casted myself in to and forge me into a land of simplicity with him.  For me, that driver has to be Jesus and GPS is the Holy Spirit. It is the only way I’ll find serenity in this mad world.

I can’t wait to see where Jesus takes me next and I’ll get better at sharing it more frequently with fewer words.

 

She's my girl!

Child of God
Spouse of Holy Spirit
Mother of Jesus
And a teenage girl!

As if that isn't mindblowing enough, then God invites all humans to experience the spiritual journey she had by saying yes too.

Hold on. How can this be?
Mary asked that too in Luke 1. The answer will floor you. ANYTHING is possible with God. He'll give you His Spirit.

So Mary gracefully accepts His will over her own, puts her physical life in danger by becoming a pregnant teen at a time they stoned women for that. She risks looking insane when she has to tell people she never had sex with a man. Mary will look emotionally unstable. But spiritually she'll be the strongest human ever.

Am I up for the challenge? Are you?

This is how the Catholics start their new year, pondering Mary's yes as we think of our own while making our own resolutions. Mary pondered her own faith and kept it deep in her heart. So did I at mass today.

"when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.  Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “ Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir."
Galatians 4:4‭-‬7 NIV

Mary is an heir just like us!

She's my girl, my role model. She's the mother Jesus gives us before he breathes his last human breath on the cross. She's got supernatural insight beyond comprehension I can lean on. There is so much God reveals to us with this yes, when we can truly say "yes, let my life be lived according to your will."

I'm in awe of this grace! I could write forever but I'll end here. Praying for all of us to fully receive this love of God he wants to impregnate us with so we may birth it to the world.

Blessed Solemnity!

Bad bosses and uncertain futures

These two items, bad bosses and uncertain futures, can sew such a fear in our souls. They contest our control on our destiny. They question our ability to control the situation at hand. The unknown aspect of what they can do to us gives birth to an anxiety we never knew we were capable of having.

Well, here is a public service announcement. The Old Testament is overflowing with wise counsel and examples of people who survived. You are certainly not alone if either of these are causing overwhelming feelings. Bad bosses and uncertain futures have been a bad thing since the dawn of time, since man decided to be his own boss.

Those believers who held on despite the odds were placed in the Book of Hebrews Hall of Fame.

"Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins." Hebrews 12 MSG

Old Testament believers didn't just face bad bosses, they worked for tyrants and were often enslaved. They shared cubicle space with self-centered ambitious coworkers who could torture or kill them at a moment's notice. Israel's future was uncertain a majority of the time. They lived a nomadic life, always in and out of captivity. Sometimes even their own blood couldn't be trusted.

Scripture is a place to go to seek ideas, contemplate ways ahead and most of all, learn to trust God. This is why the stories of the great cloud of witnesses were spoken through generations, penned in holy books and set in a Bible that many sought to destroy in its travel around the globe by brave couriers of the faith. The one constant in all the testimonies is God. 

He has been, is and forever will be the solid in this crazy, broken world. When you report to Him first, all else falls in place. He has your future secure, in your best interest, and when you can walk in that truth you walk in a confidence like no other.

"Keep your eyes on Jesus , who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there , in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!"
Hebrews 12 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/heb.12.1-3.MSG

So go check out the Old Testament. I've been behind again in writing because I've been lost in the book of Daniel. This young man watched his friends survive a blazing furnace and lived through a night in the lions den. He wasnt afraid to tell his bosses what God revealed about the uncertain futures even if it meant death.

Despite the odds he kept his daily routine of spiritual exercises. That communication with God on the regular kept him going. Daniel knew it was his lifeline no matter the cost. His obedience made him fearless. His faith made him strong. God was always in control.

After you read the stories of the Old Testament, comment below on the bad bosses and uncertain futures you find. Most of all, discover how to stop them from developing an unhealthy fear in your soul and share what you learned.

May His peace be with you.

He said what?

I love running into one of those verses in the Bible that just sound so crazy. Those are the ones that stick to memory banks for decades because it's so out of the box, so unexpected but so mysteriously deep. Usually they're simple and short. They come with a visual you won't stop seeing.

This week Disney give me a whole new picture for one of these verses. Hopefully I'm not giving any spoiler alerts to The Lion King by telling you about Simba looking into the water for an answer the wise old monkey wanted to reveal to him. In that moment, I thought of the man who looks at his reflection and doesn't remember what it looks like. Here's the verse:

"Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." James 1:23‭-‬24 NIV

This crazy-sounding guy wasted no time forgetting what he saw. The Bible says he immediately forgot. What an odd thing for someone to do. It seems especially odd to someone like me sitting here in American culture where everyone seems so obsessed with how they look to the point that they can't stop posting it on social media, to whatever measures of posting it the way they want to be seen. We've got people imprisoned in comparison traps over their looks because of social media.

Simba doesn't turn out that way though. Neither should any Christian. When you read the entire chapter of James 1, you see the dilemma a Christian faces. They hear the Word but knowing and doing become two different things. The doing takes a lot of initiative and practice. To truly see the reflection of yourself as one within the identity of your Holy Father, God in Heaven, takes a serious moment of openness in heart in mind and allowance of a gentle nudge from the Holy Spirit. Simba's best friend was trying to remind him of his identity, telling him all the things he heard and loved to hear before. But only a persistent monkey could catch up with him and push the lion cub to take a second look at his reflection in the water.

That circle of life would have been at a standstill if Simba walked away immediately forgetting his calling and his purpose. But the monkey stirred the waters and made him look again. The Spirit is stirring us all within to take a second look, move beyond what's comfortable and step into the reality of who and whose you are.

Let's go back to where James started in his teaching before he told us about this man with serious short term memory issues.

"Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." James 1:4‭-‬5‭

Certainly for Simba a mature life was not going to happen while frolicking in a safe environment oblivious to the destruction happening in his homeland, singing worry free jingles, eating junk food and making fart jokes with his new friends.

God calls us to much more. Are you ready to really see it? Ask and you'll receive. Be ready to find joy in the trial. Watch how God grows you through it over and over again. That's the unforgettable Christian journey that fuels my every step and gives me stuff to blog about!

Content with obscurity

Sometimes I read a verse in the Bible and find the wording so clever, especially the message version.

Today's top word in Word-obscurity.

Colossians 3:4 says to be content with obscurity, like Christ.

First I was like who's calling Jesus obscure? That's interesting. Then I was like oh wait they're asking me to be obscure and be happy about it.

Can you imagine if they changed the 80s sitcom Cheers theme song to "You wanna go where nobody knows your name?" If you're familiar with the song, you'll know that this does not sell the TV show at all because it is set in a bar where everyone is happy because everyone there knows their name.

This was my first Google answer to what obscurity means:

One meaning of obscurity is nobody knowing who you are, and another definition is something that is hard to understand because it's too complex or unclear. Obscurity is the opposite of fame, and living in obscurity means that nobody knows your name. (Vocabulary.com)

So Jesus is an enigma? Sounds about right because this is why I'm such a Bible study junkie. I love unravelling this mystery. We will never get the answers but we'll always be pointed in the right direction.

The direction Colossians 3 tells us to take involves us becoming new in Christ and by walking in this way we become almost invisible to the outside world. That's hard to swallow in a world where many of us want to be understood. However, when it comes down to it, all that matters is that you're following these directions and you could walk in the confidence that God understands and that's all you need on this narrow road. 

Only God knows and there are plenty of Christian songs about that to help you feel content about this mystery. Here's one by King and Country called "God only knows," https://youtu.be/Q5cPQg3oq-o.

I could continue down this rabbit trail but I'll end this blog right here with the verse that started it all and you can let it take you on a journey God designed for you.

"Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ." Colossians 3:3‭-‬4 MSG https://bible.com/bible/97/col.3.3-4.MSG

Hopefully my obscurity has helped me with this blog because maybe nobody will recognize, once again, I've allowed a long gap between postings but it has come to my attention lately I need to get back on it. It doesn't matter if they know my name, I just hope whoever finds it learns His name. 

Praying all receive His revelation. There are so many pieces of this mystery called life that can make sense in God's perspective if we allow it. Plug in to the Word and a community that will support you in your desire to learn more of Him and you'll discover more of you in the process. It's an amazing trip! The Holy Spirit has the best GPS.

Smiles, laughter, love

Mom’s Eulogy

Smiles, laughter and love…but the greatest of these is love.

This could be my mother’s revised version of the famous faith, hope and love Bible verse. Every condolence card we received contained these words to describe her.

Faith. The smile on her face radiating from within. Faith shows the reality of what we hope for. The Bible says faith is believing without seeing. It is the evidence and assurance of things we cannot see. Mom’s smile was greater than any outward sign of ALS during her last six years with us. She beamed whenever she recognized someone who entered the room or crossed her path. Her hugs were so tight when we’d come home to visit. Her light was always so inspiring, especially to those who knew the physical challenges she endured. She met each day with a positive greeting.

Hope. The heartiness of her laugh. Come what may, mom was still going to have a prank to play. Life was never that serious to miss making life so much fun. No doubt you got the emails, the written notes on her board and the text messages. But as silly as it may have gotten sometimes, she instilled a hope of endurance. One time she wrote “you need a sense of humor otherwise you’ll go nuts.” We also saw mom’s hope in her heart-felt prayers, genuine thoughtfulness and constant care for us. She led us to believing all things were possible.

Love. Love was the greatest force in mom’s life. Her deep devotion to family kept us all strongly united. It is the reason some of you here have known mom for decades and you came today to remember her. Mom’s love was more infectious than any disease could ever be. Without question, the true picture of love as God wanted for us was painted before my eyes anytime I would see mom and dad together. These two were truly joined as one –they did life together daily for more than 50 years. There just is no greater love than that except God Himself who is love.

We are here today to thank God for blessing our lives with a wife, a sister, a mother, a grandmother, an aunt, a godmother, a dear friend and a sweet neighbor in Marie Cuttita. This should make us smile, triggering the memories of the times she made us all laugh. But most of all we have had a taste of Heaven by personally experiencing her love for us. That is an eternal flame we’ll find comfort in until we see her again.

Smiles, laughter and love.

So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians Chapter 13 verse 13.

Thank you for coming to God’s house today in honor of my mother.

50 Shades of Grace

Bondage is gone. I admit it was good. The temporary pleasure of letting another take control, letting my mind lose itself and doing what felt good. Now my arms are no longer pinned down. I no longer worry about possessions that were never really mine any way. Bills are paid. No man has my full attention. My thinking is free. Truth is none of us are black or white. Everyone is a shade of grey. We fight the battle daily to go with flesh or Spirit. Do what feels good at the moment or suffer the wait to see what’ll happen? Ignore the opportunity to do something good for someone in crazed hurriedness of today’s world or stop and meditate on Word ready to receive the sweet whispered instruction on how to bring one more smile to the globe? Both sides of the equation require submission but who is the master you chose? You can only have one. The world only focuses only on the bondage in this popular book made movie. However, the real challenge is there inside the original text; the movie is just a sexy commercial. In the pages of 50 Shades of Grey, Anna’s mind is exposed much more than her body. So many of us have been there. We let the overwhelming temporary high take us to places we may regret later. We think we are making the choices but really we are being driven by attractive things outside ourselves. And we may even have scars to show it. I admit it was more than annoying to read the main character’s self-pity, her self-doubt, her questions demanding approval from a stranger and her lack of confidence. However, if I were to be honest, I’d see it was so annoying because I hated that part of myself anytime it tried to manifest in my mind. I’m so grateful to God for the day He showed me the road I was walking with him had a crossroad. I could go fully down that off-beat path and lose myself to a seductive world of what pleased me. It would have taken me to lots of places I may have enjoyed but it would have been lots of places. Roaming from one to another would have been the only way I could keep the high of that lifestyle fresh. Or I could do what I did, return back to the split where God was left while I thought I was having the “time of my life.” I’ll never forget asking him what he was doing there and He showed me how He was piecing together the parts of my broken heart. Without any focus on those pieces I was able to run free, untethered from my one true love, Jesus. Sure, His road forward is narrow and challenging. It calls me to do things I never thought I could do. It asks me to stand out against the grain of everything that brushes against it. But the line must be drawn. A bright light lies ahead and I’m better for staying within His boundaries that I have to believe lead to an unknown glorious future. “If my goal was popularity, I wouldn’t bother being Christ’s slave. Know this—I am most emphatic here, friends—this great Message I delivered to you is not mere human optimism. I didn’t receive it through the traditions, and I wasn’t taught it in some school. I got it straight from God, received the Message directly from Jesus Christ.” Galatians 1:12 MSG Jesus isn’t shy about the contract He wants me to sign. He even said it would be a bondage. He said I’d be yoked to him. My hands would be surrendered in worship and I wouldn’t be able to touch him. I’d have to believe He was there, in control, had my best interest and allow myself to be bound to His Heavenly union of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I marvel at being wrapped up in that triune knot of wonder. This is my place and I kneel at it gracefully. I await what Jesus has for me. After all, He bore the stripping, the whips, the flogging, the pressing crown of thorns, the judgment of sin, the name calling, the false accusations, the piercing nails and suffocating breath. I have to believe whatever pain I think I’m going through is actually already overcome. I’m no longer a slave to sin. I am a Child of God, exposed and vulnerable only to His Spirit. His Grace and Mercy have set me apart and within the only unity I was called and designed for.

Shame be gone

I never had someone read the Bible to me and my instant thought was wanting  to smack them...until now. 

The YouVersion Bible app's reader makes "aha, aha" in Psalm 70 sound as annoying as it is in real life. Everyone knows who the people are that say that. They are the pompous commentators who have nothing better to do than watch the actions of others but never take as much time in the mirror. 

They make the bully on the Simpsons who repeats "ha ha" seem bearable. 

(In case you haven't heard him, here's a link. 

http://youtu.be/lAUNlO6-rlk)

The Message version calls them "gossips off clucking their tongues." The New Living Translation said "aha! we got him now." Rob Lacey called them "the cocky ones who push me to the edge" in Word on the Street.

Notice the Psalm 70 prayer; no matter what version, the Psalmist is begging God to quickly come and rescue them.

These are clearly not people we want to be around for a long time. Even the Psalmist only gives them five verses of attention. For me personally, a second is long enough.

But what if we have to be in an environment with these cackling fools? What if they're in our daily life in someway? What if we actually begin to sound like them? What if we are them? 

God help us hold our toungues! Somehow we have to learn how to respond to them and not react to their overbearing ways with a smack down. Nor should we even entertain their obnoxiousness.

Clearly, the only way is to handle this is to turn it over to God. It's what the Psalmist did. He knew he was not the one to be shamed by his false accusers. What they were doing was very shameful. Don't play the shame game. 

Let God take the revenge. As you probably know, if you ever tried to speak back, the cackling only gets louder and longer. If you ever tried to defend a person or yourself in the situation, then you may have witnessed the finger-pointing increase. They have no interest in hearing you but God always does

Lord, I pray help me be a light to the world where annoying people are inevitable. Let your voice be louder than their cackle. Let truth replace the gossip. Let people be set free from the bonds of shame. The Word declares the cross will not go in vain, the humble will be exalted and the hecklers of both will face their judgment. In your name, Amen

Shedding worry weight

A wise man said what we care for, we carry and that is the weight of worry. Worry, in his definition, is a false sense of responsibility.

I was stuck in that awful position again where my teenage son did not return home after school.

However I went on to my appointment with Hope. On my way back, the sunlight and rainbow provided me the reminder that God's promise remains true.

But when I got home all I had was the pictures of His beauty to hold onto. I didn't have a son to hug.

With hope, I begin to prepare my son's favorite meal. I believed he would be home when it was set on the table.

At the precise moment my son's radiant smile should have come through the door, my phone rang. It was from an unlikely caller who gave me reassurance in a way the caller never did before.

Confident in renewed hope, I went on a quick errand. I also knew there was a possibility I could sneak up on the location where my son could be. But God didn't let me do it my way.

As God would have it, with no effort of my own, my son was automatically placed in my path. He thought he would get a ride home but I had to continue the discipline. Although my joy could have made me succumb to his rebellion, I told him to continue his walk home.

Guilt wanted to feed worry. Thoughts wanted to overcome me with the idea of if I was a good parent by the quick decision I made. But God helped me focus on the positive news that my son was not in any danger as worry could have me believe. My sweet boy was healthy and alive.

I didn't want to look at the clock while I was home again. Instead the still small voice reminded me the wise man quoted above, my pastor, preached on worrying and I hadn't had the chance to listen to it. The sermon was as long as my son's walk home.

Right on time, my son walked in the door as if nothing was wrong. I dropped to the floor and thanked Jesus. I kept my eyes on God. The sermon was wrapping up on my iPhone. Pastor Steve asked us to place our hands on our hearts and say this prayer:

Father, you are a great father and you care for me. If you care for the birds who you didn't die for, then you care for me, whom you did die for.

Help me today to not be shut down by my thoughts but to let me realize that my faith is for greater things then what I realize. I know you are in my tomorrow.

It's automatic. It's appointed.

So Father, when I fall behind and try to worry; Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit enable me to keep up with peace that passes all understanding.

Let the Lord speak to your heart today. Give it to him. It needs a response that's beyond your ability so why do you carry it?

Daily, I carry more and more, especially in parenting. Daily I am passionately seeking protection, provision and productivity for my family. These things can only come from God worry free and stress less. 

That's it! I'm going on a diet and I'm shedding my worry weight. I'm leaving all that disgusting blob of fat on the altar (much like the slaughtered animals they put on the altar in the Old Testament days. Gross!)

Cast it. It is His.

Everything that concerns us, you will perfect, my Father. I know it.

You didn't bring us this far to leave us hanging now. As a church, as a family, as individuals and as a corporate body May your heart be seen, may your heart be known. May we see the glory of you in the morning and know it's there, in Jesus name. 

Like what was preached from Exodus, the fog was lifted and I saw the provision of the daily bread God promised. He is with me and he will provide. 

I feel lighter already!

(Editor's note: The sermon was by Destiny Worship Ctr., Destin, FL and can be found online at http://www.destinyworshipcenter.com/summer-on-mount-sermon-series/)

Let's talk about sex

We know casual sex feels good at the moment and everyone is doing it but it's not working somehow. It complicates our life and one temporal moment lasts a lifetime. Why?

"There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another. Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body." (1 Corinthians 6:16-20 MSG)

I can't claim credit for the important reminder of what sex is. Andy Stanley said it best how our world has twisted what sex is. (Twisted Lesson Number 4 http://northpoint.org/messages/twisted/category-of-one/)

Now how to teach the teen who sees the fun everyone is having and wants to engage in the activity that's so inviting by a world who is shoving it in his face...

If he only knew how the one RSVP yes has implications that will last a life time. I know because I can honestly look back at my own life. 

Let's be real with this generation! We know it's not just physical. Let's be real with ourselves! Read between the lines of what you see and hear and teach the next generation to do the same.

What are you listening to?

You can't be willing to hear God if you got your headphones on listening to yourself play your own music. 

I know a guy who is so passionate about his music, he wanted me to purchase the headphones he used because he knew they were the quality needed to hear his voice loud and clear without any static.

Since when do we need to pressure people into hearing us? Why do so many feel like they've gone unheard? Why does the world seemed to accept the culture of plugging in only what you want to hear and tuning everything else out? And since when do babies need earphones?

Every question requires one personal inventory of asking yourself what it is you chose to listen to and what it is you chose to tune out.

We are warned in the last days we will have convinced ourselves of our own righteousness so much so that our own voices are the ones we want to hear and all others get attuned to what we want to hear them say.

"For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4 NLT)

The Bible says faith comes by hearing in Romans 10:17. It's become harder these days to hear God amongst the many voices competing for attention. There is no greater time than now to discern what the Bible says about ears.

Again it's a simple call to reflect the Creator who is always listening as seen in Psalm 34. David pleaded for God to hear his cries in those intimate poems. He sought spiritual counsel to give him a hearing test. Some times it's so hard when we only hear mockers the psalmist writes in Psalm 44.

What are we doing to check our ears or are we just plugging them up?

The gospels proclaim those who hear and believe are blessed. Anyone who has ears to hear should listen (Matt 4:9, 11:5, Rev 13:9 and more). People are longing to hear but don't Luke said. 

I love how Rob Lacey put it in Word on the Street. He said they got wandering eyeness and selective deafness.

Listen up!

That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness. There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years. (Hebrews 3:7-9 NLT)

The choice is yours on what you will clog your ears with and your choice to teach the next generation how to train their ears before making it acceptable to plug their ears up.

Sing to your soul

Did you ever discover a song that sings to your soul?

We all need a season with Jesus to discover our purpose. The transforming year of 2008 is 

so clearly defined in this song for me if I question my existence or place in the world, I can just play it.

http://youtu.be/UAY_qM09-hQ

A book titled Soul Song describes how each person has a song driven by an amazing unity of ONE SPIRIT. God speaks to us individually in a way he knows will light our flame that is just a flicker among all creation which together lights the world.

PSALM 148 (NLT)

Let every created thing give praise to the LORD, for he issued his command, and they came into being. He set them in place forever and ever. His decree will never be revoked. Praise the LORD from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey him, mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all livestock, small scurrying animals and birds, kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth, young men and young women, old men and children. Let them all praise the name of the LORD. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven! He has made his people strong, honoring his faithful ones— the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD! (Psalms 148:5-14 NLT)

Crossing God

I couldn't help but wonder about a strange phenomena that happens every school morning on the corners marking the paths toward the educational facilities. 

Without fail, no matter what the weather, volunteers donned in bright orange vests are positioned and ready to help students cross busy roads. Also, without fail, I see teens headed to high school avoiding these community servers.

Parents can probably tell you rebellious teens are always testing authority. There comes an age, they say, where their son or daughter doesn't even want to be seen with them. Usually it is around the same time in life they don't want to be seen next to a smiling stranger who wants to help them avoid dangers of oncoming traffic. 

What is even more disturbing is price of rebellion defined Scripture. It leads you wondering why anyone would choose it to begin with. Numbers 14:9 says those who rebel against the Lord have lost their protection. We aren't just talking about refusing to allow a crossing guard get you to school safely, we are talking about entire peoples being wiped out or devoured by the enemy because of one simple "no, thank you" and determined turn in the wrong direction.

Many times in the Old Testament the Israelites are not just called rebellious but they are labeled adulterous for leaning on other sources of satisfaction other than their one True God. A promise was made by their Heavenly Father that they would be numerous and mighty. He kept his promise but they would waiver time and time again.

Children are also given one commandment with a promise according to Ephesians 6:2. Living long and going well in the land God gave you is guaranteed for children who keep the promise by Exodus 20:12and Deuteronomy 5:16. The gospel writers add the flip side by saying if anyone curses their mother or father they face death.

I believe this isn't just for teens who don't want to be seen with adults. This is also for anyone who doesn't want to be seen with God. As His children, believers are called to fear or honor Him as a Father. Next time pride sets in or a choice has to be made think of God who is right there ready to help you cross the safe passage He set for you.

Humbly, like the crossing guards, Jesus is there every day no matter what the weather is in your life. He stands at his post offering a hand. At least thank Him.

Housecleaning essentials

Don't you just hate it when people come to visit and your house is out of order? 

Jesus purposely turned over the tables in the temple because  they made a mess of His Fathers house by turning it into a marketplace.

Think of how any parent reacts to their child's room utterly destroyed. In those moments I always got frustrated, especially if I knew the instructions on how to clean were received. Most times I'd collect the messy items in box then put them away for weeks as a punishment. 

In Matthew, Mark, and Luke's Gospel clear instruction is given to make a house of prayer, not a den of robbers. Mark also reminds us this house of prayer is for all nations.

Jesus clearly tells us to prepare a place for His arrival. We don't know the day or the hour, He said.

Before this temple tantrum occurs, disciples arranged Jesus' transportation exactly as instructed and the crowds prepared his arrival making a palm tree "red carpet."

In the street crowds shouted "hosanna in the highest" but obviously the people in the temple were not prepared.

Tonight an annoying cough and ache of allergy Spring kept me and my son from a Palm Sunday worship concert. In the past we were given palms at the Catholic churches. Once I even ended up in the Vatican Square without any intention or knowing it was a holy day. But tonight I learned I can dedicate my own house.

We prepared our home with candles and loaded up the Bible app references to the day on my phone. My son and I sang along with every rendition of Hosanna on YouTube by a variety of Christian artists. Together we read the readings. 

It reminded me how we are dancing on holy ground even though it is just our living room. Obtaining this house was truly a miracle in 2010. Immediately after I was handed the keys to the gift, my dear spiritual dad, a local Catholic Deacon and dearest mentoring friend, dedicated our home in the name of Jesus. Part of this writing is in memory of him who recently went to Heaven to sing Hosanna with the host of angels (another blog on dad's legacy coming soon)

We are also blessed to have a house that isn't full of stuff any robber would want. When Jesus gave us this house we left it free of materialistic clutter. Scripture is written on the walls. We don't even own a computer, Internet, cable, or any flat screen. The furniture is so minimal it would be so easy to move if God called us to do it again. 

The Bible also tells us our body is a house of the Holy Spirit. That's a whole other writing on how to keep this dwelling place within in order.

Jesus is ready to receive us. This week of reminiscing on all He did for us in preparation of Easter as the Jewish faith He came from celebrates Passover has so much to offer on house cleaning.

We are ready for holy week, are you?

They cry, I cry, we all cry "God, WHY?"

"Enough is enough already!"

Have you ever prayed that prayer?

It would make perfect sense if you were battling with some deep rooted scars or a repeated reoccurance of bad luck.

The Bible shows a picture of a whining nation of people time and time again during a season God was so close and personal. He walked with them. Their leader could call Him direct. They could see His miracles daily. A cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night led them safely through a strange land. 

Yet and still it wasn't enough.

They cried

"But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes." (Numbers 11:6 KJV)

Their leader Moses cried

"I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me." (Numbers 11:14 KJV)

As a parent I know what it is like to become extremely weary. How much drama can you have in one day? Can you ever expect to return home from work and there not be something crazy you have to address that happened in your teenage son's life? And yet nothing seems to be appreciated. Nothing seems to be working. No help is actually helping. Things seem to be getting worse.

All the while God is wondering how you lost sight of him. 

In this Old Testament story God actually came down and burned up the uttermost parts of the camp with his anger. He had walked with them all day and they seemed to of forgotten about him the minute they got home. They forgot how far he took them. They forgot the 72 hours of eternal bonding. 

Instead they sat at the dinner table demanding meat to eat. They reminisced on a former slave life as if it was a time of plenty and good health.

I can hear them sighing. I can see their eyes rolled. I can feel the dissapointment their Father God could feel. The manna He miraculously served after walking with them three days was not appreciated or respected.

Loud and clear in my mind I hear them say those famous teenage words "I'M BORED!"

Moses, their earthly parent shepherding them was getting frustrated to the point he questioned the purpose of his existence. He begged God to take the load and God answered with abundant help through 70 newly appointed elders.

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone." (Numbers 11:16, 17 KJV)

If you are feeling like enough is enough read those last three words over and over.

NONE OF US WALK ALONE!

God himself walks in three. His Son leads the way. We follow in Spirit-driven GPS. 

It is only when we lose sight of what's ahead we can become prey of the past, create a misconception of whose we are and fall victim to worries that don't really exist.

Worst of all we can forget we are not alone. God shows up and shows out through people. Just wait, trust and believe. There's really nothing to complain about when you remind yourself what He has done, is doing and has prepared for those who love Him.

Sound of revelation

To me, this is the lyric of "I just received WORD!"

Jesus asks very poignant questions in Mark 8 that should reveal a sense of this song.

Having eyes don't you see?

Having ears don't you hear?

Do you remember when (fill in your personal miracle)?

You understand?

Who do you say I am?

For what of a profit if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?

Set your mind on things of God (mark 8:33)

Then you will sing as you feel how this song ties together that awe inspiring feeling "I just received revelation."

http://youtu.be/0FksKAytQdk

"Alive" Capital Kings

Sticks and stones

Sticks and stones may break David's bones but call His God names and he will hurt you

The ruddy boy came in from the field smelling like dew and dirt. The only shine to his appearance was the sun he toiled in. He probably forgot his sandals by some tree he stopped to talk to. 

Besides, I bet he loved the way blades of grass felt between his toes. I bet it was as soothing as the sound of a harp. It wasn't as noisy, loud and obtrusive as seven brothers were. The trees didn't poke at him or instigate any sort of touch.

Surely he heard angels sing with him. 

I bet each sheep he tended to had a name and personal story. Each one probably had a unique feel of its own matted fur. The boy probably lost so much time leading them through their daily adventure wherever the Spirit led for however long, but I bet he was quick to get there just in time to catch the sunrise every day.

His brothers probably sat back eating a hearty breakfast at the kitchen table where the boy's trail of crumbs laid. I'm sure siblings took turns to look out the window and call their youngest "aloof" or "flighty." I bet no one understood how he could talk to sheep or have a knack for what ails them. Even dad would go along with the laughter at his smallest boy sometimes.

I would venture to say the first thing they noticed about the boy was he had sensory integration issues. He only felt at home in the sheep field alone with God. Most likely the boy consumed any praise from his father and suppressed any reaction to the naysaying brothers. I would say he knew every sight, sound, smell, feel and touch of the area surrounding their home.

I love when an old Bible stories suddenly shed new light. My son has been labeled an Autism spectrum kid since age 4. This weekend I saw the warrior David in my F-branded high school student after reading 1 Samuel chapters 16 to 18 all over again.

Here are my notes that led me to believe the backdrop to this story could be what I wrote above.

1 Samuel 16:12 - David didn't have the appearance of a king or a warrior. If my son grows, it is in height so he appears to get skinnier. He's ordered by the doctor to drink two protein shakes a day. He doesn't measure up to the other teens and even jokes about being "smaller."

1 Samuel 16 - David was anointed king but went right back to the field. My son could win the greatest award or accomplish an amazing task but he will go right back to his "field." Worldly titles don't impress him. He is comfortable in his room with Legos, video games, music or his adventure trail he created in the yard. Our two dogs are his sheep and often those are the only buddies he hangs out with.

1Samuel 16:21 - David loved Saul greatly. My son loves everyone and they recognize it. He even speaks highly of the teachers who betrayed him.  Just yesterday I just watched him drop all his groceries while we were at the store so he could run and say hello to a former teacher five asiles away. His world stops for hugs.

1Samuel 17:15 - David stops on the way to battle with Saul to feed sheep. Then in verse 18 he packs lunch for the army under his father's instruction

 My son is always going his own way and he loves to give things to others. Shopping with him takes extra time because he will bring me things he thinks other people would like. Many things have left my house and I lost track of the inventory. Teachers call me often to see if I am aware of the missing items. I remind them this is the only way I know they're talking about my son, the compassionate giver. Gifting has been his signature trait since he was three-years-old initiating a game of tag with a lady in a wheelchair every Sunday at church.

1Samuel 17:29 - It doesn't matter how big of a bully you are, you can't convince David of what he knows. I have a picture of my son professing his intelligence in military warfare to a general and a retired colonel without a blink of an eye. They were a captive audience. 

1 Samuel 17:29 - David asks "what have I done now?"

My son is immune to the charges that come up against him at school and in life daily. Once again, David is misunderstood and shrugs it off just like my son does. This is spectrum kid survival tactic number one. People get angry and frustrated dealing with my son and I confess sometimes so do I but he lets none of it affect him.

1 Samuel 17:34 - David speaks to elders with a "matter of fact" attitude that the same tactics against Goliath arethe same tactics you use to fight wild animals who chased after his sheep. My son's teachers would assess he was off topic during a classroom discussion.

I imagine my son giving a 30 minute discourse on a specific animal behavior, mostly repeated verbatim from Animal Planet but own it as his own "matter of fact" knowledge. No one will get a word in edgewise and he will not come up for air until he is done.

I assume the army gives in to David's testimony because they won't win trying to convince David otherwise. Others have done that to my son, myself included. So maybe as a sarcastic suggestion the army lets David go into battle to prove the boy's rambling a farce.

1 Samuel 17:39 - David doesn't fit into their armor. My son doesn't fit in the box either. You can't make him look like everyone else. He never will. You can put kids in a circle for reading time and he will be in the corner with Legos but will be able to answer more questions correctly than others can. This was how they discovered his special needs in preschool and it continues today. My son is confident of the things he knows (and he is also quite the rock collector.)

1 Samuel 17:45 - David lets Goliath know he doesn't like the way he talks about God.

My son's former Christian school called one time during summer camp. Once again there was an incident on the bus. A public school kid boarded the bus and wanted to share his scientific knowledge of evolution. My son initiated a debate without knowing it. He provided the story of creation and insisted no one defy the one true God. It was tough teaching social etiquette on that on as it is many other times. His world has no grey areas.

1 Samuel 17:48 - David ran toward the enemy with his slingshot. Nothing will fear my son or get in his determined way. Sometimes this means walking off to school before I'm awake. On such days, in the evening, he will just look at me wondering why I was so concerned when he was just going to school.

He doesn't have a slingshot but he does weild together Nerf gun parts to make the baddest Nerf gun in the land.

1 Samuel 17:54 - David takes Goliath's head to Saul. I am guessing the gross factor never came in. David just delivered the item like my son had to take the spider to show and tell in elementary school and the take the bone my dog dug up in the yard to his science teacher in middle school. I imagine David just focused on carrying this human remain like a sheep. He would make sure he didn't get distracted or lose it on the way.

1 Samuel 18:3 - David makes a covenant with Jonathan and loved him as his own soul. My son has that one loyal best friend he will never let go of. In fact his best friend has to be pried away from him every day they get together and play time is up. That friend is such a "like soul" I love him as if he's my own and even hang out with him myself.

Maybe Jonathan was a spectrum kid too. Who knows?

I do know this. There are positive traits to being on the Autism spectrum I wish the world would embrace. I wish schools would nurture these children's gifts. I wish these kids never had to face bullies and be assured, in the end, they are warriors. They have something to give to this world beyond our imagination if we just let them do it outside our box and embrace their creativity. No matter what they will still be confident and loving - we should praise that attitude!

He's ALIVE

No my son is not Frankenstein and I'm not the mad scientist who just got him to rise up and be a man. Although I am crazy mad, passionate and begging GOD to have this child finally snap out of teen insanity, I am left with the silent voice.

"He's alive."

"The child is not dead but asleep," Jesus said in Mark 5 as people were mocking him for believing a synagogue's daughter was alive when they just proclaimed her dead.

"Don't be afraid; she will be healed," Jesus tells this leader, Jairus, in Luke 8:50.

My son literally looks like a zombie in the mornings. I've taken photos of him with his head hanging low, eyes closed and mouth welcoming flies.  He'll say he is awake if you question him. 

Doctors have diagnosed him a "spectrum" kid as early as age 4 but now he is a teen in full blown hormone insanity. As much as I want to believe rebellion, cluelessness and inability to make decisions is a natural part of adolescence, I know this is the kid who was ALIVE in faith. He would meditate for hours at an adoration session and encourage adults with words from the Bible.

Now he is wandering the neighborhood like Night of the Living Dead running on impulse. You never know if he is going to get on the bus coming home. High school brings such freedom like friends who drive, friends who walk and after school clubs. No one goes home anymore but I'm the parent crazy enough to call cops, search the neighborhood and panic.

I'm on my knees, like Jairus, fallen at Jesus feet, pleading for Him to come to my house. No wonder this leader's story is at the same time another woman physically does just that. She has been a bleeding outcast for 12 years but finds herself in one of the crowds waiting to see Jesus.

I imagine me like her, low crawling like the best soldier out there. My face is trampled and body is bruised by the fast-paced feet of bodies towering over me who full of their concerns they want to address to the Healer. Sand is inadvertently kicked into my eyes. I can't see in the whirlwind around me but I know if I just get to Jesus I can be free. Finally one dirt and blood crusted finger nail reaches His hem.

Two things happen; Jesus knows power went out of him and the woman was healed immediately.

A "suddenly" will come to my son and calm this storm. Meantime, I'm stretching out my arms in praise desperately holding on to promises God will redeem. I must have an eternal perspective of this storm or I can lose my footing in this fast-moving train around me.
Although it is loud, I hear God whisper over my son.

"Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (Eph 5:14)

I'm sure I'll be clapping like thunder that accompanies God's lightning mad with joyful noise the day I see my son slowly drift up into a firm stance as a man of GOD.

http://youtu.be/PKZZ9xZXD1A

Women are a secret weapon

Have you watched a movie about Moses and saw the thousands he bravely moved out of Egypt through a parted river? How many people who watched this movie saw any credit to the women who gave birth to such a large population when it was against the orders of the Pharaoh? 

Once again the women are the underdog hero in a historical event as they are in many biblical texts. I believe it was TD Jakes that once said women are the secret weapon in God's arsenal. I don't doubt it. The Bible said God created women in a dark secret place while man was so sound asleep he didn't move when his rib was being ripped out. 

Look at these Hebrew mothers in Exodus  chapter 1! Midwives are ordered to kill their male children but they never can follow those orders because the Hebrew women are so determined they give birth without a midwife. Pharaoh plots revenge but the women see strength in God. They grow in numbers.

"The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. (Exodus 1:19, 20 ESV)"

There is an enemy of our soul and one of the first things we learn about him is his enmity with women. There's an enemy ruling this world and for some odd reason women don't bond together like they could. There is an enemy among the many divisions of family I'm sure.

Churches are striving to grow their women's ministries and many churches see the power of God at work when their women share their prayer needs.

Girl power is evident in the Bible! Own it sisters. Let's go out there encouraging eachother instead of gossip. Let's not listen to the worlds ways of putting down families. Let's put aside any differences and unify to glorify God. 

...Besides it may be fun on those moody days to make the enemy's bruise a little more deep purple.

What she said

Ever receive revelation from God so profound it transforms your life but after five years you still can't seem to pen the exact words to explain it to others?

Today I can sum up my 2008 mind-blowing God intervention with "what she said." 

Lisa Bevere nailed it, especially in the profound 30 minute audio attached to the article link below. It tackles the life changing fast we all have to take from any temptation in order to be free from its restlessness to rest in God. Let Him transform you and teach you to walk in Spirit! 

How? Embrace His love, surrender to His  work in you, listen to every lesson He gives even if it hurts, praise always and witness peace within.

 http://messengerinternational.org/blog/devotional/fasting-purity/#comment-3422