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Inquiring Minds....

It is the week of my 50th birthday. Encountering certain milestones tends to make one a little more introspective. I am coming upon this one with a certain measure of uncertainty - where do I go with the  rest of my life? As I look back over the years, there are many moments, decisions, and choices made that I am not proud of or happy with. Without a doubt, those are times in my life where I did not "inquire of the Lord." Over the past couple of weeks studying the lives of David and King Saul, the times they did and did not inquire of the Lord stand in stark contast. The difference between having a listening spirit and a hardened heart is evident. Certainly, I do not want to end my life like Saul. All of his work, achievements, accomplishments meant nothing because he did not have a right relationship with God. Everything he worked for was snatched away and handed to antoher because he was disobedient. David was not perfect by a long shot. He did not always remember to see

Get the Weed Eater!

Yesterday I "came clean" about my closet (wish my closet came clean) and confessed that I opted for working in my yard. My entry today has a similar message from a little different perspective. Sometimes, I feel like my front yard flower bed is the bane of my existence. No place else in my yard can grow weeds like this particular patch of ground can. It also grows oak trees. Thousands of them. You think I am exaggerating? Please - come to my house and I will let you help me pull them up. The thing is...If we don't stay on top of them, they take over the entire area. They are relentless. Once again, this is such an analogy to our spiritual lives. We let one little thought or action take hold without dealing with it, and the next thing you know it has multiplied, dropped seeds and put down roots until it takes over your heart and mind. It is a continual battle to stay on top of these spiritual weeds. I believe a few gardening tips are in order: 1. Do not make your mind

Closet Confessions

Every morning when I make my bed I take the pillows and store them in my closet. This morning when I opened the closet door, my heart sank a bit. I am not a fanatical housekeeper, but I do like things orderly around me. I can honestly say that most of my house is this way....except for the closet. Shoes all over the floor in spite of the beautiful cubes with individual little spaces for each pair, things tossed here and there. It was depressing really. The thought crossed my mind that I ought to clean out that closet while I have a little extra time at home. Then I remembered that I had planned to clean the flower bed in my front yard today. The closet really needed cleaning, but no one can see that. The front yard is seen by all. How like our spiritual lives. Of course, the David study brought to mind the scripture in 1 Samuel 16:7, "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." How often we w

Honorable Mention

Today was Beth Moore Bible Study Day! We are continuing in our study of David and Beth continues to give us wonderful truths from his life. I always come away from the video sessions with a morsel or two to chew on and today was no exception. The point that particularly resonated with me today was as follows: "Significant rest comes to the soul when we accept that God alone is in charge of our honor." Psalm 62:7 states, "My salvation and my honor depend on God". Seems like it should be simple enough. When she expounded on the point she raised a question as to whether you have ever been shamed in front of someone and can't seem to regain your dignity with them. In my mind the question also seemed to include allowing someone to steal your confidence. Beth pointed out that some of our biggest conflicts come over matters of personal honor. Recently, I have had someone in my life who seemed to do just that. In subtle ways, they constantly seemed to undermine my ab

Running the Race: Lessons Learned from a "Rugged Maniac"

My daughter in law is a bit of a fitness nut. She loves to eat right and work out and seems to think that running long races involving obstacle courses is an idea of fun. I feel really good about myself for walking around the block!  She recently ran in a race called the "Rugged Maniac" with a number of other Army Wives from Fort Knox and as I looked through her pictures, I thought about how like this race our lives are. Sometimes its all downhill. Sometimes it is not. As we move through life we encounter many obstacles and trials. Some are conquered without much effort. Most are not. How well we are ready to run the race and meet the obstacles is critical. One thing is always sure - it is rarely EASY. Several scriptures came to mind so I am giving you a "Rugged Maniac" montage with lessons from scripture to relate.  Cris Pre-race 1. You Have to Be Prepared. Stretching before the race  Just as you cannot run a physical race without training and preparation,

Passion Fruit

I recently started the Beth Moore Bible Study "David: A Heart Like His". In the first sessions, as we began the study with a look at King Saul, Beth mentioned in her material that Saul was not passionate about being king. As a matter of fact, when the leaders of the nation of Israel looked for Saul to crown him, he was hiding. Beth concluded that, in looking at Saul's life and reign as king, his position exceeded his passion . This statement struck me like a ton of bricks. In fact, I have been mulling over it for at least two weeks now. Why? Because I recently found myself in a similar situation and it has caused me to ask myself the question, "What am I passionate about?". I have certainly realized with startling clarity in recent days what I am NOT passionate about. Unfortunately, for a period of time, that which I was not passionate about seemed to overtake my life. Interestingly enough, it tuned out not to be a fruitful endeavor for me. It also negatively a

September 11

I wrote this 10 years ago after the attacks.... Our enemy has walked among us, Striking swift and sure. Hope seems lost with life and peace. How much can we endure? Haunting pictures sear our minds, All innocence is lost. We've learned the frailty of our lives, But, why at such a cost? Empty arms that ache for loved ones One more time to hold. Grief stricken faces, broken hearts Cling to fragile hope. But from the ashes, more will rise Than death and pain and grief. America will stand united Firm in its belief: We are a nation under God, It is in Him we trust. For sustenance in crisis, We will turn to Him - we must. God bless this nation; make it strong, A light for all to see. Illuminating freedom Faith and liberty! Judie Britt September 11, 2001 We will not forget.

Where Are You Going?

Genesis 16:7-10 "The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, 'Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?' 'I'm running away from my mistress Sarai,' she answered. Then the angel of the Lord told her, 'Go back to your mistress and submit to her.' The angel added, 'I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.'" Hagar was a victim of circumstance. Ancient custom stated that if a woman was childless, she could make her maid sleep with her husband and if they produced a child, legally it would belong to the wife. That is exactly what Sarai did to Hagar. Only she couldn't take it when Hagar became pregnant and she treated her like dirt. Hagar did the only thing she thought she could do....she ran. Next thing you know, she's wandering around alone in the desert and the scripture says the angel

Trial by Fire

1 Peter 1:6-9  "In this you greatly rejoice, thought now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." Having just spent a week on an Army base, I am just full of all kinds of military metaphors. Considering that the base I was on was Fort Knox, the gold theme seems to fit as well... As I read the scripture above, the thought came to my mind that life is like boot camp for eternity. I have never been through boot camp, but we have two boys who have been there and done that. I have heard the descriptions, seen doc

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Matthew 21:21-22 "...I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."  Larry and I enjoy going to the Smokey Mountains on vacation from time to time. We love the peacefulness and quiet of being surrounded by nature and God's creation. I look at those mountains and, even though they are small in comparison to many ranges, they look enormous to me - especially standing on the top of one looking down! To think that I might be able to speak and one of those mountains and it would move is an incomprehensible thought to me.  Overlook from Blue Ridge Parkway. Smokey's in the background. In the scripture in Matthew, Jesus was giving us an indication of God's power - not ours. This is not the power of positive thinking at work. This is whe

What Are You Looking For?

Luke 11: 9-10 "...Ask and it will be given to you: seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Are you looking for something? Needing some direction? Waiting for a door to open? Do you think the door is open and you aren't sure you are to walk through? Over the years, I have done a fair amount of traveling. Some very distant and some local related to my job. One thing that is incredibly frustrating is to be in a strange place and not know where you are. Before I had a car with GPS, I would fight with paper maps, have to stop and ask for directions, have to make a phone call to find out if I was headed the right way. I have done home health for many years, and I remember going to see a new patient one day. I should have known it was going to be a haul because she lived in a place called Ft. Lonesome. I called the caregiver ahead of time and got dire

Forgiveness

Matthew 18: 21-35 "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.'" Forgiveness. All of us want to be forgiven, rarely do we find it easy or desirable to forgive. In this parable of Jesus, it seems to be the perfect picture of our dilemma. In the verses following his coversation with Peter, Jesus goes on to describe a man who owed a debt and begged for forgiveness. His master did just that and cancelled his debt. The man then went out and encountered someone who owed him a debt, but he could not return the same favor. He had his debtor thrown into prison. Unfortunately, his original benefactor learned of his behavior and not only had him imprisoned, but tortured until he could repay what he owed. Dictionary.com defines to forgive as "to cease to hold blame, to free from debt or obligation." Accor

Who Is He?

Matthew 16: 15-16 "But what about you?" [Jesus] asked. "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." And what about you? Who is Jesus to you? I think about his own disciples as I write that. In the verses just preceeding these, they didn't step out with a profound answer based on their personal knowledge of him. They simply regurgitated what the culture said he was. They stated what the world's view of Jesus was. Is he just a good man? Someone who lived an exemplary life, but wasn't really God. Is he a prophet? One sent from God to share his word, but, again, not God himself. A great teacher? Or even as one cult that is prominent in the news right now would have us believe, he was just our brother, born no differently than we are and he has made his way to becoming a god among many gods, which is what we are all destined for (all men, anyway). Who IS he? Peter gave the answer. The Chri

Walkin on Water

Matthew 14:27-32 "....Jesus immediately said. 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.' 'Lord, if it's you,' Peter replied, 'tell me to come to you on the water.' 'Come,' He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him..." Why is it the disciples were always caught in a storm on a boat? This time they are caught on the boat and Jesus is not with them. But in verse 26 they see him walking toward them on the water and they think he is a ghost! Can you even imagine? You are on a boat with huge waves pounding you and the wind going crazy, only to look over the bow and there is someone...or something...walking toward you ON TOP of the water. I can't say I blame them on this one. I might have freaked out a little, too. Jesus calls out to reas

Our Eyes Are On You

2 Chronicles 20:12b    "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." Jehosaphat was the king of Judah and he had a problem. Several other kingdoms (Moab, Ammon, and Aram) had joined forces and were dispatching a "vast army" to attack Judah. Jehosaphat was alarmed, but he did not panic or call together a panel of advisors in his war room to try and decide how to handle this situation. He inquired of the Lord. Not only that, he proclaimed a fast for all of Judah and the people came together to pray and seek the Lord's help. In verses 6-12, he stands before the people and prays a wonderful prayer praising God and acknowledging His sovereignty. But I love the last line, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." I wonder what battle you are facing? I am facing a few. Decisions that weigh heavy on the heart and mind. Concerns for the future. Yesterday I wrote about letting Jesus carry our burdens, letting Him walk with us through

Get Some Rest

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden in light . " So tell me if this sounds like your life: "Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule, a little here, a little there" (Isaiah 28:11) Sounds like mine. Just keep going and doing and making everyone happy and spreading yourself too thin and pretty soon you are feeling like you can't put one foot in front of the other and the next thing you know you are weary and burdened. Yes, I know it is poor sentence structure, but don't you just get tired reading it like that! It's a "run on" sentence. Just like us it keeps going and going. One thing I am learning - I am not the Energizer Bunny. In the scripture in Matthew, Jesus gives us the picture of a yoke. A yoke is a wooden harness that fit ove

Do You Believe?

Matthew 9:27-31 "As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him calling out, 'Have mercy on us, Son of David!' When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, 'Do you believe that I can do this?' ' Yes, Lord,' they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, 'According to your faith will it be done to you' ; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, 'See that no one knows about this.' But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region." What desperate need do you have in your life right now that you are bringing to the Lord for healing? Maybe it is a broken marriage, or a sick or rebellious child. Maybe you have a job situation that you just can't handle anymore. Maybe you have an illness that is affecting you personally. In the ninth chapter of Matthew, two blind men began to approach Jesus. In this day and time, blindness was a double curse. Aside from the

Why Are You So Afraid?

Matthew 8:26 "Jesus said, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' " In my last post I talked about not worrying. I've been worrying. Tonight, I am asking the question, "What are you afraid of?" because I am afraid. In the passage where Jesus asks this question of his disciples, they were in a situation. They were in a little fishing boat, in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, in the middle of a storm. Wind and waves everywhere and nowhere to go but in the water. They were in a complete panic. Jesus was sleeping. Like a baby. I would like to think that I would be a better disciple than the disciples were. They had just seen him heal several people, they had seen him cast out demons, they had seen him do miracle after miracle. You would think they would be strutting around the deck of that boat with all the confidence in the world that Jesus could handle this little 'ol storm. I have a sneaking suspicion that I would have been in a panic right

Do Not Worry

Matthew 6: 25-34 "Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life....And why do you worry about clothes?...So do not worry , saying, "What shall we eat?"...For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day  has enough trouble of its own." Dictionary.com defines "meditation" as continued or extended thought. It gives a synonym of "mulling over". In the ancient Jewish tradition, meditation did not always take on the yoga-like characteristics of sitting in the lotus postion and "emptying" your mind. It was a much more active thought process that included chanting or repeating verses from the Torah, visualization, deep thought and reflection on specific words or phrases. They even had a form of meditation

Angry Over Murder?

Matthew 5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgement." So I had made up my mind I was going to be the only person in the world not posting about the Casey Anthony murder trial and verdict tonight...but some days you just can't leave things alone. (sigh) There are a lot of people angry over the "not guilty" verdict that was handed down today. Whether you believe she did it or not, any Christian should be able to relate. We have all received a "not guilty" verdict that we didn't deserve. The simple fact of the matter is that with God, there are no degrees of sins - only sin, period. And Romans is very clear about the fact that " all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." In John 8, when Jesus intervened with the woman caught in adultery, he never

True Freedom

John 8:31-32 " To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." I don't believe there is anyone more patriotic than I am. I tear up at the National Anthem and the sight of the flag. I can barely get through the Pledge of Allegiance. I appreciate the freedom that we have as Americans. That said, I am concerned about our country and the direction it is headed. We are beginning to lose many of the freedoms we have come to enjoy. There are many who say we need to reform our government and our laws, and you will get no argument from me. However, it is difficult to get people to buy into a value system where they have no vested interest. Yes, we need reform, but before that can happen people have to want it and believe in it. They have to have a change of heart. Jesus came to the Jews and told them that his teaching was the truth and the truth is what wo

Not Fit to Carry His Sandals

Matthew 3:11-12 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." John the Baptist....definitely one of the more interesting characters in scripture. First cousin to Jesus, he comes out of the desert wearing weird clothes and eating weird food and telling people they need to repent. The Jews had not had a word from God in 400 years and when it finally comes...it's John the Baptist. Kind of makes me wonder what we would do with him if he were around today? One thing I love about John the Baptist - for him it wasn't about John. It was all about Jesus. John knew full well that he was the one coming to "prepare the way for the Lord". Picture it in a modern day setti

Searching for Jesus

Matthew 2: 1-2, 9-12 "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.'... After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star that they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house the saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned ina deram not ot go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." I know, I know. It isn't Christmas. But I started reading through the gospel of Matthew yesterday and here I am at Christmas in July. The lessons we can learn from the Magi, though, are timel