Out of the Pit

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to hear Mark Batterson speak... twice! Mark is the author of the book, In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day. I'd previously read the book, so I was very excited to 'hear' him in person. It was better than I imagined. I came away from both sessions with some thoughts that really hit the mark, but perhaps the most profound thoughts gave me some simple insight on how to 'attack' my fears, when they attack me.

I'm not altogether sure that I'll represent exactly what he said, but I know what I 'heard'. And it's something worth sharing. Mark said that insecurity is rooted in pride (ex: King Saul in 1 Sam 15). When I think about the bad connotation of 'pride', I think about how pride was the sin that caused the downfall of Satan, and the tool that he in turn used to trip up Eve in the Garden of Eden. Pride said, "Did God really say...?" (Gen. 3:1). It caused Eve to doubt God. Doubt leads to insecurity, and insecurity leads to fear. Therefore, doubt and fear actually attack my trust in God.

Doubt entices me to allow the wrong thoughts that feed the fear that God won't do what He said He'd do, or that maybe I heard Him wrong, or that perhaps He needs to build my character through calamity. Fear is a lie, lies are of the devil, and God has given us the assurance we have the abilty to 'fear not'. Furthermore, His Word promises that He will deliver us from our fears if we seek Him and ask Him to... I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears (Ps. 34:4).

And I do trust God... but, I need to remind myself of that. Batterson calls that being on 'offense' instead of on 'defense'. He points out that Satan wants to condition our emotional reflexes to the default setting of fear, failure, disappointment. God wants to re-condition them, to renew our mind, to restore our settings back to an earlier version. It's kind of what I do when my computer gets screwy... restore the settings to an earlier boot-up version, eliminate the faulty code (or whatever).

Batterson uses the illustration of Benaiah (2 Sam 23:20), who chased a lion (i.e. his fear) into a pit, face-to-face, where one of them wasn't going to come out alive. Benaiah won. We can't defeat our fear without facing it and attacking it. And then we can come out of the pit, more alive.

James 4: 6-8 But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

Mr. Clean

"To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before." Could be the voice of Captain Kirk describing the five year mission of the Starship Enterprise, ... or me, talking to myself in my kitchen Saturday morning.

We were having a problem with our refrigerator, which necessitated pulling it out of its little nesting place, and cleaning places which contained the raw material for God to fashion mankind and maybe a few new civilizations. We don't have a large kitchen, so I literally had to climb over a cabinet to get behind the refrigerator. That didn't really solve the problem; we had to dismantle parts of the freezer, and ended up cleaning the whole refrigerator. So I was in the zone, and decided to clean the rest of the kitchen.

About six months ago, a friend of mine told me about a cleaning product that amazed her, called Mr.Clean Magic Eraser. She told me that it was a special kind of sponge, which really did totally erase dirt from surfaces with relatively no scrubbing, using nothing but water. I respected her opinion enough to go buy it, but then I stuck in under the sink, and forgot about it. Till Saturday, when I needed to clean. I tried it on the wall behind the stove, which was spashed with dried-on spaghetti sauce and who knows what else. And, I was amazed. The spots came right off! With no effort. I was motivated to try it on other things, and found that it expunged everything! And because it's a sponge, it even gets into those hard to reach places, nooks, and crannies. Wow! Is my kitchen clean!

Several years ago, I took a class at my church about discovering my spiritual gifts. I'm sad to say that 'evangelism' was not one of my stronger gifts. However, truthfully, as I was cleaning, I was thinking how my adventure with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is a word-picture for understanding the gift of salvation. My friend had told me of an amazing cleaning tool, but it did me no good, until I actually opened the package and used it! I don't mean to be frivolous or irreverent, comparing God to a cleaning product. But I mentally related to people who have heard about Jesus and who know what Good Friday and Easter 'mean', but they keep 'it' under the sink, and don't open and avail themselves to His Gift to cleanse their soul, to be set free, and to be made new. They know He's 'there', but they don't know what they're missing.

A few months ago, my mother-in-law told me to try Lime Away, for those hard-water stains. I have some Lime Away, too... under the sink. Gonna try it. Who knows what thoughts that will spur?

There's still time to clean before Easter.

Cod on the Cape

Many years ago, Bruce and I were on Cape Cod, Massachucetts for the first and only time of our lives. We had the notion that Cape Cod is famous for its seafood, so we set out to find a good seafood restaurant. We didn't have any Zagat travel guides, so we did the next best thing... we asked a distinguished-looking old guy who was pumping gas next to us at the gas station.

Bruce asked him if he could direct us to a good restaurant for seafood. The man nodded enthusiastically, and proceeded to relate the directions... "blah, blah, blah, blah, Coonamessett Inn." Bruce shook his hand, said thanks, got in the car, drove away, looked at me and said... "Ok, what did he say??" I didn't speak Cape Codian either, so neither of us had a clue as to where this place was, except that it 'wasn't far'... and the man's hand signals sort of went straight, then left, then right.... How hard could it be?

Two hours later, we still had not found anything remotely resembling an Inn. We were starving. So, we did the next best thing, stopped at McDonalds and ate fish sandwiches (maybe they were cod). At least we had seafood on Cape Cod.

We left McDonalds, and went two blocks,...and... yep! big as life, there it was... the Coonamessett Inn!

We weren't hungry any more, but... well... we probably wouldn't get back to Cape Cod, and this place was famous, so we went in, and ate ANOTHER meal! And, it was very good. And memorable.

To this day, the words Coonamessett Inn speak to me of perseverance. Too often, I grow weary, and I'm tempted to tolerate second best rather than take a deep breath, trust God, and lay claim to His promises for me. When Bruce and I have faced situations that have tested our patience or endurance, one of us has reminded the other not to settle for processed fish sandwiches, but to ride it out another few blocks to get the fresh sea scallops and lobster. We use the simple catchphrase, Coonamessett Inn.

Deep and Wide

When I first became a parent, I became fearful of things that never troubled me before. I knew that my fear was often irrational, but very real to me. One such fear was of bridges. I feared that, for some reason, my car would end up in the water, and I wouldn't be able to save my daughter. While I live in 'the city of bridges', none of them are very long or big, and I was able to 'deal' with my fear.

However, one summer, when Leah was almost 2, we went to Fenwick Island, DE, to visit some friends for a few days before heading to Virginia Beach for a week's vacation. The fastest route from Delaware to Virginia Beach was via a modern marvel called the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. It is a 20+ mile combination of low trestle & high bridges, and two mile-long tunnels that go under the bay. While the thought of being on a bridge out in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, with no land in sight, terrified me, the thought of going in the tunnels under the bay paralyzed me. I begged Bruce to go a different way, and he was willing, but noted that it would add 2+ hours to our trip, and with an active 2 year old, couldn't I just trust God and overcome my fears???? So, I bravely agreed to ... take the bridge.

Our trek from Delaware to the CBBT began on a beautiful, cloudless, sunny morning. I was reading my Bible in the car, and my daily devotional scripture verses were: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.(Is. 41;10) and Be strong and very courageous... do not turn... to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go."(Joshua 1:7). Those words should've encouraged me, but I was thinkin'... uh oh. We had a cassette playing cute little kids' songs to entertain Leah,... Angels Watchin' Over Me, I Wonder How It Felt (to be in the belly of a whale) and ...Deep and Wide. Dark, black clouds began to form in the sky ahead of us. Bruce reasoned that the storm was likely... out to sea. Kind of like we'd be in a few minutes. I think I was hyperventilating. Road signs every 100 feet said... "Last Chance to Exit Before Bridge"

We drove up to the bridge, paid our toll, and started across. About a minute later, a deluge began, with 50 mph winds. We could hardly see the roadway (or the edge of it), but we could perceive waves coming up over top of the railing. After a few more minutes, we noticed that there were no other cars around (we learned later that they had closed the bridge to traffic right after us). We were both scared. I realized that my scriptural admonition to not look to the right or left was imperative, not only because looking at the violent sea would frighten us, but because we had to concentrate our attention on seeing the road in front of us. I also knew God had promised to protect us.

We were moving slowly, but finally came to the first tunnel, and what had previously been my greatest fear now became my place of refuge. I was just glad to be able to see, and forgot that we were under 50' of water. I hoped that as we emerged from the shelter, perhaps the storm would have had passed. It didn't. And we faced another 6 miles of open sea in the torrential downpour before the next tunnel. Leah was in her car seat, singing Angels Watchin' Over Me, oblivious to the danger, and content in the belief that her father was in control. Truth is, He was.

Obviously, we made it,... with a story to tell everyone later, ...of how God was very real to me in a time of trouble, how His word sustained me, and how He upheld me with His righteous right hand as I faced my fear. We learned later this was a tropical storm that dumped almost an inch of rain in 50 minutes, and took out the power in all of Hampton Roads for 6 hours. A water spout funnel cloud had also been sighted over the bay.

I've been reading the book of Joshua in my Bible. Joshua was a mighty warrior, and God brags on him. I noticed, tho', that God tells Joshua, at least 12 times, to not be afraid, to be courageous, and to not be discouraged. This tells me two things... first that Joshua, tho' a mighty warrior, must have struggled with some fears, or God wouldn't have had to tell him so many times not to be afraid. Secondly, it tells me that we DO have the power and ability to choose to NOT be afraid and to NOT be discouraged, or God wouldn't have commanded it. Moses' words to Joshua and the people getting ready to enter the Promised Land assured that He would be WITH them. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8
That same promise applies to us, here and now.

The word discouraged means deprived of confidence, hope, or spirit, or hampered/deterred by a lack of courage. Discouragement is a tool used against us. 'Encouraged' means to be supported or inspired with assurance and faith. Honestly, I do struggle with fear at times, and I still don't like driving over long, high bridges, but I know that God's promises enable me to choose, and that His Word is truth. I am encouraged by that.

From Russia with Love

Bruce and I had the pleasure yesterday to have lunch with the Muzart family. Jan and Eric, who have spent the last 14 years as missionaries to Russia, have three young daughters, another child 'on the way', and are currently itinerating in the US till later this year. They plan to return to St. Petersburg, Russia, where they lead a thriving ministry to university students, called SFC (Students For Christ).

Because I'm a big romantic at heart, I was particularly captivated by their 'story' (Jan thinks she may write a book some day). Jan grew up in a small town in Ohio and committed her life to Christ as a young girl. She graduated from DePauw University, with B.A. degrees in French and Music. She wasn't really sure how she would put the two seemingly unrelated areas together in a career, yet, an opportunity opened up for her to spend a year at a Bible College in Leognan, France as a music teacher. She had previously entertained the idea of being a foreign missionary, and the position gave her a chance to explore that option.

Meanwhile... Eric was born and raised in Nice, France. His father was French and his mother, Russian. A gifted athlete, he had been part of an athletic horseback riding troupe as a young man, and after completing his formal college education, was a professional alpine ski instructor, training the "Nice Cote d'Azur Ski Team", and also "l'Equipe de France Citadine". During that time, he accepted Christ in a ski station hotel room, and soon after, he "offered his athletic career to God", feeling called to become a missionary to Russia. He enrolled in a Bible College in... (can you guess ??) Leongan France... et Voilà... Eric and Jan met, fell in love, and were married a year later.

They trained and worked as Bible translators at first, and then in 1993 moved to Kemerovo, Russia in south central Siberia, establishing a ministry to university students. It was then that they connected with our church, when our pastor, Jeff Leake, traveled to Siberia and spent time with them there.

I am hooked with life stories that showcase a God who purposefully orchestrates individual lives, weaving 'seemingly unrelated' training, experiences, and perspectives into His handiwork... nudging and guiding, shaping and guarding, equipping us to fulfill His purpose in us, for us and through us. His plan isn't bound by geography, and His ways are jaw-droppin' marvelous :D
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalm 96:3, 118:2

Wrist Sundials vs. Wrist Watches

Sundials were used well into the Middle Ages as timepieces and people measured time based on the position of the sun. Prior to 1883 , towns in the US recognized local time relative to 'high noon'. THEN came the railroads, and standardized time and time zones became important for train schedules. And because we love our recreation time, we just adjust our clocks a bit in the summer months and voilà... we're 'saving' daylight time!

This coming Sunday, we Spring Ahead! In previous years, in the US, DST began the first Sunday in April and lasted until the last Sunday in October. But beginning in 2007, we're 'saving' even more! DST starts the second Sunday in March and continues till the first Sunday in November, thanks to the the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Every time zone in the US switches their clock according to local time. Some states choose not to switch. The state of Arizona doesn't recognize DST, but the Navajo Nation within Arizona does. Worldwide, it's kind of like the Tower of Bablel syndrome for time... national policies for saving daylight vary widely, often from year to year and may even be disposed of for 'special occasions'. Japan, India and China don't incorporate any form of daylight saving time. Equatorial and tropical countries don't need it. In Antarctica, there is no daylight in the winter and 24-hours of daylight in the summer, yet research stations there observe Daylight Saving Time anyway.

However we measure it though, we aren't really 'saving' any daylight, we are just adjusting our frame of reference. It's an arbitrary practice which, tho' well-established, still caues confusion to many . One woman laments that if she gives birth to twins 10 minutes apart, with one child born 1:50 AM just prior to the end of DST (Fall) ... the birth order of the two children would be reversed. Likewise, on the day we Spring Ahead no children are born between the hours of 2:00 and 3:00 A.M. And, in order to keep to their published timetables, Amtrak trains in the U.S. that are running on time stop at 2:00 A.M. and wait one hour before resuming. BTW, if you play the game, Mind Trap... I just gave you big clues to solve three of the puzzles!

Through the 1960's, the observance of DST was mainly left up to individual communites (except during WWI & II) until the problems overcame the precedence:

• Travel on the 35 mile stretch of highway between Moundsville, WV and Steubenville, OH entailed changing time zones seven times.
• For five weeks each year, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia were not on the same time as Washington D.C., Cleveland, or Baltimore, but Chicago was.
• Minneapolis and St. Paul were on two different time zones for part of the year.

Thus, a federal law was passed in 1966 establishing the parameters of DST, with states being permitted to opt out by state legislation.

So while the passage of time is established by Divine Design, the measurement of it is a human endeavor for convenience of commerce, government, or entertainment purposes. This due. in part, to the invention of spring powered clocks/watches in 1500 A.D., has enable us to 'manipulate time' to fit our collective lifestyles. It's also a much better fashion statement... Wrist sundials, while having that 'vintage' look, could be somewhat clunky, and it would certainly alter the time display on our cell phones.

Oh, and... we'd need some other way to remind us to change the batteries our smoke detectors.

Thinking à Latte

I regularly read Mark Batterson's blog. One reason is because I like it,... another is because our daughter and son-in-law are a part of the fellowship. They particularly like attending the services on Saturday evenings at Ebenezer's Coffeehouse.

I've become interested in another church that does ministry from a coffeehouse... Café Life in St. Etienne, France. A few months ago, my husband received a newsletter from the parent organization, GJMI and I was drawn in. I confess that I don't know anything about the ministry, or even how we got on their distribution list, but I spent a long time reading the websites and the blog of Graham Jones and have requested more information from them. There was a flurry of something in my soul, which I'm still trying to pinpoint, but I'll keep you 'posted':) Jones is British, with a ministry base in France. These are comments from his blog, with some observations on the church in America:

"I have just this week returned from a three week ministry tour in the USA... America is a wonderful place but many churches there suffer from "nice, safe, comfortable Christianity syndrome". It sometimes seems as if churches there compete to be the most comfortable, safe church in town. I would rather have a dangerous church than a comfortable one.

While I was there our church here in France was "visited" by the French FBI and my associate pastor (Jean-Luc) was questioned by them. We think this was because we had a healing service here a few weeks ago... My first reaction was to rush in and see them, shouting about my rights etc. And then I got to thinking about Peter and John when they were hauled before the law for healing. They didnt pray for "wisdom"; their prayer was give us more boldness to get out there again and speak your Word. Signs and wonders got us into this mess........More Lord!

Interestingly enough, he also says, "America, I believe, is on the verge of a third Great Awakening and one of the ways this will be manifested is in His healing power being demonstrated...it will shake the nation." That seems to be a theme coming from several different sources. Wow.

The GJMI website states that France is traditionally one of the hardest places in the world for the Gospel. Less than 0.4% of the population claims to be born again, and the government makes life difficult for evangelical churches. Thirty years ago, when I was there as a student, I was astounded that the family I lived with not only didn't attend church, they couldn't even direct me to one in the vicinity of their home. I hope to go back there, knowing now what I didn't know then.

I hope that those who say the church in the US is poised for a great awakening are right. Otherwise, we may someday soon lament of America with statistics similar to France. If the church here is too fat and comfortable, maybe we need to burn the fat (Lev. 3:16b).

If you know me personally, I'll bet you're thinking right now... "I wonder who is writing Patty's blog today??" Indeed.

Got Any Two's?

Last Sunday, our pastor challenged us to write a thank you letter to the person who "fished' for us and who was most influential in leading us to a decision to follow Christ (Matt. 4:19). I realized that I don't ever remember thanking him, so I wrote letter, ...to my husband, Bruce.

He wasn't my husband then, but says he was thinking about it. He knew that I had always had a 'faith' in God, and went to church each week without fail, but he sensed that I was missing out on a greater relationship with Him, and by my own assertion, I didn't have the assurance of spending eternity in Heaven. I was an arrogant little fish, and resented him telling me about God. Afterall, in college, I was the one who went to church services on Sunday afternoons, while he sat outside and waited for me, because church wasn't for him.

I had been living out of state for the previous year, and he had told me of his life-changing conversion in phone conversations, but I thought it was another of his wild and crazy 'phases'. It wasn't until he sent me a Bible, and several other books to read, that I realized he was serious. And the changes in him were real. So I began to read, and came to know there was more. For the first time in my life, I understood why the Friday before Easter is called "Good" Friday, and it made me glad, not sad. I finally understood the meaning of all the things I had 'learned', but not 'known', in the first 22 years of church attendance. I realized sitting in a hen house doesn't make you a chicken.

So, thanks to the man with whom I said, "I do" 29 years ago, I do know where I am spending eternity, and I do have a spirited personal realtionship with my Lord and my Savior, Jesus the Christ. And, I do identify with others who have a recognition of their Creator, but not a relationship with Him; I do purpose to be the testimony that there is something more. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in Him and receive eternal life (1 Tim 1:16b).

Got any two's? Go Fish!

Questions

I have questions. Many of them crop up while reading my Bible, and I seek out the answers in various sources. Usually I can find something to explain them. There are a few questions tho' that I'm still wondering about...

For instance, what ever happened to Moses' wife and sons? At the end of the wilderness wandering, we're told that Moses orders his army to wipe out the Midianites because they plotted the downfall of Israel by seducing the Hebrew men to worship the gods of their Midianite love interests (Num. 31:1-30). Moses wife, Zipporah, was a Midianite, and his father-in-law, Jethro, was a Midianite priest. Were they still around when this went down?

Another thing I've wondered about is Jacob's name. When God changed Abram's name to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Simon to Peter, etc., He called them by the new name. After He gave Jacob a new name, Israel, He continues to refer to him, with only a few exceptions, as Jacob ("the God of Ahraham, Isaac and Jacob"). Any reason?

Exodus 12:38 says that when the people left Egypt, they had large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. So why were they complaining that they had no meat (Ex.16:1, Num.11:4)? Were all the animals to be kept for the sacrifices and they resented this?

Then there's this 'fat' thing. Leviticus 3:16b says 'All the fat is the Lord's'. What is that about? (and... He can sure have mine!)

And while not Bible related, do cannibals NOT eat clowns because they taste funny?

And then there's the socks... where do they go after I put them in my dryer?

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. Prov. 25:2

Amazing Grace

On an evening in March, 1796, a popular new opera premiered in London. Several members of the British Parliament were strategically given free tickets to attend, resulting in their absence from a crucial vote to abolish British participation in slave trade. The bill was defeated 74-70, with the swing votes swaying to the tunes of an Italian musical comedy. William Wilberforce, who had already dedicated nine years of his Parliamentary career trying to end the repulsive commerce, was discouraged and devastated to the point of physical illness, and he was just about at the point of giving up. It is here that the movie Amazing Grace begins, recounting his compelling story, creatively mixing backstory with history.

The story is centered on Wilberforce, but the peripheral tale of how and why the song, Amazing Grace, was penned by John Newton, plays out as accompaniment. Newton, once regrettably himself the captain of a slave ship, was one of the driving influences in Wilberforce's life, and it was he who passionately charged Wilberforce to not give up. He told Wilberforce that, just as Esther and Daniel had been strategically placed in positions of influence, so was he. So, Wilberforce rallied, and was champion of the cause for another 11 years until he saw the measure passed in Parliament in 1807, the year that John Newton died.

Bruce and I went to see the movie this week. It was a poignant story, with a powerful message. One person, strategically placed by God, and motivated by an overwhelming sense of purpose and destiny, can change the world. This may sound trite, as an overworked theme, but the story is true, and creatively portrayed as quality cinema. So many great lines I wish that I could have written down... I understand many of them were direct quotes from Wilberforce & William Pitt.

The bill which the British Parliament passed in 1807 outlawed British participation in international slaving, and impacted the rest of the world. The United States passed similar legislation that same year, led in part by John Jay, a good friend of William Wilberforce.

Every song has its story. Every generation has its hero.

When Words Fail...

That Tower of Babel thing really has had a lasting impact. I have an inherent interest in foreign languages, and I am truly in awe of people who have mulit-lingual skills, because I know learning other languages is not an easy task.

Bruce's mother's side of the family is Greek. His materal grandparents emigrated from Greece a century ago. I'm not Greek, and while they welcomed me warmly to the family, sometimes, because of language, I stood out like a sore thumb. One summer, a large contingency of Yia Yia's (Grk. for grandma) family came to visit from Greece, and they didn't speak English. Yia Yia hosted a dinner that we all attended. After dinner, I wanted to be impressively helpful, so I volunteered to go around to all of the tables to offer coffee refills. I had purposefully learned how to say "would you like more coffee" in Greek, and was very proud of myself. The theas and theos smiled at me gracously, and responded, "Neh, Neh...", so I just smiled back ... and walked away, thinking they weren't big coffee drinkers. I was acutely aware of strange reactions and puzzled stares, but I wrote it off to cultural differences. Later that night, I was proudly telling Bruce about my linguistic prowess and he started laughing. Turns out "Neh" in Greek means 'yes', and they were all no doubt wondering why I offered them coffee and then just walked away.

A few years ago, Bruce and I were in Paris for a few days. I had lovingly taught him how to say a few phrases in French, in case he got lost or something ;) When we needed to ask for directions or information, I would take extra time to mentally form the question perfectly because I was rusty in my speaking skills. Invariably, Bruce would grow impatient waiting for me to speak and he'd spout off his few conquered phrases, to which the French would respond, ...in French. I was still busy formulating the perfect question in my mind, so I missed their reponse, and embarassed, once again, I just smiled and ...walked away, acutely aware of strange reactions and puzzled stares. I stoicly glared at Bruce, rather than kick him.

So, a little bit of knowledge can be a precarious thing, especially when it's combined with pride or pretense. Before stepping out to ask the questions, we should've prepared ourselves to interpret the answers. Or perhaps we should've stuck with what we knew. It's been said that the most exhausting thing you can do is to not be yourself :)

The Avenger

Delay is not denial. That's a statement I heard many years ago relating to a reason for persistence in prayer. In the 18th chapter of Luke, Jesus tells a parable to show his disciples that they ought to pray and not lose heart. He had already taught them how to pray, and this illustration encourages them to persevere in prayer, and not quit in the face of discouragement or obstacles.

In Luke 18: 1-8, we're told that a woman persistently comes before a corrupt judge asking for justice, and after repeated attempts, she wears him down. Jesus points out that if a corrupt judge will give her attention, how much more so will God do for His elect who pray ..."I tell you that He will avenge them speedily."

In a message about "Boldness in Prayer", Jack Hayford addresses this passage, and defines the word 'avenge' in the original Greek to mean that God will do/make/create justice. But he goes on to say that the verb tense describes an action that will begin in the present, and keep going on until it's complete. The term can be illustrated in the cultural context of that time as a description of the progress of fruit that ripens sooner than you expect it to, at an accelerted pace. Where praying people pray, a creative process is instantly set in motion, and it ripens, but with God's avenging, it's on a supernatural time table.

Often we'll pray long for or about something, and in the process we are changed. If we allow Him, God builds into us a heart that cares about things the same way He does. We persevere not because we think He didn't hear us the first time, but because perseverance can develop in us a heart and passion for what God wants.

Psalm 145: 15-16 says, "The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." Isaiah 48:3b says, " ...then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass." We may persevere in prayer for a while, even for a very long time, but if we seek to know His heart and we don't give up, He will avenge the matter speedily. God's resolution to our situation can come about quickly, at an accelerated pace.

As Hayford puts it, it's kind of like "happy whiplash" :)

S.O.A.R.

I was working on a publication last week entitled S.O.A.R. It was a Human Resources project, but seeing the words across the top of the page reminded me of a familiar scripture verse, Isaiah 41:30, which says but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. This was significant to me because over the past 2 months, I've been coming across that verse, but I'm seeing it in a new light.

My familiarity with Isaiah 41:30 had previously focused on the weary part... the need to renew strength 'lost' from disappointments, or during the often long process of waiting on (hoping in) the Lord. I'd sometimes even inwardly cringe when I'd hear someone quote the verse, or I'd kind of skim over it when reading that chapter in my Bible. To me, it wasn't what I'd call a 'faith-builder'. Rather, it described a consequence of hope-deferred.

But over the past several weeks, we've been singing a song in church based upon Isaiah 41:30. And as I've been worshipping, the image of an eagle soaring has repeatedly come to mind. That image almost startled me, but it alerted me that my previous perception was a carry over from the subtle cynicism I've since rejected (Empty Rooms). The image of the magnificent, strong, gliding hawk has now become a new piece of brain furniture!

In his book, Dreaming With God, Bill Johnson says, "Something happens in our time of communion with Him that brings life to our capacity to dream and desire. Our minds become renewed through divine encounter, making it the perfect canvas for Him to paint on." God painted a picture of a soaring eagle in my mind, and it changed my focus and my outlook. My hope and my strength are renewed. Johnson says, "Our dreams are not independent from God, but instead exist because of God. He lays out the agenda... and then releases us to run with it and make it happen."

I think that means soar.

CleanTown USA

I went to the car wash today. It's so cold here, I hated to do it because they say locks, doors may freeze, etc. But the sun was shining, and my car was so dirty. As I was riding through the car wash on the conveyor belt, I laughed at a memory I had of the first time we took Leah and Ashley through a car wash. They were about ages 4 and 2; we'd thought they'd love it. Nope... they hugged each other and screamed in terror the whole way through. Now, one of Leah's favorite places to visit is... the carwash. Cleantown, USA. Go figure. Ashley, too, has recovered, tho' she joins us in mocking Leah's ardor for Cleantown, USA. What can possibly be so wonderful about a carwash?? CUSTOMER SERVICE.

And, Cleantown, USA really does it right. Even on a day like today, every employee was friendly, courteous, and smiling! They made me feel like they were actually happy to have ice crystals on their eyelashes, just so they could dry MY car. And they don't accept gratuities, so they aren't gushing for tips. When I leave there, I feel like smiling at someone, letting someone cut in line in front of me, or sending someone a Monk-e-mail.

Good Customer Service is a good idea for eveyone. Our church works hard at it, and succeeds, I think. Ministry without mitzvah is ineffective. Good Customer Service doesn't just give 'service', but gives good customers. I am more likely to gravitate toward places that make me feel welcome.

This is important in a personal sense as well as in business. Perhaps you've seen the commercial for Comcast, in which an office worker makes a small, but snide remark to a co-worker, and the domino effect soon results in an all-out office brawl. Comcast implies, of course, that their Internet services would've prevented that. It's a reach. I'm thinking that a kind word, aptly spoken, and a beautiful smile, are much more effective in promoting good will, and actually contributing pleasntness to someone's day. Proverbs 3:17 says, Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. There's Wisdom in that!

Sweet and Simple

When you think about Valentine's Day, thoughts of love and flowers come to mind... and hearts... chocolate hearts. Yum. We used to own a chocolate factory. Honest. No Oompa Loompas, but all the chocolate we could ever want. Good chocolate, too. Our children grew up having been taught how to discern good chocolate from bad chocolate (yes, there IS such a thing as bad chocolate). They couldn't tell you the cocoa butter content, or how many hours the chocolate spent in the conche, or if the cacao beans were from South America or Africa, but they could identify quality with one taste. They acquired this discerning palate through experience... by actually eating the good stuff. Their daddy would also point out the nuances of aroma, velvety texture and appearance, but mostly they learned it by taste.

I'm re-reading a favorite book of mine, Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. Specifically, I'm in the chapter which describes how God speaks to us, and in response to the question of knowing if we are really 'hearing from God', Blackaby describes the method used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to train their people in anti-counterfeiting work. Trainees never see a counterfeit bill, but so thoroughly study the genuine thing that the counterfeit currency stands out as fake. Blackaby points out that when something doesn't line up with God's Word, or if it goes counter to what we've learned of His Character, then it's counterfeit. It's been said that you may not always be able to discern what God is saying, but you can tell what He isn't saying. He always acts out of His love for us.

On one of our vacations, when Leah and Ashley were small (ages 6 and 4) they were so excited when they were given chocolate bars upon our check-in to the hotel. But, they took one bite of the bars, and threw them away. What they were tasting didn't measure up to what they had come to know, by experience, as good chocolate, so they passed it by.
Sweet 'n simple.