Sunday, October 30, 2016

The Darkness Deepens


We've all been here before: It's the end of October, days are getting shorter and shorter, and next week is the time change! Suddenly, it will be nearly dark at 5:30. I never get used it. 

But tonight I decided to light a candle, make some tea, and listen to a beautiful song. So I share that song with you. If you don't know the tune, you can Youtube it. Better yet, find a hymnal and pick it on the piano or guitar. 

However you choose to experience the song, I hope you're comforted by the assurance that, in all the changes of life, He who does not change is right there with you.           

     Abide With Me

  1. Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
    The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
    When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
    Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.
  2. Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
    Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
    Change and decay in all around I see—
    O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
  3. I need Thy presence every passing hour;
    What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
    Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
    Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
  4. I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
    Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;
    Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
    I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
  5. Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
    Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;
    Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
    In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
  6. Henry F. Lyte, 1847

Sunday, October 23, 2016

A Mind Set on Things Above

“If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:1-3)

As a young adult in my 20s, one of the first passages I felt the need to memorize strictly for my own sake (not for a Bible class or study) was Colossians 3. It was the beginning of this great and very applicable chapter that grabbed my attention the most. “Keep seeking the things above […] Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” It was all about perspective, a mindset I wanted to keep in mind daily.

I just returned to that passage again this week in a Bible study I am doing on missional motherhood. I realized once again how vital this passage is for my everyday life. How do I set my mind on the things above when the things here on earth take up all my time? My days consist of changing diapers, entertaining and feeding children, putting them down for naps, preparing for my two part-time teaching jobs, and trying my best to stay on top of housework. (Staying on top of housework for me means I stay on top of dishes and laundry. Everything else is bonus.) Oh the earthly things that run through my mind all day long! The ‘To Do’ lists and schedules and meal plans and lesson plans. Oh the frustrations over always feeling like I’m running behind! Can I set my mind on something else? How?

I don’t think this passage is telling us not to think about earthly things at all. That’s not possible. We still have meals to make, jobs to go to, and appointments to keep. What Paul is saying, however, is that there is a mindset that supersedes the earthly things. It is the mission, the goal behind all that we do. And the beauty of it is that this mission gives purpose to the earthly tasks, even to the most mundane. My purpose in life is to glorify God. This is possible even in the daily tasks of doing dishes, caring for my kids, and preparing English and German lessons. I do this as I rely on God for strength, believe His promises for my life, and lay aside my selfish wants in order to serve my family and students as an act of worship to Him. I do this as I remind myself throughout the day that the task is merely secondary. How I go about the task, how I allow the Lord to shape me in the process, how I seek to keep the eternal in mind especially in my conversations with others, that is primary. That is a mind that is set on things above.

So this week, as I go about my ‘earthly’ tasks, I want to keep the heavenly perspective in mind. Everything is infused with purpose. Every toy I pick up off the ground, every conversation I have with my children, every meal I make, every paper I grade. This is what the Lord has called me to, and this is how I give Him glory. As long as I keep this perspective in the upcoming days, my mind will be fully in line with Colossians 3. “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

--Amy O'Rear


Monday, October 17, 2016

ELECTION 2016


            The presidential election of 2016 will go down into the history books as the election where voters cast their ballots against candidates, not for them.  Never have there been two candidates more widely disliked or more tepidly supported by even their own political parties. Many people have stated their intentions to stay home on election day because they don’t want to vote for either candidate.  This election will not be a proud moment in our country’s history.
            This past week my aunts were discussing one of my grandmother’s speaking outlines and I realized that her points made perfect sense for election advice.  Gram said we were to fret not, fear not, and forget not.
            First, fear not.  II Timothy 1:7 says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound judgment.”  Please notice what replaces the fear.  Those are qualities we badly need during this election.  To continue the thought, the reason we are not to fear is because of His presence.  “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”  (Isaiah 41:10)  We should not fear the outcome of the election.
            Fret not.  I have never seen an election that has had more Christians worried.  Psalm 37 begins with the words, “Do not fret because of evildoers."  Both sides have legitimate reason to claim the other candidate is an evil doer.  Instead of fretting, we should look to Philippians 4:6 and 7 for our instructions.  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  Jesus said just before his crucifixion, when He was getting ready to leave His disciples, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”  (John 14:27)  Claim His peace.
            The final phrase is forget not.  We are not to forget God’s role in this election.  Jonah 2:7 says, “While I was fainting away, I remembered the Lord.”  We have forgotten during this election that “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.”  (Proverbs 21:1) I would add Daniel 2:21, “He removes kings and establishes kings.”  So who is in charge of this election?
            No one can tell you who you should vote for or who you should vote against in this election.  You must vote your conscience.  But whatever your decision, fear not, fret not, forget not.  God is still on the throne.
                                                                                    ~~Faith Himes Lamb


Sunday, October 9, 2016

Treasures

What is more important to you than God?

Though my husband, Paul, grew up in a poor family, by the time he was 17, he thought he had everything a guy could want. His older sister and brother-in-law had a ski boat and gave him water skis and included him on their team of semi-pro water skiers. He had a good job (carrying block for building foundations), immense strength, the fun of skiing, a girlfriend, even God. As a youngster, he had believed in Jesus Christ as the only way of eternal salvation. But, in order of importance, God came at the bottom of the list.

But the Hound of Heaven (see the heartrending poem by Francis Thompson) kept after him, asking for his attention. Resentful, Paul didn’t want to do evil; he just didn’t want to give God the time. He pointed out to himself that he gave God His Sunday mornings, and that was all he was willing to give. God whispered, touched, requested recognition. He reminded, pestered, nagged. Finally, pressed beyond endurance, Paul stood up, shook his fist heavenward, and cried, “God, get off my back and leave me alone!”

Five days later, driving recklessly in a pouring rain, Paul rolled his car off the Missouri River levee in Omaha. His back was broken and his legs paralyzed. It didn’t take him long to see that all of his treasures were lost forever. He had no strength for work or fun; the girlfriend left; the boat and skis were useless.

He refused to make a “foxhole confession” and continued in his confusion and depression. But God kept talking to him. Paul saved up his evening ration of sleeping pills, intending to end his life. But he saw himself standing before God, Who said, with some annoyance, “You’re early!” The excuses he offered did not impress. Again, he heard, “You’re early!” So, he gave up the plan. Months later, still in the hospital, Paul turned to God and said, “I’m a broken vessel. But if You can use me, I want You to.” 

God changed his life completely. He stopped crying about his disability, learned to manage life from a wheelchair, finished high school, got a job, went to college. He took as his own the song, “Treasures,” by Margaret Snell Nicholson, sung to the tune of, “The Unveiled Christ.”
                                                             Treasures
One by one He took them from me,
All the things I valued most.
Until I was empty-handed;
Every glittering toy was lost.

Then I walked earth's highway grieving,
In my rags and poverty;
'Til I heard His voice inviting:
Lift your empty hands to me.

So I held my hands toward Heaven,
And He filled them with a store
Of His own transcendent riches,
'Til they could contain no more.

Then at last I comprehended
With my stupid mind and dull,
That God could not pour out His riches
Into hands already full.

God gave him many more treasures – he married, worked a good job, adopted three children, had “a wonderful life.” But the best treasure has been God Himself. Paul has had the joy of the Lord every day of his life since he gave it to God. He has had many opportunities to tell people of God’s goodness.

For 53 years he has said he is happier now, in a wheelchair, than he was when he was strong and capable and miserable in his rebellion. He loves the Lord with all his heart, marvels daily at God’s written Word, appreciates His large and small blessings. He looks forward to heaven, not because he will be able to walk (self-transportation will probably be much better than that), but because he will see the Lord face to face and be free from the pressures of our sinful nature.

For Paul, God is the greatest treasure. Is He your greatest treasure?

--Lynda Shenefield


Sunday, October 2, 2016

Behold the Beauty!

I was sitting on my backyard swing soaking up some morning sun recently, and a little black and white moth landed on the armrest of my swing. He was a lovely, furry little thing--he almost appeared to have feathers--glossy and soft. I remembered a butterfly I had seen earlier in the butterfly garden at school. This fellow was mostly orange on top, but when he settled on a flower and folded his wings, silvery spots on the underside of his wings glittered in the sun. Such amazing detail!

I have a relative who takes these incredible nature pictures. He has all sorts of expensive lenses, and the shots he gets are truly stunning! I especially love his photographs of bugs. Sometimes the tiny critters that appear to be black or brown, when seen up close, actually have incredible blue streaks or green and purple spots. There is a lot of hidden beauty in the world.

How many people get close enough or slow down enough to see all this creativity and beauty? Does God worry that his work is wasted or that no one will notice? Certainly not, but I see in these details a God who loves beauty for its own sake, who is himself so truly beautiful that everything he touches--and that's everything--is rich with color and patterns.

David's prayer as recorded in Psalm 27 was "to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to meditate in his temple." Zion is frequently described as a city of great beauty. Just read Revelation 21 to see how much God values color and brilliance.

Until I get to heaven and see the glory for myself, I'm going to keep looking for the shiny and gorgeous previews God has put all around me--even on little bugs!


--Sherry Poff