Where is God?

I see the moon, and the moon sees me,

God bless the moon, and God bless me!

When we were children, we were told, “God is everywhere.”

Ps. 139:7-10

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. Where shall I go from your Spirit? ESV

That seemed pretty nice – if we ever needed God’s help, there He was, right there. On the other hand, if we didn’t want Him to see something we wanted to do, that wasn’t so convenient. But, generally, those verses have always seemed pretty general to me. They aren’t, of course. They are amazing.

Do you ever want some “down time,” when God isn’t looking over your shoulder or into your mind? When you don’t have to guard your thoughts or “be good” all the time? No, you don’t, really. One millisecond away from God would be worse than our worst nightmare. We NEED His right hand to hold us!

A couple of weeks ago, our “through the week” reading in the bulletin included Isaiah 57:15, an absolutely mind-blowing thought. Read slowly, to “get” Who God is. Then read the “and also.”  Does that look like an offhand aside? Or more like the most astonishing thought of the day, today and always?

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
    who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
    and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.” ESV

--Lynda Shenefield

You Are What You Eat

When I was a little girl, I used to love reading a poem about "Miss T." The recurring line was this: "Whatever Miss T eats/Turns into Miss T!"  (Walter de la Mare).

I am still amazed by the idea that all the toast and broccoli and peanut butter I put into my mouth becomes my own skin and hair and freckles. It's an amazing design of God that uses the nutrients in food to fuel our cells and give energy to our steps. I have a habit of reviewing my daily food intake as I get ready for bed at night. I like to have a balance of foods and prefer to eat mostly plants. This daily review helps me keep mental tabs on myself.

It occurred to me recently that the common metaphor for God's word as food makes this old saying relevant to my spiritual life as well.  I'll bet I'm not the only one who has found a morsel of scripture or a tidbit from a sermon coming to mind at just the right moment. On more times than I can count, a hymn or praise song has run through my mind and out my mouth, bringing unexpected joy and comfort. Obviously, if I had not taken in these words and songs, they wouldn't have been available when I needed them.

It's not a new concept at all, but that doesn't make it any less powerful.  Paul's admonition  to "be transformed by the renewing of [my] mind" (Romans 12:1 ) means that I need to find a way to get the good stuff into my head for that transformation to happen.  Someone has said that people are like tea bags; when we get into hot water, our true nature is revealed. I want my response to stress to be godly,  so I need to be consuming godly material.

As Amy has pointed out for us recently, taking care of the body gets a lot of attention these days--and certainly that's not all bad. But if my concern for toast and peanut butter outweighs my concern for Psalms and Romans, I have bigger problems than an unbalanced diet.

--Sherry Poff

Terrified

"Why didn't you tell me that parenting was so terrifying? lol"

I chuckled as I read the text from my sister at Selah's 4:00 am feeding.  My sister was up feeding her six week old at the same time, and we had been texting back and forth.  When I shared her text with another friend of mine who is a new mom of a two month old, she said, "I completely agree with your sister.  This is the most terrified I've been in my entire life." It reminded me of a quote from one of my favorite choral composers, Eric Whitacre: "The terror of performing never goes away.  Instead, you get very, very comfortable being terrified."  Being entrusted with this helpless little life is terrifying.  If you aren't even the least bit scared, you might not completely realize the immense responsibility that has just been given to you.

If there is anything in life that strips away the illusion you are in any way in control, it's parenting.  You carry this baby for close to forty weeks, hoping and praying she is growing strong and healthy because you can't see what's happening inside. Labor is one of the most unpredictable and inevitable events ever.  I mean, you know you have to go through labor and delivery in some way, shape, or form in order to get this baby out of you, but don't you dare Google or WebMD "labor and delivery" because you will then begin to imagine the hundred and one things that could go wrong. Then, the baby is finally here and for one euphoric moment you think, "That's it! I've done it!' before all the worries and fears about "Is that normal? Should she be doing that? Is that enough diapers?"  Plus there is  our personal favorite, "I don't know why she's crying! Why is she crying? Is something wrong?" :)  Let's not even talk about the actual raising and shepherding of a child or teenager's heart and the worry and unpredictability that brings into your life!

Much of my daily struggle in walking with Jesus has been in trying to direct my own path instead of trusting that He knows the way. As I look at this little baby next to my keyboard, I'm reminded of Paul David Tripp saying, "We are all born into this world as sinners desiring to be God.  Wanting to speak, and it will happen."  I'm a first-born, extroverted educator, so I naturally like being able to plan, predict, and "speak" what is going to happen next. But, parenting is the real life lesson God has given me to teach me to trust and rely on Him. I'm not a big fan of stepping out into the unknown without having my bullet-pointed travel itinerary in one hand and the steering wheel in the other. However, when I truly trust Him, giving all my worries and fears over to Him, those experiences are the sweetest times I have had with my Lord.  Yes, parenting is one of the scariest paths Nathaniel and I have ever undertaken(twice now), but it is also the path that encourages me to walk a little closer beside my Jesus.  Because He knows the way (and why she's crying) even when I do not.

--Gabrielle Haston

(There should be an adorable picture of Selah alongside the computer to accompany this piece, but your blog manager could not get it to transfer properly. So sorry. It's truly the cutest thing ever!)

A Practical Idea to Encourage You to Pray

                                          

My dad and mom believed in praying about EVERYTHING. That is what they taught the four of us...”God wants to hear your prayers and He is interested in EVERYTHING about you.” It was nothing for my dad to stop and pray in a grocery store for a friend who was hurting...or for a cashier who had a burden...or even for my stumped big toe! He was full of adventure and full of faith...that is why we helped him, right along with my mother, in building a church “from scratch” or revitalizing dying churches...mostly in Pennsylvania.

After my mother went to Heaven and Dad was getting older, I thought: “Who is going to pray for all these people like Dad does?” The Lord said: “How about you, Maylou?” Whoa! I had better get busy!

My prayer lists, up until that time, were odds and ends of 3x5 cards, or an occasional paper list. I needed more than that. So...I began a prayer journal. I will be glad to share it with you, if you want. Trust me, it is VERY simple. Basically, lists of dates and names with “ans” for answered...then highlighted in yellow.  It has motivated me to stay on track with my prayer time.

A HUGE help is to have a “distraction sheet” close by. This is just a plain piece of paper to write down any distracting thought (“Did I send a birthday card to Susie Q?”) and focus on my requests.

In the front of my prayer journal, I have written many verses that encourage me to pray even when circumstances seem insurmountable. Just a few...

One of my favorites - Psalm 5:3: “In the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning, I lay my requests before You and WAIT in expectation.”

A verse I pray for my family - Isaiah 41:20: “That they may see and know and consider and understand together that the hand of the Lord hath done this.”

Mark 9:29 - “...This kind can come forth by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

Psalm 31:24 - “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”

A dear friend of ours in England was telling us how she longed to help her son who was having huge financial challenges. Ann told us her son looked at her and said, “Mum, don’t put your hand in your pockets...put them together.” We knew what he meant...”Pray, Mum, pray!!!”

--Maylou Holladay

Heart Trouble?

            As a woman, I am so tired of fighting my feelings! I am not saying that men don’t struggle with their feelings too, but I do believe we have a heavier dose of struggle with feelings especially because of our hormones that fluctuate frequently and take drastic shifts at various points in our lives. While this has been a battle for a long time, it has recently come to my attention in sharper focus the last few months. Primarily, it is my own heart that has gotten my attention, but I have certainly been burdened for some of my sisters who are overwhelmed by their feelings and emotions.

            Don’t get me wrong, emotions and feelings can be a tremendous blessing. When I look at my little boy, my heart is overwhelmed to bursting with a love and adoration that is sweet. When my husband and I spend quality time together or get some time away, I love the passion, romance, and security that our love engenders in my heart. Feelings are also helpful indicators when something is wrong. When you are hiking and run across a coiled snake, the panic that arises causes you to move quickly and safely away. And even some of these feelings that I am tired of fighting can be useful to show me where I am trusting in something or someone other than the Lord. Or, grief, anxiety, or depression can tell me when I am hurting and need to seek help from the Lord, from friends, or even a medical professional. But what is on my mind today are those emotions and feelings that tell us lies and try to convince us to believe them instead of truth. Let’s look at some examples.

Feelings can tell us:

I am not good enough.

I am too weak to do _____. (what God has called me to or given me)

I need _____ to be happy. (food, possessions, money, a certain weight, etc.)

If God really loved me, He wouldn’t allow this painful thing.

            Where do these lies come from? Two places: Satan and ourselves. God warns us in His word that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), and that our hearts are deceitful above all else (Jeremiah 17:9). Some lies are so subtle that we don’t recognize that we are making decisions throughout the day based on them. One of my ‘favorites’ is choosing to eat junk food or too much food because it offers comfort or pleasure. I don’t analyze every time I reach for junk food to think “Am I just enjoying a fun creation of God’s in healthy balance, or am I trying to satisfy myself apart from Him?” However, even when I am aware of these lies, it is not any easier to battle them. The flesh or Satan shouts loudly and convincingly that I need _____ to be happy, or that I am never going to be the best mother I want to be.

            So, what do we do when these lies overwhelm our emotions? If our hearts are so deceitful, how do we fight them? The simple answer is with truth! God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) in His Word and through the power of His Holy Spirit. However, we have to be disciplined to utilize these great tools, be aware of our weak spots, and utilize the body of Christ through accountability. Our greatest asset is keeping our relationship with the Lord strong through daily Bible meditation and prayer. Joshua 1:8 says, “This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you will be careful to do all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous and then you shall have good success.”

            Being aware of your weaknesses and the times or circumstances that highlight your weaknesses can also help you combat the lies of emotions. For many of us, right after we have had a spiritual high or even just an enjoyable thing like a vacation, we quickly experience a downturn of emotion and thinking, whether it is Satan’s attack or a physical/emotional letdown. Of course, being mindful of our natural hormonal ebb and flow is helpful if you do see a pattern. Knowing you often have a sensitive day at a certain time of the month can allow you to prepare yourself. But also knowing where you tend to run to satisfy yourself apart from God: books, TV, shopping, food, other people, etc., can help you heighten your awareness when you notice you are running to those things more often. Furthermore, you can find specific verses to meditate on or memorize that combat those lies with truth.

            Finally, enlist your sisters in Christ or your family members to keep you accountable and to share your burden or struggle (Galatians 6:1-2). I know that when I keep my struggle to myself, I go through cycles of shame when I feel like I am failing that defeat me more, but I also observe that what I am struggling with feels so much more powerful when I don’t share it. Find someone you trust who knows and loves you and wants the best for you. Start an accountability partnership or group, where you all share your struggles. Pray for one another and ask about how everything is going with the struggle. Offer any advice you have found helpful. We were not meant to do this alone. And often, just discovering that other women know exactly how you feel, or have struggles too even if they are different from yours can be a relief and a joy. May the Lord grant us the strength and honesty to battle our emotions and always keep His truth foremost in our minds and hearts!

 ~Judith Graham

Into the Light

Yesterday I confronted a ten-year-old boy with his shameful, sexual sin. It was an unpleasant task. Even though I tried to be tactful and gentle, he reacted with embarrassment, defensiveness, and anger. Who wouldn’t?

He would have preferred I ignore his sin – pretend it wasn’t so. Keep it secret. Darkness hides our sin. And why would we want to hide our sin? The answer is obvious. Shame. We feel embarrassed that anyone would know our sin. Or we might love our sin and fear that someone will place boundaries on it. Then we get angry. We forget the enemy wants to destroy us and uses our sin to do so.

But the Apostle Paul tells the Ephesians, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11, ESV) In other words, shine a light on it! 

From my experience as a Social Worker, I know that men and women who have been abused rarely find healing until they share their experiences with someone they trust. Uncovering the hurt and betrayal – no longer keeping the secret – dispels the darkness propagated by someone else’s sin.

Paul also says, “The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.”

(Romans 13:12-13, ESV)

The “armor of light” is our defense against darkness in that it illuminates what we might stumble over. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105, ESV) God’s Word shows us how to walk in the light, but we won’t see it if we don’t “turn on the lamp.”

Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world.” He is the epitome of light overcoming darkness. Without His power, we overcome nothing. That’s why we put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Daily submit to His authority and ask Him to fill you with His Spirit and see if that doesn’t change your life.

James tells us to confess our sins to one another that we might be healed. (James 5:16) There’s great freedom in walking around in the light. Constantly worrying about our sins being exposed takes a great deal of energy. But the worry evaporates if we embrace the light by uncovering deeds done in darkness.

Confess it. Repent. Be free. Be healed.

Find joy.

joyce hague

P.S. I know it's not winter, but isn't the above picture cool?

A Truth Not Just for Mothers

“Martha, Martha [Mother, Mother], you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

“As you go through your day, you are taking your child somewhere. Make sure it is to Jesus” (Melissa                Kruger, Walking with God in the Seasons of Motherhood)

               We have made motherhood about so many things. Our culture tells us constantly what it takes to be a successful mother.  Any five-minute perusal of social media will confront us with various posts and articles of what we need to be doing as mothers, or worse, how we’re harming our children by what we are doing. Mothers are overwhelmed. I was never more aware of this until I became a mom myself. All of a sudden I was bombarded with decisions that would supposedly determine the health and well-being of my child – would I choose a natural birth or an epidural, nursing or formula, conventional medicines or oils, vaccinations or no vaccinations or an adjusted schedule of vaccinations, organic food or processed food, regular cleaning supplies or chemical-free living? And the list goes on and on.  This probably sounds silly to many of you. I don’t know how much pressure people in generations past have felt on these issues, but in today’s society these voices can be deafening.  For often it’s not just presented as another option; instead, it is presented as the right option. Choose wrongly and you will be harming your child. When I gave my daughter formula for the first time at 3 months of age, I was tired of the voices. I posted a list of things on social media that I had done, all of which I’d seen posts and articles strongly against (vaccinations, epidurals, processed foods, formula, etc.). My goal in doing this, and how I concluded that post, was to encourage moms to not worry about all those voices, but to listen to the One voice that truly mattered. The response was overwhelming. And it was from mothers… Mothers like me who were tired of all the voices telling them what they needed to be doing. Mothers who needed to be reminded of the truth that all those decisions, while not necessarily unimportant, are not what mothering is about.

               The truth that Martha needed to hear in the Scripture passage quoted above is the same truth that we need to hear today, whether mothers or not. It is the same truth that we pass on to our children. We need Christ. We need His truth. We need to know what He says about mothering. We need to sit at His feet, let Him speak peace to our hearts and put all these other issues in perspective. The command Christ gives us is to follow Him, not anyone else’s list of a successful mother. Moms, what should consume my thoughts should be how to point my child to Christ, not whether or not I choose to give up nursing my child who’s struggling through feedings. In eternity, that does not matter. Let’s refocus. Let’s drown out those other voices when necessary with His truths, His priorities. Christians, let’s speak the beautiful words of Scripture to each other more than we speak our preferences about daily living practices. Let’s make sure to celebrate Christ and His work in our children’s lives and the grace He gives us mothers more than we celebrate the fact that we made a homemade meal with no processed foods. Oh, that the social media posts would be filled with encouragements of God’s sovereignty over our kids’ lives more than our perceived ability to control their health by the choices we make for them.  Please hear me, I am not against all those issues mentioned above, but sometimes I’m afraid we’ve lost perspective. Our call above all others is to follow Christ and point others to Him.

               To the mothers who have already raised their children, we need your encouragement. We need to know how you drew close to the Lord amidst mothering preschoolers. We need to know what Scripture passages spoke to you through difficult seasons of mothering, how you learned to give your children to the Lord when fears were overwhelming. To all women in the church whether mothers or not, we need your help in pointing us and our children to Christ and His sufficiency in life.  May we together show the next generation that there is a Truth above all other ‘truths’ and a Voice above all other voices that truly is worthy of our complete trust and obedience.