Hosea 3 and God’s unfolding revelation

Hosea 3 and God’s unfolding revelation

I recently had a brief conversation on Facebook with some XA disciples, in which one of them referenced my teachings on how to interpret the Bible. He quoted my teachings, saying, “It can never mean what it never meant.” It was gratifying to know that someone was listening and that he still remembers! But, it also revealed my own growth as a biblical scholar and theologian, since I no longer agree with what I used to teach! (This enables me to give grace to politicians who change their views – though I have no plans to extend that grace to anyone who is currently running for office!)

The quote was saying that, when one is interpreting the Bible, the meaning of the text for the original audience is THE meaning. So, when Jesus told the parable of the lost coin, he was talking about a lost coin and not about Syrian refugees or Taylor Swift's latest boyfriend. Whatever the text meant to the original audience is still, by far, the best place to start in interpreting the Bible. BUT, the conversation doesn’t end there. As such, I feel the need to write my old friends back and explain that I don't hold as strongly to that as I used to. The reason is that I’ve grown in my understanding of Biblical Theology and the firm belief that the later books in the Bible reveal and explain God’s plan, intentionally, with greater clarity than the earlier books. So, even though we can see salvation by grace in Genesis, we see it much clearer in Ephesians. And once we’ve read Ephesians, we will forever see Genesis in a different light. The amazing aspect of this is that God knew, all along, that the day would come when Ephesians would influence what I see in Genesis. He knew that! In fact, when Jesus preached, he knew that his audience was made up of first century farmers and fishermen – but he also knew that I would one day read the same sermon. God was preaching to them in their time and to me in this time at the same time. Therefore, limiting the text to the incomplete perspective of the original audience unnecessarily limits God's "unfolding revelation."

I realized early on (even as I was teaching the limited methodology) that such a limited perspective of interpretation completely negated the possibility of prophecy. So, I changed the quote to say, “It can never mean what it never meant … except for prophecy.” Unfortunately, that limits God, too, for the entire Bible is prophecy. It's like when movies or video games put in "Easter eggs." Those are fun little clues that reveal that there is a unified author often telling apparently disconnected stories. Pixar movies are full of references to other Pixar movies; e.g., in the dentist’s office of Finding Nemo, there is a Buzz Lightyear doll on the floor and a little boy is reading an “Incredibles” comic book. Also, in nearly every Pixar movie, the same Toyota Pizza truck can be seen and the number A113 is in all of them. In a similar way, God has put parts of the N.T. in the O.T. -- not to mention that Jesus is the subject of all of it.

With that in mind, we come to my own devotional reading from a couple of days ago. It is Hosea 3:1-5: "The Lord said to me, “Go, show love to your wife again, even though she loves another man and continually commits adultery.  Likewise, the Lord loves the Israelites although they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.” 3:2 So I paid fifteen shekels of silver and about seven bushels of barley to purchase her. 3:3 Then I told her, “You must live with me many days; you must not commit adultery or have sexual intercourse with another man, and I also will wait for you.” 3:4 For the Israelites must live many days without a king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred fertility pillar, without ephod or idols. 3:5 Afterward, the Israelites will turn and seek the Lord their God and their Davidic king. Then they will submit to the Lord in fear and receive his blessings in the future. (NET)"

From my N.T. perspective, I see 3 things:

1.       V 1-2: Hosea had to pay a "redemption" price to get his wife back. Somehow, in her sin and idolatry, she got into debt (perhaps to a pimp or maybe she was in jail for a DUI -- it's easy to get into debt when you live without boundaries) and Hosea had to pay the price to set her free. How difficult it must have been for him to have to pay for her, knowing full well that she was guilty. This makes me think of Jesus, paying the price for us, out of his love for us, knowing full well what shameful harlots we are. You could say that Jesus isn’t in the text, but I would beg to differ. God commanded Hosea to return to his unfaithful wife as an example of God’s love for His people. God planned this out intentionally. It is not coincidental that Hosea had to pay a redemption price for his unfaithful wife and we cannot overlook that God paid a very costly redemption price for us. He who orchestrated this story did so as a prequel to the even more tragic story to come.

2.       V 3-4: Hosea withheld having times of intimacy with his wife as an illustration that a time would come when God's presence would not be with His people. They would not have a King or a priest--before a Davidic King would come. I look at this and see the 400 years without prophecy, before Jesus (the Davidic king and Priest in the order of Melchizedek) came. It would be very unlikely that the original audience would have had the same interpretation, since they lacked the information that we currently have.

3.       V 5: After this long time without God's intimate presence, there would come a new time of intimacy in which the previous rebellious people would become God seekers. A Davidic King will reign over them and they will willingly submit to the Lord. This is clearly (from my N.T. perspective) referring to Jesus and the character transforming ministry of the Holy Spirit. It is, again, unlikely that the original audience could have foreseen this fulfillment. What is very likely is that the original audience could only see the general outline that God would not reject them forever and that the Davidic dynasty would not be wiped out. All of that is true, but we now know how it came to be fulfilled.

So, proper biblical interpretation recognizes the interpretation of the original audience (as much as we can surmise it) and also brings clarity to it with an awareness of, and insights from, God's unfolding revelation.

2 Samuel 23 - The Waste of Worship (Sermon starts at 17:00 minutes)

Manna Hoarding and Cheerios in the Closet

This from Lena:

When we arrived in the States last June, I was sure my fascination with shopping for things I can’t get in Peru would fade after a month or so, but that wasn’t the case. In my family, we always joke saying, “Hey, did you know there is a sale at Kohls?!!?” (There is always a sale at Kohls).  Even though I know that much of the shopping has been totally reasonable, I find that there are heart issues that have surprised me with their voracious spirit—an inner demand for more, for “enough” that is impossible to satisfy.

When the Israelites were miraculously delivered out of slavery (and into the desert), they went immediately into God’s training program for How To Be God’s People.  They were free, but they were out in the dessert with all they owned and all their families. They were like a traveling metropolis, with no way to keep themselves in food and water—the most basic of elements. I am always fascinated by God’s delivery system for the manna that saved their lives.  Manna was delivered only by God’s hand, it was delivered daily, it was un-hoardable, it was provided in such a way as to never be too much or too little regardless of how much you gathered, and the only time you could gather extra was in preparation for the Sabbath. God was clearly their only source for food, and He insisted that they trust Him to provide what they needed, but only when they needed it. Nothing more, nothing less.

These rules remind me of the process of adoption and the way parents need to proceed to form a secure emotional connection to their children—especially those who come to their new home having been a victim of neglect or abuse or lived in extremely impoverished situations. The new parents have to be the only ones to feed the adopted child, the only ones to care for their needs, so that trust can be built. They have to learn to trust their parents enough to accept in their hearts that they don’t need to hoard food for later—for just in case things go south—in case they need to make a quick get away.  It seems to me that when the hoarding stops, it is clear evidence that trust is formed—something to celebrate!

It has been so clear to me lately that the impulse to hoard is a clear sign that the hoarder does not trust that what they need will be provided. As a child of God, it means that I am still thinking I may have to keep a suitcase ready in case this God doesn’t come through. In my own heart, I find myself needing to cling to scripture. I tell myself, “Lena, if he dresses the lilies so beautifully, how much more will He take care to dress you?” The orphan in me fights back, but the loved adopted daughter declares her security, and says, “My Father is a good father, and He will provide everything I need!”

So I do regular checks for cheerios in the closet. It’s a journey, like everything else! Hoarding gives me a false sense of security that doesn’t satisfy and a nagging worry over scarcity, but trusting the hand of the Father gives peace and an opportunity to prove his love, not only to me, but to those who walk with me and have their own stash hidden away that they need to surrender. Even cheerios eventually go stale sitting in that closet, but his mercies are new every morning, and his manna is ready for the day. 

Ps. 66:11 -- Suffering and God as athletic coach

This, from Bill:

Ps. 66:11 is strong and, for many, hard to reconcile with their concept of God. It says, "You led us into a trap;  you caused us to suffer. (NET)" To understand it, it is helpful to look at the verses before and after.

    66:9 He preserves our lives

    and does not allow our feet to slip.

    66:10 For you, O God, tested us;

    you purified us like refined silver.

    66:11 You led us into a trap;

    you caused us to suffer.

    66:12 You allowed men to ride over our heads;

    we passed through fire and water,

    but you brought us out into a wide open place. (NET, Ps 66:9-12)

This is a great juxtaposition of concepts. In the heart of it is God as athletic coach or good father. He intentionally puts the trainee under pressure so that when real pressure comes, the person can withstand it and come forth victorious. 66:11 is really strong, "You led us into a trap; you caused us to suffer." In today's culture the goal of life is pleasure and comfort. In God's culture, the goal is strength and freedom. Some people say that it is unjust for God to cause us to suffer. This is either evidence that the Bible's depiction of God is untrue (since a good God would never do that) or that the God of the O.T. is cruel and should not be worshipped. Ironically, they would not say the same of  a drill sergeant at boot camp or of one of the coaches on "The Biggest Loser." There is an understanding in those contexts of the classic adage, "No pain, no gain." In the passage above, the difficulty the we press through is the very thing that produces victory. The suffering is the lesson that "preserves our lives and does not allow our feet to slip." (verse 9) And that, brings us to freedom; i.e., "into a wide open place. (NET, Ps 66:12)"

Over the last year, I've gained about 10 pounds. That has caused its own kind of suffering and, yet, I still have a very high opinion of ice cream. 

This from Bill:

Working with college students and teaching in the Seminary, I am frequently confronted with the idea that the Bible is just the invention of men. This morning, in my quiet time, I was reading Galatians and noted that Paul confronted the same issue! That lead me to the following thoughts:

^{Gal 1:11} “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.” – People often say that they don’t trust the Bible because it is just teachings of men. Paul addresses this directly, continuing to say, ^{Gal 1:12} “I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” Paul is saying that he is a prophet like Moses; that is, just as God and Moses met on the mountaintop, where God revealed the Law to Moses, Jesus did the same with Paul, explaining the Gospel of salvation by grace through faith. Paul didn’t just think of it. He didn’t make it up. Jesus revealed it. Some people, even some Christians, are not comfortable with that. They like to think that the Gospel evolved, naturally. It did not. It was a supernatural, burning bush, shining light, knock-you-off-of-your-horse-on-the-road-to-Damascus epiphany (God appearance). 

The question is, does God really speak? Does God really appear on the scene? The notion of the Gospel being invented by men or just a collection of human teachings presupposes that God does not appear on the scene, or that God does not talk or reveal things miraculously. In Paul’s context with the Galatians, some humans have added to the Gospel, to make salvation a thing of grace plus works. Their fallacy was thinking that they could add to what Jesus had miraculously revealed (like they could improve on His revelation). The modern day fallacy is that God doesn’t reveal anything; i.e., that Moses never saw a real burning bush and that Paul never actually met the resurrected Christ. Paul’s first-hand testimony to the Galatians doesn’t allow for either.

When We Ask Jesus to Leave.

 This from Lena:

Everyone else had given up on the Village Scary Guy.  You know who I am talking about—the one who sets your spiritual Geiger counters to the tune of the William Tell Overture.  The Bible clearly states that folks re-routed their paths to avoid the lifeless zone where he wandered.  Where everyone else took their u-turn,   Jesus headed straight in his direction and cast a whole crew of demons out of him and into a herd of pigs worth a fortune.  The townspeople react like a mother who just found her toddler “decorating” her new Coach bag with permanent marker.  They weren’t happy. 

To Jesus, the treasure of one soul was worth the porcine fortune lost in one glorious episode of rescue.  The freedom of one soul was worth more than a treasure trove of bacon and pork chops.  Can you imagine how much even one of those pigs cost?  Can you imagine how freaky it was to see the Village Scary suddenly sane and harmless-looking at the same time you see a herd of dead pigs floating in the river?  It was disgusting, gross, scary, and messy.  So they asked Jesus to leave.

This one fact—that they asked Jesus to leave—won’t leave me lately.  I can’t stop feeling broken over their desire for him to leave. 

At that moment of determining to follow Jesus, every truly-saved sinner knows what was going on in his own heart.  The sense that this Jesus is really going to “mess up my life”  is imminent.  He starts reviewing all the things he suspects this crazy savior—crazy enough to give his life for us willingly—is going to ask of him. The first rays of light in ages breaks into his creepy attic, and instinctively we know that a housecleaning is about to begin. 

Even more so, there are moments when seeking Jesus looks weird or even crazy…praying for someone with serious disabilities, cancer.  I suspect that casting demons out looks more orderly for those with a lot of practice, but so far my experiences have been crazy looking.  Following Jesus means that you begin to walk in a reality that is not visible, and you become a member of a Kingdom that has different rules than this earth. 

I remember a moment when I was still new in the Lord and I was in a coffee house with a friend.  She was such a sweet believer…the Lord had rescued her out of many things, and as we talked, we felt the presence of the Holy Spirit growing stronger.  There was an electric presence of the Holy Spirit that day.  We were talking about revival and how much God wanted to touch the little college town where we lived.  I remember thinking, “What are you up to, Lord?”  One of those famous local crazy guys was also in the coffee house.  If I had been alone, I probably would not have engaged him, but my friend had such a loving presence, and she began to talk to him.  She told him how much Jesus loved him and had such a sweet tone.  I was already feeling the presence of the Spirit, and I can’t tell you if it was the “mature” thing to do, but I started rebuking the evil spirits in my prayer language, and the guy threw his cup of coffee at me.  The owners asked us to leave, called the cops, and closed the coffee shop for the afternoon.  True story.

I know that there are those who will say that I was immature, that we shouldn’t have “gone there.”  To be honest, I am not sure it would play out like that in my life today.  I can tell you, though, that our hearts at that moment were set on following Jesus and seeing his Kingdom come, and that is how it ended!

 I have a hate/love relationship with these crazy moments when He wins me….I hate risk, and I am anything but an adventurer at heart,  but when He gets a hold of me, there is no telling what He will talk me into. 

I wish I could say that every time he has tried to break the part of me that prefers control to holy insanity, that he has won.  I don’t want to ask him to leave, ever…and yet, I know that my actions betray me.  There are days when you just know that if you step just one baby step closer to the Lord, you are going to be signing your name to some costly enterprise.  Costly perfume is going to pour, or some pigs are going over the cliff.  We reach that moment of decision and…we either take a step closer or step away.  Some say the cost is just too high and they ask Jesus to leave.  Others step into the crazy without regret.

Kingdom of Heaven Lessons in a Baby Church

This from Lena:

We have been enjoying a fresh season these last 8 months of seeing a baby church take shape!  We are part of an international team of missionaries who are working together to sort out the difficult task of forming our identity as a church and how we present it.  One of the great joys of this process is seeing people come to Christ and being witnesses to the transformation that is taking place—and also the great responsibility we have to correctly present the Kingdom of God to these baby believers!  As I have specifically focused on the Kingdom of God in my recent studies, here are a few scripture points that have stuck in my heart. I wanted to share them with you, too!

In the Kingdom of Heaven…

Mark 1:15 Repentance is a precursor for citizenship.  We can paint things as pretty as we like, we can try to de-uglify sin and make it sound as though they have just made an oversight until now….but if the recognition of our own sinfulness is not there, followed by sincere repentance, we run the risk of misrepresenting the gospel.  I remember being 18 at an Amy Grant concert, trying to convince myself that I was fine—that my dark little teenaged soul didn’t need rescuing (yeah-back then there was an altar call after an Amy Grant concert!  And tracts on the way in!).  It was a horrible experience.  I was so glad to finally walk that humiliating walk to the altar and lay my burdens down.  We need to not cheat others of the revelation of their own sin and need for a root change of heart.

Luke 11:20 Demons gotta go.  I am not sure why, recently, we have had so many encounters of the demonic kind—but we have had many in the last 8 months.  I think it is interesting that demons can even sit through a sermon politely, but once the individual starts doing serious business with God, demons get pretty angry about the breach of contract.  At first, I wanted to try to make sense of the fact that in 20 years or more of ministry, I have not seen anywhere near the consistent appearances I have seen in the last 8 months.  Now, I sort of wonder what was wrong before, that they were comfortable to hang out around me.  Perspective!

Luke 9:2 Citizens of the Kingdom of God are supposed to be praying for the sick!  I have heard testimonies galore of healings and I have been present for some healings…but I want a lot more.  I think we should be totally going for it.  I have heard that Heidi Baker became determined to just keep praying for healings until she saw them up close.  She prayed for hundreds before seeing anything.  I don’t want to quietly accept sickness.  If we don’t ask, we won’t receive.

Matt 21:31 Audacious sinners of the past who are now obeying Christ passionately are entering the Kingdom quicker than good religious talkers.  I think we all better take note of this one. What a dangerous place it is to be where you know how to play the game all too well; that is, to make people think you are on Jesus’ speed dial, when you are just playing a game.  It doesn’t matter if you are a missionary, pastor, worship leader, or the church’s accountant.  Obedience is where the blessing is—in the secret place, where nobody knows what you are doing.  But someone does. And we are not talking about yesterday.  Today.  Now. 

Matt. 13: 1-23 You’ve got to sow a lot of seed to get some of it to stick. People are hindered from entering the Kingdom by  a variety of things—sometimes they are just blind to the truth because they are so lost in sin and haven’t been made desperate enough yet for an alternative.  These folks are the blank stares and social smiles we get when we try to evangelize.  Then there are those you have a good conversation with, but it goes nowhere. It may not have been because you did a horrible job—which you might have. But even the fact that you were trying calls them to wake up to their real need.  I am convinced that a lot of people don’t let on that they know Jesus is real because they know life is going to change radically the minute after they give their life to him.  Let’s not lie—that is very true.  You might lose your friends, your addictions (those are DEFINITELY gonna have to go), your comforts, or even your job.  All this to say—sowing is hard work, and you don’t have any control over the soil you are preaching to.  The only thing we can control is how much seed we scatter.  Let’s scatter a LOT.

Matt 13:31-2 Some of that seed you scattered is going to surprise you with how big and well it grows. If you scatter enough seed, you are going to get to see some folks really explode.  Maybe they will even pass you!  In our later years of campus ministry, Bill used to tell our university students that they were his last hope for greatness!  He said it jokingly, but he meant it.  “Grow as far as you can grow little seed!  Pass me up!”  That should be our heart for all we nurture in Christ.

Matt 13: 24-30 You don’t really know who’s who until the end.  I suspect that this dynamic is a little like reading our donors list.  We realized long ago, and with great humility, that some of the sweetest little ladies on Social Security are the most faithful and have been the longest, steadiest supporters. I think it will be that way at the final judgment.  I try to warn myself periodically to not become Miss Fancy Pants Missionary—because there may be some rude awakenings at the end, if I see some surprises up ahead of me in line!

I hope this list at least gave you something to think on.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to help form a new church and disciple the new citizens.  Blessings to all of you!

One of our sweet young believers giving her testimony of how the Lord has been changing her life!

God's Got Your Numbers

This from Lena:

Every once in a while these days, I slip up and count out 6 plates instead of the 5 our family now requires.    We left one of our best legacies (our 19 year-old Hannah) back home in the States this past summer.  I hate when I miscount, because it usually brings with it a pang of missing my oldest  daughter, my no-nonsense, type-A extrovert sunshine.  My Peruvian motherly friends are wonderful for consoling me, as most of them find the thought of sending their sweet baby birds out into the world for the sake of education a ghastly proposition.   Still, like the rest of my American Mom friends, I believe in the value of giving that little birdie some help out of the nest. 

Almost ten years ago, we had no plans to go full-size on the mini-van.  Our cap family-size number was 5—a very practical number that we had settled on because at the time there was a three-child cap in missions of the Assemblies of God, and we felt that we would go into missions some day, and wanted to go with the Assemblies.  We decided to plan 2, and leave a little room for a surprise, but something had happened years earlier that planted a tiny questioning seed about whether our numbers were going to line up with God’s.

Years earlier, when we were trying to get pregnant with our second child,  we received a cryptic phone call from a member of our church. 

Prophetic Lady: “Pastor Bill, do you know whether or not that baby your wife is carrying is a boy?”  (She did not know that we were trying to have a baby, and for all we knew at the time, I was not pregnant.)

Bill: “My wife isn’t pregnant.”

Prophetic Lady: “Oh, I see.   Well, you do know the families___________and___________---do you know that I prophesied their babies?” (This is not an exact quote, just so you get the drift).  “Well, Pastor Bill, can I ask you how many children do you plan on having?”

Bill (read in slightly uncomfortable tone): “Uh…two?”

Prophetic Lady: “Why not four?”

That phone conversation never left us completely; especially because just a short while after, we found out we were indeed pregnant, and we were having a boy!  We laughed about it through the years, how surprising it was that our sister knew before we did that we were pregnant with a boy, but never in a mocking way, as if the entirety of that word might not be true.  Bill and I both believe that God can and does at times speak prophetically into the lives of his children.  We also understand that the best-intentioned child of God needs some room for error, so we weigh these things against the Word of God and what actually comes to pass.

Years passed (around 6 of them), and the desire to go into missions grew, and it went into overdrive when we received a prophetic gift of two alpaca sweaters (you will have to read about our call in this blog for THAT story!).  The day we received that gift was within 24 hours of us finding out that we were going to have Abigail.  The fourth baby.  The not-planned baby.  The baby that would disqualify us for missions with the Assemblies, arriving at the same moment as the call.

Except for it didn’t disqualify us.  We didn’t even know, but at that time the child limit had been lifted.  We also had not taken our age into account, because previously we would not have qualified because we were over 35.  Over 35, four kids….and headed into missions.

When I think of how all of that converged, I am in awe of His math. He knows all our numbers….the happy ones and the sad ones.  He knows how many kids we will have, the day we lose our parents, the day we graduate from college.   He knows how many houses we will live in, and even the house addresses.  He knows the day you lost the baby, and that that same baby is now safe and happy with him.  The mature among us acknowledge that all those numbers are best left safely in his hands, without us trying to cajole Him to a pre-mature release of information. He shares what will be to our benefit, and we trust Him with the rest.

When I think of what I would have missed if my plan had been the end of it, I am filled with thankfulness.  I can’t imagine life without our little number 6, and I can’t help but wonder what other mysterious un-planned numbers He holds that I wouldn’t ever choose for myself, but will treasure some day.  Those mysterious numbers can be like a gift so well-chosen, and yet you hadn’t thought of before….and over time, it becomes one of your favorites.  

My devotional life

This from Bill:

Recently, a friend asked about how much time I spend in prayer and how I do my daily devotions. Here's what I wrote:

The answer on how much time I spend praying is: Not enough! My daily devotional regimen is 1) listen to the Bible in Spanish while working out on the elliptical at 6:30 Am. Usually for 20-25 minutes. I usually listen to one or two chapters. 2) Listen to or read 1 chapter of the Bible in English with my kids at breakfast, while discussing it's historical or literary context, proper interpretation and how to apply it to our lives. That's about 15 minutes 5-6 days a week. We leave for school at 8:00 AM. 3) After I drop the kids off, I read the Bible in Spanish out loud (so as to practice my pronunciation while edifying my Spirit). I usually read 1-2 chapters. In English I read much more, but I can’t pull that off in Spanish, yet. I believe it is important to read whole books of the Bible and not skip around from one chapter to another in a disjointed manner. God wrote Ephesians with a specific intent--whch is interpreted correctly in it's context. Therefore, I read the books from beginning to end. I do jump from New Testament to Old and back, but always reading complete books. I outline the chapters and write notes about the book's general argument and how that chapter ties into the book’s theme and also, how it applies to my life. I also journal and pray in English/Spanish and/or tongues. The combination of reading, journaling and praying usually takes about 1.5 hours--except on Mondays, when it's about 3 hours. How do I do that and work a regular office job? First, my hours are flexible. Second, I put in plenty of time in the office. I'm usually in the office between 9 and 10 AM and I work until about 7:00 PM. After dinner, I may put in 1-2 hours more. I try not to work on Saturdays, apart from leading the Young Adults group on Saturday nights. Sometimes that means I have to do sermon prep on Saturday afternoon.

I can't tell you how much time is spent in prayer, versus Bible study or journaling; since I don't separate them much in my brain. When I'm reading the Bible out loud, I think of it as one form of prayer and praise. When I'm journaling, I'm often writing out a prayer. My goal for the whole process is to be honest with God. I see that as an important step towards hearing God's voice. That is to say, often we already know what God wants, but we have to be honest about our own motivations and desires before we can even see clearly. So, on a normal day, I spend a minimum of 2 hours in Bible study and prayer. In addition to that, a few days a week I go out for walks at night, during which I pray in tongues and English. This is in addition to the times when I'm praying while in transit or doing repetitive tasks. For example, when I'm riding the bus, I'm praying in tongues very quietly. (Here, a white guy on the bus looks pretty silly, since white guys drive luxury cars. So, a white guy mumbling to himself is just one more notch on the odd scale!)

Another strategy/tactic for one's devotional life is memorizing scripture. Lena does this every morning while going on a long walk. That way she gets the Word in her and she gets her heart beating. I do this sometimes on the elliptical. Be cautioned, this takes commitment. It bares incredible fruit, but at the cost of being very dry. Once you get the Word in your memory, you are much stronger in your faith and convictions. It is the primary key to hearing God's voice.

All of the above is somewhat separate from the practice of worship in my life. Worship (singing to and about the Lord) is a form of prayer--especially in that my goal is to open myself up to God's presence and enjoy the experience of His intimate presence. I do this in the car, sometimes with the help of a CD, but often just acapella. I also do it with the guitar. It used to be a daily practice, but now that I'm out of XA ministry and spend more time in an office (working with Latin America ChildCare), I don't do it as regularly. On Saturdays, we do family worship. Here I train the little ones to give their all in worship, and I train the big ones how to lead worship. We talk about the theology of the words and music, how to transition successfully, what kind of response we're looking for from the congregation, how to help people experience God's presence, how to do a good job without becoming puffed up, how to lead a Pentecostal/charismatic worship or a non-tongues and prophecy evangelical service. Of course, we have a general objective of experiencing God's presence and learning to be proficient on whatever instrument we happen to be playing that day (e.g., drums, guitar, violin, piano, percussion or bass). This is about 1 hour long for the little ones (who just want to watch TV) and goes longer for Hannah, Colton, Lena and Myself.

The final aspect of our daily devotions is sharing what we're reading, praying about, journaling about and what we think God is saying. Lena and I talk about this every day. We also share it with the kids, when it's appropriate. The community factor imperative in discerning the Spirit. God speaks to us when we bring things out into the light.

In terms of church activities, we all attend at least one Sunday service. The kids have chapel every week, as well as their respective Bible studies. Lena is in two women's groups. She and Hannah also help me in leading the Young Adults/College age group on Saturdays. I also preach/teach/lead worship in other churches on a regular basis.

I usually advise students to shoot for a 30 minute quiet time as a bare minimum. That should include some degree of Bible reading (two to three chapters a day), journaling and prayer. I don't do all three every day, but I do try to do all three every week. That is, some days are mostly reading and some are mostly prayer or journaling. One important goal for all of it is listening. Being able to adjust what you do enables you to respond to your current needs and gives you another option when the process gets boring. The goal must be to hear God's voice, know God's will and/or have God's perspective. That is very rewarding and takes much of the drudgery out of the discipline.

Here's a post that Lena wrote some time back, for Resurrection Sunday:

Jesus' death and resurrection was all about reconciliation.  That is a fancy word for making-up.  We were in a place where we could never, ever pay for what we had done, and Jesus paid the bill.

Have you ever felt that way in a relationship here on earth?  Sometimes we get so far away from each other.  It starts with an offense.  Maybe the offense grows as the "offender"  continues to hurt our feelings, or maybe it just grows inside of us as we mull it over and let it take root in our hearts.  For whatever reason, a gorge begins to grow into a chasm that is bigger than we can imagine ever jumping over.  We have done something, or have had something done to us that will never seem right.

I have heard so many awesome ways people are trying to make Resurrection Sunday (some of us are trying by changing what we call it!!) more meaningful.  They all are awesome!  I love feeding the homeless, doing outreaches--being creative with how we love.  I would like to add another idea: take the steps to be reconciled to someone.  If you don't know how to begin, start with crying out to God!  He may start doing some things in the other person's heart that will surprise you as a fruit of your prayers.  Be humble and take your part in the offense without insisting they do the same.  Do it because He loves you and forgave you EVERYTHING.  You might change someone's life by putting on Christ-like selflessness, and you will certainly be better.

Maybe it will be a gesture of love--God will help you see your way through.  I am learning that words aren't always the most important way of communicating.  No matter how it is expressed, it will bring life.  Even if the gesture is not openly received, it can be freely given, and God sees it all.

Calling Sponsors into Being That Are Not as Though They Were

This from Lena:

There is a dynamic in the Christian life that doesn't make any sense, but is very real. When we pray, we are instructed to pray believing that we will receive what we are asking for--as though it was already ours. When we do this, we become a bit like our Father in heaven, “who calls things that are not as though they were.” Nothing plus faith equals something. We become participants in God's response to our own prayers by demonstrating faith that He hears and wants to respond to our faith-filled prayers.

Twice a year, LACC does a special project in which the children write a paragraph about a given theme. This gives them a chance to connect with their sponsor and give the sponsors a window into their lives. The first project this year was “My prayer for you...” The children were to write a little prayer that expressed their heart desires for their sponsors. Now, it is our office's policy to have all the children—those with sponsors and those awaiting a sponsor—to do a project, just in case one of the children is assigned a sponsor while a project is active. My heart fell as I began to read the prayers the children wrote to sponsors who did not yet exist. I felt the irony, but I know that something powerful happens when we do something in faith---like write a letter to someone who doesn't exist yet, but is an answer to our prayers.

Some of the kids were quite specific:

“...and please send me a sponsor who is good and handsome!”

Some appealed to their imagined sponsor's sense of justice:

“I would like God to move on your heart and that you would be my sponsor, and that you would help me in my studies, so that I can be a professional one day and escape the poverty we live in. To the person who reads this—thank you very much and may God bless you richly. Thank you. Good-bye.

Some shook the heavens:

“Help me to have a person from You who is kind and good who can help me to be like you with the very poor people who live around here. Help me to study hard to be able to keep going. Thank you, Sponsor. I am going to have a sponsor. Thank you, Lord, for blessing my sponsor for choosing me. Thank you. I am sending you a hug and a kiss.

I want you to know that for some reason, we had probably the biggest jump in sponsorship since that project was written that we have ever seen.  In fact, I KNOW that it is the biggest, from all of the first letters I have been translating!  There are circumstances that we can explain that with (we have a staff member on itineration currently, which really helps!!), but why now? There have been months in our own itineration when very few children have been sponsored. Maybe it was because some kids took a step of faith and called a sponsor into being who wasn't as though they were.  And just so you know---all three of these got sponsors!

Momma Lena Got Keys...Divine Irony in Motion

This from Lena:

I cried in front of the tester the day I took my driver's license test.  I was 24 years old.  I slept less the night before I took that test than I did the night before I got married, a few months later.  My wise fiance had challenged me  to finally kill the beast and get my license, thus making me a more equal partner in the marriage rather than someone he would have to cater to.  I knew it was the right thing.  I was petrified.

I had never parallel-parked successfully.  Ever.  The evening before I spent crying out to God for help. I went to my prayer closet a desperate woman.  I remember hearing one thing in my heart--that I was to cast out my net one more time, like Peter when he had fished all night and had not caught anything.  One hour before my scheduled test, I went out to the driveway gripping my cones, full of grim determination.  I managed to pull off one successful park, and then it was off to the exam.  I cried so hard in the car when the tester corrected me that he asked my if my boyfriend beat me.  Oh my.  I don't even know why he gave me the license, because he could have flunked me.  But I got it.

I wanted to tell you this story, because I want you to grasp how extremely ridiculous it is that God sent me to a city of 9 million people,  teeming with 20-year-old minivans with doors that don't even close anymore that dodge in and out of traffic, and buses doing the same, not to mention taxis that make it impossible to take a right turn from the right-hand lane....you have to see it to believe it.  Or live in Africa or India.  Or Mexico City.  Someplace like that.   There is nothing in the States that comes close.

Divine Irony.  His power made perfect in our weakness.  It has taken me close to three years, but I am no longer paralyzed by the thought of driving in Lima at night.  I drive about an hour in Lima traffic Wednesday nights to our dear church, located in an area where you don't tell taxis you are going, or they won't take you there.  The further out I get, the more mototaxis there are, which I call buzzy bees, because that is the sensation they create as they zip through traffic.  Sometimes something a little scary happens, but mostly I am just so thankful not to be petrified anymore to do it.

I am not telling this story to make you think I am courageous or special.  It is just the opposite.  I am telling you because it knocks my socks off that the Lord has taken me this far.  I still can't parallel park for beans, and I stink at judging whether I can fit in a parking space.  I know I look like a dork at some point most days, wielding my huge minivan through the streets of Lima, and I wonder if my kids' friends are like, "Are you SURE you want to ride with Mrs. SHRADER?"   If the angels get a good laugh watching me run the streets of Lima,  I suppose that is fine with me as long as they keep me out trouble.  And if the Lord gets special delight out of watching his timid little Ohio driver take on traffic so she can be a worthy partner with Him, I am alright with that, too.

Hunger Flames

This from Lena:
OK, so the title is totally contrived, but it got you here, right?

An alumni from our Chi Alpha ministry years ago (for those of you who don't know us very well, we cut our ministerial teeth In Chi Alpha Campus Ministries and loved that ministry dearly) just celebrated his birthday.  I found myself thinking about what it was that delighted me so much about this person.  When I comb through the archives of my mind (and Spanish acquisition has diminished them considerably), what sticks out is one of the first times he came to our meetings.

Now, you need to understand that we were Jesus Culture when Jesus Culture wasn't cool.  We were (are!) die-hard Pentecostals.  This does not mean that we jump.  It means that we love the presence of the Holy Spirit, believe that what He brings is worth waiting in the upper room for.  That what He brings is going to equip us to make a difference in this world, and that without His move, we are powerless.

Our worship times were characterized by a deep sense of the presence of the Spirit.  When this particular student arrived, he took to it like a fish to water.  Like Mozart to a piano.  Like Justin Bieber to the heart of pre-adolescent girls.  He laughed, he cried, he acted like a hungry man who had just found a KFC in the middle of a desert.  And it affected all of us.  His hunger was palpable, and it drew the rest of us deeper in, made us value His presence more.

Have you ever been in a supermarket next to someone who is excited to find some great fruit?  One person starts looking, sees that maybe the mango is just right, and lets out a little squeal of culinary anticipation.  Pretty soon all the housewives are acting like they got to have some mango, or they are going to die.  One person's hunger or anticipation of something good coming affects everyone else.  Everyone around them starts thinking, "If I don't move, I am going to miss out!"

Hunger for God is like a fire that shoots out sparks all around.  It is infectious.  It makes spiritually bored people wonder how they got to be so disenchanted with church life, and makes them long for the first flush of love with God in which they were willing to do anything, go anywhere.  Those sparky people stir something of longing inside of us.  How I love them!

So I want to dedicate this to all you sparky people out there, whose hunger for God fans into flame passion inside the rest.  Keep flame-throwing.  There is bound to be some nice, dry wood around just waiting for a spark.

Blue-eyed Barbie Longings

This from Lena:

I have a very clear memory of the day I went to see Aladdin. I was with Bill, and without any warning, I started tearing up. When I looked at this Disney princess, I was seeing something I had never seen before in a princess movie. I was seeing someone who looked like me! Dark, full hair, darker skin, dark eyes---and beautiful. But even more than that, by being made a heroine, her beauty was receiving collective cultural approval. Valued. Wanted.  The power of it surprised and embarrassed me.

So often when I walk through the streets in brown-eyed, brown-skinned Peru, people stop me to tell me how beautiful my daughters are. They are absolutely right! My daughters are fabulously lovely. They will exclaim, “She is so beautiful! Just like a Barbie!!” And they will say it with a starry-eyed, dark little princess at their side. Usually the little one joins in on the adulation, so culturally adapted to this “white is beautiful” idea that it doesn't even occur to her to be offended that she is being overlooked. I imagine that she is carefully considering what she can do to look more “Barbie”--fully knowing that her own eyes can't change their color, that her hair won't take the blond color well. I often reply, “...and your granddaughter here...she is very lovely, also!” It doesn't really change anything, but it feels right to say.

Most of the time, you cannot even find a single Barbie in the store here who has some color to her skin. The only place you can find a doll who looks like a native Peruvian is in the tourist areas, and in general, Peruvians don't go there to find dolls that look like them. The message is clear. Barbie is beautiful. Lovely young women with thick, raven-dark, straight-as-a-rod hair longing for it to be blond. Creamy, clear skin—and wishing always that it were lighter. 

It seems to me that this makes about as much sense as a daisy wanting to be a geranium. All day long, the daisy says to her Maker, “Why didn't you make me a geranium?!! I could have been pink or coral! But here I am, stuck with white! Who wants to be just plain-old white?!!” It feels bad to even write that, because God clearly loves to create diversity of beauty. He can't even seem to stop Himself! His creation itself seems to resists the boxes we try to put them in. (Example: try to explain to me exactly what a platypus is.)

I so want to cry out against this way of thinking, but I only have to scratch beneath the surface to find traces of this sort of thinking in my own life. I am an American, and for many years now we have collectively chosen—and rightly so—to declare all colors beautiful. But I still have geranium longings. “God, I love all this daisy stuff You gave me, but can't I have some geranium leadership skills? I want to preach like that rose over there. You couldn't have made me a bit more like that patient gardenia?” Thinking this way utterly misses the point. God loves His garden, and He makes no apologies for not making every flower exactly alike. To demand to be made different from His original plan is sorrowfully thankless—a rejection of His great loving design and unique favor over our lives. A fresh bouquet thrown in the trash. I am not as far from blue-eyed Barbie longings as I sometimes think.

I want God to so impress me with this truth that I stop insulting His goodness to me.  I want to get to a point where I am so well-aware of the blessing I have been given in my own design that it hurts me (because it hurts Him) before I even finish my inner complaint about how I am not like this or that one.  I want to let thankfulness take it's place, and be able to appreciate my own unique beauty, even as I marvel at what He has put in those around me.

I am including a shot of a beautiful garden of beauties in this post. God hand-picked his palette for each one.  It was taken in our garden this weekend as they were preparing for a banquet. It just seems right!

Unseen

But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.  (Matt. 6:6)

When you go without food, wash your face and comb your hair, so that others cannot know that you are fasting—only your Father, who is unseen, will know.  And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.   (Matt. 6:17-18)

I never saw it before.  The Father, who is unseen. 

I started thinking about why it mattered to say that the Father was unseen in this teaching.  Obviously, we know that we don’t see God all the time.  Given.   So why does it matter so much in this passage?

Jesus is teaching about things he wants us to do in secret:  giving, praying, fasting.  They are disciplines that Jesus wants us to keep under wraps-so that even our best friends don’t know what we are doing.  Why does it matter so much?

As I reflected on this, I realized all the blessings that fill my life daily, carefully planned out by my unseen Father, that go unnoticed.  How many times has the Father snuck into my life to throw me a little (or huge!) blessing, and I went on my way, completely oblivious?  The right door opens up for a job opportunity, a word of encouragement from a friend just in time, a little extra cash in a really tight month that comes from an unexpected source,  a trip to the doctor’s that “accidentally” finds something they weren’t even looking for that is in the early stages of developing instead of the last…..there are unseen blessings everywhere that reflect the unseen Father.  Unnoticed.  Undetected.  Overlooked.

And so it seems that Jesus is telling us that we should try to do things the way the Father who is unseen does things.  It might be an anonymous detail that touches the heart, or even something huge and costly that absolutely no one knows about.

It feels like He just wants us to walk a mile or two at His side.  To understand for a moment what it means to do something that brings us nothing except His pleasure-to totally erase the flesh factor from an act of devotion.  We religious types can get confused as to why we even started down this road.  The flesh can learn to masquerade as ministry with a little practice.  So in some of the most flesh-costly acts—prayer, fasting, and giving—He asks us to just out-and-out kill any possibility of getting a kick-back to our ego or reputation.  Don’t even put it on the books.  Slide the money into the basket in a blank envelope.  Don’t explain to anyone why you have to get up at 5 or 6. 

I personally have a long way to go on this one.  I think I need Unseen 101, the remedial track, so don’t call me for advice on how to live this one out.  And I know there are those of you who are out there who are really good at this, but you won’t say anything.  You’ll just smile and move along.  

A Severe Pruning

Our journey into missions started with a bang!  We had prophetic words from God, incredible excitement, great vision deep in our hearts, and an assurance that God was up to something big!

We had no idea what we had just stepped into.

I won’t bore you with the details, but I can tell you this--- I was not prepared for the gut-wrenching trial that we were about to step into.  We went through relational trials, legal trials, relational trials….did I mention relational trials?  I loved our new world, and at the same time, I feared it, that it would take me out before our adventure had even had a chance to take root.  Never in my life had I undergone what I will call such a severe pruning.  The kind of pruning where you look at the bush you just hacked and wonder if it can survive with so few leaves left.  

We landed back in the States like people jumping off a train—still rolling, rolling, rolling.  You stop a second to ask yourself if you can get up or if you need to wait for the ambulance.  You find that, yes, you can get up, and you start doing normal things.  I painted the house for two months straight.  I was very, very happy to just paint the house, if you know what I mean. 

We came back to Lima, not sure how we would be there.  We got settled in, and things felt pretty good.  It felt pretty normal.  Bill and I both started pressing in to the Lord, finding that place with Him that is the bedrock of everything that we build—just a place of communion.  I started praying in the Spirit a lot.  I started seeing branches sprouting on my little bush of a life, and before I knew it, I felt good.  Really good.

Severe pruning over.  Thank God it is over!!

But I will tell you, that as scary as it was for me, as deeply pained as I felt, I can tell you that the branches that are growing back are thicker and healthier than I have ever seen on my little bush.  When all my precious leaves were taken from me, and I sat barren for what seemed like such an unbearable time, wondering if I would ever be the same again, something was happening deep inside of me.  In the middle of excruciating pain, we can quote the passages of hope, but we don’t usually feel them.  It takes such a long time, but one day, it is there.  It is over, and we are not the same.  We are better.  We weren’t sure we would even survive, but there it is.  Buds are everywhere.  EVERYWHERE!!!  THANK GOD, THANK GOD!!!  EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!

I am so thankful to my God the Gardener,  who watered my little bush faithfully, put some manure down in the right season, and waited patiently for his work to be seen. 

Reaching or Becoming the Lost

Abi let's her light shine on the 4th of July.

This from Bill:

I wanted to share some thoughts that ran through my head this morning as I read the Bible. The  following verse jumped out at me (don't worry, I'll translate it): 

2 Cor. 6:14 No se asocien íntimamente con los que son incrédulos.

There is a small conflict between the concepts of reaching the lost through friendship and becoming the lost through friendship. 2 Cor. 6:14, in the NIV reads, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” It  is often used in counseling couples against an interfaith marriage (especially given the marital meaning of intimacy). But, it has also been used more generally, as in the example of entering into a business partnership with an unscrupulous partner. The Message (by Eugene Peterson) phrases verses 14 and 15 this way, “Don’t become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership; that’s war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands?” The interfaith marriage or unscrupulous business partner are very real and appropriate warnings which can be taken from this verse. The NTV (the Spanish translation quoted above) jumped out at me as I was reading it. My translation of the NTV sounds like this: "Don't have an intimate association with those who are incredulous (that is, with those who are critical of the faith)."

Hanging out with people who reject you is painful. As such, some Christians try to hide what they think, feel or believe about many topics, in order to avoid the ire of their so called friends. I say, "so called friends," because I don't believe it is possible to have a real friendship with someone who views the philosophical foundations of your life as foolish or stupid. To pull that off, one would have to be a hypocrite—either not saying what he/she really believes or not really believing it. The Message’s phrasing of verse 15 sums it up well, “How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership; that’s war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands?”

It is hard for an honest person to be friends with dishonest thieves. The latter keep stealing from the former, then laughing at him for his gullible foolishness. It's possible to be an acquaintance with theives, but you have to keep your doors locked. As the NTV puts it, one can’t "associate intimately" with such people. An intimate friendship, in this case, is speaking about much more than mere acquaintanceship; rather, it's about opening up one's life, living without barriers, unlocking the doors. The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary supports this, stating, "Paul has just appealed to the Corinthians for mutual openness in affection and in speech. His own heart is open wide to them, but both he and they know why they cannot reciprocate as fully as they ought. Some of them have an uneasy conscience about their continuing pagan associations.”

Real friendship requires reciprocal trust and respect. Real friends let their guards down and value one another. It is possible to be friends with somone who disagrees with your faith, as long as that person values who you are and respects you. But, if that person is opposed to your faith (incredulous), such that he/she speaks ill of it and anyone who adheres to it, then you cannot be real friends with that person--unless you are a glutton for punishment or hide what you believe.

The latter is the option that many Christians take. They live and speak like people in the world, in order to reach those in the world. It is analogous to becoming darkness to reach people living in darkness or to putting a basket over a candle. The latter example is rather funny, since it is nonsensical (you don’t light a light and then obscure it). But it goes beyond nonsensical to dangerous, since the basket will either snuff out the flame or the flame will set fire to the basket. In Luke 8:16, Jesus says, “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.” The bed statement would have been ridiculously obvious to Christ’s listeners, since beds were predominantly made out of straw. So, not only would the light not shine, it could end up burning down the entire house. That’s the danger of trying to hide the light within. If one tries to snuff-out or obscure the fire within, it will only come to a tragic end. It is also, as the verse points out, incongruent. Obviously, if one is trying to reach those in darkeness, at some point one needs to turn the light on. When that happens, a few will be grateful, but the majority will find that it hurts their eyes and they'll blame the light-bearer for their pain. In John 3:19-21, Jesus said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. (NIV)”

In other words, “Ouch!” They are going to cover their eyes, scream that you are hurthing them, then blame you. In fact, those who dislike the light will eventually go beyond blaming to accusing. In Matthew 5:11-12, Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (NIV)”

It is really hard to rejoice when people persecute you and “falsely saying all kinds of evil against you,” but according to Jesus (and I think He can be trusted on this subject), it’ll be worth it.

Today, those who have a strong opinion that is opposed to the politically correct teachings of the world (especially the part of the world that is located in Hollywood, California), are declared to be intollerant and irrelevant. As such, many Christians stray away from such topics in an attempt to win their friends and co-workers. Unfortunately (as detailed above), it is a failed methodology. It’ll destroy you. You can’t squash what you are in order to win others to what you are. That's nonsensical and dangerous. When you put on a mask in order to suppress what you really believe, you endanger your very being and may become that which you emulate.

I’m not saying that we can’t be acquaintances with people who do not share our faith. We have to be. Who else is going to tell them the truth? (See 1 Cor. 5:9-13) But, there is a big difference between an acquaintance and an intimate friend.

It is important for us to take heed of Paul’s advice against being “unequally yoked,” or (as the NTV puts it) having an intimate association with those who are incredulous. We cannot hide the truth in order to make it known. In our attempts to reach the lost, we don’t want to become them.

Standing on the Promises

A friend of mine recently raised the issue of Christians who claim O.T. promises that, with a closer reading of the text, cannot really be claimed by a Christian in Ohio. For example, back in the 80’s, it was very in vogue to claim the promises of Deuteronomy 28. In so doing, people never mention the curses for disobedience in the same chapter, nor the fact that to receive many of the promises one had to be “in the land” of Israel. Having said that, I don't want to squash to faith of anyone who is looking for the good that our Heavenly Father has for us. So, here's a defense for claiming a few of the really good promises.

1) Gal 3:16 states, “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. (NIV)” If I am Part of Abraham's seed, then I am heir to his promises. Ephesians 1:4-6 says that we were chosen (in Christ) to be adopted as sons and daughters. Even though I am not a Jew, I am part of God’s “Chosen people” by the rights of adoption through the legal payment of the Messiah. Legally adopted children have the full rights of heirs. If I am adopted as one of God’s sons, even though adopted, I am no less an heir.

2) Romans 11:17-24 explains how Gentiles (of which I am one) are grafted into Israel.  If I am grafted into the original tree, then I am heir to the promises.

3) Some promises are very specific about place, time, and the activities that one must do in order to appropriate the promise; e.g., Deut. 28. Others are more general and serve paradigmatically as expressions of a positive relationship. For example, promises that flow from God's character may be appropriated by anyone at any time because God does not change. 2 Chron. 7:14 (which Joe mentioned above) occurs in time, but Solomon's prayer is intentionally irrespective of time, as is God's answer. While Solomon's prayer is specific about place, God's answer is noticeably devoid of a place reference. The only limiters in God's answer are 1) those who make up "my people" and 2) the attitude of those people. Again, since I have been grafted/adopted into that people/family and am an heir to the promises provided by the Messiah, the only limiting factor is my attitude. The promise is a clear reflection of God's character. It will never change. If I humble myself and pray, if I seek His face and turn from my wicked ways, He will hear from heaven...

4) Again, in the vein of O.T. promises that are based on God’s unchanging character, there are promises that may be appropriated by God’s children by virtue of His role of father. Matthew 7:11 states, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

There are some who mis-claim promises, rewriting them to suit their selfish desires; but they are a small number compared to the millions who do not know of (or do not appropriate) the glorious "riches of Christ Jesus" that come with a restored relationship to God and the joy of being grafted into His people and adoption as His child.

Two more scriptures to consider:

^{Ro 15:8-9} For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.”

^{2Co 1:20} For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

The Purpose of the Law

This from Bill:

Back in 1985 or 86, I had a conversation with a friend at Seminary that has bothered me ever since. She contended that one could be saved by obeying the O.T. law. From her reasoning, she felt that God would have been unjust if He knowingly gave people a law that wouldn’t get them into heaven. I countered that the law could not save anyone and that it was never intended to, quoting Galatians 2:15-16 “We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified (NIV).”

In spite of my persuasiveness, she did not budge. Her position has bothered me ever since—which is another way of saying that after 25 years, I still can’t let the conversation rest. The crux of the argument has to do with the real purpose of the law. Was it a list of things that people needed to do to get into heaven? The answer is no. The purpose of the law was to reveal to arrogant people that they are not as holy or righteous as they think. So, every time I see this topic addressed in the Scriptures, I yell, “Aha!” and highlight it in my Bible. Today is one of those days.

I’ve been reading the book of Romans in my quiet times—comparing the Nuevo Traducción Viviente (NTV, the Spanish versión of the New Living Translation) to the NET Bible. (For an explanation of the two, please see the boring footnote below.) The verses that would have confirmed my victory in the discussion are Romans 3:19-20. Since I’ve been reading in Spanish, I’ll include for you (at no additional cost) my quick and easy Spanish translation.

Rom. 3:19-20--19 Obviamente, la ley se aplica a quienes fue entregada, porque su propósito es evitar que la gente tenga excusas y demostrar que todo el mundo es culpable delante de Dios. 20 Pues nadie llegará jamás a ser justo ante Dios por hacer lo que la ley manda. La ley sencillamente nos muestra lo pecadores que somos. (NTV)

Bill’s quick and easy translation: Obviously, the law (of Moses) applies to those to whom it was given, because it’s purpose was to keep people from making excuses and to demonstrate that the whole world is guilty before God. Nobody will ever stand before God justified (or righteous) because of their obedience to the law’s mandates. The law simply shows what sinners we are (or, that we are sinners).

In my opinion, this is one of the most theologically significant quotes of scripture. Some thoughts include:

1. The law was never intended to bring one to salvation; rather, to open one's eyes to the condition of his/her heart, soul, and (lack of) character. 3:20, in the NET Bible reads as follows: 3:20 For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. Or, as the NTV puts it, “The Law simply shows us what sinners we are.” The revelation that we are sinners, the awareness that we’re not as good as our excuses make us out to be, is the impetus for running to the cross. The law reveals that we are sinners and that revelation makes us desperate for the grace that Jesus gives. So, in this way, the law really does have a significant (though painful) part in bringing us to salvation.

2. Bob Comfort is a famous evangelist who argues that we should bring the 10 Commandments into the evangelism discussion whenever possible, to reveal to people that they are not as good as they think. He makes a great point. Otherwise, people define "good" in self-serving ways. It falls clearly in line with Hebrews 4:12, which says that God’s word discerns the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. That is, God’s word clearly reveals our hypocrisy. As such, our evangelism discussions would be benefitted by memorizing the 10 Commandments and the Romans Road. (I tried this with a taxi driver last week and found that I could only list 8 of the 10 commandments—and only with great difficulty.)

3. Some say it is better to keep people ignorant of the law, so they won't be accountable. But, Rom. 2:11-16, especially verse15, shows that of the law is written on the hearts of all people to justly hold them accountable. “They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend them... (NET).”

So, to my friend in Seminary (whose name I can’t remember), I say “Take that!”or “Touché!” (which looks a lot like “touchy,” pronounced with a French accent). To the rest of us, these verses remind us that God gets to decide was “good” is. The fact that we don’t cuss or smoke anymore is great, but it is not the same as achieving righteousness in the eyes of God. True righteousness is the gift of God, which we receive by putting our faith in Christ. So, it’s time to put a smile on our faces and look like the refugees that we are. We are people who, by grace, have just walked out of a burning building without getting singed. St. Paul says in Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”

(Caution—the following discussion is boring and technical and may be skipped by those who prefer pithy conversations over technical ones: The NET Bible is a modern translation that can be accessed for free on the web and which gives a lot of footnotes about the translation process. For example, the NET Bible may discuss why there is a variation between two common translations (e.g., why the NIV is different than the King James) and why/how the NET translators chose their version. In terms of dynamic equivalency (the translation philosophy of trying to accurately convey the meaning of whole phrases, rather than a word for word translation), the NET bible is the latter (i.e., more didactic—being closer to the NASB). The NTV is the opposite—sometimes going too far in their attempt to clarify what the text is saying. I’ve enjoyed reading the NTV and the NET, together, because the practice of translating the NTV’s Spanish has produced a lot of questions about what the original Greek or Hebrew is really saying. As such, the NET’s translation footnotes have really come in handy.)

Watchbands, Worries, and Worship at the Throne

In my purse I am still carrying around a watch band that my dad gave me a few months ago, before he became too ill to do such things,  to give to Bill.  It was made out of leather, and Dad always hated leather bands.  He was a thick, meaty Sicilian who preferred the stretch metal link bands, so the practical thing to do was to pass it on. 

It has been three weeks now since Dad went home to be with the Lord, and I don't really want to put it away, because it reminds me that Dad was "just here."  Just here meant a few days ago for a while, now it means a few weeks ago, and later it will mean something else.  The impression that I get when I go home to Mom and Dad's house is so strong it is painful.  His shoes are still at the door.  The winter coat that I carried home from hospice without him in it--I hung it in the closet as though he would need it in just a few days.

Now all this sounds very sad, and I hope I haven't lost you yet.  Because there is another side of this coin!  I also find myself thinking about all the things he was concerned about in the last months.  The mortgage?  Still an issue, but he probably forgot about it by now, as he is worshipping the Lord!  My son Will, who reminded Dad so much of himself that he was always giving me advice about how to handle him?  In the Lord's hands, just like before.  Leaky kitchen sink?  We are all here left to deal with it, but he has long forgotten it.  I could go on--so many projects he had set aside, plans to fix the house, the garage to clean.  None of it matters at all now.

Jesus told us not to worry about anything--and especially not to worry about anything that is not today.  Don't have a lot of money or a fancy position?  The Word says that a man's life does not consist in what he has and does.  The project in the garage?  You will get to it.  Or you won't. ( Either way, you win!)

I am not suggesting that we stop doing purposeful things in life, but I AM  thinking that we all need to stop worrying about them.  I think of all the ridiculous worries that flow through my head in the course of the day, and the countless little misunderstandings or imperfect exchanges I have with people that rob me of peace, when there is very little really that we must concern ourselves with.

Think about heaven and what goes on there.  After all, that is what all of us who believe in Jesus and call on His name are longing for.  I think from Dad's perspective right now, he sees how important relationships with the primary people in his life mattered.  I think he probably wishes he and Mom had snuggled more and struggled less (even though they clearly loved one another!).  I think now that he sees the Lord in all His glory, he can understand why he should let God be in control of his grandchildrens' destinies.  The garage has gloriously disappeared from his remembrance-- (even though it is very real to my Mom, my sisters, and myself still!).  All these things are in the Lord's capable hands, and we can add NOTHING--not even a minute to our own lives--by worrying about it. (Jesus said that!)

I am keeping the leather band in my purse a little while longer.  I am not in a hurry to ditch it, and I REALLY don't want to be the one to take Dad's coat out of the hall closet.  But I am not sad for him.  I do wish I hadn't held on to irritations between us.  I wish I had been more unabashed with my affection for him, as his hugs and sweet touches on the cheek (always given so freely) are now gone from me for the rest of my journey here.  I want to trust God more with my life, and I want to enact a One Day At a Time policy on concerns.  One day will be my last day.  The gas bill won't get paid that month.  My closet probably won't be orderly, if my pattern so far is any indication.  And the Lord will still be on the throne... and I will get to see Him face to face.