Discovering True Intimacy with Our Savior

Singled Out

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I have witnessed what in all likelihood could go down as the worst day to be single in the church.

Ever.

Oddly, the sermon was not on marriage (or I would’ve possibly seen it coming) but it was on taking a stand for Christ. At the response time of the service, the pastor – moved by the Holy Spirit – made available pastors at the front of the church to pray for four groups of people who wanted to take a stand for Christ:

business owners & leaders,
parents,
students,
and people who were fighting for a wayward child.

This, honestly, seemed quite well-intended and awesome until something incredibly awkward happened: almost every person in the church stood in front of one of these pastors except for two people groups – senior adults and single people. And at this church, that’s pretty much everyone but 20 people (or at least that is what it felt like while I was squirming in my seat).

The few of us remaining trickled out of the sanctuary while the married people, the people with families, their children, and business leaders were prayed for by church staff.

I quite literally was dazed and confused. I was so stunned, in fact, that it didn’t even occur to me to go to my small group afterwards. I walked straight to my car.

I don’t remember speaking to anyone.
I don’t remember being angry or mad.
I just remember feeling shame.

I’ve had months to think about this; months to cycle through every emotion possible; months to gain some objectivity about the situation, and I came to this conclusion:

I’m glad that it happened.

I’m glad that it happened because I am now more aware of senior adults. I had overlooked them, just as I, have been overlooked. I’ve taken for granted the wisdom of their years. I’ve walked passed them without acknowledging their value, not only as individuals, but to God’s kingdom.

And there is zero excuse for that.

Zero.

Y’all! We have to do better. We have to be able to minister to people that are not like ourselves. We are commanded to take care of the orphan and the widow.

Commanded.

We are NOT, however, commanded to exalt any people group above another.

I don’t want you to take my word for it, though. I want you to hear it from people who do this for a living. Below are two links to sermons.

The first sermon is by Steve DeWitt senior pastor at Bethel Church in Indiana. It’s entitled “The Bachelor Pastor.” It was his last sermon as…well….a bachelor. He keeps the mood light while at the same time pointing out amazing truths.

The second sermon is by David Platt pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in my hometown, Birmingham, AL. He shares with us how both marriage and singleness are a picture of the gospel. It is brilliant, truthful and will likely give you a new perspective no matter in which marital status you fall.

The Bachelor Pastor

“The Bachelor Pastor: Premarital reflections on singleness, purity, and ministry” 08.18.2012 from Bethel Church on Vimeo.

Singleness and the Next Generation

Defining Success

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Walk into any Christian bookstore and stare at the aisles and rows of books. Peruse the titles, and what do you find? Books that dangerously borderline self-help – with a godly twist.

There are books that can help you…

lose weight,
optimize your finances,
manage your anger,
and make you a successful business leader.

There are volumes of pages dedicated to…

helping singles find a mate,
teenagers find self-worth,
and mothers organize their days.

I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with these things, but something about it unsettles my soul. I’ve been trying to reconcile it for weeks.

On one hand, our lifestyles should be holy & different from the world, but when you look at the titles and the subject matters, it feels as if we aren’t trying to be different from the world. We are trying to succeed in it. We are trying to find godly ways to succeed in how the world defines success – which is often exactly the opposite of what God deems as successful.

The Israelites were in similar straits (see 1 Samuel 8). They wanted a king like everyone else. I used to think the problem was that they wanted a king, but actually, the problem was they failed to recognize God as their King because He didn’t look like those in the nations around them.

They wanted a king like everyone else.

Similarly, we want success like everyone else. The problem isn’t wanting success. The problem is in how we define it. The problem isn’t using books to help us. The problem is rejecting God’s definition just as the Israelites rejected their King.

We want success like everyone else.

It’s such a fine line that we, as Christians, are called to walk – to be in the world but not conformed by it (Romans 12:2).  It requires us to continually focus on what God thinks is important; to know what His priorities are; to understand what He desires of us; and to do the things He finds pleasing.  This is so very hard when we are bombarded with the world’s priorities and its desires.  It is so easy to get sidetracked by what the world finds as desirable and what it tells us is important.

Our weapon is immersing ourselves in His Word.  It is there – in the precious pages of Scripture – where we are reminded that His ways are often counter to our culture. It is there that we find solace in knowing that – though His ways are sometimes difficult, usually uncomfortable, and often misunderstood – they are true and perfect.  It is between those pages of ancient text where we find God’s definition of success.  And if we are successful by God’s standards, we can rest assured that our reward will be of far more value than anything this world has to offer (Matthew 16:25-26).

In what ways do you think God’s view of success is counterintuitive to the world’s?

Girl Scout Cookies & Grace

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Girl Scout cookies.  Are they the work of the devil or manna from heaven?  Someone help me out, because I’m not clear on this issue.

Then again, those 10 boxes sitting on your desk show me that maybe you’re not clear on the issue either.  Perhaps it is just one of those things we will never know this side of Eden.

I mean, it’s for the kids, right?
What? Those 5 boxes?
I just didn’t want that little girl to be sad when she only sold 543 boxes instead of 548.

I hear ya!
I do!

There are few things more delightful (or tempting) than when you find out from a co-worker, family member or friend that the time is near. I’ve just decided that Girl Scout cookies, like death and Christ’s return, are inevitable. So, don’t judge me when I tell you that I handed over a check for a box (yes, one box) of Tag-a-longs.

“OK. I have you down as paid,” she said in a sing-song voice.

And then I heard in my heart these precious words,
“I have you down as paid, too.”

Simple moment.
Profound message.
Astounding truth.

God has the debt of my sins crossed off as paid.
Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord!

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold and silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. – 1 Peter 1:18-19

What’s your favorite Girl Scout cookie? Come on…you know you have one.

2012: The Year of Pruning

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I’ve been looking forward to this post for 366 days (don’t forget it was a leap year) not because of the content but because that means 2012 is in the books. It is history, and I’ve survived it.

Hallelujah!

Let’s not have another year like this for a while.

To be fair, 2012 has not been a bad year, but it has been plagued with first world problems. Like…

2 flat tires
a dead car battery
a broken tail light
a mouse in the garage
a leaking furnace
my dog trying to jump out of a moving vehicle
my dog actually jumping off a small bridge
and surgery that kept me out of pocket for a month

I guess you could say it was jam packed with anti-awesomeness.

I’ve been kind of quiet on the blog this year mainly because I’ve been trying to figure out what in the world God is/was trying to teach me. It’s been baffling.

In the third quarter of this year, I started to catch on. It was clear that God was pruning me, molding me, and refining me.

When silver is refined, the silversmith heats up a furnace and places the precious metal directly over the flame. The silver may be shiny to the naked eye, but it is only when the heat is applied and the metal becomes moldable that the dross bubbles to the surface. The dross of…

envy,
pride,
self-righteousness,
fear,
entitlement,
selfishness.

On and on and on the list goes of impurities that lie within, and though it has been difficult, I trust that it has not been in vain.

Let’s recap some of the highlights of the year.

Biggest Blessing

Hands down…my friends & family post-surgery.

Bradley came bearing groceries.  
Robyn with grace.  
Lil brought her companionship.
Kels brought her calming presence (and endless reminders that it was only temporary).  
And, of course, Mom & Bruce, who came with practical solutions like washing clothes & fixing various things that had been overlooked.

AND

The gracious people at the Pampered Pet Resort for taking care of Ellie while I was convalescing.  They went above and beyond. And when I say above & beyond, I mean it. It was an ugly-girl cry kinda blessing.

Scariest Moment

Realizing just how single I was because I was completely incapable of taking care of myself post-surgery.  I never knew from day-to-day who (if anyone) would be able to help, and it was terrifying, but someone always showed up.

Funniest Moment

Robyn and I were at an event where it was completely inappropriate to laugh.  Completely. Inappropriate. I could feel the giggles rising inside of me and I started to panic. Every ounce of my being was focused on keeping the giggles below the surface. It was terrible.

Then – in a tragic turn of events – out of the corner of my eye, I see Robyn’s shoulders begin to shake from laughter. At that point, it was all over. Neither of us could contain ourselves any longer and the giggles escaped. It was terrible, and is was hilarious. I’m so ashamed.

Weirdest Month

October

Biggest Obsession

Watching all 5 seasons of Friday Night Lights on Netflix in 4 weeks. “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!”

Favorite Read

The Harbinger

Most Convicting Bible Study

No Other Gods by Kelly Minter. I’m still trying to figure out what we were thinking.

Verse of the Year

Ironically…

“This is the day the LORD has made let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

Best Vacation

Secluded cabin in Blue Ridge, GA where – gloriously – a whole lot of nothing happened.

Favorite New Experience

Ziplining

Biggest Accomplishment

Pulling off the Awaken women’s retreat with Jamie Harper.  It seems like a blur, but I think it really happened.

Best Purchase

I’m pretty sure the maker of this chair captured a little bit of God’s glory.

Biggest Surprise

Selling this..

and ending up with this…

What in the world? I didn’t see that coming.

Most Favorite Face

This one!  Who can’t love a face like this?

And with that, I bid farewell to 2012.

Cheers to a brand new year! May God bless us all abundantly more in 2013 than we can ask or imagine.

(Re)Thinking Christmas: Decorations – Fill ‘er Up!

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My new neighborhood is lined with awesome Christmas decorations.

Spotlights illuminate wreaths hanging in the windows.
Greenery drapes elegantly around door posts & banisters.
Twinkly lights outline the silhouettes of trees.

It’s lovely.

But just as you start to sing “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” you round the corner and run smack into an inflatable Nascar Santa complete with elves as the pit crew.

Classy.

I know. I know.
I don’t have kids.
I don’t understand.

And you’re right. I don’t.

When did it become OK to inflate something just because you can?

But what could be worse than Talladega Nights in the subdivision? The next day when Santa and the elves are in pitiful puddles of nylon on the grass. Can we not keep them inflated 24/7 to avoid this tragic scene?

These were just some of the thoughts bouncing around in my head as I pondered the novelty of blow-up Santas on my way to work one morning.

Then, God – whose timing is always perfect – took the opportunity to teach me a spiritual lesson about the Holy Spirit.

Did you know that the original Greek word in the New Testament used for the Holy Spirit is “breath?” And what is breath but air taken into the lungs?

Interesting…

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you (Romans 8:11).

Nascar Santa needs to be continually filled with air to come to life just as I need the Holy Spirit to continually fill me up so that I can live the life he has called me to live. It’s a continual process. I cannot unplug from God even for a moment. If I unplug, I end up in a pitiful puddle on the ground just like Santa and his pit crew.

I don’t know about you, but I will never look at Nascar Santa the same again.

What’s the weirdest thing God has used to teach you a spiritual lesson?  Did you ever think you would read about Nascar, Santa, Jesus and Greek words in the same blog post?

Shock Waves

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Wednesday I woke up in shock – not because we re-elected a President I did not vote for – but because of the complete and total disrespect I witnessed from Christians regarding the outcome.

The disrespect that troubled me was not necessarily directed toward a candidate or even directed at another’s opinions or political preferences.  It was the disrespect toward God in that we have snubbed our noses at the candidate He appointed to lead our nation.  Do not forget Paul’s words: “For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God” (Romans 13:1).

Note that it doesn’t say “some” authority. It says “all” authority.

Whether I like it or not.
Whether I agree with him or not.
Whether I understand God’s ways or not.

There is no authority given that has not been given by God.  None.  Hilter was not an exception.  Nor Stalin.  God has – and continues to use – the rulers He appoints for His Purposes and His Glory.

Personal opinions and plans are fine but must be laid upon the altar once the votes are tallied and the decision is made.  We must submit to the ruler God has chosen for us.  Why? Because He commands it.   We honor God when we honor His plan.

“When we complain about the difficult people we have to live and work with, blame circumstances for all the inconveniences that make life miserable, or become bitter due to a season of adversity, we are accusing God of mismanagement.” – Jerry Rankin