Good gravy...leads to prayer

Well, good gravy, it's been a long time since I've posted anything. I enjoy writing and I enjoy posting on this blog. However, there are many times when I have something I'd like to post, but am either not able to post at that moment or I forget what I was going to post by the time I do have the opportunity. And that's the way it goes. I'd like to say I'll give myself a certain amount of time each week to post something of substance, but I'm not going to do that. There are many other things that require and deserve my attention more than this blog. Yet, there are some things that aren't quite as important, too.

This kind of reminds me of some of the things I've been thinking about prayer in the past few months. There are so many people and situations that we are encouraged to pray for. We're supposed to pray for our leaders (of every kind, and I have a lot of them); our family; our friends; our enemies; ourselves; our country; the world; those who don't know Christ; those who do; situations in general; specific needs; and the list goes on. I don't think I could even begin to pray for everyone and everything I'm "supposed to" each day even if that's the only thing I did. And Christ knows this.

When He says to "pray without ceasing", I think He wants us to be in constant communication with Him, not necessarily in "formal prayer". Praying is basically talking with Christ, anyway, and that is something I can do all day long. I do that, too. Jesus and I talk with each other all day. Some days it's little bits here and there, and more just hanging out with each other. Other days we talk a lot.

Yet each day it's definitely not enough. I could never talk with my King enough. And that's okay. It also means we'll never run out of things to talk about!

This is why I don't get discouraged about "not praying enough". As long as I keep talking with Christ, always knowing that we could talk more (and I could definitely listen more, ha!), then I shouldn't worry about it. It's if I'd choose to stop talking with Christ--that's when there'd be a problem. :)

Preparing for ???

Our next mission trip is scheduled for Mexico in the summer of 2014, so I'm beginning to prepare now. Yes, I plan on going--unless God tells me no. I'm working on trying to raise money for the team by gathering pledges for my simulated 1500 mile bicycle ride to our location in Mexico. A penny a mile is all I'm asking people to pledge. And they won't give the money unless I complete the entire 1500 miles. It's all or nothing. I have about 1430 miles left to go. I'm beginning to make bracelets out of string for the team to take for the kids, and I'm beginning to try to think of different songs in Spanish for human videos.

Our co-ed softball season is almost here, so I've been asking, seeking, and knocking trying to find out which females are playing. We have the guys, we just always need more girls.And I've been trying to condition a bit physically to prepare. I don't know what God has planned, but to me it almost seems like our softball mission team may have a slightly different role this summer. I still want to do what I can to be ready to play whenever Christ sets up a game for us--even if we have to wait until August, or next year.

I want to go back to the Dominican Republic, so for now I'll prepare for Mexico.

Baccalaureates are coming up in a couple months...Lord Jesus, are we doing a human video this year? If so, which one? I've been thinking about this.

I'm going to have a niece soon, so we're preparing for a baby shower.

Lord Jesus, what else do You have planned for me? I'll try to continue to prepare for that, too. I'll keep in Your Word, spending time with You, and listening.

What are you preparing for? I know I want to be ready to do whatever God calls me to do--simple, difficult, short-term, or long-term. How about you?

It's Not That I Can't, It's Because I Shouldn't

I enjoy singing. And that's, well, it's a bit of an understatement. I sing all the time, almost anywhere...but not this week. I haven't sang since Saturday. I could easily let this drive me crazy, but I refuse to. It's tough not doing what you like to do; it's even tougher when it's a gift and passion that God has given you.

You see, this past weekend I was involved in a drama our church hosted called "Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames" from Reality Outreach Ministries, Inc. In this drama, I played a drunk in a bar whose 2 sisters tried to get her to go home with them; she'd already driven home drunk way too many times. One sister had a relationship with Christ and kept praying for her and telling her about Jesus--how He could change her life and clean up the mess she had made by her drinking and gambling addictions. The drunk refused help, left the bar, and was killed when she wrecked her car. The drunk went to Hell.

So, after acting like and talking like a drunk for 4 days, and getting in a car crash and going to Hell and back 6 times, my voice was almost gone. Yesterday and today it's been about 75%. On Sunday and Monday I pretty much wasn't allowed to talk in order to save my voice for the ministry "performances" each of those nights. After Monday night, well, I've been talking since then. But not singing. It's not that I can't sing, though. Okay, so it may not sound all that great yet, but I can still sing. However, I'm not singing because I shouldn't yet. (And Karen would possibly slap me if she heard of me singing before my voice is 100%.) If I sing now when my voice is not fully healed, then I could further damage it, or it may just take longer to heal. Normally I wouldn't really think about it, but I'm on set for back-up vocals for praise and worship at church on Sunday. (I'm backing up Karen, and that's why she would slap me if I'd sing now. Ha!) So, since I shouldn't sing yet, I'm not. And it's not easy, let me tell ya.

This is not the first time I've been in this position of  "it's not that I can't, it's because I shouldn't". In middle school I lost my voice during the week of our Spring Show. No talking or singing (even during dress rehearsal) until show time that week.

Then there was high school, when I purposely didn't audition to be in our show choir junior year because I knew it wasn't time. It wasn't that I couldn't audition, because I probably would have made it, but it was because I shouldn't audition--my King told me it wasn't the right time. That was really tough. Every time that choir performed my junior year, I almost cried. Yet, my King wanted me to wait until my senior year to be in that choir. And I lived out a dream during my senior year of high school.

Now, let's go back to the drunk in the bar scene. Since she could still drink, she did. Since she still had the keys, car, and ability (although altered and impaired) to drive, she did. The only thing that would have stopped her from gambling or drinking or driving would have been if she could not do them. But she could, so she did.

Do we just not do some things because we can't? Well, yes, we do. However, sometimes it's more because we shouldn't. Sometimes we shouldn't because we could get hurt. Sometimes we shouldn't because it's not time. Sometimes we shouldn't because it could cause someone else to stumble. Sometimes we shouldn't because it would be bragging. Sometimes we shouldn't because we don't really have the means. Sometimes we shouldn't because God has something better.

Sometimes we shouldn't because it's sin. And it's not because we can't; it's because we shouldn't.

God gives us the ability to choose to sin or not to sin. And, many times we sin because we can.

However, I want to choose not to sin--not because I can't sin, but because I shouldn't. I want to honor King Jesus with every word that I speak and every thing that I do. And this is not only because I should; it's because I can.

Thankful for...what?!

I'm thankful for a lot of things, and some of these things aren't the "normal" things people are usually thankful for. I thought I'd share some random ones with y'all:

I'm thankful for:

--Christ knowing my every thought
--cold weather
--dogs and other animals
--slugs
--cicadas
--crickets (I enjoy listening to them, and feeding them to preying mantises when I have them)
--squirrels
--the sounds of bugs
--Robin (the tick-covered German Shepherd puppy at La Casa Grande)
--lotion
--sports
--the game of Monopoly
--cheese
--MILK
--spiced cider
--fried bananas
--family
--friends
--pine cones
--Dominican coffee
-- etc.

What's something random or strange that you're thankful for?

From a Bloody Mess to the Throne Room of the King

We’ve been studying the book of Romans in Powerhouse, and recently Pastor Kathy talked about the blood of Christ in Romans chapter 5. For those who have a relationship with Christ, talking about His blood isn’t something new. Yet sometimes we forget its significance and it becomes commonplace to us.

While in Romans 5, the Holy Spirit added some things to what He had Pastor Kathy teach us, and He used one of my favorite passages of Scripture once again.

Ezekiel chapter 16 talks about  Israel’s infidelity to God. And although that’s the overview of the passage, there is way more in it than Israel’s harlotry.

A Bloody Mess

Verses 1-6 talk about how when Christ first comes to us, we’re a mess. “As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you...No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you...And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!...” (verses 4-6) Christ sees us struggling in our own blood—our own sin.

Each of our sins requires a blood sacrifice, and that’s a bloody mess. In Exodus and Leviticus God tells us the details of this, and these weren’t simple. Certain animals were to be sacrificed for certain sins, and each animal had to be perfect—or at least as perfect as the person could find, or buy, or trade for. The people could not sacrifice the animal on their own, either. The animal had to be brought to the tabernacle, and killed. Then the priests would sprinkle the blood as the Law instructed, burn the parts of the animal the Law instructed, and do whatever else the Law instructed. God gave specific instructions that had to be followed properly.

Just think about it, though. What if we lived during that time? How many animals would have to die because of our sins? How many times would we have to find a perfect, certain animal to atone for the sin we committed? I don’t know how there were enough of those prefect animals.

And think about what the outside of the tabernacle looked and smelled like. There was lots of blood and there was almost always, if not always, the stench of burning flesh. And our sin causes that.

Becoming Clean

Yet, in Ezekiel 16:7-9, God tells us that He picks us up from out of our own blood, washes our blood from us, and anoints us. Here is where Romans 5 comes in to play. Verses 6-9 of Romans 5 say, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” Jesus Christ was, and is, the final blood sacrifice, and it’s by His blood we are made clean from our sins.

Pastor Kathy taught us more about what blood, and Christ’s blood, actually does. Blood brings oxygen to every part of our bodies while taking away carbon dioxide and other waste. And that’s exactly what Christ’s blood does. His blood brings us life by His death on the cross, and it takes away the garbage of sin. His blood truly does clean us.

Also, water constantly flows in and out of our bloodstream in order to equalize  the fluids inside and outside of our bloodstream, constantly working to keep our bodies balanced. This is like how Jesus is constantly working in us. We don’t realize it, but He’s always doing something in us.

Blood is always regenerating itself, just as Christ is always making us new (2 Corinthians 5:17). His Word is always fresh and alive (Hebrews 4:12).

Something else blood does is maintain the constancy of our internal environment; it helps keep us stable. Christ does that, too. He’s the source of the peace and joy that remains in us no matter what may be going on in our lives and in the world.

Blood really is amazing stuff.

Entering the Throne Room

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” One of the things this reminds me of is Esther. She went boldly before the king more than once, but not without proper preparation.

The first time Esther went before the king was for the “beauty contest” the king held in search of a new queen.  To prepare for this Esther, as well as the other women, basically spent a whole year at the palace spa. They spent a whole year being pampered and being made as beautiful as possible: “six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women” (Esther 2:12). An entire year! Esther spent one whole year preparing to go before the king. And she went boldly, found favor with the king because of her beauty, and became queen.

The next time we see Esther going before the king was to save her people, the Jews, from being destroyed. Again, she prepared carefully. This time she asked that all the Jews fast and pray for 3 days and nights as she and her maids did the same (Esther 4:16). And again, Esther went boldly into the king’s throne room and found favor in his sight.

In both instances, the king actually made it possible for her to boldly come into his presence. He was the one who held the “beauty contest”. He was the one who provided everything, including maids, for Esther to spend a year being made as beautiful as possible. The king was the one who made her queen, gave her the means to get a message out to all the Jews, and gave her maids that fasted and prayed with her.

Ezekiel 16 echoes this in verses 10-14. God gives us everything we need in order to be able to approach Him, and to be beautiful for Him.

First of all, the blood of Jesus Christ makes it possible to even go before Him, Back in the Old Testament only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and he could only go in once a year. (The high priest also had to prepare to go into the Holy of Holies. If he did not do exactly as the Law of God told him to, he’d be struck dead and dragged out by a rope.)

Since Jesus was, and is, the ultimate sacrifice, His blood provides the atonement and covering needed to cleanse us from sin. In addition, the veil separating the Holy of Holies was torn, no longer  separating us from God (Mark 15:38). This is the only way that we can enter the throne room of our King. It’s only because of Christ shedding His own blood for the remission of our sins (Hebrews 9:22) that we can even come close to approaching the God of the universe. And this is why we can now come boldly before the throne of grace.

Okay, so now that we can enter the throne room of our King, how should we come before Him? Yes, we can go before Him just as we are, but is that really how we should come before our King? Is that how we show Him the honor that He’s due?

He gives us all we need to be able to be in His presence, and to be beautiful before Him. Going back to Ezekiel 16:10-14, God not only makes the way for us to come boldly before Him, but He also gives us the very best so we can be our best for Him. He gives us His Word, His Holy Spirit, His joy, His peace, the many gifts and talents and abilities we each have. He makes our beauty perfect.

However, it’s our choice if we’re going to use what He’s given us, and it’s our choice how we’re going to use these things. Are we going to use what our King has given us to bring honor and glory to Him? Are we going to prepare ourselves and make ourselves as beautiful as we can to show Him our thanks for all He’s done for us?

Or, are we going to be like Israel and use all of God’s gifts for other purposes (Ezekiel 16:15-49)?

Whatever we choose to do won’t change the everlasting covenant our King made with us (Ezekiel 16:60-63). The covenant He made with His blood still stands. And He wants to bring everyone from a bloody mess all the way into His throne room. (2 Peter 3:9)

“Nothing But the Blood”

Matt Redman

Your blood speaks a better word
Than all the empty claims

 I've heard upon this earth
Speaks righteousness for me
And stands in my defense
Jesus it's Your blood
What can wash away our sins?
What can make us whole again?
Nothing but the blood
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
What can wash us pure as snow?
Welcomed as the friends of God
Nothing but Your blood
Nothing but Your blood King Jesus
Your cross testifies in grace
Tells of the Father's heart to make a way for us
Now boldly we approach
Not by earthly confidence
It's only  by Your blood