Peace above all else

              When I was younger, Thanksgiving always brought child-like resentment. Here I was with a week off from school and the last thing that I wanted to do was pack my bags drive three hours over 6 mountains to Harrisonburg, VA, where what awaited my elementary eyes was a culture shock. I went from as much of a city as my hometown can be (which is not very much) to farmland, horse and buggies, and cows. Who, I thought, in their right 8-9 year old mind, would want to leave their TV, and Nintendo system, for no entertainment of any kind. (Remember, I was eight and did not know any better). You see, my family on my dad's side are Mennonites, and if you want to go learn more about them, I would suggest Googling them.
               So each Thanksgiving was filled with trips to the homes of distant relatives, conversations (me merely listening) of tractors and things associated with farming, news from the "valley" which encompassed who married who, who moved into who's house, etc. and other things boring to an eight-year-old. Everything culminated on Thanksgiving Day when my aunts, uncles, and their children brought their horse and buggies, bicycles, and few cars to my grandparents and the feast was underway. As family came in I did my best to shake hands, answer any questions about school, and stay as close as I could to my dad. When the blessing was said and a hymn was sung, (in beautiful 4-part harmony I might add) my dad went off with my mom to the "adult" table and I found a spot amongst cousins.
               At that point in time I had little in common with my cousins. We lived different lives and our priorities were different. As we got older, cousins got married, great grandchildren started joining and conversations got easier. Some cousins started incorporating electronics into their lifestyle and that eased my self centered mindset. Along with being selfish, I was very naive with a little of the naivete stemming from my age.
               The past few Thanksgivings have been vastly different. I look forward to going to see my family. The 3 hour drive (which becomes 2 1/2 depending dad's caffeine intake) is an opportunity to talk with my dad. Our conversations are steadily growing deeper, and I am blessed for that. I enjoy the absence of electronics as it allows me to draw closer to God. Ah, God, the first time our Creator hs been mentioned in this blog for purposeful reasons. It was not until the last few years of college and into adult hood that my mindset has changed,  and I have gained an identity now solely in Christ.  This has caused me to notice how God is the center of my family's life. It is evident in the way they live their lives.

              "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

-- Colossians 3: 12-17

"For Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

-- 1 Peter 3:11

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
-- Philippians 4:4-7

Are you catching a theme? 

                   In watching the way my grandmother tirelessly moves through out the house, in hearing the joyful hums from my aunts as they prepare the meal, and in hearing my cousins and uncles speak about getting up and milking cows I am overwhelmed by seeing the peace in their lives. It is the peace in Philippians which "surpasses all understanding" and frees them from any stress or anxiety. It is the "peace of Christ" in Colossians, that rules in their hearts from their daily obedience to the Lord and denial to their earthly bodies. It is the peace that comes from living in reverence to the Lord. Peace the comes from loving all of God's creation here on earth! The list could go on, but, finally, it is the peace that for 21 years I could not see because I only saw what I felt they were "missing," because sin had blinded my eyes and I was transfixed on earthly matters. 

                   To me, these three sets of verses speak about the role peace should play in our lives. It is peace that is given as a gift from God as Christ reigns in our hearts. It smoothes out each of our steps so we are never rushed between places. It comes from faith in our Father and belief in the promises He has made for us. As His children, He has promised to protect us. My grandmother never takes this for granted, but lives everyday knowing her day is given to God and He will provide all she needs for the day. 

                   My grandmother, aunts, and uncles are living examples of Colossians 3: 12-17. They have been "clothed...with garments of salvation" (Isaiah 61:10) and their lives are governed by the Lord. I love them, but I love and praise the Lord even more for blessing me with them. 

Valley of Dry Bones

I came across Ezekiel 37: 1-14 a few weeks ago in a small group study about being born again. Upon reading this set of verses, my heart just sang out to the Lord. What was gathered was that the verses depict life before Christ, when we were dead to sin, vs when Christ enters our lives and we are born again.

              "The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord God, you know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, " O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you will know that I am the Lord."

               So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath; Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. 

               The he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, I my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord."

Grace be with you! 

"No More My God"

"No more, my God, I boast no more 

Of all the duties I have done;

I quit the hopes I held before, 

To trust the merits of Thy Son.

Now, for the loss I bear His name,

What was my gain I count my loss;

My former pride I call my shame, 

And nail my glory to His cross. 

Yes, and I must and will esteem

All things but loss for Jesus' sake;

O may my soul be found in Him, 

And of His Righteousness partake! 

The best obedience of my hands

Dares not appear before Thy Throne;

But faith can answer Thy demands, 

By pleading what my Lord has done."

-- Isaac Watts

Musically speaking

Here are three songs that have been pertinent to my life recently. 

"Able"

NEEDTOBREATHE

"Like a Lion"

Kristian Stanfill

"Take My Hand"

Shawn McDonald

Warning!

(Back Story) Solomon has succeeded David as king. It says in chapter 3 of 1 Kings that 

"Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statues of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places." The Lord comes to Solomon saying ""Ask what I shall give you." And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day... Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?" It pleased the Lord that Solomon asked this." 

Continue reading in the Bible to get full details. 

All seems well with the reign of Solomon underway. Solomon is following the Lord like his father did there is peace in the land, a temple is being built, and there is solid trust in the God ordained wisdom that King Solomon has. Well, now our story turns to a darker side (pun intended, you'll see why), but first let me preface with this:

The title of this post is "warning," which the reason for that name will be given soon. While we look at the part of 1 Kings that I want to examine, I want it to be clear that there is a lot  which can be extracted from this set of scripture, let alone all scripture. What I am choosing to focus on is not the most poignant point, it is what has placed a spark in my mind ultimately resulting in this post. With that said, let's continue. 

We are now in 1 Kings 9, and the Lord says, starting in verse 4, 

"And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statues and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying ' You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.' But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children and do not keep my commandments and my statues that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel form the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples."

In these verses, I see a promise but also a warning. First, God promises to Solomon that by following the Lord and all that He has commanded, that his line shall always rule over Israel. Then, comes the warning that if Solomon chooses to turn aside from Lord, then Israel will be cut off. 

If we turn to chapter 11, the heading reveals that 'Solomon turns from the Lord.' Essentially, thanks to "700 wives, princesses and 300 concubines," Solomon's heart is "turned away...after other Gods" (v. 4). The Lord becomes angry in verse 9 and says in verse 11 "Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statues that i have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant." The Lord's warning became truth. 

God, with the infinite wisdom He has, knew what would happen to Solomon's heart. Yet, out of His loving nature, He warned Solomon to guard his heart. It makes me think of the own warnings I receive. 

Driving home from a get together at a friend's house one night, this thought was instilled in me that I needed to go straight to bed; that if I found myself on my computer at the late hour that it was, that temptations would lead to a fall; without a doubt. Thankfully, on that particular night, the warning prevented sin and I praise God for that. 

For me, warnings seem to come with a "still, small voice." As my mind wanders it suddenly becomes fixed on a thought that typically involves an action. Whether it is going straight to bed, restraining from a certain TV show, or even choosing the right activity to occupy my time I am always faced with a command. Then comes the moment when I am faced with the choice; i.e. having walked into my apartment at 11:30 PM do I "check facebook" or grab my Bible and head to bed? In the same way, somewhere between chapters 9 and 11 Solomon had a choice; will he continue to add more wives and recognize that he is not keeping the commandments, or recognize the law that he pledged to follow? Somehow, he lost the warning of God, his heart was pulled away from the Lord and the consequences the Lord warned of came to pass. 

Captivated

I came across this song by Shawn McDonald the other day. In listening to it I notice how the artist sings about being captivated by all God has created. He is able to really perceive bits of the nature of God in nature itself.  It makes me think of how on my way to work I am often able to catch a glimpse of the glory of God. Right at the stoplight by my apartment I come face to face with the horizon, on top of a mountain ridge, just passed an airfield. Depending on the weather, I am blessed to see a beautiful sunrise of various shades of reds and blues painting an assortment of cloud formations. It is absolutely stunning and reminds me daily that my Lord is always with me. Naturally, I love the opportunity to sing to my Lord; to glorify His name more. 

When I look into the mountains

I see Your fame

When I look into the night's sky

It sparkles Your name

The wind and the clouds and the blue in the sky

The sun and the moon and the stars so high

That's what draws me to You

I am, I'm captivated by You

In all that You do

I am, I'm captivated

When I wake unto the morning

It gives me Your sight

When I look across the ocean

It echoes Your might

The sand on the shore and the waves in the sea

The air in my lungs and the way You made me

That's what draws me to You

I am, I'm captivated by You

In all that You do

I am, I'm captivated

'Cause I am, I'm captivated by You

In all that You do

I am, I'm captivated

The wind and the clouds and the blue in the sky

The sun and the moon and the stars so high

The sand on the shore and the waves in the sea

The air in my lungs and the way You made me

The blood in my veins and my heart You invade

The plants how they grow and the tree and their shade

The way that I feel and love in my soul

I thank you my God for letting me, letting me know

I am, I'm captivated by You

In all that You do

I am, I'm captivated

'Cause I am, I'm captivated by You

In all that You do

I am, I'm captivated

Band Camp Haze

Ahh band camp, the music teacher's official sign that summer is coming to an end and, in this story, an opportunity for the Lord to teach me. The lesson centers on Colossians 3: 1-17 and I could write it all here for you to read, but how about you go read it! =)


... moments later ...


On the last day of July, I had decided to write some prayer cards for these verses. I am embarking on a praying through scripture journey, and felt led to write down these verses. For me, it served as a good reminder to seek the Lord's strength as we put to death my old self and clothe myself in the new self which is Christ. It also turned out to be the little dagger that I kept with me as I went to go teach.


I knew that I was going to a camp where frustrations would rise. Partially due to disagreements I had, and also because of observations on a few things. So my biggest fear was jeopardizing my walk with Christ. I did not want to say anything that would be slanderous or obscene. I wanted my lips and speech to be pleasing to the Lord. Regardless of the situation I wanted to "seek the things that are above" clothing myself with "humility, meekness, and a compassionate heart." It proved to be a challenge. As with many settings, I found myself surrounded by conversations that my old self would have loved to be a part of. Wether it was a joke here, or gossip there, I found myself on constant alert for what could be deemed impure as opposed to that which glorified Christ. In other moments, I had to stand strong and resist the urge to speak poorly about any person. I had to be quick to say that I was not going to say anything so that the targeted individual was not hurt.

As I reflect, I see moments where there was triumph, but also failure. Even though I remained silent during some conversations, I think the better choice would have been to just leave the room. Also, it's a constant struggle with me in truly defining the line between what glorifies Christ and what does not when it comes to a social setting.

As Christians, we are called to higher standards. I want to wear Christ as my new self instead of the rotting old self that does not please Christ at all. I have to be on guard that while Christ becomes a permanent fixture in my life, I do not wear him falsely. I must portray Christ so much more honorably in all situations.

Gather round the campfire

* This post is old, but because of the spiritual dryness in my life the past few weeks or so, I have just had no inclination to finish it. It comes from a weekend to the southern part of the state for a wedding. It was a wonderful weekend for 4 reasons:


             1) Two wonderful christians came together in the holiness of marriage. The man is a godly man and will lead a wonderfully godly woman. I am very happy for them.


             2) I attended a fantastic Gospel centered church.


             3) I was able to witness a truly Christ centered family where all four members, humbly loved the Lord.


             4) Probably the best one, and the topic for this post was that after the wedding I got to a see  a wonderful example of a community of believers.


A big group of us went over to a friend's house after the wedding. He has a pool, and his wonderful parents opened up their home to allow us to come over and have a pool party of sorts at their place. It started out like most do. Everyone stood around and chatted about general topics, whether it was catching up on how summer was going, getting to finally meet someone after a year of hearing stories, or about the wedding, which we all had come from. All three are your basic ice breakers. Then someone finally made the move to go to the pool and a posse followed. Another person made a break for the food and others followed that way. What was left was the group who simply wanted their conversations to go deeper, so they found their spot in the circle of lawn chairs.


So here you have it: Some were in the pool, some were eating, some were simply talking. There were games of horse, cornhole, and ninja being played and engulfing all of us was a Lecrae CD over the stereo. It sounds like a typical summer pool party and could almost be a little movie-esque. The uniqueness came from where everyone, and I truthfully mean everyone, gravitated towards.


"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "
                                                                                                                              -- Matthew 6: 19-21


"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life."
                                                                                                                                  -- Proverbs 4: 23


It all culminated when a campfire was started. By the time evening had set in and the stars had been revealed we had all moved to the campfire where what awaited us was an impromptu worship gathering. We had a djembe and two guitars and between some hymnals and some smartphones we were able to sing praise songs to the Lord.  I think it truly reflected our hearts when we all found our way to the Lord. Even amongst the conversations earlier in the day, one could tell that at the center of everything was Christ. It might have been glorifying Him for what He has done. It might have been as a result of a recently watched sermon. Whatever the case may be, as a community of believers our hearts went to the Lord. I could not have been more blessed to have been a part of a such a wonderful weekend!