running with scissors

When I was growing up, my mama taught me many things; life lessons to guide me and protect me when she could not be with me:

Never run with scissors
Honesty is the best policy.
Look before you leap.
Actions speak louder than words.
You can’t please everyone.
Laughter is the best medicine.
You’ll never be too old to learn.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
You win some, you lose some.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Love will find a way.

The list goes on.  And on…

Mama can’t be with me anymore, she’s helping God with things in Heaven, but her lessons are imprinted on my soul.  When I recall them they can help to guide me and protect me.  When I forget them… Well… Never run with scissors!

The past few months have been an amazing roller-coaster experience! The high points were mountain-top high.  The low points…? I once knew a man who described his lows like this…”I feel lower than whale poop. And that’s clear down in the bottom of the ocean.”  Now while my lows have not be quite that dramatic, there have been lows. Too many of them! And in those low places mama’s voice would creep into my mind with one of her old-fashioned homilies designed to remind me, “You should have known better!”

Typing up this list I noticed in almost every case there is a choice to be made. I can choose to lay the scissors down before running. I can choose honesty when a little white lie would bring seemingly less drastic consequences. I can leap, full force, into a project only to find myself in over my head and desperately searching for a way out. I can say I’m a Christian, but act like the devil! I am free to choose.

When I was a child I didn’t need to ask my mother which choice was the right one!  She offered guidance, direction and quick retribution for rebellion.  Mostly, I didn’t enjoy the consequences of my wrong choices.  But, overall I’ve got to say it was a far easier system than making ‘adult’ choices, from a Christian point of view…at least that’s what the religious view of Christianity teaches us.

Religion is a hard task master if we choose to develop a religious mind set rather than a spiritual approach to life.  But being a believer in and follower of Christ is not about being religious! Jesus teaches: God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24

It seems to me God would have us know and understand his true position regarding our faith.  In the Word I find evidence that God has, for all time, sought a people who would live by their faith; seeking his will, and following his directions for their lives.  He pours out his Spirit on us as a sweet balm of oil, anointing our praise and prayers if we believe. 

Can we believe that God’s soul takes great pleasure in our faith?  Can we truly give God our faith?  Surely it is a tool he can work with; a tool he can use to touch lives and nations.  With our faith, our unity and our love God can make a difference in us and in the world around us. 

Today, perhaps more than at any other time in the history of mankind, the body of Christ will touch lives and nations, hearts and homes – through Jesus gift on the cross and our faith in it!

Love will find a way!

God’s ICU

For the word of God is living, and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:11-12

Yesterday afternoon we got a call from another one of my “god-daughters” asking us to pray for a sick child.  Oh NO….not again.  Not another family looking at the devastation and fear caused by a doctor, a stranger, giving them a horrible report.

My first reaction was, as it always is, pull out my sword and start swinging. 

Brandi called for prayer support and I’m spouting scriptures over the phone, one after another, so fast she couldn’t possibly catch them all.   The same thing happened when Laurie called to tell us about Josh’s diagnosis in December ‘09.  During the night it dawned on me…’you need to write this stuff down.’  OK. So, here goes.

What to do in the face of a horrible medical report:

1. Surround yourself and your loved one with God’s Word.

It is ALIVE and ACTIVE. Remember? And, it ALWAYS accomplishes what God sends it to do. (so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11) 

The forces of hell cannot stay in the presence of the Word of God.  Hearing the word sears the ears and terrifies the mind of demonic spirits, forcing them to back away from His (Christ’s) power. If you doubt me, read about how the legions of demons throughout the gospels reacted to God’s word, as spoken by Jesus Christ. Now you may ask, “Are you telling me sickness and disease are demonic?”  Yes, in part.  The word tells us man fell from grace with God because of a lie of Satan. Genesis 3 And Jesus is quoted as saying, “The thief (Satan) come against the sheep (children of God  – followers of Christ) only to steal, kill and destroy”. John 10:1-18  Logic tells us sickness and disease also come simply because we live on this dirt ball called earth, in an earth-suit (body) that is fragile and prone to failure. Either way…demonic or systemic…God has given us hope and powerful answers both in the spiritual and in the natural.

a.  turn off the secular music (rock, hip-hop, rap, country, whatever) and turn on praise and worship music.  If you don’t have CD’s find a good Christian radio station and play that.

Why?  First, when praise happens, God shows up.  Next, true praise comes from God’s word, you’ll be filling your surroundings with the Word, even though you may not be speaking it into the spiritual realm. Praise and worship music will be inviting the Holy Spirit and God’s ministering spirits (angels) to surround you and work on your behalf. Hebrews 1:14

b.  get out your Bible, look up, and write down, at least ten scriptures that speak of God’s willingness and ability to heal – then put them on mirrors, the computer monitors, and the fridge door.

Why? As a reminder of God’s promises to heal, as evidenced by the death of his own Son – to defeat all of our sickness, and diseases.  “But he (Christ) was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace; he was lashed – and we were healed! We, everyone of us, have strayed away like sheep! We who left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet God laid on him the guilt and sins of every one of us” Isaiah 53:55-56 LB Every time you look at these reminders of God’s deep desire to heal his children (us) you will be less inclined to dwell on the report from your doctors and focus instead on what God wants for you and your loved one.  This tells me “we were healed” by what He did for us.  Were is past tense…get a hold on that!

c.  while you wait, and when dealing with the medical profession you will be waiting, read the Word.  If you don’t have a tiny Bible or Book of Psalms get one. Most hospital gift shops will have one, if they don’t, send anybody who asks, “is there anything I can do for you?” to get one for you. Read the Psalms, aloud if possible, under your breath in a whisper if necessary, but in such a way as to be putting the Word into the realm surrounding you and your loved one.  At home you can play a CD of someone reading the Word…turn it down so it is barely audible. Even if you can barely hear it, it will accomplish God’s purpose and force the enemy’s crowd to back off.

“How do you know?” you ask me. Well…we’ve been in God’s ICU before.  In March of 1990 Dick was hospitalized for three days with “something”.  Medical science never did give us a firm diagnosis. Best guess was salmonella.  He was horribly ill – sick unto death! I was horribly afraid.  As he lay in the hospital bed fighting to stay alive, I sat in the chair by his side and read the Word, out loud. For days!  The Holy Spirit gave us this Word. “The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness thou healest all his infirmities.” Psalm 41:1-3 RSV   By April Dick was fine. God healed him.  In 1992 it was Valley Fever (a Central California version of TB – nasty stuff).  He was told he would miss at least six months of work.  The only time he could sleep restfully and breath without coughing was when I sat beside him and read the word aloud.  He went back to work in less than six weeks! In May 2005 the diagnosis was stage three cancer. That’s a whole ‘nother story, but by August, after multiple biopsies and CT scans, there was NO cancer. Had never been any cancer…just another case of the enemy coming along and saying, “you don’t really believe what he said do you? Believe what I tell you instead…would you believe you have cancer?”  God has never, ever, failed us.  But whenever we receive a bad report from the medical community, we go into full ICU mode.  God’s word will do what he purposes for anyone….anyone at all.

2. Call everyone you know who understands the power of prayer. 

a. Ask for prayer!

I find the account of a boy being healed in Mark’s gospel of particular interest. It is here Jesus says, “…all things are possible to him who believes…. This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” Mark9:14-29, Matthew 17:14-21, Luke 9:37-43 Just keep in mind…there are plenty of “Christians” out there who do not believe in God’s healing for today.  Before you ask for prayer, be certain, absolutely certain you’re asking a “believer”.  You don’t want any ‘doubting Thomas’ praying in critical situations. Doubting God, raising questions, pitting a doubting will against His, all have dire consequences that we’re apt to overlook in the midst of a crisis.

b. put your situation on prayer chains and in prayer circles.

Many churches will add your prayer requests to their routine prayer circles. *see rule a. above :)

3. finally, and importantly, Watch Your Mouth!

Why?  Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Matthew 12:34-37  And by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.   Why? Where two or more are gathered together and agree as touching anything, there I am in the midst of them. Matthew 18:18-20  And spiritual principles apply whether in the positive (it will be done by my Father who is in Heaven) or in the negative.  Satan has ears and hears, we’ve been talking about that for awhile now.  The whole purpose of God’s ICU is to surround the patient, and their family, with God’s healing power.  The enemy is going to come along and say, “surely you don’t believe God will do that for you today!  Look what happened to so and so.”  Don’t agree with the negative reports and suggestions.

So…am I telling you that you can throw away your meds, forget about the doctor’s suggested treatments, ignore medical science completely?  Absolutely not.  Our doctor is a believer, too.  He uses his God given talents and abilities to heal the sick and help us whenever we need help.  I believe God guides and directs the doctors hands and makes a way toward healing where there seems to be no way. 

In ’05, when Dick was in the hospital oncology ward for ten days, the nurses who cared for him were Godly women, praying women, caring women!  He was surrounded with compassion and faith, almost without exception.  The on-call urologist we ‘happened’ to get was also a believer.  God can and does use those in the medical community to fit His design and purpose.

It’s just that when a crisis comes along, and they will – we all have them – taking the steps that God has shown to further His purpose just makes more sense to me than panic.  I hope and pray this will help you begin to take the steps.

perfect health in His name

“And his name, by faith in his name, had made this man strong, whom you see and know, and the faith which is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.” _Acts 3:16

Monday night we had a phone call from yet another terrified mother….”My child is sick! It is life threatening! Please pray!”

This is the third such call in as many months. Here is another gut-wrenching cry for help tearing through a young family; another child’s life at risk; another mother beside herself with fear.  This time the threat is a brain tumor. A thirteen year-old boy is having debilitating headaches and blacking out.  His doctor has prescribed an MRI and a battery of additional tests to be performed on Friday.  The test results won’t be available until the third of next month. 

His mother wants to know – NOW. “How do I wait that long? What if….?”

Years of experience have taught us to face these gut-wrenching, life-altering, moments of fear by running to our Heavenly Father, climbing up on his lap and pouring our hearts out to him.  “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn (do an about face away from your fear) and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” _Matt. 18:3-4

We (D and I) have learned, through crisis and fear in our own lives, the only truly safe place to be when fighting for your life, or the life of someone you love, is firmly embraced within the kingdom of heaven.  “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For by it (faith) the men of old received divine approval.  By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear.” _Heb. 11:1-2 (emphasis mine)

Picture yourself as a child (are you a child of God), warmly embraced in the arms of a loving father, pouring out your heart’s desire; knowing (by faith) he is willing and able to grant your requests because he promised he would. And the good news is he never breaks his promises. Trust in and rely on the promises God made to his children regarding their healing.

Don’t misunderstand what I’m telling you here.  Medical science is wonderful. Many doctors are men of faith. God can use all of the wonders of modern medicine and men with training and a commitment to accomplish His will. But, the only power we have available to us in times of crisis is the Word (the promises) of God.

We are told, “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:1-5

We are told the name of Jesus is above every name; that at the name of Jesus “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil 2:9-11, Isa 45:23, Romans 14:11 We read this to mean Cancer, brain tumors, sickness and all disease are names that must bow their knees to the name of Jesus.

Monday night, while I was talking on the phone, saying the same things I always say when one of those calls comes, it dawned on me, “She may not even have a Bible with her. Even if she has a Bible with her – she has no idea where to look for the promises you’re talking about. You’re talking a language it’s taken years for you to learn and understand!”  Giving a panic-stricken mother, whose child is facing a medical crisis, instructions to ‘look up’ healing scriptures is like offering a drowning mother ice water! 

She probably heard me say, “Concur your fear!” 

“How?”

“By an act of your will.”

No, That’s not the idea AT ALL.  If that’s what you heard, in your time of panic, I apologize.

Here is what I wanted you to get – God’s Word says:

I am the Lord, your healer. Ex 15:26
It (wisdom, the word of the Lord) will be healing to your flesh… Proverbs 3:8
Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.  Proverbs 16:24
Bless the Lord….who heals all your diseases…Psalms 103:1-5
He send forth his word and healed them…Psalm 107:19-20

These and hundreds of other promises from God’s word mean that when a crisis arises you don’t have to dissolve into panic.  God sent His Son to the cross, to carry our sickness and bear our diseases. Isaiah 53:4-6

God’s word is filled with promises telling us he loves us and wants only the best for us.  Healing is God’s will for his children.  Why would the Father say, “He (Jesus) himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.  By his wounds you have been healed.” unless he intended to fulfil his promises in our lives. 

We are told God watches over his word to perform it. Jere. 1:12.  We are told God’s word never, ever returns to him without accomplishing the thing for which he sent it. Isaiah 55:11

And, we are told the enemy of our souls…that would be the same old snake who lied to Eve in the Garden… is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 Jesus tells us he comes but to steal, to kill and to destroy. John 10:10

I can tell you from years of experience, when a crisis comes into the life of a child of God – fear follows. Dick will tell you that the laws of the universe demand that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The opposite of fear is faith!  If somewhere within the first few minutes of fear, we can react in faith (speak faith – think faith – believe faith) fear will bow down and allow us to climb up in the lap of our Father, accept His promises and watch Him change the crisis on our behalf.

I hope these words will give you something to hang on to as you await the outcome of the tests.

musings…contemplations…reflections…

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. __Proverbs 3:5-6 AB

Over the years, while struggling to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ – something I’ve been doing  with purpose since the summer of 1977, the lesson He continually brings me back around to is this: “do not rely on your own insight.”  The proverb says in ALL your ways recognize Him.  I have learned this means He is present in ALL my days, in all my ways.   Alone or with others, happy or angry, glad or sad, busy or bored, mindful of His presence or not, He is right there with me. 

Being a follower of Christ makes me a child of God. (1 John 5:1-3 AB)

Being a parent and a grandparent, I understand there’s stuff your children do that is just so not pleasing.  In fact, there are times when children are as far as possible from their best behavior and, as a parent, you’d feel justified in administering corporal punishment if it was a socially acceptable thing to do.  [note -I'm not sure a smack on the backside is as damaging to a child's psyche as modern experts tells us it may be. The Bible says spare the rod and spoil the child. Well, not exactly.  What it does say is "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.__Proverbs 13:24, 19:18, 22:15, 29:15, 17)  It seems to me we raised some spoiled rotten children throughout the 80's and 90's.  Just a personal opinion. Excuse me!]

Being a child of God means, if  He loves me, and He does, He is going to discipline me. And He does.  Recently the argument I’ve been having with Him is whether or not I’m ready to follow His instruction to “publish peace”.  (Translation: include my daily devotional thoughts in my online presentation [blog].)  It has been obvious for a couple of years that the primary reason to blog at all is to “publish peace”.  Most of those who have followed my blogging attempts know they have been sporadic at best….on again, off again; here, there and everywhere.  I’ve done the artwork, published the short stories, published the children’s books, talked and talked and talked; but up until now I haven’t followed His instructions and told you who and what I am really all about.

Lately it has become increasingly clear…He’s right.  I’m wrong!  The people who come across my path, IRL (in real life) and in cyberspace need what He offers to me on a daily basis.  If you’re one of those (and there will be some) who are offended by my faith and my decision to stop relying on my own insight and do what I have been instructed to do – I’m sorry for you.  I’ll miss you.  But to be perfectly honest, I’d rather lose a few friends because of my Christianity than have my Father displeased with my failure to follow his directions. 

Oh He’ll forgive me.  He is, first last and always, a forgiving Father. (Psalm 106:44-45 RSV -  suggest reading the entire Psalm.)  Again and again throughout the Bible He proves His love for children who are less than perfect.  I’m just tired of the nagging sense of being disobedient to His instructions.  So, today is the first of my “musings for the day”. 

a new journal

spent today deactivating ALL social networking sites – facebook, blogger, my space, twitter, google, etc.  The whole thing is simply too distracting. 

My goal is, and has always been, to encourage  my readers when the Holy Spirit gives me encouragement.  Making an effort to update all those other cyber-places makes writing a chore.  And when it gets to be a chore, I put it off…for days. 

With a new journal all the distractions are behind me.  No more excuses, no more procrastinating.