A New Season

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
(1 Peter 2:9)

We have two beautiful maple trees in our backyard. The only problem is, they are among the last trees in the Spring to get their leaves, and among the first in the Fall to lose them.

For the last couple of weeks, I watched every day as the trees budded. It seemed to take forever for the buds to begin to open and the leaves to very slowly begin to unfold and grow. Then one day, I looked out the window and marveled at how the leaves seemed to have appeared overnight, and the trees suddenly appeared vibrant and alive.

Today I realized that I have been very much like those trees. My world seemed to stop for a little while upon learning in January that I have MS. As I struggled to come to grips with it both physically and emotionally, I felt like I was in some sort of dormant state, a holding pattern if you will.

This morning, when my friend Barbara asked me how I'm doing, I was able to respond that I'm doing really well. I told her that I'm feeling better physically, and that mentally and emotionally I'm no longer in a place where it's constantly occupying my thoughts. I feel really good.

"A couple of months ago," I said, "I wasn't there. It's taken some time to be able to let go of it and say that it is what it is and it's okay."

As I spoke those words to Barbara, I could see the leaves on the maple trees outside my kitchen window blowing in a gentle breeze, and that's when I realized the parallel with my life these last few months. It has taken time and effort, but just as winter has changed to spring and the earth has come back to life, God has brought me through a harsh season as well, and I want to enjoy this life I've been given!

It felt really good to be able to say "I feel really good," and to say it with complete sincerity. It almost caught me by surprise, kind of like the leaves that seemed to have opened overnight. I'm so thankful to God, the one who "called me out of the darkness into his wonderful light."

"The Lord will comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing." (Isaiah 51:3)

Walking the Talk

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18

Something happened at Sunday school the other day that touched me so deeply. A lady who has only recently joined the class with her husband came in and brought me a sticker. It was from the MS Walk a few weeks ago, and it had my name on it, stating that she was walking in my honor.

This is a lady who lives in my neighborhood, and though we have known each other for the last several years, it has really been only casually. I've enjoyed having her and her husband in Sunday school. It has given me the opportunity to get to know them better. She had told me a couple of weeks before the MS Walk that she was planning to participate on my behalf. I was practically moved to tears that she was even considering it, but then I never heard anything more about it.

Well, not only did she walk, but her 18 year-old son did as well. She said she wanted so much to do something for me when she heard of my MS diagnosis. She knew we were getting plenty of meals brought to us, and figured this would be a practical way of expressing her support.

You know, I felt her love when she first told me of her plans to walk and I so appreciated the gesture. But when she carried through with it, putting her love to action, then I also experienced God's love and grace. I think that's what the verse from 1 John is trying to tell us.

When our love for others stems from our love for Christ and a desire to serve him, people will see Christ reflected in us, and know his love for them. We're called to a love that goes much deeper than lip service, we have to walk the talk!

Update on the "Bridge Man"

I received word today that the man who was living under the bridge near my house has been relocated to a more permanent living situation. I don't know what or where, but I'm glad to know he's not under the bridge anymore! Praise God for the concerned citizens and the two non-profit emergency assistance agencies that were able to work something out for him!

The Truth About False Prophets

Yesterday my daughter Kaelie and I were flipping through TV channels and came across a show called "Inside A Cult" on the National Geographic channel. The show was about a cult called Strong City that allowed a reporter access to its property and interviews with some of the people there. Its leader, Michael something-or-other, was predicting Judgement Day on October 31, 2007.

This guy called himself a "Messiah"and had his followers completely convinced that he knew what he was talking about, that they were the only safe ones and the rest of the miserable world was going to be wiped out. It was disturbing to see how these people clung to him, how the teenagers giggled at suggestions by the reporter that they had been brainwashed and could be in danger.

The Bible warns of false prophets, which this guy Michael clearly was. Besides the fact that Judgement Day did not occur last Halloween, we have the words of Jesus himself to help us identify false prophets.

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marraige, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man...Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." (Matt. 24:36-39, 42)

In doing some internet searching, I found Strong City's website. Not only did this Michael guy wrongly predict "the end," he goes so far on the website to say "I am the Word of God." John 1:1 says "In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." So in effect, this guy is saying he is God.

I went further into the website to read some blog posts from other curious/concerned visitors such as myself. Many quoted Scriptures and asked questions intended to trip this guy up and expose him for what he is. He was able to quote Scripture back in ways to suit his purposes and make him sound frighteningly believable...almost. Reading the whole sickening thing really drove home the point to me how critical it is for Christians to study and know God's Word, to be prepared to share it correctly at every opportunity.

It was a blessing that I happened to come across this TV show just a couple of weeks after I had studied the Matthew passage above in Bible Study Fellowship. Kaelie, who did not know what a cult was, had some questions. I was able to not only explain to her about cults and their dangers, but to also share God's truth with her so that she will be able to identify as false prophets those who make such brash predictions. I'm so thankful to God for giving us his Word!

Do not let yourself be deceived, stick to the Word and live each day for the Lord!

A Serious Dilemma

I have a dilemma, therefore, be aware that this post will be asking for some audience participation. In order to participate, you will need to click on the word comments at the end of the post. If you are not a registered user, it will ask you to follow a couple of very quick and simple steps to get registered. Don't let this intimidate or stop you! You will not receive any unwanted email or spam, it's very easy and painless, I promise. Later, if you want to post comments on this blog or others in the future, all you have to do is enter your username (which is usually just your email address) and password and that's it.

For those of you who have already posted comments to me, thank you! It is so encouraging to me to receive your feedback and to know that I'm not just carrying on a running conversation with myself! "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage each other--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)

Okay, here's the dilemma, and it's actually a serious issue. Yesterday I found out that there is a homeless man living under a bridge very near my house. It's actually less than a quarter of a mile from the walking trail that surrounds my neighborhood. The man is a registered sex offender, convicted in 1996 of aggravated sexual battery. Last year, he received another conviction for failing to register as a sex offender. Well, he's now on the state's online Sex Offender Registry, and his address is actually listed as "homeless" and names the bridge where he has taken up residence.

This morning, I made it a point to drive under the bridge and sure enough, I could see what appeared to be a sleeping bag high up on a concrete ledge in the corner.

The dilemma is this...how does one behave with compassion towards this man who is presumably minding his own business and just trying to survive? Should I be ashamed to say that I am fearful? After all, I have two young daughters that use that walking trail often to run back and forth to friends' houses in the neighborhood.

Do you see where I'm going with this? As a Christian, I feel conflicted and ashamed over my judgemental, fearful attitude towards this person. Jesus tells us to take care of the poor and the homeless, and while I may not be dangerous, I'm every bit the sinner. But as a parent, I feel justified in feeling this way and I want someone to do something about it. Desperate people often do desperate things, and if you ask me, living under a bridge is a pretty desperate situation! Not to mention the fact that his picture online is pretty creepy-looking!

So I guess my questions are, how would you feel? What would you do? Does anyone have any suggestions for dealing with this situation?

If Wishes Came True...

You've heard the expression "be careful what you wish for...because you just might get it." Well, today I made a "be careful what you wish for" kind of remark that ended up stopping me in my tracks for a moment. It was something I said in jest, totally off-the-cuff, and as soon as I said it I thought "oh my gosh, what am I saying?!"

After church, I was standing outside a doorway waiting for my family to come out, and chatting with a friend. As I held the door open for someone exiting with her baby boy in a stroller, I joked to my friend that sometimes I would love for someone to push me around like that. My daughter heard me and pretended to give me a push, and I said "not that kind of push, I want wheels."

Well, as someone with MS, I realized as soon as the words were out of my mouth that what I had just said could very well end up being my reality someday. I hope and pray it isn't, of course, but it really struck me there for a minute. We had a good laugh about it, but I don't think it's something I'll be joking around about anymore.

The truth is, none of us knows what our future may hold, and that is probably a good thing! Last weekend I attended a lay speaker conference and a man said something to me that I really took to heart. He has a lot of serious health struggles, so his future is very uncertain. Because of that, he said he wants to spend every day using his "gift of gab" (the man could talk to till the cows come home) to reach as many people as possible for Jesus. "I don't know how long I'm gonna be here, so I'm gonna preach the Word with every day I've got," he vowed.

I really liked that attitude. I can't think of any better way possible to spend the time we're given. If I die tomorrow, my wish would be that something I've done today will somehow make a difference to the Kingdom!

The apostle Paul addresses this in Colossians 4:2-6. "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

Sounds like good rules for conversation to me. I think I'll be more careful of the off-the-cuff, "be careful what you wish for" kind of comments too! :)

Voice Lessons--Part 2

Have I mentioned lately how amazing God is? Well, let me just say that he is amazing! We prayed for him to restore my voice to speak at that MOPS group this morning, and he did. He is so good and so faithful!

"Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies." Psalm 36:5

If you had heard me last night, you might have had serious doubts about my ability to give a 30-40 minute talk this morning. It was still "iffy" when I got up and started getting ready. But not trusting in God to give me the voice was not an option. I had asked him to open the doors for speaking opportunities, he opened this one, and he saw me through it.

I share this story because it's just another example of the power of prayer. When I called my friend Paige, the MOPS coordinator last night, she prayed for me on the phone right then and there. She also rallied some others to pray at their church, and Joey and I prayed about it last night as well. I continued in prayer this morning, and God answered. I was able to deliver the message without really even straining to speak, and though my voice did drop out a little now and then, it really wasn't a problem or a distraction.

Another lesson learned though, is not to put limits on my prayers. I said "God, even if my voice holds out for just an hour, long enough to get through this meeting, that's all I ask." Now that my voice is gone almost completely again this afternoon, I see that I should've asked to have it back permanently, not just for an hour! I'll remember that next time!