Ditching my GPS

This is what the Lord says - your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord, your God, 
               who teaches you what is best for you, 
                     who directs you in the way you should go..."
                                                                                                         Isaiah 48:17

    My GPS thinks it knows. It thinks it is so smart.
    It thinks that County Rd C is the world's best way to get to Toledo from our house, although in reality there is a minimum of 42 stop signs on that route.
   
    The GPS thinks it knows... even though it doesn't account for stop signs, it doesn't account for school buses, and it doesn't account for farming equipment.
    Last week I tortured my GPS. I took Highway 24! The inhumanity! The GPS doesn't recognize the new highway. The new highway, however, shortens the drive to Toledo by about 15 minutes. The GPS claims you are driving in a field in the middle of nowhere. The GPS is so freaked out by Highway 24, that it eventually freezes up and shuts itself down, as if to say, "Fine! Don't listen to me! Risk your own neck, but you're not taking me down with you!"

   The only reason this is all funny, is because it's so obvious. Obviously, the GPS does not know best. Obviously it's a machine, that is certainly useful, but sometimes, it just doesn't know.

    We think like that GPS sometimes...oftentimes. We think we know. We travel in one direction, not even imagining that there is another way, a better way. We take the way that sounds good, to the world, to ourselves, but...
                          there is a better way.
  We think we're the best GPS...but God knows. He knows infinitely more than we ever could. He sees the whole picture. He knows what roadblocks we'll encounter along the way. He knows....He actually knows.
    And we don't simply have a God who knows. We have a God who knows us, and cares for us. We have a Redeemer. Who thinks we are more precious than we could even imagine. 
       
    That road may look pretty scary, though. It might have rough patches. It is often uphill, and it is certainly rarely easy. He never promised that. But it will be worth it.

I'm gonna take that risk. I'm gonna travel where He directs. 

I may never see more than one day ahead, I may not see the next turn, but it's so worth it. I promise you, He promises you. It's so much better.

There's a song I love, by Group 1 Crew -----
         "I wanna live dangerous...risk it all for you, Lord. I want you to wake me up, 
           from the life I've known before."

What part of your life could stand to look a bit more "dangerous"?
Where is God calling you to risk it for Him?

I promise you He's faithful. He has the best way.

So if our life looks a little crazy, a bit risky, you know why now.

I ditched my GPS. I'm going with Him. Haiti, here we come.

Free at last...

...for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. .                                                                            2 Timothy 1:7

     I have this ridiculous fear of snakes. It's ridiculous. For years, I avoided National Geographic shows for fear of coming eye to screen with a snake. I didn't read reptile and amphibian books to my kids, I avoided nature magazines. I walked the long way around the snake house at the zoo. 
     Then I went to bible study.
     That's what happens when you go to bible study, by the way. Stuff happens. Life changes.
     What would happen if your worst fear was realized? What's the very worst case scenario?
     Hmmmm...venomous snake, painful death. I felt silly. Everyone else had serious fears- husband's leaving, children kidnapped, cancer. No way was I sharing my snake thing. 
     
But here's the crux I learned in the study. So what?  
     Get bit by a venomous snake and die. I'm Christian. Dying has nothing on me. Dying means life. 
     
     So what else you got Devil? Emotional trauma, desertion by all those I love, the loss of everything that matters to me. My God's bigger than that. So, here's the truth I know...my God loves me. I don't want to live in fear. He says I don't have to. I'm tired of it.
     Then, what is the alternative? God's answer... Freedom. 
      I want to live free. I opened my heart a little more to God's plan that day.

     Then I went to a conference and had to share my amazing insight with a group of women (thinking I was so wise and learned). One woman at my table turns to me and says, "A long time ago I stopped praying for God's will in my life. Now I pray, Whatever you want for my life, Lord. It's yours, just take it."

    I was taken a back. Was she serious? I mean, if I prayed that, things would happen. What if I was actually killed for my faith. What if He had a plan for my children I didn't like? If I opened my mouth and prayed that prayer any number of things could happen! (Snakes could be involved. :-)) What if...

    So I did what any normal person would do and I sat on it. I let it ruminate in my heart for a good year. Then one day, I had enough. 
    "What do you want from me, Lord?"  
    I got my answer - "You."
    And I realized, He meant all of me. Not just a piece, not half, not most. He wanted all. So, I did it. I opened my heart. Not just a little. 

     I know it sounds like works righteousness to all you good Lutherans, but it's not. I know it's the Spirit. I know it's the Lord's work in me. But I thank God, He does not stop at the font. He keeps at it....every day.
     I prayed, "Whatever you want, Lord. Whatever." And life is transformed. Life is turned upside down. And as Queen Esther said, "If I parish, I parish."
     There are so very many reasons to be afraid. But God trumps every one. Snakes and all. 

 

God said, "Yes!"

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us - by me and Silas and Timothy  - was not "Yes" and "No,"
                                                                but in Him, it has always been "Yes." 
                                                                      2 Corinthians 1:19
    
       There are plenty of times in my life when God has been the parent who planted His feet firmly in the soil and said a powerful, "No." Both for my own safety and to lead me to paths of spiritual growth. But isn't it nice when the answer gets to be Yes! When the path we travel is firmly planted and rooted in God's will, that you can feel in your bones a resounding "Yes" from the Lover of our souls.
       Sometimes, however it's hard to discern God's will in your life, the path He's leading you down. You sit, staring at the fork in the road and wonder,
                                                                     "Which one Lord...which one?"
    
        And so Dave and I sat, months ago, staring at that fork...One street sign said Ohio, the other Haiti.                                                 
                                                                      "Which one Lord...which one?"
     But this Sunday, we found our answer. As Jonah's 8-year old faith boldly proclaimed,
                                                                       "God said, 'Yes!'"
     Because as 2 Corinthians goes on to say 
"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God."
         When we are talking about God's call on our lives, not just our own ideas, or pursuits of earthly wealth and stuff, and glory for my own purposes, but talking about God's call on our life and serving Him unabashedly, God's answer is "Yes!". He sees life differently than we do.
         In our life, Dave, mine, the kids...we could only see one path. In my best-case-scenario, I saw our path as life in Ohio, with a slight divergence onto a small hiking trail called Haiti, and then back onto the main road, back to Ohio. This is certainly one way to look at life, but I think we risk oversimplifying God's plan. God has a plan for His glory that is so much bigger than I can imagine. God revealed, this Sunday, that 
                                                                 His plan was both.
      Our church voted in nearly full confidence for us to go to Haiti, with their support. St. Luke and Haiti. Ohio and Haiti together- one path, where I could only see two. God's work need not be limited to the way our human minds might see life. He has a plan, and His plan is always better. 
                                                                His plan is "Yes"!

       So what is God calling you to in life? What path is the Spirit leading you down? Don't be afraid, when you're in Him, you know where you're going. With Christ, the answer is Yes.   
  

 
 

"Ooooo- Snows!"

He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,'

and to the rain shower,  'Be a mighty downpour,'...

                                                         Job 37:6

     
   Walking across the lawn yesterday to get to church Zeke was surprised and enamored to see the snow. He walked out the door and said, "Ooooooo- Snows!" It's one of those precious, treasure-these-things-in-your-heart moments for a mom. As he tromped further into the snow, I watched his wonder as he picked up a teaspoon of snow in his mittened hand and let it fall, only to gather up cupfuls of snow in his little palm and let it rain over his head. It was precious, and I began to wonder...

         What will he discover in Haiti? 

   My littlest son...what will you discover? What are God's great plans for you in a land far away? Children have such a capacity for learning that I think we can only begin to imagine. It's so fun to watch them grow and learn, but the best part is the awe. They see everything as if for the first time (and often times it is!). 
   They take a moment to stare in wonder and amazement at all of God's goodness around us. Because God really does say to the snow, "Fall!" and to the Sun, "Shine!" Children are not fooled by the world around them and all of the experts of science. They embrace the creation with joy and expectation of God's next good thing, even in the mighty downpour, even in the hurricane, even in the loss. They seem to take a moment to say, "Wow!" to a Creator who certainly is capable of Wow.

          What will he discover in Haiti? 

     So, what will it be- the sparkling blue of the Caribbean, the pleasure of the sand on the seashore, the unexpectedness of the palm trees...or an understanding of compassion for those around him, joy expressed in a new tongue, a new language, with new friends...
maybe even a stirring to share what he has with the little one sitting next to him who has so little. 

What "snows" has God presented in your life? How does he reveal His Glorious self to you, His much loved child? 

May we all be on the path of discovery, to Know Him just a little bit more each day. 

 
 

Reach into my darkness...

The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.         

                           John 1:5

             I don't know about you, but my world could use a little light most days. You don't have to be in the social work business to be depressed by the news. Recently, for one of my classes we had to sign up for a Twitter account, mainly to keep up with current events. I have to "follow" all of the major news outlets, some political commentators, and my fellow students. It only took 2 days for me to decide that it was just too much news. I know the world we live in is not a great place. I don't want a reminder of it every 2 minutes via Twitter. 
            But here's the reality...I need that reminder.
            I need a swift kick in the shin really, I need my breath taken away to remember that there are people hurting, there are people struggling, there are people in visible and invisible prisons all around me. School shootings, houses engulfed in flames, malnutrition in Haiti, genocide in Darfur... sometimes I need the shock, to cause me to wake up to the hurt around me, that I miss everyday.
            Darkness is all around us. 
            But we have seen a marvelous Light. That Light has reached down into our world and redeemed it. Absolutely no situation is un-redeemable, from school shootings, houses engulfed in flames, malnutrition in Haiti, and genocide in Darfur, to divorce in families, a frustrating sense of failure, and loneliness even in a room of crowded people. I feel so helpless when faced with the reality of all of it.

           I must remember the Promise...

                   Darkness has not overcome it. 

          Darkness has not overcome it. No matter how dark life seems, not matter how painful the struggle, no matter how deep the chains of oppression, darkness has not overcome it.

            Christ reaches into our Darkness. When we look around at all of the loss and destruction, we can also see glimpses of Him. I promise you it's there, in fact, He promises you He's there. Search for it...it's worth it. 
           Sometimes I find it so hard to see the Light, the Goodness. I find myself praying-

           Reach into my darkness, Lord. Reach...

           and He does. He stretches out His hand and reaches. I love knowing that redemption is there for every situation. The same God who digs the Psalmist out of the pit, reaches into our darkness with the cross. This is the Light no darkness can overcome. It's in you and me. It's living and active in our world. Praise God!

           Reach into my darkness, Lord. Reach...

 

Unexpected Love

This will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in clothes

                                                                                            and lying in a manger.

                                                                                                            Luke 2:12

    I've been practicing this song to sing for the Christmas Eve service. After practicing it 4 times a day for 3 weeks straight, a line in the second verse kept coming to me in the middle of everyday moments -

      "Did You wrap yourself inside the unexpected
           so that we might know that Love would go that far..."* 

    Every Christmas we contemplate the baby in the manger, born with the barn animals, because there was no room for Him in any inn. Definitely an unexpected place for the Savior of the world, the King of Kings, the Great High Priest to make his appearance. But was there a purpose in this unexpected arrival. Of course. God's language is prophecy, so it's cool that he speaks to us not only in words, but in places, in people, in the monotonous scenery of life around us. 
   Christ Jesus came into the world, wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a bed of straw. Christ Jesus brought life to the world, wrapped in cloth and lying in a tomb. Did Christ come in such a humble way so we would know where to look for him in the end? 

         "Did You wrap yourself inside the unexpected
              so that we might know that Love would go that far..." 


     I was struck by the song lyric because it reminded me of the obvious in a newfound way. Love really does go that far. Love comes to the manger to point to the cross. I'm so thankful for God's love for me, that comes to my ordinary life, my monotonous day, and wraps itself around me, sets me Free and forgiven, and treasures me as a gift. 
      I'm going to start looking for God in the unexpected. I'm going to look up Ezra and see what God has to say. I'm going to look around me in the supermarket to see who could use some encouragement. I'm going to travel 1,600 miles to share His love with women I would never get to share with otherwise.
      Why am I always surprised when God does the unexpected...It seems to be His language anyway. 

Thank you, Lord, for Christ. Thank you for being You.

 Merry Christmas!

*excerpt of song from Francesca Battistelli's, "Born in Me",  
I believe originally released for the Music Inspired by the Story album (one of my favorites!)
      

Always winter and never Christmas

This is why I speak to them in parables:

            Though seeing, they do not see;
            Though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
                                                       Matthew 12:13

      Our family recently read the entire set of the Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. Obviously the writing is beautiful, but I was astounded by how touched I was by the message. I knew that they were written in order for children to understand the Good News, but sometimes the nuances of the message were so well woven into the story that I would find tears on my face before I understood what I was crying about. C.S. Lewis is, unarguably, a genius storyteller, but the story touches your heart not because of his literary prowess, but because of the redemption inside of the words.
   
       Always winter, but never Christmas...
     Can we even imagine? The creatures of Narnia are trapped in a land covered with snow and ice, but it's not the cold and the chill that surrounds them that is so devastating...it's living in a place where joy is forbidden, distrust and shame are dominate, and living in the absence of hope.
     Can we imagine? For the children it's basic. Who would ever want to live in a land with perpetual winter, but never any joy of Christmas?
     When I first started contemplating this, I considered all those in Haiti and throughout the world trapped in the darkness of false religion. It is true and worthy of contemplation that there really are people in the world lost to Christ because they have been fed lies of a false god. My heart morns for them. In Haiti, the culture of voodoo is evident. The false god has a face, it is, for the most part blatantly recognizable. 
    Around here, though, in the U.S. our false gods don't have a face. The lies are hidden, maybe difficult to recognize at times, but are just as dark and icy. We're lost in a sea of stuff and activity. We worry about a beautiful tree, perfect presents for our kids, or making sure we fill our calendar with enough celebratory madness to fill the void. And sometimes life just feels like winter. It's dark and cold. It seems the sun will never come out and shine. It holds the edge of loneliness, or sorrow, or bitterness, or pain, or frustration. And instead of turning to Christ, we turn to what is immediately avaiable. For all our decorations and jovial festivities, how often have we lost Christmas itself and settled for winter?

   Always Christmas...
   But, Christ came to us, and brought Christmas. Praise the Lord!!!  Do you know someone who needs to know that real joy and hope are alive and well? Do you need to know it? Christmas is here. Each day. Sing for Joy. Winter may still be around us, but Christmas is IN us. We will never really live in a land of perpetual ice and snow, because God has promised us better in Christ. He brought Christmas to Bethlehem long ago to each and every one of us. He will melt your ice, He lights your darkness.