Nature Speaks..Do you Hear?

"FLOWER IN A CRANNIED WALL"

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Flower in the crannied wall,

I pluck you out of the crannies,

I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,

Little flower-but if I could understand

What you are, root and all, and all in all,

I should know what God and man is.

Have you looked around recently at your environment and wondered where it all came from, how did it all begin? Have you loitered long enough on a path to see the patterns of our habitat, and realize the function of this big ball floating in the universe has design, precision and meaning? Have you realized the beauty layed before you every day without failing is a picture, or may I say, a well planned production to get your attention? The rising and setting of the sun is a message, have you stopped to listen to what it is saying? Nature is God's love note filled with consistency, surprises,opportunity and best of all a resounding call to find out who He really is.

Sadly, the writer of this poem did not find the understanding he wondered about in his poem. He died believing "..  in Pantheism of a sort." (from his diary). In quick terms, he believed God was unknowable, out there in the universe, but not involved. 

Pslams 19:1-4 says the heavens speak to all the earth....Are you listening?

Romans 1:20 says nature boasts of God and who He is and this is enough for

                     man NOT to have an excuse to know Him.

God wants to be active and involved, His love letter called 'nature' screams it. If you find yourself wondering 'if I could understand'  it may be time to wake up and smell the roses.

{He's REAL and He wants relationship with you}

EXCELLENT apologetic on panentheism

Pagan Nation

Our family just got back from a wonderful vacation at Disney World and now my daughter is on Spring Break from school. We've been filling recent time with a little fun I would say.

These back to back fun filled excursions have broken us from the normal routine. We are somewhat sheltered from what goes on in the world, some of this is intentional. We just don't like the rat race and the keeping up with the Joneses and the constant go, go, go. I always joke I'm going to be the grandma that doesn't know how to work the newest techno gadget and I can't wait to call whatever it is "that darn new fangled thing." 

By: HikingArtist.com

This post is titled Pagan Nation. Pagan means country dweller or heathen, and the word usually conjures up scenes of ancient civilizations harvesting crops and their seasonal festivals and feasts celebrated by sacrifice to their gods. America has its own form of Pagan worship through the guise of taking care of the Earth and depicting humans as thoughtless inhabitors who abuse it but can save it if they change and make the effort to make a difference. The worship doesn't have to be in the form of witches, spells and Hollywood antics. It is an I'm alright your alright everything goes mentality with a focus on nature. (Just look up paganism on google and there's a wealth of information) it doesn't take much anymore to show the Pagan slant our country takes.

Disney World is family oriented and has a rhythm of its own. You do feel time has its own beat and you do not focus too much on what is outside the property line when you are there. My daughter, husband and I were walking along the lake at Epcot leisurely licking the caramel, ginger ice cream we found from the Japanese pagoda nestled among the various restaurants depicting countries of the world. It was dark and that nights fireworks show was about to begin. We parked our tushes under a large fire lit lantern and began to watch the show unfold. It was an amazing show with fireworks reflecting on the lake. Something told me to pay attention to what the announcer said as the details of the show unraveled. I was just happy seeing all the amazing pyrotechnics and wasn't really interested in the narration but I was glad I payed attention. The announcer mentioned how communities around the world gathered around the bonfire and a large barge in the middle of the lake burst into flames and all the lanterns along the lake shot out their fire high into the sky. The announcer proceeded to talk about the earth as a big ball glided into the center of the lake and opened up to reveal more fire and fireworks. The announcer mentioned healing the earth and a few other things that give everyone a feel good message about our duty to come together through community to take care of the earth. Frankly, it was a big production that sickened me. My dad was standing next to me and I leaned over to his ear and told him, "I'm sick of all this Earth worship I see everywhere."  The ice cream just wasn't enjoyable after that.

I just got home from taking my daughter to see The Lorax. We laughed and giggled and had a great time, but I found myself warning her of the messages of indoctrination throughout the film. The overall message was a decent one but the anti-capitalist, humans destroy everything message was loud and sung clearly throughout the show. I remember warning her about the same 'humans stink' message in Wall-E, another annoying film depicting the human race as fat, lazy, stupid idiots who destroy earth.

And to think our kids are bombarded day in and day out with this message. Ive seen this collective minded 'save the world' message in various forms and degrees in schools, businesses, ads, games etc. I know this is why people so blindly shrug it off because it is blanketed within every aspect of our life. Some may not care and go on with girders on, some still don't care and can't even see the spiritual deception of it all and some do know and teach their children as I do.

I am smiling right now as God brings to memory what he showed me a few weeks back in Psalms 104. (I blogged about it) Do you see the wonderful teaching hand of God as I do? He made something I knew (the fact He is in control and is the sustainer of the Earth and all that is in it) so real through the teaching experiences at Epcot and The Lorax. If I wasn't paying attention at those moments, I wouldn't be praising God right now for all He is and does. This gave me an opportunity to worship HIM and to praise HIM for the glorious handiwork I live in and enjoy. If only the world would get it right and worship the one who Created the Earth instead of the Earth itself, what a difference that would make!

What are some every day examples you've noticed of Pagan worship?

 

The Worn Soapbox

My soapbox is firmly planted, I put my right foot on the worn surface. I stop, my knee bent and see a ragged hole or two on the surface, I look at it with pride before my left foot follows and I plant my body firmly in the middle. I scan the view before me as my head turns from right to left. My eyes encompass a foggy, barren field but my mouth opens anyway.

Photo by: Gracey

For those sparse few that read my blog, you understand I use it for many purposes. I often wield words against unjust causes and harshly scrutinize the world yet on the other hand will gush sentiment over a bee on a flower. I write what life teaches me. This post is dedicated to the few who see truth, don't try to change it to fit their world, embrace it, let it change them and go on to valiantly write and/or stand on the soapbox and open their mouths to speak what they have learned.

The Possession


My soapbox is the possession I carry on my narrow walk. Sometimes I sit on it, other times I kick it around. I pick it up every now and then and sling it over my shoulder, I let it dangle down my back and move along the narrow path waiting for the time when the cumbersome square will once again lift off my shoulder to be set on a level plane and bare the weight I carry.

The Path

The longer I try to walk the narrow road the more sensitive the rocky path seems to feel beneath my feet. The prick of the jagged rock is not a feeling you shrink from but one you welcome because you know it is there to teach you to be aware; to pay strict attention to lest you should misstep and fall.

Photo by: imageafter

The Perception

Subtle whispers echo across the wide road only to hit your ear drums as loud roars. So you shout back in order to be heard through all the background noise packaged in so many forms categorizing them would be a useless task. You try to be succinct in your call so the words will travel across the chasm with full force and hopes that those who are faced in the right direction will be able to transmit the faint noise.

Photo by: Aunt Owwee

The Reason

JESUS
He is the light to my path, He keeps my way straight. He teaches, reveals and guides me along the way and balances me in the process. (Psalms 23:3, 25:4 Proverbs 3:6, 4:11)

To walk on the narrow path is to take up your cross and follow Him. Sometimes He requires you push forward with nothing but the clothes on your back, sometimes to give your last possession to another you meet along the way, other times you will rest when you want to run forward. Sometimes He will hide and you will have to seek. Along the way you learn to know His voice but it gets even better with His promise to one day see His face.

I plan to keep following him along the path with my worn soapbox in tow.

When The Going Get's Tough...

The tough go to their daughter's school and have lunch with her....
The winter break is over and the kids go back to school. Sometimes we are ready and sometimes we wish we could all have just one more day to push the grind away. My husband and I dropped my daughter off at school and she said, "do you have to work today?" before rolling her backpack inside. I shook my head yes, and she replied, "darn, I wanted you to have lunch with me."

I received some not so good news the minute I got home from dropping her off from school but life must go on so I headed to my one job that is out in the boonies only to have the door locked and I wasn't able to enter. So I ran errands and came home early. What a fretful first day back from break. With the morning that just wouldn't work out in my schedule and my thoughts attacking my nerves, a little sanity was just what I needed so I decided to take my daughter up on her offer and go to lunch.

Seeing my daughter, friendly and tall, walking with her lunch sack to find her seat brought a smile out of the brooding mess I was in. She didn't see me sitting on the stairs waiting for her so I snuck up behind her and tapped her shoulder and she beamed a huge smile and in a super excited tone said, "Mom, you came to lunch," then she grabbed me and hugged me in front of at least eight packed tables full of kids.

The cafeteria was louder then women at a hen party, the constant murmuring drowned out the onslaught of hounding questions that just don't have answers. Who knew a cafeteria full of yammering kids would be relaxing? 

The state of limbo is the docket for the day, I feel myself squirming and writhing and wanting to run around with my head cut-off like a chicken but what good would any of that do? I wrote a post in the beginning of my blog escapade called Doing Nothing.  If I get any wiser as I age, I think I better listen and just rest for now. How does one do that without a pill or a distraction especially when human nature tells you to figure it out, manipulate til the cows come home, bang out a miracle or else you'll be labeled a failure? Gratify, gratify, gratify on my terms!

I've got my answer.. BE STILL, GO TO GOD!  PSALMS 46:1-10

I find it interesting (as I always do) that to be still in Hebrew is raphah. It has many meanings but the one that hit me was; to desist. This is what I thought after seeing that meaning: Let God do His work and don't try to meddle so that you can see His handiwork and He can take the Glory.

Jason Jackson made a good point in his article, Be Still and Know that I am God in this quote, "Here is the irony in this term “be still.” While we must take the initiative to fulfill our responsibilities and live our lives, the uncertainties of living in a world of sin and woe will continually challenge us. Personal initiative is no substitute for reliance upon God (cf. James 4:13-17)."

Of course I read James 4:13-17 and immediately knew I better sit on it and submit to God.

(One thing I can say with absolute confidence: I am blessed...remember my New Year's Salutation...God is active in my life and for that I can PRAISE HIM!)

When shaky news finds its way to your door; what do you do?

Politically Correct Propaganda In Teaching Material

The school system provides yet another rant for post fodder.

I gave permission for my daughter to be tutored under a school program to improve her handwriting skills. I wrote a nice long e-mail regarding what I felt would be beneficial for her improvement to the teacher as well as tutor. I asked my daughter if she had begun any of this supplemental work. She came home the other day with a reading comprehension worksheet instead. She said, "Mom, I know this is not right," as she handed it to me to review. Boy, was she on target!

As I read How The Camel Got His Hump, the goose prickles made their way up my neck. I'm getting used to their frequent appearance this semester. This story was written by famous poet, novelist and Nobel Prize winner, Rudyard Kipling. We all know him better for The Jungle Book. Rudyard was born in India but raised in Britain, the majority of his writings have strong Hindu influences. This is found in the fact he made the swastika, a Hindu good luck charm, his favorite printed logo near Ganesha the goddess of wisdom on his books. (When the Nazi's came on scene he was smart enough to have the swastika removed from further printings as he did not want to be associated with this group). Although Hinduism and the Culture of India was a main theme for Rudyard, How the Camel Got His Hump is influenced by Muslim legend. It talks about a spiritual figure called a Djinn that affects the lives of men and women. ( this information is taken directly from the worksheet)

 Photo by: AIDOUDA

HOLD THE PHONE!

This story may be about a camel that needs to learn to be a productive member in the animal kingdom but it should bother you, like it did me, the lesson is learned by a DEMON.

Why would a school's curriculum support such a lesson? Yes, the third grade is learning about myth and legend but this piece sure is a humdinger for introducing spiritual issues to a very malleable young mind. Yes, fact and fiction need to be addressed and the differences pointed out but this lesson is a slippery slope. Call me rigid, call me intolerant, call me over-sensitive but I won't apologize for protecting my values, my daughter and the TRUTH. Anytime a lesson supports a demon as the hero I'm going to ring the bell, sound the siren, tell you this is a piece of trash and it is WRONG! Here we go again, Chandra is going to tell you your school is trying to undermine the concept of Right and Wrong. You better count on it.

If you don't believe me that the "Djinn of All Deserts" is a demon, read one place where demons dwell. Matthew 12:43 and Luke 11:24.

The only good that came from this lesson was the opportunity to reinforce TRUTH to my daughter. The world is full of deception, whenever a spiritual guide is mentioned it is a demon. God is our only true, pure source for spiritual guidance. I was thanking the Lord as I read Job 5: 12-13. "He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away."

Worksheet Version of How The Camel Got His Hump

(Oh ya, one more thing...there seems to be a veiled socialist message in this story) can you point it out?

Walking the Tightrope

I am finding lately, I seem to relate more and more to some of the Old Testament figures, especially the ones who were living to witness their nations decline and/or exile. (I am by no means saying I am like them but that I can empathize.) I see America headed toward the landfill and there are so many ripple effects of this decline that I often wonder how these men of old lived through watching such a sad state of affairs. Reliance on God certainly was no doubt a survival tip and their laments don't go unnoticed as an outlet for their emotions.

Sometime I wonder how "they got a grip" as they saw their people reject, ignore and downright rebel against God. There have been times I get downright angry and depressed and want to shout at the top of my lungs at the path of absurdity our society has embraced. (and I do sometimes as I rant to the world wide web) I sometimes wonder about how small of a margin one has when trying to follow God's will in such situations. It can be tough to balance emotions and be Christlike. He makes you filter things through Him to make sure you are acting instead of reacting.

I have been finding a little release in Nehemiah lately. I think if I happened to live in his time we would have made fast friends. He wrote his own account of what he was called to accomplish. He had an uphill struggle if there was one! Here's a quick overview; he was in charge of re-building Jerusalem's wall while defending it at the same time, enemies slandered his name to stop his work, he went head to head legally for the usury of the people who were sacrificing to make the project work. He administered the affairs for proper teaching of  God's ways only to go away and have the people slip back into their old wayward ways. Pretty frustrating wouldn't you say?

I can relate to his grief for his people...1:4 'Now it came about when I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days...." I surely feel like weeping and mourning for the state of American affairs..

He points out the problem for exile and the distress and reproach of the people as sin and repents. 1:7 "We have acted very corruptly against Thee and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which Thou did command thy servant Moses." I certainly have sinned and there is no doubt America has done these same things too.

He makes a stand ("he makes a severe, uncompromising position against foreign marriages that steps on the toes of the high priest, his son married the daughter of Sanballat) and he suffers for it as he tries to go forward in building the wall, an idea he attributes to God putting in his mind (1:12). Sanballat along with a very large chip on his shoulder brings some friends to taunt Nehemiah (2:19-20, 4:1,3,7,8,11)

Not only did he have to worry about builder's working double time, he had to rally these workers to think militarily in order to defend what they were building (4:13-23).
To make matters worse the people were being used and taken to the cleaners by scoundrels. So Nehemiah had to intervene and clean out the rabble. (5:1-19)
Of course, the enemy doesn't rest and Sanballat kept up his vigil to railroad the rebuilding of the wall by getting his cronies to sign a 'petition' stating false information (6:8)
Nehemiah new his enemies tactics and I love his moxy, 6:11 "But I said, why should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in."

He overcomes the first hurdle and the wall is built, the people rejoice and the Laws are read by Ezra the scribe, bringing a refreshed knowledge of God's ways and repentance of the people. (6:15, 7,8,9). This causes the people to be re-dedicated to the Lord and the priesthood is re-established to help uphold the way's of God so the people won't slip back into bondage. I could only hope for this to happen in America.

The people had some trouble keeping to the laws and Nehemiah found himself doing a lot of correcting (13:8,11,17,21,23)

Now I have to point this part out as I relish it, although I probably shouldn't and I find much satisfaction that Nehemiah was a normal human being with emotions that may have got the best of him. He had just had it, he was boiling over and just wasn't having anymore, enough was enough! It goes back to the same issue he dealt with regarding the shunning of intermarriage and Sanballat (13:28). He visited Jerusalem and noticed the intermarrying going on and that the children couldn't speak the language of Judah, so he got physical. If you don't chuckle just a bit at the imagery of his actions then where is your sense of humor? He contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and pulled out their hair and made them swear by God to not intermarry anymore (my own wording for the last part) 13:25.

I'm sure some of those younger than Nehemiah that didn't grow up through the wall building probably thought, "What is this old geezer doing beating up the young folk. Old age must make you lose your patience."

I also love how he asks God to remember him and to have compassion on him for all he does, and it almost seems like he is talking to God as a close friend does. Kind of like, "These youngens are just so hard-headed, won't they ever learn? Even after I teach them and do all the stuff I do for them, please let there be a reward for me in heaven to make all this worth it." BIG SIGH!  (My perspective)

I dedicate this post to two of the most wonderful teachers in my life Ken Brown and John Debee. They are well-seasoned pros and know truth and have the strength to stand for the purity of God's Word. If I didn't have these straight as arrow compasses to learn from I fear I would end up like those clueless people in exile...There is a right way and a wrong way and upholding the right takes courage, will power, strength and walking a tightrope at the guidance of the Almighty!

Note: Clarification, the intermarriage aspects Nehemiah was so angry at was over the pagan ideologies entering into families because of the entangling of cultures. The Israelites were losing their language. It wasn't over skin color as most Western minded churches like to believe. 

Growth Requires Pruning

After the Rain By: Loneangel

I was reading O Pioneers, by Willa Cather, a book about the Swedish land settlers of Nebraska. The main character, Alexandra, is a strong-minded, resourceful woman. She stoically takes over the family farm after her father passes away and creates a successful , thriving business that expands through risk, hard-labor and sacrifice but with a price of loneliness.  She is nearing middle age when a past love interest returns to the homestead. Before she can even begin to think about the possibility of settling into happiness, Oscar and Lou her brothers, make their case against any companionship for Alexandra. They site many selfish reasons for her to withhold going forward in a 'foolish' decision to get married; her love interest is a loafer and wants to be taken care of, he wants to take the property from the family, she is too old for thinking of marriage and should have done that when she was young and they finally get to the crux of their real concern; they worked harder for the land then she did. They disregarded her wit, slighted her ingenuity and her strength to make hard decisions against the grain of the town and come out on top. They essentially wanted more even when they had plenty and at the cost of someone else's happiness.

They went as far as accusing her of being hard on them...
                            "Hard on you? I never meant to be hard. Conditions were hard.
                             I didn't choose to be the kind of girl I was. If you take even a
                             vine and cut it back again and again, it grows hard, like a tree."


Her last sentence stuck with me and shouted out the goodness behind God's pruning sheers on my life.

I have two rose bushes in my backyard that the previous owner planted. One Fall day I was looking at the gangly things and not exactly knowing what to do and not caring too much I whacked them down to the ground. I figured, I don't really care for rose bushes anyway and not having to look at the mess of unorganized leaves was better then trying to shape them. When I was finished I looked at the nubs poking out of the ground and thought I did them in for sure. I even chuckled at the bad haircut I gave them thinking some avid rose gardener would scold me intensely. Not a thought entered my head about those rose bushes until the next Spring when I had a mass of red flowers blooming that were breathtaking to view from my kitchen window. The beautifully mounded bush had every inch covered in color, and I began to like the rose bushes against my fence. They brought birds and bees to the backyard to watch and enjoy.  My harsh pruning brought forth a beautiful display.

This is also true of our walk with God. Many lessons can be learned from the harsh pruning God wants to administer to us in our walk. I happen to be going through one of those right now. Circumstances are sheers in which He prunes away the branches that don't bear fruit. He looks at the shaggy parts, even when we think they aren't that bad and artistically cuts a branch here, trims a leaf there or even knows that when harsh conditions are prevalent a total cut back of the plant will be a life saving  decision in the long run. The plant may look ugly or dead but it can do one of two things; it can wilt and die or it can rest in the Winter season so it can thrive and grow to produce a bountiful harvest in the following season.

I have had my share of tears, fears, worries, emotions and questions but it comes down to this...am I going to trust that He knows what is best for me even when the outside view seems foolish, ugly or unfair? He is the artist, the tender of our spiritual garden, the grafter of vines and branches, the master gardener along the narrow path. Unlike my unthoughtful onslaught on my rose bushes, He removes those branches tenderly at the right time and in the right way. All we have to do is be aware, willing to respond and be patient in waiting as the growth takes place for the next season where we can bear fruit and be a strong, beautiful testimony to His handiwork.

Alexandra made a great point when she said, "cut it back, again and again, it grows hard like a tree." There is something to being harshly pruned, stripped to nothing; it builds character and a resolve to keep growing into something unmovable. (James 1, Hebrews 10:32-39 and 11)

By the way, I've let those rose bushes grow on me, they now have a special place in the backyard where I'll let them be.

John 15

Jeremiah 18

The "Ergotized" Kingdom And The Farmer Who Saves The Crop

I should be attending my Monday chores of cleaning up the house after the weekend onslaught of messes but I think this is a more important matter. All weekend long I have been reflecting on the Matthew 13 parable Jesus told his disciples about the darnel and the wheat; the word Mercy kept scrolling through my mind as I thought about the story.

As the heading note in The Chronological New Testament states, "It is important to understand the term, "Kingdom of Heaven". Found only in Matthews gospel, it describes the current age in which we live." It is important to understand the wheat is the true followers of Christ and the darnel is the many deceptions that lead one astray. One can list many, many things that fall under the darnel category.

As I read the story and got to verse 29, the reason the word mercy was so prominent in my thoughts made sense. The servants of the field had found out the enemy sowed weeds in the framers field and asked the farmer if they should take care of the problem immediately. The farmer replied, "No, lest perhaps while you gathered up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them."

Darnel is called false wheat, it looks just like real wheat except it has unworthy attributes. (See the amazing facts below taken from botanical.com by Mrs. M Grieve)

1)When Darnel has been given medicinally in a harmful quantity, it is recorded to have produced all the symptoms of drunkenness: a general trembling, followed by inability to walk, hindered speech and vomiting.

2)The ancients supposed it to cause blindness, hence with the Romans, lolio victitare, to live on Darnel, was a phrase applied to a dim-sighted person.

3)The alleged poisonous properties of Darnel are now generally believed to be due to a fungus.

4)It is said that the country people of Cheshire believed Darnel to be 'degenerated wheat'

5) In the East it is a more serious enemy to the farmer, and in the low-lying districts of the Lebanon and other parts of Palestine it becomes alarmingly plentiful. If inadvertently eaten it produces sickness, dizziness, and diarrhoea. It would seem that the 'malice aforethought' of sowing this wild grass deliberately (as in our Lord's parable), was a not unusual practice. The following is a quotation from an old newspaper:

'The Country of Ill-Will is the by-name of a district hard by St. Arnaud, in the north of France. There tenants, when ejected by a landlord, or when they have ended their tenancy on uncomfortable terms, have been in the habit of spoiling the crop to come by vindictively sowing tares, and other coarse strangling weeds, among the wheat, whence has been derived the sinister name of the district. The practice has been made penal, and any man proved to have tampered with any other man's harvest will be dealt with as a criminal.'

6) Chemically the seeds contain an acrid fixed oil and a yellow glucoside, but as far as microscopical appearances indicate, the Darnel contains nothing that is not contained in wheat, and analysis has not yet revealed its poisonous elements.

I find it amazing that even modern science has trouble distinguishing the false from the real and in the case of darnel, a new word to describe its malice has been created in order to describe it. The word is ergotize and means to be poisoned by grain...

Can you see why the farmer said to wait until harvest? Can you see how sneaky the evil sower is trying to"ergotize" the real? (Religion, in ALL sects, forms and denomonations worldwide certainly are candidates for being placed under that "darnel" category.)

Can you see the wonderful act of grace and compassion in the decision of the farmer? He waits until the harvest where only a trained eye can distinguish the real from the fake. Isn't He the only one who knows our hearts? (Jeremiah 17:10)

The good news of the wheat and the darnel parable is this; the farmer; Jesus, came to fulfill the promises given in order to save us from being strangled out by the darnel. If we keep our eyes on Him, take up our cross and follow Him, learn to submit to what His will is through obedience made possible only through a daily relationship, we can be made ready for the harvest and "shine forth like the sun." (Matthew 13:43). The field is the world, the wheat is the real and the darnel is the false.

Jesus and all He has done and IS, is MERCY. He is the "farmer" that constantly tends to the crop, surveying the heart (substance) that seeks His truth. He makes strong those "stalks" of wheat that reject the facade of the darnel as it bides its time growing in the Kingdom of Heaven side by side.

The truth will set you free...(John 8:32) even in a world choked with weeds...

Chronological New Testament: A Few Thoughts



"Do whatever He tells you"
by andycoan


I've been reading The Chronological New Testament, and have been eating up every page. As I read the books of the New Testament on the timeline in which they happened, I find certain dynamics being revealed in such a way that it caused me to feel as if I was reading The New Testament for the first time.

I wondered why the members who debated, studied and eventually put together the twenty-seven books known as the New Testament Canon, did it in the order they did. I've heard some evidence points to the notion the books in the order we are use to were aligned this way in order to help make doctrinal issues clear. Without going into that tangent; following the order of events as they took place in time has only helped make doctrine clear for me and I've read the New Testament in "traditional" order many many times and have never seen things as clear. The problems that arose and how they were addressed, the struggle to keep the church pure, the teachings of Jesus born out in believers life through real experiences all follows the sequence and definately reveals a pattern that if we pay attention shows us clearly how the church should function.

Does the modern church live this pattern out? There's some homework for ya!

There have been many moments where the words have popped off the page and started a brainstorm of thoughts. Since being part of the church means sharing your experiences with the Lord with other believers I thought I'd at least share how this book, put into action by a believer so others could benefit, has at least on a basic level helped spur me on in my understanding of how to walk with God and be an active participant in His church (I Corinthians 16:15-18 CNT WebVersion).

The book starts off with the preparation of men who were to take God's message out into the world, Acts 1-11. Paul's experiences have a great impact on the church and as the text unfolds I notice I can relate as the Holy Spirit has taught me some of those same things through my own personal experiences and have also given me reason to keep trying for those things I know I lack.

I read 2 Corinthians 11 and 12 and I can understand Paul's point, talking about his weakness is made strong in Christ. In chapter 11 he talks of being unskilled in speech yet he speaks boldy the things of Christ. There are times I feel the worlds weight glaring down on the truth and my flesh wants to quiver and hide, yet through the Holy Spirit's strength and guidance He has made my mind sharp and strong able to dispell the world's reasoning in order to show Christ's glory for what it truly is. I am honored and humbled this vessel was used to Christ's gain.

I read chapter 11 verses 22-33 and if you look at that account of peril through fleshly eyes it makes no sense that someone would go through all that for his fellow believer and to be obedient to Christ. Why would someone choose this path of constant struggle and pain? Then in chapter 12 the Lord sends a demon to keep Paul in check, he even asks for it to be removed and the Lord says no and Paul responds with gladness. Paul understood the principle of sumbission at all cost because his gain was Christ. His spiritual life meant more to him then the fleshly, time condensed one he had now. Being able to go through this willingly and gladly has to have personal, knowledge and devotion to something alive and tangible and utterly true. From a fleshly point Paul would look insane but when someone has found the truth and knows it, they are a rock unmoveable and it doesn't matter what the rest of the world thinks.

I ask myself the hard question, Could I go through what Paul went through to follow Christ? (Remember Christ was our ultimate example in what He gave for us)

The more I talk to God, get to know Jesus and follow what the Holy Spirit teaches me through real life events, I'd like to think, YES. Experience to experience I am being transformed by the reality of Christ in my life and the joy given only by God surpasses any worldly sorrows.  There is gladness in my weakness because He is being glorified for who He truly is and I get to be part of something I don't deserve. I am coming to understand what taking up your cross really means through the personal teaching of the Holy Spirit as He reveals to me what I need to do or what He wants to do, confirmation of it in scripture and then relating it to other believers carrying their cross too. Now that is the real church and I am proud to be part of it.

As the first lines in the Chronological New Testament say, "The first church was not the one in Jerusalem; it was Jesus and the 12 disciples. The real pattern cannot be based on mere assumptions drawn from letters Paul and others wrote. Jesus set the example for His church."  It is based on relationship.

Paul is a shining example of following Jesus' pattern, as were countless others in the New Testament, and we must include the righteous in the Old Testament as well. The fact I am offered the chance (my life) to try and follow the example and pattern too makes my spirit soar....

Thanks to Ken Brown and James Dinsmore for putting together the Chronological New Testament!

Note: The picture above has special significance pertaining to my walk with God...2 Kings 4...when I found this on the photosite I use the title the photographer gave it sealed the deal for my choice in using it with this post...

Tend Your Garden - Post #4 - Growth

"Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there."

 Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732

It has become my daughter's and my daily ritual to examine the new growth in the garden. We log the details in our minds as we scan each plant, it only takes a moment but much data is recorded.

Things we noticed:

1. Some critter thought our garden was the perfect digging playground. We suspect a squirrel liked the soft, dark, rich soil to hide his winter stash of nuts in.
2. All the seeds sprouted except the basil.
3. The new growth was too tempting for bugs. A caterpillar was found guilty of chewing on the spinach, plucked off and flicked across the yard. One beet fell prey to another devouring bug.
4. The dog managed to upset the potted strawberry plant, leaving dirt clod trails as a "bread crumb" path to make sure I found the evidence of her discontent. Thankfully, she controlled her temper tantrum on the strawberry enough so I could salvage the plant and re-plant it. I wish I could get my points across as well as that dog!
5. A few nut grass weeds made their way in the bed.

The owl did a decent job keeping the birds away...so far!

The thing that irked us the most was the pesky insects. We couldn't see them having their banquet on our goods and we didn't want to spray pesticides to get rid of them so we are attempting to rid the garden of them by planting marigolds. If the bugs have to have a buffet I hope this distraction works long enough to let the new growth mature.

Needless to say, I always like to get back to the quotes I use in the post. Thomas Fuller's quote, "Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there," applies in our daily lives as well. We live with a sin nature, it is something we battle our entire lives. If we don't tend our spiritual garden on a regular basis those things that we don't like tend to take a little more of the bed then we intended and we know what happens when a garden is left alone for far too long, the weeds take over and choke the nourishing plants out or the pesky insects eat them to a nub. 

How important it is to take the time daily to scan our "spiritual" garden, assess what is lacking and ask the master gardner (The Holy Spirit) how to handle it. There are times He even tells you about a problem before you are even aware of the fullness of it. The beauty in this relationship is the trust that is built through active obedience and submission. When The Holy Spirit points out a weed (sin)  that needs pulling or even tells you to prune a healthy branch (restraint and shaping) on a maturing area in your life, you come to know that it is for your benefit. 

Spritual gardening "tools" to live by:

Hebrews 12: 11

James 1:2-26

Thank You Lord for helping me tend my spiritual garden!

Tend Your Garden - Post #2

The garden is the poor man's apothecary. ~German Proverb

I have been wanting to plant a garden of my own for months now. The idea had been eating at the back of my brain in my spare thinking time and I found myself vacillating between the "should I" or "shouldn't I" and the cost versus time and management talk. Alas, from the pictures and post title, you can see that I decided to go ahead with my little pet project.

Every Garden Needs An Inspiration:

My grandmother had a plot to garden and I remember my young Summer's visiting her house in Durand, Wisconsin as ones with her in a sun hat and garden gloves holding a large basket to harvest her vegetables in. It was a pretty sight now that I am thinking back on the scene. The vegetable I remember most was the corn; shucking the stalks on the back porch made a kid feel good. My parents carried on the tradition in Colorado. A small garden just runs in my blood.

Not only do my childhood roots digging in the dirt give me inspiration, but the desire to give the best to my family has spurred me to at least try.

This next inspiration may not fit in the feel-good category that usually prods inspiration into action, but it definitely has merit in this new venture. The realms of economy and health have made a sound argument for trying my hand at the ol' farm gal routine.

The above quote, "A garden is a poor man's apothecary" certainly makes sense for the times at hand. It isn't hard to find articles regarding the tough economy and skyrocketing food costs. Health issues are constantly in debate and the future of healthcare is up in the air. I like the idea that my backyard can be my personal pharmacy and grocery store.

There comes a time when an idea can only be thought about for so long, turned around and studied in your mind so many times and then it is time to get off the tuckus and put that idea into fruition. As you can see we made this a family affair, something to do together, to learn, work, tend and enjoy together and as we watch our idea grow into something we can be proud of, use and share with others I'm hoping some life lessons and memories will rub off on all of us like the dirt stains ground into the grooves of our hands preparing the soil for seed.

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station,

through which God speaks to us every hour,

 if we will only tune in.

~George Washington Carver

This small 8' X 4' garden bed took patience, planning, time, sweat not to mention a few knuckles falling prey to bloody scratches and all before the seeds could be planted. We tilled and amended the soil, took precautions to keep the wild animals (or not so wild-Odie) from stealing from or destroying the bed.

I opened a pack of carrot seeds to see what they look like and I was amazed at how small they were. "I'm going to get carrots from those?" I thought.

Will Mr. Owl Keep The Pests Away?

A thought came to me just as I was writing this. "We prepare and take extraordinary steps to keep our ideas and the outcome of the action of those ideas protected so we can reap the benefits of our work. How much more should I tend to my 'spiritual garden'."

Hebrews 2:1-3 is my first lesson from this garden experiment, Pay close attention, do not neglect what you've heard and learned so that you may endure to the finish line (Hebrews 12:1-2)

James 5:7-8 is my second lesson from this garden experiment. Be patient, and strengthen your heart. "Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains."

I'm tuning in....








 



One Way, But You Have to Choose

Photo Borrowed From Atticus @ Photobucket

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference

                                                           ...Robert Frost

No words are better than Frost's for describing times in our lives when we have to make a decision. For those who know my writing, this should not come as a surprise that I find great inspiration in this poem and can relate it to following God. My journey started when I was a young child of six, I wanted to understand what this Jesus talk was about and crawled into my mom's lap and asked that she help me get Him in my heart....I still remember that day vividly and my thirst for wanting to know Him was extremely strong. I grew up in a traditional baptist church, bounced around to evangelical, non-denominational church, I made my rounds...I was always searching, gaining tid-bits of truth here and a dose of lies there. Like any passionate youngster I made mistakes and believed half-truths standing for some things that seemed right at the time only later to find out I was wrong. I followed teachers and pastors and read my Bible and the hunger never left me to understand my Creator, why I was here, what mattered in life? And yes, there were times I am not proud of, times I shut Him out and tried to figure it all out on my own. I thought, "I can do this myself, I can find my own way", and that road only lead to confusion, sadness, idleness, false worship and more questions. I believe this is one of the lessons having your own free will can teach you (if your smart)....having a choice to do what we please doesn't always mean it is right. Our free will is a God-given gift, one that is a tool used by God (if we allow Him) to show that His way really is the better way; harder, but better. God was good to me and put a fork in my road one day, I had to stop, think and really LISTEN. He directed me on what I should be doing (that's between me and Him, but He was very clear about it) and as I DECIDED to slow down really take His direction and began to do what he asked of me a REALITY struck. I had been pushing, trying, fighting for truth but some of it was my 'truth' (meaning: thinking/views) mixed with the world's truth.  He was specific on the things I needed to change in order to commune with Him. He pinpointed things in my heart that needed changing because they were not like Him. He showed me a picture of what I made of myself without Him and in His view it was not pretty. But God is gracious and kind and also gave me a glimpse of what He wants to change me into if I would only let Him and that picture was much better then I could have fashioned on my own.
There are teachings in the world that there are many paths to God, or one of the popular ones in these times; you are a god. Lots of toes are stepped on and people offended because one religion says this while another says that. It is really one mixed up frenzy. Wouldn't we as people love it if someone came along and said stop this madness, I have directions and here they are but this is the only way to get there, there are deterrents that can hold you up but there's warning signs so listen to them and you'll be fine. Well folks, we have that simple map and God sent it through His Son Jesus. He's been saying He would since the beginning, since the Fall, He made a way, ONE way (as lazy as humans can be wouldn't we be grateful for this, it's already there for you, no figuring necessary; submission, trust and obedience is what He requires). He sent prophets, He sent pictures through the sacrificial system to point to His solution, JESUS. Then He DID IT, HE sent His Son to us and the message somehow still got lost, People didn't know who Jesus was, even those that should have (Pharisees and Sadducees) because they were caught up in the world's system, the world's ways of defining God and who He should be. Like anyone whose identity is in question would, Jesus told them like it was, I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. No one comes to the Father except through me.
I could go on, I believe I've made my point. I chose to reject the world's 'road' and trust HIM and His WORD and He has not once let me down in His promises.  I'm still learning and growing and making mistakes and have a long way to go on this road but I have a confidence, a hope and a real interaction that is personal with the One true God. I am taking the road less traveled and it makes all the difference.

My Quarrel with Advice

I was asked to give my advice on a topic the other day by a friend. I was feeling pretty good about being asked what I thought. It fluffed my prideful feathers that someone valued my opinion. As I was clickity clacking away my thoughts on the keyboard to respond to my friend's need, I stopped in the middle of my sentence and could not type another letter. The word "advice" was projected on my minds eye as big as a wide screen movie could make it. The word separated into two words just like in grade school when you learn about syllables and use clapping to help you dissect the sounds. "Ad"...*clap*...."vice"...*clap*. So this got me to follow the rabbit and open my dictionary, which I must admit has had a little dust on it due to the busy schedule life can dictate and keep one away from one of the best tools in writing. I opened the crisp pages and easily found Ad. Ad\`ad\n: advertisement; well, that was simple enough, but didn't satisfy my curiosity as to why I was seeing this word so visually as if it was one of cute stickers you can apply as decoration to your walls. The next logical step was to look up advertisement: a public notice intended to advertise something, to inform, notify, to call to public attention in order to sell. Hmmm! I new idea was brewing in the foreshadows of my mind. I quickly looked up the word vice\ prep: in place of: succeeding, also a moral fault; esp. an immoral habit. So I put the two meanings together and formed a definition that may be obvious but I believe subtly becomes deluded in our every day conversations with friends and family.

I was not so quick to keep writing my flowery, smart answer to my friend and with my new found enlightenment, I wrote this instead, "I wish I had the answer to your dilemma, but I don't know what I can say to ease your pain, or to make circumstance better or that I am the best person to give you the answer you need to hear." I paused, getting ready to close my e-mail with as much encouragement as I could when this question presented itself and cemented the reason I was to keep my opinion to myself. "Who is it you first go to when you want to know what to do?" Easily this is answered in the majority as parents, best friends, maybe even pastors or clergy, and not a bad thing to do if wisdom is presented in their life, but let me take this one step further and ask, Why do we not go to the One source that truly has the correct, life-changing, pin-pointed, to the detail answer first; Our Creator, the one who knows us from the womb, Jesus, the one who experienced it all so the bridge of true relationship could be mended and we could walk across to be healed and helped and changed? (I know that was one long, run-on sentence) Sometimes we seek advice of others for human approval, for a way to plead our case, to be heard, all the while closing ourselves off from the Truth that will set us free. There are so many factors in why we run from the one thing that can save us, but those tiny factors add up to one whole, a condition of submission.
Before this post morphs into another sermon, I'll let you in on the definition that recently helped keep my tongue in check, my pride at bay and showed me how to truly love people the way God wants me to.
Advice : A call to attention in order to sell an idea or way in place of another.
And this is my "ad" "vice" to those who are asked for their advice, What is your motive, and the motive of the asker, whether you can determine it or not use it as an opportunity to point to the only One who can truly help, our loving Savior.