Love

Par*Tea!

celebrations, Community, Faith, Family Life, Knowing God, Teatime Qualities / By / February 21, 2023 / , , , ,
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Celebrate God’s Love!

[ˈpärdē] n. 1. a social gathering of invited guests, typically involving eating, drinking, and entertainment; 2. an event of celebration such as in retirement party or birthday party.

v. 1. to enjoy oneself at a celebration or other lively gathering, typically with drinking and music:“put on your glad rags and party!” 2. celebrating while drinking tea in the company of friends.

Are you a party animal? I am! Today is my oldest daughter’s birthday. Happy Labor day to me!

Unfortunately, when I was stupidly young, my idea of a party devolved into drunken debauchery. My love of merriment kept me from following Christ for a long time. “How do Christians have fun?” I wondered. I knew if I asked Jesus to forgive me for drug and alcohol abuse, I would have to honor that confession and stop getting stoned.

Finally, halfway through my twentieth year, I knew I deserved to go to hell for my sin. Giving up my party life seemed a small price to pay to avoid unending condemnation in hell. What amazed me as a babe in Christ is how much more fun Christians experience—without hangovers. We remember our good times without regret. I gave up nothing and gained access to the best party ever, the Kingdom celebration.

God designed people to celebrate together. I feel sorry for those trapped in a false doctrine that prohibits celebrations. From the seventh day of creation until the present, God set the example of celebration. Why else would He have taken a Sabbath? Rest and worship equal a party! God didn’t need rest. However, people do, so He celebrated by spending a relaxing day with Adam and Eve.

Taking the Lord’s day for Sabbath rest allows us to celebrate catching our breath, a change of pace. We celebrate our Creator, the Lord of Heaven and earth. We take time to enjoy His company and the company of His children. We sing and sometimes eat together. Music and laughter fill Sunday services with joy.

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Later in the Law, God showed Moses the feasts He designed for Israel to celebrate together. Some of these feasts were parties. Like observing a birthday on a calendar each year, the Feasts of Israel set God’s calendar in motion; and when the last Feast, the Feast of Trumpets, is fulfilled, the Day of the Lord will come, and a forever party will commence with the Marriage Super of the Lamb. God likes parties! Music, laughter, and His children in merry fellowship bless Him as much as our quiet contemplation and worship. Revelation reveals both times of silence (Revelation 8:1 – 3) and celebration in Heaven (Revelation 19:6 – 8). We even get a sparkling new party dress for this occasion!

I love celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and my new life in Christ every Sunday. My birthday falls on Sunday this year. I intend to party hardy! For sixty-two years, God has given me breath, strength, and every good thing I have. A party is in order; I’ll bring the cupcakes!

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It’s a BYOB (bring your own beverage). I’m bringing tea! What’s your non-intoxicating beverage of choice?

Three Ways to Love in the Fourth-Dimension

Community, Faith, Family Life, Knowing God, Maturity, prayer / By / December 14, 2021 /

For God so Loved!

Sparkling, paper hearts sprang up as I opened a Valentine. Pop-up cards delight me. I love to shop for them, make them, and send them to my friends and family. These whimsical treasures express a three-D love in a material world. Yet, pop-ups hint at the kind of love the apostle Paul describes in Ephesians, “that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge.” (Ephesians 3:17b-19a). Four dimensions! The cover of a pop-up card hides a central aspect of the message. Today I want to open up a hidden face of love—the unseen work it does for others.

The Bible opens our understanding of the unseen ways Jesus loves us right now, today. Here are three demonstrations of Christ loving us in the fourth dimension.

  • Offensively

In the book of Romans chapter eight, Paul explains that Christ sits at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Jesus prays for us! He sees our hearts, our struggles, the ways Satan tries to block our goal of Christ-likeness. Then He lifts His hands to the Father, showing His the scars that ensure our victory.

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So, what does our prayer life reveal about our love? Do we intercede for others? Are we mindful of their struggles, circumstances, and needs? I fear too often our prayers tend to be selfish, focused on what affects us. How often do we pray for the homeless we pass on the streets or our brothers and sisters who face severe persecution for their faith? Do we pray for our enemies? The Lord expects us to (Matthew 5:44)

  • Defensively

The book of Job provides a peek into the battle going on around us, exposing Satan’s ugly heart as he maligns both God’s and Job’s character (Job 1:9-11). To this day, the vile, jealous creature constantly accuses God’s saints (Revelation 12:10; “day and night,” according to this passage. But God (two of my favorite words in the Bible) preserves His saints. He defends our righteous standing before Him. The dignity He bestowed on us by grace can never be defamed. The world slings mud at us in vain.  

If God so loves us when we aren’t looking, how well do we love one another? My favorite line from the song They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love” states, “We will guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride.” Do we? Or do we have dirty hands from belittling others behind their backs?

  • Immensely

In the first scene of Job, we also hear God brag about His “servant Job.” Did you know God brags about His children.? What good parent doesn’t? The apostle John sums it up well, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” 3 John 1:14. If it makes John happy, how much greater must our Abba’s joy be.

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Do we brag about the good things other people do? I tend to brag about my accomplishments. I bait the hook, fishing for praise. I’m working on practicing the wisdom of, “Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth, “ Proverbs 27:2. Next time we’re tempted to show off, let’s secretly love another and talk about the beauty they bring to the world.

The most significant love test is anonymity; how do I love when no one looks? Yet, if we only love by unseen methods, we love one-dimensionally—flatter than flat. All dimensions need to be present, our words, our actions, our presence, along with our anonymous contributions to the wellbeing of others. All four-dimension complete a perfect love.

I want to celebrate this Valentine’s Day, not just in tangible ways, but by committing to loving others offensively, defensively, and immensely behind their backs. Will you join me in displaying the fourth dimension of God’s great love for us?

When Aspiration Leads to Exasperation

Faith / By / July 29, 2021 / , , , ,

What am I doing wrong?!

Confusion, uncertainty, and discouragement plagued my heart as I started my morning. Where is that verse about God being faithful to complete what He calls us to do? I wondered as I opened my Bible. I looked it up, 1Thessalonians 5:24. Desiring to understand better God’s call on my life, I read the whole book of 1 Thessalonians. I discovered the source of my distress resulted from my aspirations.

For the past several years, I’ve aspired to write for publication. My first book is 90ish% complete. I hired a professional editor to work her magic. Now I need to go through the manuscript one last time. Then the work of actual publication begins. I must decide where to publish, acquire ISBNs and copyright, and learn different formatting options—and do all these things well, so I place a professional quality book in the hands of my readers. I want to love them—so many new tricks to learn. Praise God I’m not an old dog!

Astonishment hit me as I read the following passage, “But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more (in love); that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.” 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12.

A quiet life? That’s what the Lord wants? Yes. Unfortunately, a writer’s life isn’t as silent as you may think. While writers spend many hours at a keyboard, they also need to market their work. The vocation requires promotion, speaking, and internet presence—all noisy endeavors. Imagine the sound of wooden planks sawn to the correct size. Hammers pounding nail heads to secure the boards in place. Platform building is noisy. These tasks beleaguer most writers.

I needed to process what I just read in my Bible. So—aspiring “to lead a quiet life”—I retreated to the dirt from whence I came. Nothing beats the humble aspiration of weeding and caring for plants. After all, the first good work God assigned to the first man, Adam, was gardening. I find dirt therapy helps my heart. And God values that work as much as the hours I spend pounding keys.  So, I tended to my badly damaged azaleas.

A warm week in February stimulated sap flow in my sad-looking bushes. Then a brutal cold snap in March almost killed them. I prayed that the bad weather failed to steal my investment of dollars and sweat. Thankfully God, who is rich in mercy, brought new life from the roots beneath the surface.

My writing goals look a lot like those stunted azaleas. Rough drafts like deadwood branches exceed the flourishing of quality work. “You must write more. You must write better. You must get that website launched. You must find your readers and publish your books,” shouts the voice in my head, my voice, not God’s. The Holy Spirit directed my attention to the new growth on these battered plants.

The roots live. Growth comes from the unseen life below the surface. God’s still small voice whispers peace to those who hear it. I heard it there in my flower bed.

If God wants me to write (and I believe He does), He wants me to do it with a quiet spirit. And not to neglect the other work He appointed to me (supporting my husband and keeping our home). God desires me to work diligently with my hands and depend on the hidden life, my relationship with Him.

Since the Lord set the good work of writing before me, I trust He’s appointed readers for the words I write. My pursuit should not be clamoring for their attention by pounding a platform together. Instead, I should quietly seek to love them well with the words I write and let the Lord direct the silent building of His temple. We are His temple.

In the book of 1 Kings, all the stones used to build the temple in Jerusalem were cut to size in the quarry so that the temple site would be silent with reverence. God erects His temple—His church—today in the same fashion—silently. A battle rages in hearts. Satan strives to keep us in darkness. Yet, light prevails. God saves souls. He grants pardon and peace to former prisoners—to you and me.

Sitting in the mulch, I chose to “let the peace of God rule in my heart” (Galatians 3:15). Just like I trust my little azalea bushes will bloom, I believe through His quiet direction my words will be beautiful and life-giving—in His time—not mine. The Lord makes all things beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

To what do you aspire today? If you feel rattled or restless, maybe it’s because you’re aspiring to something less than a quiet life of love.

Father Knows Best: Two Things That God knows that I cannot

Faith, Knowing God / By / August 18, 2021 / , ,

Feeling Happy! We like that feeling. The satisfaction of a happy ending held my interest for thirty minutes every day after school as I watched reruns of Father Knows Best. In this outdated, black and white, slow-to-no-action, family drama, the dad always knew what his kids should do. If only life was that painless.

With the goals of health, prosperity, and happiness for their children, many parents insulate their offspring from painful circumstances. But the Heavenly Father allows pain for our good.

The Bible confronts me with the reality that my lifespan looks like a thirty-minute, black and white TV show compared to eternity—a full color, High Definition, endless satellite buffet of programming. However, the Bible also tells me I do have a Father who knows best. I need to learn to trust Him even when things aren’t working out the way I want, even when life hurts.  My Heavenly Father places a higher priority on teaching me about His joy than me feeling happy all the time.

In John chapter eleven—the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead—I find the assurance that God knows more than I do.

  1. My Father is the One and Only Time Lord

The story begins with Lazarus being seriously ill. His sisters don’t know what else to do for him, so they send word to Jesus. Lazarus needs healing now! We know Jesus was close with this family because Bible tells us “Jesus loved” them. So, I ask, what would I do if I were Jesus? I’d drop everything and rush to Bethany to heal Lazarus. Isn’t that what you would do if your close friend lay dying? That’s what makes the following statement in this account so astounding. “So, when He heard that he was sick, Jesus stayed two more days in the place where He was” (John 11:6). He let Lazarus die! 

Finally, He arrives in Bethany and witnesses the grief His delay caused. Mary and Martha suffered the agony of watching their brother die. They felt abandoned by the Lord in their time of need. They were no doubt confused and hurt by His “late” arrival. Jesus hurt too. The shortest verse in all of the Scripture, “Jesus wept.” (John 11: 35), reveals their loss deeply touched him, So why the delay?! 

From Mary and Martha’s perspectives, Jesus showed up too late. The reality is God is never tardy. He is the Father of time, the actual time Lord of all time. Unlike Dr. Who, who must travel to different times, God made time; He exists in it, all of it. Past, present, and future—God is there. The Lord sees the beginning and the end. He is the First and the Last. He tarries on purpose because He knows when is best. Our now is not His when. Therefore, we must learn to wait for Him.

  • My Father Knows My Real Need

Pressing circumstances and emotions cloud our perception. We lack the clarity to discern real needs from perceived ones. Our Heavenly Father does not. Mary and Martha believed their brother, Lazarus, needed healing; they thought they needed him alive. Jesus knew they needed proof of His resurrection power. By raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus galvanizes their faith for the trials ahead. Trials form patience in us like nothing else can (James 1:2-3). The joy James speaks of is the joy that our Father, who loves us as we are, loves us too much to leave us that way (in sinful unbelief).

Jesus wasn’t concerned about giving Lazarus a little more time on earth. Lazarus was safe with the Father. Instead, Jesus cared about growing the faith of all saints from that time forward. More than a brother, Mary and Martha (and the rest of us) need to see eternal life is now. Their faith needed perfecting. Martha confesses her hope in a future resurrection. She knew someday her brother would live again. Jesus declares, “I AM the resurrection and the life.” Today is that day.

Jesus clarified Martha’s vague idea of the resurrection. Eternal life and resurrection power impact our present reality with sure hope. We have passed from death to life. We have eternal life. Now! Today Jesus is the resurrection. Jesus never said, “I will be.” He said, “I AM.”

The Time Lord knew the persecution those saints would soon endure. He knew they needed an enduring faith. By raising Lazarus, Jesus provided proof of life. He assured His disciples that “whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:26).

I wonder how Lazarus felt about that lesson? Can you imagine being in the Father’s arms, in His perfect heavenly abode—without sin, pain, or death—then coming back here? Imagine the courage that gave all of them to endure persecution.

Like Mary and Martha, there are times I feel God is late. I feel confused and hurt because what I think I need is not what I really need. Yet, their story assures me that God, who knows my future, prepares me today for that Day. Our Father knows best.