Category Archives: God’s character

Always On Time

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AbigailMy friend Abigail has a stunning home on a good-looking lot with interior spaces worthy of magazine covers. But I don’t admire her for her home as much as her radical dependence on the Holy Spirit and for always taking God at his word.

Abigail’s home is down the road from a railroad track, and though the tracks are used infrequently, there’s one regular freight train she’s always happy to hear.  It blasts its whistle every day at 10:10, two longs, one short, and another long.

Though such regular racket might be irritating to most, Abigail has found a way to appreciate the 10:10. She uses it as a prompt to claim a Scripture for herself, a verse of truth that’s been a ribbon of reality for her ever since she took up residence near the tracks.

John 10:10.

The biblical setting has Jesus teaching about the life he envisions for everyone who believes in him as the Son of God: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

“They” refers to all who put their trust in him, and “abundantly” describes the rich, full inner life he wants to give, richer and fuller than anyone else can offer.

The thief is the devil. It’s not that he doesn’t make some mighty alluring promises. It’s just that he doesn’t keep them. But it’s even worse than that. Once he gets us to follow, he whirls around and bites us with his intent to steal (what God has promised), to kill (our desire to follow Christ), and to destroy (our spiritual hope).

When we believe Satan, we’re headed for destruction. When we believe Jesus, we’re headed for abundance.

People often say, “But what about the evil in this world? What about things like Mary’s life-threatening cancer and the wretchedness of chemo? Don’t those things steal, kill, and destroy?

As soon as we align with Jesus, the incredible answer is “no”. Cancer may steal good physical health for a while and may kill energy. Chemo may destroy red and white blood cells and force us to surrender regular commitments for a time. But neither cancer nor chemo can ever pluck abundance out of our hearts, souls, and minds.

Although Mary and other cancer patients battle nausea, altered routines, and intense fatigue, those who believe John 10:10 have no trouble recognizing Christ’s abundance inside them, in places that matter far more than physical deficiencies. For instance, Mary has testified to feeling the power of prayer in the middle of her battle, which then produces overflowing comfort and reassurance. And that’s just one example of the abundance God desires to give.

RR crossingAs for Abigail’s affiliation with the 10:10, she’s got me on board, too. Though I’m 2 miles from the tracks, I can still hear the whistle blasting, reminding me that Christ’s abundance is available to us all.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

 

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. Praise for a good day accomplishing wedding “jobs”
  2. Praise for time with grandchildren
  3. Pray for safe travel for family members coming for the weekend, and energy for all the Memorial Day activities

Teacher of the Year

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Back to schoolGod is always teaching us. If we’re eager for it, he’ll show us all kinds of things. If we’re ambivalent or worse yet, antagonistic, he’ll still show us all kinds of things. Either way, he’s going to teach. It’s just that if we want to learn, it’s going to be pleasant. If not, getting educated will be difficult.

Any way we look at it, God is Teacher of the Year, the Decade, the Century, and of all time. He’s got eternity covered, too. Problems result only on the student side, and we can certainly be stubborn pupils, especially when the lessons are advanced.

One subject in our Teacher’s curriculum is so difficult, it’s included in his curriculum every year. It’s based on a question: why doesn’t he always say “yes” to our prayers?

For instance, if a friend is injured in an accident after we’ve prayed for safety, we might need a refresher course entitled, “Our God Hears.” When we learn of children being harmed, we might need new instruction in a class called, “Our God Sees.” If a family member gets cancer as Mary has, we might need to re-register for, “Our God Heals.”

Let’s face it. No matter how many lessons we’ve learned in God’s school, once in a while we raise our hand and say, “Is this injury/damage/disease absolutely necessary?”

Though he has the answer, he’s not required to give it. Sometimes, though, he does. For example, this morning in my small prayer group, we were preparing to pray over 12 long lists of names, each one representing difficulty and sadness.

As we spread our requests on the table in front of us, the 200+ needs sometimes threaten to overwhelm us. We can feel like our Teacher is “failing to answer” our prayer-questions. Where are the yeses?

Today he used one of his student teachers to deliver our lesson. Compound interestAbigail said, “I like to think that as we pray, it’s like putting money in God’s bank. He hears us each time we plead for answers and is quietly working on our requests much like a savings account is changing, based on compounding interest. The prayer/account grows and grows until the day God reveals everything he’d been doing all along, and just like with compound interest, his answers are far larger than what we expected!”

Caa–ching!

So, today’s lesson in God’s School of Understanding used a banking metaphor to teach us why we should keep praying, even when answers aren’t forthcoming. We knew he had a classroom, but who knew he had a bank, too?

“If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.” (Isa. 50:10)

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. Pray that her new nausea would respond to meds
  2. Praise that there are stronger meds, if these don’t work
  3. Pray for energy to continue wedding planning
  4. Praise for friends who never stop praying and encouraging her

A Pinning

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PinterestInternet users might know the word “pinning” from the site pinterest.com where they can pin photos of personal interest to “pinboards”, like yummy-looking recipes, clever decorating ideas, or hoped-for travel destinations.

But this isn’t the only kind of pinning. Wrestlers can win a match by “pinning” their oppo- nent’s shoulders to the mat for a required number of seconds.

And surgeons sometimes perform “pinnings” to stabilize unsteady joints. Our mom had this kind of surgery after breaking her hip.

Back in the 1950’s a college girl could be “pinned” with her boyfriend’s fraternity pin as a pre-engagement commitment. This “pinning” was followed several months later by a diamond ring and soon after that, a wedding band.

Stina's pinOne other kind of “pinning” is accompanied by a formal ceremony in a crowded room filled with people taking pictures. It’s the official welcoming of a nursing student into the profession, and each one receives a pin representing the college where they were trained.

 

Mary's pinning

Mary and Bervin attended Stina’s pinning today in Chicago, excited to see their newly-graduated daughter step into the next phase of her life. It was especially meaningful for Mary, who remembers her own 1966 pinning ceremony. Stina’s tender heart, much like her mother’s, guarantees that she will be the kind of nurse who consistently blesses her patients.

All of these pinnings have something in common: each one is the outward evidence of what’s been going on inside. For example, Pinterest lets us know what someone is about to do, try, or make. A wrestler’s pinning informs the crowd of his determination to dominate his opponent. A fraternity pinning reveals the strong love of a guy for a girl, and a nurse’s pinning tells the world she’s learned how to medically assist a patient.

And there’s one other pinning, a more important event than all the others combined. It’s the moment we fasten ourselves to our heavenly Father in a permanent partnership. Once we’re pinned to him, there’s no way we can be unpinned. Nothing exists strong enough to pull us apart. And our joy in this pinning lets others know how we feel about the One to whom we’ve been pinned.

IMG_1515As Stina moves into the busy world of active nursing, may the pin she wears be a steady reminder of her permanent, personal connection with the Lord. May she take advantage of his expertise with hospital patients and health problems, by first getting his opinion about what each patient needs. And if she follows his instructions, she’ll end up the most popular nurse in the whole hospital.

“Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37)

 

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. Praise for another very good day, this one watching Stina graduate
  2. Praise for being able to eat regular food again
  3. Pray that pain around the feeding tube would calm like it did before