Life as a Christian Woman

Ah, the weekend. In theory, that is when we relax. In reality? That’s when we do some of our hardest work!

Today, my four year old has her annual dance recital. We will be there early for dress rehearsal, photos, hair and makeup. After a break, we will return for the real show. There has been a lot of work leading up to the recital. Lots of sewing, practicing, you name it. Our week has been packed.

This weekend comes on the heels of my step-daughter’s graduation last weekend. Company in town, parties to plan, gifts to buy.

It seems like it never stops!

We are all so dedicated to our lives, to the things that go on. We live in service to our husbands, children, parents. And we put service to God on the back burner.

We push Him to the back, figure somebody else will do it. It is so easy to know what our families need. Food, clothing, sleep. Taking and picking up. Love. And if we skip something, they will let us know!

But God isn’t quite as “there” as our families. He doesn’t physically walk into the room and say, “Hey, time to pray to me!”

Or does He?

New parents often joke, “I wish there was a handbook for raising kids.” Women will say, “I wish my husband came with instructions.” And yet God has given us a handbook for life (the Bible). He has laid it all out. He tells us exactly what He expects of us. And if we listen with our hearts, He is talking to us, leading us, every day.

Spend some time listening this weekend. Spend some time talking to God and listening for His answer. Carry on a conversation with Him. Remember, prayer isn’t a one way talk, it is a two way conversation.

He’d love to hear from you!

How do you handle conflicts with other Christians? If you hear that someone has been spreading rumors about you, do you get angry and stew about it? Do you turn away in resentment? Do you angrily confront them face to face and give them a piece of your mind?

What if you see a fellow church member in a compromising position with someone else… who is not their spouse? Do you heat up the phone lines with the latest gossip?

According to Matthew 18, there are certain steps we should follow when we feel we have been wronged by one of our brothers or sisters in Christ.

15) If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16) But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 17) If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as your would a pagan or a tax collector.
18) I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 18: 15-18 (New International Version)

These words were spoken by Jesus, and they serve as our guidelines for dealing with other Christians when conflict arises.

In verse 15, Jesus tells us that the first step is to go to the person you feel has wronged you, one on one. This is a hard step for most of us. Going to someone in Christian love when they have hurt you is so hard, but it is the right thing to do… the Christian thing to do.

In verse 16, Jesus explains that if the first step has failed, you should try again. This time, you should take along two or three others, to serve as witnesses that you are trying to reconcile the matter.

Finally, if all has failed, Jesus tells us to bring the matter to the church. At that point, should there be no resolution, and if you have expressed Christian forgiveness, you have done all you can do to resolve the matter.

In verse 18, binding and loosing refers to the decisions of the church in matters of conflict.

So where does this leave us? How do we, as everyday Christians, address a wrong committed against us, or attempt to correct a fellow Christian that we see straying from the word?

Pray, pray, pray before you go to them. Check your ego at the door, then meet with the person in Christian love. Start your meeting with a prayer, so that the person you are attempting to reconcile may see your heart. Then discuss the problem, not in an accusatory way, but with love and Christian concern.

If the person does not respond appropriately, go back again, this time with two or three other Christians who can serve as both witnesses and supporters. Perhaps it would be best if those that you ask to go with you aren’t your nearest and dearest friends, but more neutral. Avoid creating more conflict.

Finally, if all else has failed, go to the church. Perhaps this means setting up a meeting with your pastor (along with those that served as your witnesses), or with the deacons, elders, or any group within your congregation that has authority.

These are not easy steps… perhaps that is why so often we fail to follow them. It is much easier to feel anger, hurt and resentment, to lash out or to gossip. But that is not the spirit of Christ that we are to reflect.

We women can take guilt and turn it into an art form. Working moms feel guilt for not being attentive enough to their kids, while stay-at-home moms feel guilty for paying too much attention and possibly spoiling their kids. Wives can feel guilty for eating out too much (I’m “guilty” of that one!), daughters can feel guilty for not spending enough time with their parents.

The list can go on and on!

But there is the guilt that nags at us because we expect so much of ourselves, and then there is the guilt that we feel when we sin… truly sin against God.

But should we feel guilty? After all, we are forgiven, so should our feelings of guilt linger? What does the Bible say about guilt?

First, let’s look at the source of guilt. Guilt comes from sin, when we give into temptation. And temptation often begins with putting ourselves into situations that could be explosive. For instance, if you are married, there is no such thing as “innocent flirtation.” It is the first step in temptation and sin.

Guilt can be compounded by bringing others into the sin we are committing. The effects of sin spread. After Eve sinned by eating the apple, she offered it to Adam and he joined her in sin. Sin spreads.

And sin makes us feel guilty.

But guilt can be good! In fact, it is a gift from God. Guilt is a red light, a warning signal, that we are on the wrong path. When we feel guilt, we can stop, repent, and correct ourselves with God’s help. We feel this guilt when we fail to live up to God’s expectations, but the good news is that God allows us to come to Him and repent.

However, remember this: The absence of guilt in your heart does not mean you are not guilty. Jonah felt no guilt, his actions didn’t phase him initially. We can deny reality, but that will not keep us within God’s standards for living. Romans 2:23 says, “You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.”

So, how do we get rid of our guilt? Through Christ’s blood! In Romans 3:21-22, Paul gives us the wonderful news: “Now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight — not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.”

Paul goes on to say “Now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1). What great joy there is in that verse! And Christ can relieve us of our guilty conscience. In I John 3:19-20, we are told that “It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.”

For Christians, there will be no fear when we see God face to face the first time. We will be confident, because we have been bought with the blood of His son.

So guilt is an inevitable part of our lives, because sin is inevitable. But, for Christians, forgiveness is just a prayer away!

I get nervous whenever a political candidate throws his or her religion around in the course of a campaign. However, I get more nervous if I don’t hear the candidate express any views on the matter.

I guess I want it both ways. I want the candidates to have strong faith, strong beliefs, but I don’t want to feel that they are using that faith to garner votes.

We have seen Sen. Barack Obama have to explain his allegiance with controversial minister Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and eventually distance himself from Rev. Wright. Wright is infamous for blaming the events of Sept. 11, 2001, on the U.S., and saying, “God damn America” for it’s racism and world-wide policies.

More recently, Sen. John McCain renounced and distanced himself from both Texas televangelist John Hagee and Rod Parsley of Ohio. McCain rejected Hagee’s endorsement after a video surfaced where the preacher claimed that God used Hitler to deliver the Jews to the promised land. And McCain renounced Parsley for saying that Islam is “anti-Christ.”

Remember when no one thought that John F. Kennedy could get elected because he was Catholic? We’ve come a long way, and not necessarily in a good way.

My opinion? I want to know about the faith of the candidates. I want to REALLY know, not by sound bites and voice overs. Not by having paid mouthpieces speak for them. Perhaps if they were more forthcoming with their views of God, of his purpose for them, then we wouldn’t have to try to figure out where they stood by the company they keep, by the endorsements they receive.

But that isn’t likely to happen. Remember Mike Huckabee? He was plugging along quite well there for awhile. But the media turned on him and his faith, which was at the forefront of his campaign. Suddenly, every word he said was suspect, every statement he made under a microscope.

It happens to all of them, I suppose. But when did faith become such a liability that it has to be sanitized before it can be put out in front of the masses.

Maybe Hagee, Parsley and Wright have views that are counter to what the candidates believe. But I long for a candidate who will step up and get personal about faith. This is what I believe! This is how I believe my faith will help me govern! This is my faith!

Guess if they have a prayer of getting elected, the candidates can’t let personal religion get in the way.

I was reading a book to my daughter tonight called The Voice. Written by R.W. Metlen, it is described as “a story about faith and trust.” While it is a kids book, the message extends to us all.

In it, a man is in a boat fishing, and a voice commands him to, “Follow me.” Of course, the man doesn’t, and gets mad at the voice for intruding. The boat begins to leak, the voice say, “Follow me,” and the man gets madder, and more stubborn. The voice says, “Follow me. I love you.” The man stews. The boat begins to sink, the man is afraid, but decides to listen to the voice and follow. He is saved and walks to safety on the water.

Obviously, the voice is God’s, and the man is representative of all of us. We all get complacent in our lives, happy for things to continue. But that is not how we can best serve Him. Perhaps we best serve him when we venture into the uncomfortable and depend on Him to lead us, depend on His voice to speak to us.

And sometimes God speaks to us and we miss it. Or maybe we just don’t want to hear it. I’m reminded of an old joke:

A man is drowning in the sea. A man in a rowboat comes by and says, “I’ll save you.” The drowning man replies, “No thanks, God will save me.” A fishing boat comes by and offers to save the man, but he says “No thanks, God will save me.” Finally, a cruise liner goes by and throws the man a life preserver. “No thanks, God will save me,” the man answers.

Soon, the man drowns.

He goes to Heaven and comes before God. “I trusted you to save me,” the man says. “Why didn’t you answer my prayers?”

God responds, “I sent you a rowboat, a fishing boat and a cruise liner. What were you expecting?”

We want God to fit into a little box, one that will come out when and where we want it, respond to our prayers in the manner we request (or demand!). We have all achieved an amazing ability to block out the voice of God when He wants us to do something that we don’t want to do, or if we are “fat and happy” in our lives the way they are. What would our world be like if no one answered the voice of God when it calls? How many lives would be lost to an eternity apart from God, were it not for ministers, missionaries and others who hear and follow God’s voice.

This book is great for kids, but the message is one all of us need to learn and remember.

For reviews on the book The Voice, follow this link:

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0809105276?showViewpoints=1

Just one quick look at the Bible section at any bookstore is enough to send your head spinning. It seems like there is a Bible for every age, gender, denomination, height, weight, color combination… well, you get the picture!

But how do you pick out the right Bible? Is there a “right” Bible?

Let’s try to take things in order… first, which translation? There seem to be thousands! Some recommend that you have two translations, one that is more scholarly (footnotes and comments on each page) and another that is more readable, easier to “digest” so to speak.

Popular scholarly Bibles include The (New) Revised Standard Version and the New American Standard.

Popular readable translations include the New International Version and the Good News Bible.

And if you were raised on the King James Bible and prefer that, then stick with it!

Try to make sure that the translation that you select has been out for at least 10 years. When new editions come out, it takes time for them to be “vetted” and corrections or revisions to be made by those who did the translations.

Don’t look for a Bible that agrees with you… you want to be challenged by the word of God, to grow, so don’t look for Bibles that adhere to a specific doctrine. You want God’s word, not the opinions of those who translated and edited!

Next, you must decide what binding, or format, you would like. I have always been drawn to the beautiful leather with the wafer thin pages. Unfortunately, that type is rarely good for hauling back and forth to church. A hard back will hold up better, and you shouldn’t have to replace it too often. Or you may want to have a small Bible or New Testament to carry in your purse… but make sure the type is big enough for you to read!

Beyond that, you can decide if you want a “red letter” edition (the words of Christ are highlighted in red), or a Bible written in paragraph form.

As for study Bibles, be very careful. Many tend to speak as if the translators and editors know exactly what God was thinking. They are giving you opinions, rather than letting God speak to you through his words. Of course, they are wonderful for explaining what different terms really mean in their initial language (the word “love” alone can have several different meanings).

Two popular study Bibles that come highly recommended are The HarperCollins Study Bible and the New Annotated Oxford Bible.

I have a ton of Bibles, I admit it. Many have been passed down through my family. One has notes in the margins along with dates that indicate it was being read in 1901! I also have my late mother and father’s Bibles. I cherish them all, but they are not the ones that I read day to day. Currently I have two NIV’s. I keep one in my car, so I generally always have one with me, and one in my home for in-depth Bible study. I have several reference books, as well, but they are mainly used for topical study (such as the article I wrote on gossip the other day).

Now, if you want a real experience in reading the Bible in the manner in which it was studied in the days of the ancient Christians, here is a suggestion I found on the internet. Have four people sit in a circle, have four glasses of water and four copies of a readable and responsible text of the Bible… the water is so you won’t have to get up to get a drink. Make sure you are in a quiet room and cannot be interrupted.

Take turns reading a chapter of Mark out loud. There are 16 chapters, so it will work out evenly. There should be no discussion or side comments, just the reading of the scripture. When you have finished reading the entire Gospel of Mark, discuss what you have read.

This is a powerful way to share the gospel with your friends, to reconnect with how the Bible was read by the ancients, and will draw you closer to God.

(Courtesy KenCollins.com)

Pictured above: The Steven Curtis Chapman family.
L-R, Will Franklin, Maria (on Steven’s lap), Steven, Shaoey,
Mary Beth, Stevey Joy, Caleb and Emily)

I can’t explain much in this world. There is so much pain and suffering everywhere. Earthquakes, tornadoes, terrorism, war. It is so easy to see it on television, but then relegate it to the back of the mind and move on. Frankly, that is probably a good thing, because it can be so overwhelming to deal with the horror and tragedy that this world can bring.

But now and then something happens that cuts a little bit close to home. Something that takes your breath away, and leaves you hollow and wondering, “Why, Lord?”

I had that feeling as I read about the tragedy that has occurred to Grammy award-winning Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman and his family. Chapman’s youngest daughter, Maria (5), was killed in the family’s driveway on Wednesday when she was hit by a car driven by her teenage brother. The teen was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser down the driveway, where several children were playing. He apparently did not see Maria in the driveway.

The accident occurred just south of Nashville, at the Chapman home. Maria was life-flighted to Vanderbilt, where she was pronounced dead.

The Chapman family have six children, including three daughters adopted from China. Maria is the youngest. The family has given so much to so many, and were in the midst of celebrating the engagement of Emily, their oldest daughter, and the upcoming high school graduation of son, Caleb.

This is a double-tragedy for the family. Not only must they deal with the death of their beautiful daughter, but they must find some way to comfort their son. (The family has not released the name of the son involved in the accident).

How their hearts must be breaking tonight! I cannot imagine the pain of that family.

But what I do know is this. The Chapman family loves God. They know Him intimately. He led them to China to adopt, and it is no mistake that Maria is their daughter. She was meant to be their daughter before she drew her first breath on this planet. Before this pain entered their lives, God was already there, preparing to comfort and heal the Earthly pain and hurt. God was not surprised.
His love will see them through the days and weeks to come. And one glorious day, this family will be reunited at the throne of God.

Please pray for this family, and all those in this beautiful, horrible world, that all may receive peace and rest at the throne of God.

Please click on the link below to watch a lovely video of Maria and her dad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn8ajucsXr8

Rather than hit on any particular topic today, I would like to share an experience I just had at my church.

The church that I attend is a fairly large, predominantly white church. We have developed a relationship with another church in our city, a predominantly African-American church.

I’m not sure how the association began, but I am quite sure of the results. And they are fantastic.

Several times a year, our churches get together for worship on Wednesday night. When the service is at our church, they lead the service, music, preaching and all. And when it is their turn to host, our pastor preaches and we lead the music. Yesterday, the members of State Street Baptist came to lead our service, and it was wonderful.

Our churches worship differently, but not dramatically so. We sing the same songs, but with different style. We hear the same preaching, but with different inflection.

And we all worship the same God, the same risen Savior.

The service Wednesday night was wonderful. I get tickled when we have what I call our “meet and greet” part of the service… you know, where we all shake hands and say hello. Well, on Wednesday night there was so much greeting going on, it was hard to get the service back on track!

The pastor, Freddie Brown, gave a great sermon, filled with God’s truth… and a little humor. My favorite part, the part that got me thinking, was when he spoke about Jesus on his mother’s side, versus his Father’s side. Many of us look into our own genealogy, but it was interesting to look at it from the Lord’s perspective.

After the service, many of us stood around and talked. We talked about our faith, we talked about our kids, we talked about sports, whatever. But we talked as one body of Christ.

And that is what I take away from this service. We are all different in how we worship. We are all uniquely and wonderfully made. But we are all bound by the love that our Savior has poured out on us.

We are family, family of the highest order, family of the greatest Father.

The church is a fragile thing. Why? Because it is made up of humans, and we are fragile and unpredictable. Our faith may be strong, but can be shaken by the course of events in our lives. And we are susceptible to sin that can tear us apart. No Christian is immune, and no church is immune.

One of the most damaging things a Christian can do is gossip. We know that gossip is a sin:

“You shall not give false testimony.” The 9th Commandment (Exodus 20:16)

“Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness.” (Exodus 23:1)

“Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed. A man who lacks judgement derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue.” Proverbs 11:11-12

First, please understand, there is a difference between gossip and sharing information. Relaying a prayer request that was not told to you in confidence, that is not gossip. If there is a situation that is causing harm to the church, talking with your brothers and sisters in Christ to find a resolution is not just helpful, it is what we should do.
We know it is wrong. We don’t want anyone to gossip about us. We warn our children not to gossip. But we gossip anyway. We repeat that secret that was just too juicy to keep to ourselves. Or we gossip because we want to look “in the know.” Or, frankly, we gossip because we don’t like someone and it is “fun” to rat them out.

Gossip is a pervasive part of society at large… and a church is a microcosm of society and all it’s ills. But gossip has fractured many a church, and let to hurt feelings, broken friendships, injured lives.

What is the definition of gossip? According to Dictionary.com, gossip is “idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others.” If you betray a confidence, that is gossip. If you repeat something that you are not 100% sure is true, or you have not verified from a second source (like a journalist should do), that is gossip.

Proverbs 16:28 says, “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.” What could be worse than telling a friend something in confidence, and having them relay it to others? And, like much gossip, by the time the story has been repeated over and over again, it bears little resemblance to the original.

We are to be encouragers of others. We are to strengthen one another through prayer and uplifting. To repeat half-truths or confidences is to damage the body of Christ through gossip and innuendo.

We should never allow our spirit to hurt others, whether intentionally or not. The gathering of Christians should be a safe place, a place where anyone can go for understanding and acceptance, as well as Christian conviction. A place where someone may bear her soul and not fear that it will be repeated around town.

So the next time you start to tell that morel of information that may or may not be true, stop and think about the harm it could cause. If you want to repeat something that you have been told in confidence, think whether it could hurt someone. Do you want to be known as someone who is faithful to God’s word? Or as someone who spreads rumors?

Don’t be a gossip girl!

Carol Race, a mom in Minnesota, was to go to court today over a restraining order taken out against her son, 13 year old Adam.

Adam is autistic.

St. Joseph’s in Bertha, Minn., took out the restraining order because it considers Adam a threat and a disruption. Church leaders say that the order, which bans Adam and his family from attending mass, was a last resort

Adam, who is more than six feet tall and weight 225 pounds, has loud outbursts and can become violent. Church leaders decry “repeated disruptions in church,” over the last three years.

According to the petition filed by Father Daniel Walz, Adam “spits,” and has “urinated” in church. He has also “struck a child” during mass. “It takes up to three adults to restrain him,” the petition says. “Adam’s continued presence on parish grounds not only endangers the parishioners, it is disruptive to the devout celebrations of the Eucharist.”

Adam’s parents have had to sit on him to restrain him during the service, and have, on occasion, resorted to tying his arms and feet with ropes. He has become sexually aggressive with a teenage girl. He has come close to knocking elderly parishioners down, and on at least one occasion, ran from his parents and started their van… which could have led to many being seriously injured, or worse.

St. Joseph’s claims to have tried to work with the family. They have suggested attending a different mass, or setting aside a seating area for the family. All suggestions were apparently refused.

As this past Sunday dawned, the Race family was in a quandary. As Catholics, they believe in the obligation to attend mass. Carol Race planned to attend church as usual, at St. Joseph’s. But as she left her house, Todd County Sheriff Pete Mikkelson warned her that she would be arrested if she attended.

So the family attended a different church, Christ the King in Browerville, Minn., but would like to return to St. Joseph’s, which has been her family’s church for the past 12 years.

OK, there’s the story. What do you think?

My first thought was of the Pharisees, who’s view of the religious world was so legalistic that it was counter to Christ’s words. In Matthew 25, Christ speaks about the final judgement, when all shall stand before God.

34) “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35) For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36)I needed clothes and you clothes me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37) “then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38) When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39) When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40) “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Matthew 25: 34-40 (New International Version)

I also have a first hand experience attending a church where severely autistic parishioners were present. My husband and I were in Rochester, N.Y., nearly a decade ago, and attended a Catholic church in the downtown area called Corpus Christi. I was amazed at what I saw. This vibrant church accepted all… and I do mean all. There was an entire section filled with the severely handicapped and those who attended with them. Yes, the section was noisy with grunts and occasional outbursts. Many of them wore football-type helmets, to keep them from hurting themselves.

This was the only time I attended Corpus Christi (which, by the way, means “body of Christ), but the memory has stayed with me. I hope that the outreach has remained the same.

That said, the family must be willing to work with the church. While I don’t believe that anyone should be denied access, I do believe that those involved must work to come up with a solution that is viable for all, not just for a few.

The Race family has a right to attend mass… but the parishioners of St. Joseph’s have an equal right to be protected when they attend Mass.

I hope that the parties truly will work together, and not have their feet set in concrete. Both the Race family and the Church have allowed this matter to escalate until it is now a national story, picked up by the networks. A story that should have never happened has been reduced to soundbites, with people who have no intimate knowledge of the situation (like me) weighing in and taking sides.
Until Christians learn to work together, to compromise for the greater good, we will continue to read about such situations that are thrust before our courts.

See also: Jesus Wept

What is the difference between a match and a lighter? They both can create fire, and both are hot to the touch. But the match has a very short shelf life, only burning for seconds, while a lighter can be refueled to burn on and on.

The other day I wrote a column entitled “What is a Church.” (What is a Church blog). Today I would like to examine the sabbath day itself, more in-depth. (April Gilford, the previous writer of this column, wrote a blog on this topic in March… I encourage you to read it: The Sabbath Debate

If you remember, the scripture is plain that the PEOPLE are the church, not a building or organization. WE ARE THE CHURCH!

But other questions remain.

First, why do some observe the Sabbath on Saturday, and others on Sunday? Saturday is the seventh day of the week, the day that is recorded in Genesis as the day God rested. The first day of the week is Sunday. It is also recorded as the day of the week that Christ rose (John 20:1), and the day that the Lord first appeared to all the disciples (except Thomas) (John 20:19).

So who is right and who is wrong? When IS the Sabbath Day, so that we may keep it holy (The 4th Commandment, Exodus 20:8)?

Colossians 2:16-17 says, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath Day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” (New International Version)

In other words, any day can be the Sabbath, as long as you acknowledge it and spend it in the manner which God intended.

This was driven home for my by my former pastor more than 10 years ago. He pointed out that our traditional Sabbath was his work day. I had never thought of that! For him, our worship service was work, his day filled with the business of the Lord. So he took Monday and made it his Sabbath.

We shouldn’t be legalistic, as the Pharisees of the Lord’s day were. Remember how they tried to catch Jesus in the sin of working on the Sabbath? (Matthew 12:1-2)

So if we establish that the Sabbath can be on any day, are there specific ways that we must behave, things we must do to honor God on the Sabbath?

Of course!

We should celebrate with song (Col. 3:16), with preaching (1 Timothy 4:13), and in service (1 Peter 4:10). In short, we should be mindful of God, diverting from our normal “busyness” to God’s “business.”

And what should we expect from this day of rest, of honoring our God? We will focus not on ourselves, but on our God, reminding ourselves of what is truly important. Our faith will be renewed and rebuilt, and we will become more effective in the ways we serve Him… after all, serving our Lord is not a spectator sport!

And then we will no longer be a match, burning brightly for a few seconds before turning to ash, we will be lighters that can burn for hours, be refilled with the fuel of the Lord, and return to burning brightly for all to see.

The Sabbath, and all that it entails, is that fuel.

TOMORROW: What is our role in the body of Christ?

For many, it is the end of the work week. A chance to relax, or maybe catch up on chores. Perhaps you have will wash the car, work in the garden, go to a movie.

We will make our compulsory trip to church on Sunday morning, log in our requirement for the week, head out to eat and then get back to our weekend. But is that really enough time spent worshiping God? And is the only way to worship Him to head to the brick and mortar church?

Two compelling questions… One answer.

We must worship God in ALL we do. Attending church is a vital part of this, and we are called to fellowship in worship. But what exactly is a church?

The Greek word for church is “ekklesia,” which means congregation, assembly or church. It refers to a group of people rather than a building or organization.

In Acts 2:47 we read, “… And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” This verse does not refer to a building, but to the individuals who were coming to know Christ. We are not called to go to a building, a specific place, for worship. Rather we are called to glorify God in worship anywhere and everywhere. And when we gather in fellowship and love with our Christian brothers and sisters, we are the church, whether we are located in a private home, a school room, or a grand cathedral.

We can have a meaningful worship experience with God whether we are in a group of five or five thousand. But we must fellowship with other Christians! We must gather together, enrich each other, love and care for each other. And most importantly, we must gather in praise and worship of our Lord God.

In this country, it is almost too easy. Churches rise up on every corner. You don’t like the music at this church? There’s another one a block away. Somebody made you mad at that church? Hey, go across town to the new church.

We don’t get it. We don’t have to work for it. We take it for granted and file it away.

Many parts of the world are not as lucky. Meeting in Christian worship is a crime, punishable by time in prison or perhaps even death. In some Muslim countries it is a crime to witness to the unsaved. But yet, these persecuted Christians find time to gather in worship in homes, behind closed doors.

If these Christians can create “churches” within their small, persecuted communities, shouldn’t we, who have the blessed luxury of being able to worship openly and freely, be able to find a way to gather together with our brothers and sisters in Christ and worship the God of all?

This is probably going to be a pretty random blog today… kind of my rant against the world. Hang in there with me!

Non-believers, and those who would love to portray Christians in a negative light, are always on the lookout for examples to prove that we are all hypocrites.

Most recently, I have seen subtle comments made regarding the photos of Miley Cyrus, particularly the one taken by Annie Leibovitz that appeared in Vanity Fair.

In case you haven’t seen it, the photo shows Cyrus with what appears to be a satin sheet held over her chest, bare-backed, looking over her shoulder. Somewhat of a “come hither” photo, as my mom would say. There is no nudity, but it is implied.

Now, since Cyrus is a stalwart of the Disney Family (”Hannah Montana”on the Disney Channel), the media were quick to jump on the story. Oh, Disney’s sweetheart and current top-money maker is going down the Britney/Lindsay path to destruction.

Fair enough comparison, considering that path is pretty well-worn by now. And inappropriate photos which appeared online, where Cyrus is shown showing off her bra (while wearing it) added fuel to the fire, as it were.

People Magazine covered the “scandal,” alluding to the Cyrus family’s strong Christian faith… breathlessly wondering what went wrong… could she and her faith be phony? This is the same magazine that applauded the Cyrus family and their values a few short months ago.

Parents of her fans are being quoted as being “disappointed,” “saddened,” and worried about how this will effect their daughters

OK, I have a few problems with this whole thing.

First of all… we should all know by now that if we are allowing “personalities” to serve as the primary influence in our children’s lives, then we aren’t doing our jobs as parents. Sure, they will naturally want to imitate and emulate these “stars,” but our duty is to keep it in perspective for our children, and not let them become so involved that they are willing to give up their character to copy a “character.”

Second, if we want to raise morally-responsible, strong Christian children, we need to give them less Hannah Montana and more of Christ. When was the last time you had a devotional with your child? Knelt at the side of their bed at night and prayed? Went as a family to church? Those are the difference makers. Hannah Montana is here today, gone tomorrow. Christ is forever, and our children need to know that!

But here is the kicker, at least for me. I agree that the photos are inappropriate. I agree 100% that they should have never been taken, much less published. But I have seen worse. And not in Hollywood.

This past weekend my four year old daughter and I went to a dance competition. My friend had a four year old in the competition, which was for all ages and included all types of dance (ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, show as well as solo, group, and duet and trio). Emilee was so excited, and we had a blast. But my friend warned me when one category was about to start that it might not be appropriate. I poo-pooed her. Heck, they were four and five year olds, how bad could it be?

Bad.

Very Bad.

Moves that strippers would be proud to do, in fact. We headed out of the auditorium pretty quickly, coming back when that category was over. But it turned out that creative dance instructors and parents can work questionable dance moves into any type of routine (ok, ballet seemed immune). Even tap. TAP, for goodness sake!

Now, here is the amazing part (to me, at least… and I promise I wasn’t raised in a cave).

I didn’t see very much of this suggestive kind of dance out of the older kids or young adults. In fact, it was almost entirely performed by the 4-8 year old dancers. And when they would “bust a move” the moms and dads in the audience would go wild. These children were performing very sexually suggestive moves.

I wondered how many of these same moms and dads would have their children in church the next day. If so, talk about a mixed message. If not, are these the same parents who were so “disturbed” by the Miley Cyrus photos?

Here we are, as Christians, with the greatest example of parenthood in the world, and we forget to use Him. That’s right, God. He is our Father. Our relationship with Him should be the one we use to model our relationship with our children.

A comment you hear a lot in this world is how children don’t come with an instruction book. Yes, they do… The Bible. God’s word. You may have to study it, pray over it. But can you think of a better book to lead you in parenting?

Who is setting an example for your children? And is it the right example?

For wonderful insights into Christian parenting, visit Parenting and Religion

If you love God, and love to laugh, have I got a book for you.

Entitled God’s Blogs: Insights from His Site, it is a humorous look at what God might write about if He had His own blog. Written by Lanny Donoho and with recommendations from everybody from Andy Stanley (pastor, North Point Community Church) to Dolly Parton (I’m assuming you know who she is), this book is both funny and insightful.

First, how I found it. A group of us moms go to Barnes & Noble every Friday night… I mean EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT. We bring our kids and let them play in the kids area, while we sit there solving the world’s problems and drink mocha frappuccino’s (ok, I just drink water, but my friend’s drink the frapps). Last week, this book “appeared” in front of me. Usually the only thing that appears in front of me at B&N is a peanut butter-chocolate cookie, so I was intrigued. Turns out the daughter of my friend had picked it up to have a look, and somehow it ended up in front of me.

Hmmm, what would God say to us if He could communicate by blog? That was an interesting thought. Sure would make life easier, huh?

The book opens with a “nondisclaimer.”

In case there are those out there who would have a problem with someone writing or speaking for God…
Try to relax.
This book is supposed to be an enjoyable look at the principles God put in the Bible… and they’re done with a twist. For some people it is easier to grasp the grace and truth of God if they feel like His word is personal to them…from Him…
Everybody has their ideas of what God might want to say to them.
These are mine.

One of the first pages I came to was called: Favorite stuff I have done. Some of the entries are;

• That Red Sea incident, • Surprise Lazarus! You’re back!, The whole Jonah episode…

You get the idea.

But when I began reading the book more deeply, an amazing thing happened. I began to realize that this was leading me into a place of worship! This silly little book was giving me a fresh look at God.

So many times religion is so serious… we can’t see the humor for the stained glass, as my childhood preacher used to say. I even wrote about it in a blog the other day (Did Jesus Laugh?)

But this funny little book touches on real life topics. Marriage, and what God intended it to be. Preachers, and their role in our lives. And funny little things like making it snow in Florida… and the resulting snowball fight (a true story interwoven into the “blog”)

The book talks about time, from God’s perspective, and about how we always claim that we don’t have enough of it. And about money and tithing, and about how all belongs to God.

Periodically in the book there are “blogjots,” or random thoughts. All are good, but one sticks out to me:

BTW… reflections happen best when you are standing near to that which you want to reflect. (That which you were made to reflect.)

That one has stuck to me like glue. If I want to check my makeup in the mirror, I move closer to it. If I want my daughter to behave, I pull her close to me.

So it stands to reason, if I want to reflect God’s love, shouldn’t I move closer to him? And there are so many ways to draw closer to Him… through study, music, and even laughter… after all, He invented laughter (it says so, right there in his blog!)

So I hope you will get a chance to look at (and maybe even buy!) “God’s Blogs” by Lanny Donoho. You’ll laugh a lot, and be blessed in the process.

As I’ve mentioned before, I love Christian music. It seems to take me to a higher plane of worship. One of my favorites is the worship song “Trading My Sorrows (Yes Lord),” written by Darrell Evans.

I’m trading my sorrow
I’m trading my shame
I’m laying it down for the joy of the Lord

I’m trading my sickness
I’m trading my pain
I’m laying it down for the joy of the Lord

Chorus:
And we say yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen

I’m pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I’m blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy’s gonna be my strength

Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning

The words are taken directly from 2 Corinthians 4. Many believe 2 Corinthians to be Paul’s most personal letter. It was written to a young, immature church, which was questioning his motives and authority. Throughout the letter, he relates his experiences of pain, suffering, and overwhelming odds. But he reminds the readers that all this is temporary, that we are working for a greater good.

Paul exhorts the Christians in Corinth: “(17) For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! (18) So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.”

Some originally mistook the worship song as a “prosperity piece.” You know, if you honor God, you won’t suffer anymore. But that is not what the words are telling us; in fact, they are telling us the exact opposite!

We, as Christians, face persecutions both large and small. But we get up. We are struck down for our beliefs, belittled even by those close to us for our faith, but we get up. We are cursed on this side of Heaven, but we get up.

Why?

Because we are promised Christ’s joy. We are promised that at the end of the long night we call life on earth, we will have morning in Heaven, in Christ’s eternal peace and joy. Nothing this world can throw at us can take those truths away from us.

The chorus of “Trading My Sorrows” is so affirming: “Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes, Yes, Lord.” If we only say “yes” to our Lord and Saviour, our sorrows will indeed be traded for the joy that only He can bring into our lives.

Listen to this music by clicking on: Trading My Sorrows (Yes Lord), by Darrell Evans

(all scripture is quoted from the New Living Translation)