Life as a Christian Woman

My husband and I have an ongoing discussion (entering it’s 10th year now!) about family traditions. We had similar childhoods, many common paths. But now that we have our own family, we are constantly doing the dance of figuring out how to mesh our two backgrounds into a tradition that we can pass on to our daughter.

Traditions came to us from God. He set the table in the Old Testament for certain holidays to be observed each year. Passover was a holiday set aside to remind the Israelites of their flight from Egypt. Christ, in observing the first “Lord’s Supper,” told us that whenever we partake of the bread and the wine, we do it to remember him.

But when traditions become habit, with little thought behind them, they lose not only their meaning but their intended impact on our walk with God. Whether you observe the “Lord’s Supper,” “Communion” or the “Eucharist,” if you don’t take the time to reflect on it’s meaning, you deny yourself the closeness with God that comes from partaking, and you deny God the reverence and awe that is due Him.

Traditions can be effective ways to express faith, but only if driven by real faith. In Matthew, Jesus told a crowd that many Jews would fail to reach Heaven. They were entrenched in their religious habits, yet not mindful of God:

I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites — those for whom the Kingdom was prepared — will be cast into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 8:11-12

We make a habit out of going to church. We sit in the same pews, greet the same people, sing the same hymns week after week. We begin to morph these sacred traditions into unthinking habits. We hit “autoplay,” sit back and then head out for the week.

See you next Sunday, let’s do it all again!

Guard yourselves. When you catch your mind wandering during the service, remember the purpose of the ritual, the meaning behind it, the suffering or victory that led to it being established as a reminder of God and His wisdom and glory.

Break the habit!

What do you do when your Christian spirit goes numb, disappears? I don’t mean a crisis of faith. Your faith is still strong, but something is missing in your soul.

It happens to all of us. It sneaks up on us and catches us unaware. Suddenly we realize that we feel apart from God, despite our constant search for Him.

Mother Teresa, who spent her life in God’s service, felt separated from Him so deeply that she wrote her mentors letters that begged for answers. She felt lonely and alone. It appears from her letters that her period of pain began shortly after her mission in the slums of Calcutta in 1948 (a mission she had begged, pleaded and nagged her superiors for over a period of years). As she dove into the underbelly of the world, a darkness overtook her spirit, a darkness that lasted through most of her ministry

In a book entitled Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light (Doubleday), she expresses through letters to her superiors, confessors and spiritual confidants that she is suffering from God’s perceived silence.

Jesus has a very special love for you. As for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great that I look and do not see, listen and do not hear.
— Mother Teresa to the Rev. Michael Van Der Peet, September 1979

Many non-Christians have called Mother Teresa’s agony proof that there is no god. But note that she says that Jesus has a special love for the reverend. She is not denying in any way God’s existence, but longs to hear His voice.

A feeling a separation from God does not negate His existence. The Catholic Church has long had a term for this period in one’s faith-walk, called the “Dark Night of the Soul.” St. John of the Cross coined the phrase in the 1500’s, and it describes a period of darkness within the faith… not from outside, not from unbelief, but from within the faith.

We all face this at one time or another, on varying scales. In my own period of doubt and hurt, I struggled to see the light that Christ brings us. The light was still there, but my vision was blocked. A friend of mine likes to say that when we feel set apart from God, we need to check our compass and make sure that we are not so enmeshed in the horizontal (this world) that we are missing the vertical (God in His Heaven).

We are human. We will have these “dark nights.” But even in our darkest hour, our Holy Father is there. Even when we feel empty and alone, the Holy Spirit is in us. When we become so mired in the sins of the world that we feel there is no way out, Christ is sitting by the Father, interceding on our behalf.

The final words of the Great Commission, from Matthew 28:16-20, says it all, and are the words where we find our comfort in these times:

And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
Matthew 28:20b

Things are tough all over. Seems like you can’t pick up a newspaper or turn on the television without reading about higher gas prices, businesses failing, higher unemployment, bank foreclosures.

These are definitely challenging times!

But here is the good news (and as Christians, there is always good news!). We are going to be ok. Why? How can I know this? Because God is always in control.

The husband of a friend of mine lost his job about a year ago. They have three children, and she is a stay-at-home mom. The job market in his field was dry as a bone. One day she came home and found her husband reading his Bible, totally at peace. He explained to her that God doesn’t promise us perfect lives, total happiness, or an easy road. But He does promise that He is with us through it all.

And they survived. Although the husband was out of work for six months, he found a job and things are looking up once again.

What an example of faithfulness! It is so easy to be discouraged when all around us is caving in, for whatever reason. And God knows this. He knows our hearts will be troubled, that worries will consume us. So He gives us reassurance through scripture. He promises us that, while life here on good old planet Earth may not be so wonderful sometimes, the future is bright

“So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here.” I Peter 1:6

When you are tempted to wallow in your worries, think back to a time when God carried you through the valley. Remember how He lifted you up from the mire and muck of the everyday.

“And the people replied, ‘We would never forsake the Lord and worship other gods! For the Lord our God is the one who rescued our fathers from their slavery in the land of Egypt. He is the God who did mighty miracles before the eyes of Israel, as we traveled through the wilderness, and preserved us from our enemies when we passed through their land.” Joshua 24:16-17

Sometimes, when we talk to God openly through prayer, it is good to remember those times He rescued us, thank Him, and acknowledge that we know He is still there:

“When I pray, You answer me, and encourage me by giving me the strength I need.”
Psalm 138:3

Remember, we are all a work in progress, and remain so until the day that we ascend to our Father’s House. We are growing, developing along our walk with Him. In fact, the lowest points of our lives may be His way of growing us for a future endeavor that will work towards the glory of His kingdom.

“And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns.” Philippians 1:6

And finally, one of my favorite verses. God is there, in our day-to-day lives, offering encouragement. When we are down, He comforts us. When we are happy, He laughs with us. Because God, and only God, knows our future, He knows His perfect plan for our lives. And He knows that even though the path may go through the “Valley of the shadow of death,” His plans for us will lead us through the evil and to the other side.

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

Wow! What a wonderful verse to stand on, to think about when at our lowest point. God knows His plans for us, and through Him we have a glorious future.

And what a future it will be!

I am sitting in a Chick-fil-A restaurant, watching my little girl have a blast in the play area and enjoying listening to some beautiful Christian music.

Chick-fil-A is a family-owned business, and has been since it’s inception in 1946 when Truett Cathy opened the Dwarf Grill in the Atlanta suburb of Hapeville. He opened the first Chick-fil-A in 1967, and the rest is history. But chicken is only a small part of this successful Christian values based business.

A large part of the Chick-fil-A story centers around it’s owner and his Christian foundation for doing business. Start with the fact that the restaurants are never open on Sunday, proudly proclaiming that they are giving their employees the opportunity to worship. Many Chick-fil-A’s are located in malls, and most malls charge, or “fine” stores for closing during mall hours. But that matters little to the folks at Chick-fil-A. I guess you could say this is a good example of putting values and beliefs in front of profits and riches.

Chick-fil-A puts a high priority to the love and education of children. Their motto is “Growing Kids Inside and Out.” The kids meal bags are chocked full of learning opportunities that families can share. Reading games. Science questions. And currently, children over the age of three get a CD in one of four languages, with notes on how to pronounce and communicate in those languages (Italian, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish).

Chick-fil-A works with area churches and schools, providing special “nights” where part of the profits go to the organization. And many Vacation Bible Schools give children a certificate provided by the restaurant at the end of the week, with a coupon for a free meal or ice cream cone.

But Cathy and his wife, Jeannette, have gone farther. WinShape Foundation, Inc., is an umbrella charity that operates 12 foster homes in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Brazil. The WinShape College Program at Berry College in Rome, Georgia, offers scholarship money up to $32,000 to incoming freshmen. And Camp WinShape is a summer camp for boys and girls at Berry College that hosted more than 1,700 campers in 2007.

And that is just a brief list!

At the bottom of Truett Cathy’s web page (TruettCathy.com) is a Bible verse:

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver or gold.” Proverbs 22:1

I know there are many Christian-owned businesses out there. And no, I don’t own stock in the restaurant and none of my relatives work there!

But the fact that Chick-fil-A has held true to owner Truett Cathy’s Christian principles since the company’s inception makes it truly a light in the world.

We hear a lot about tolerance in today’s world. We are expected to practice tolerance, even if it goes against our beliefs or could be harmful to us.

But what exactly is tolerance?

According to Dictionary.com, tolerance is defined as the following:

a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one’s own; freedom from bigotry.

When we break it down, there is one word that we, as Christians, must have a problem with… Permissive. We can be fair and objective within the confines of our beliefs. We can be respectful rather than combative. But we cannot stand by and abide actions that diminish our ability to serve our God.

When we tolerate sin, we undermine our faith. In the Old Testament, Israel was charged by God to be intolerant of any religion that did not honor and worship our one true God. Israel was surrounded by nations that were evil and worshiped idols. But Israel’s leaders defied God and became tolerant of the evil-doers, and eventually ended up incorporating pagan beliefs into their own worship. The upshot is that we, as followers of the One True God, must be completely and totally intolerant of sin. We cannot condone beliefs or practices that remove us from God and His directives for our lives. We should be tolerant of others who hold different beliefs, but we cannot allow that tolerance to diminish our worship.

When we tolerate sinful behavior, we hurt both ourselves and those who are around us. Jesus spoke of this in Matthew:

So if your eye–even if it is your good eye–causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand–even if it is your stronger hand–causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Matthew 5:29-30

Obviously, Christ was speaking figuratively. But his words ring strong, that we must remove sin from our lives. Can we be perfect? No, but we must strive for the perfection of God every day. It is easy to tolerate sin in and around us, but when we do that, the sin will eventually destroy us. But it is better to suffer the pain of removing the sin, than to risk judgment. We must regularly search our lives for anything that leads us into sin, and then take action to remove it.

However, there are times when it is better to be tolerant than repressive. In Acts we read:

My advice is, leave these men alone [speaking of the apostles]. If they are teaching and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is of God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.
Acts 5:38-39

These words were spoken by Gamaliel, a noted scholar of the Law of Moses. He was a teacher of Saul of Tarsus (later Paul), who “learned at his feet.” It was Gamaliel who discouraged the Sanhedrin from putting Peter and the other apostles to death. He believed if Jesus was the messiah, they would be fighting against God. If Jesus wasn’t, then the movement would die out, as others had before (Theudas, Judas of Galilee).

Sometimes we must wait to see what God is trying to say to us. Unless these individuals or groups are endorsing dangerous doctrines (such as child abuse, slavery, or other illegal activities), the better path may be to step back and listen for the voice of God.

But always be on guard. Don’t allow tolerance of others to become tolerance of sin in your life.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about hate. I’m not talking about “I hate broccoli.” I’m talking about pure hatred.

Hate takes up so much energy, and it depletes the soul in the process. It is impossible to hate and be happy or content. More importantly, it is impossible to be filled with hate and also be filled with God’s will for us. We may be given reasons to hate. We may be wronged, injured, crushed by another. But does that allow us to hate, does that free us from Christ’s message of love and forgiveness?

There is so much evil in the world that sometimes it is hard not to pull a big old blanket of hate around us. Evil has been placed on this earth in the forms of despots such as Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler and Osama Bin Laden, just to present a quick list. But our hatred of what they do or have done must be tempered by pity for the soul that is lost, for we are all God’s creation, even those who pour their evil on the world.

And what of hatred that is built on nothing more than the color of someone’s skin, or their manner of worship? Why?

God hates sin, there is no doubt about that. But He, in his infinite wisdom and being, loves. He chastizes, He convicts. But He loves us all, in spite of our sins. He weeps for those who don’t know Him, or who turn their backs on Him, or who crusade in His name to commit sin.

We all have things we disagree with. I am a Christian, and I believe that unless you believe in Christ as the Son of God, accept Him as your savior, you are lost. But nowhere do I find in God’s Holy Word that I am to hate those who don’t know Him! I am to love them, pray for them, go to them.

Hate the sin, love the sinner.

There is no easy way to understand evil. Even our guidebook for life, the Bible, can’t begin to explain the evils that we can do to each other, that Satan inflicts on this world.

Sunday there was a shooting at a church. The sanctuary at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tenn., was packed with more than 200 folks, there to see a children’s production of the musical “Annie.” Two people were killed: 60-year-old Greg McKendry, and 61-year-old Linda Kraeger. Seven others were injured.

The day began innocently. The production was taking the place of the normal service, and was the “grand finale” to a summer workshop at the church. At 10:18, 58-year-old Jim David Adkisson of nearby Powell entered the sanctuary and began firing his 12-gauge shotgun. Eyewitness accounts say that he apparently didn’t attempt to shoot the children, as he walked past a staging area where kids were gathered, but took aim at adults in the pews.

Accounts say that McKendry stood in front of the shooter and took a bullet, attempting to protect others. His 16-year old foster son, Taylor Bessette, who was a member of the cast, said he wants to make sure that everyone knows that his stepdad died a hero. (watch teen describe foster dad as hero)

Members sprung into action and tackled the shooter, binding him with belts. Witnesses say that children were within just a couple of feet of the killer.

My first thoughts jump straight to the children. How will they get through this? I can’t imagine the horror they feel, the things they witnessed in a place that is supposed to be safe. One small girl is described as being “covered in blood.” How does a parent explain what happened in a way to make the child feel safe again?

And I think about the rest of us. This is an ugly illustration of how we are not safe from evil anywhere. Evil will seek us out, Satan wants to do us harm, and will use any agent to push through an agenda, his agenda, of sowing the world with fear, hatred and doubt. I’m sure at this moment Satan is relishing the people who are saying, “How could any God let this happen?” He is laughing at us, as he marches on in his battle against God.

But here is the truth. He will not win. Our God is an awesome God! Through this sadness, this evil, He is there. He preceded this event, and He will be there when the cameras leave. He will give the parents the right words, if only they will ask. He will be a comfort to the children.

We must hang on! We must cling to God, no matter what.

I don’t know much about Unitarian Universalism. The Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church describes itself as promoting freedom of expression, tolerance, reason, the search for truth and the dignity of each human being. According to the church’s website,

“TVUUC has a long and rich history of taking stands for social justice. Since the 1950s, our congregation has worked for desegregation, racial harmony, fair wages, women’s rights and gay rights.”

Don’t try to make sense of the attack… there is no sense to be made. It was a violent attack against a congregation that promotes peace and equality.

At this point, there is no known connection between the church and Adkisson. The Church is not close to his home, just over 12 miles away. There are many churches between Adkisson’s home and the church. What made him choose this one?

Adkisson is being held on a $1 million bond.

All that we can do at this point is pray… pray for the families of those who were killed. Pray for those who are injured. Pray for the children who witnessed this horrible tragedy.

And pray for Jim David Adkisson. This agent of evil is a child of God. Pray for healing of his soul, of whatever hurt drove him to commit this heinous crime. He is a child of God. He deserves our prayers.

Time for the Williams family to hit the road for one last trip before school starts. Today we head to visit my friend, Stefanie.

I met her Stef when she was a 17 year old high school senior trying out for the college cheerleading squad that I coached. But over the four years that she cheered for me, we clicked. Our relationship moved from coach/cheerleader to friendship.

After she graduated, Stefanie became my assistant coach. When I opened my own business, she was the first person I hired (I use the term loosely, since very little pay was involved). When I met Doug and moved from the area, she was the one person I missed the most.

We have been through some rough patches, but our friendship never faltered. Email became a lifeline for us. She was the person I knew I could rant and rave, or sob and cry to, and she would get it.

When we were both newlyweds and living about five hours apart, we would meet once a year to go to a Tennessee football game. Then kids came along. When my daughter was just a couple of months old, we loaded up and headed south so Emilee could meet her “Aunt” Stefanie. You see, my mother died while I was pregnant, and Stef and her family “adopted” me. Her mom (who is only three years older than I am!) sends my daughter cards and signs them “Grandma Doris.

Now Stef has two girls, and this trip will be a chance for them to get together and build what we hope will be a friendship that will grow over the years.

If you were to see the two of us walking down the street, you might not think we would be candidates for a strong friendship. You see, I am (ouch) 50 and Stef is 33. I’m white, she is African-American. But our friendship is priceless.

You see, friends are a special gift from God. Friendships are set apart from family, a fact that is acknowledged in scripture:

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” Proverbs 17:17

Friendships must be maintained and nurtured, or they wither and die. Jesus valued his friends, he needed to lean on them just as we must at times lean on our friends. He also knew how to be a friend. He held his friends accountable, he laughed with them, he worried about them. I guess you could say that, in addition to everything else he did, Jesus set the standard for friendship, too.

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you”
John 15:13-15

I once heard a saying: There are three types of friends, 1) Friends for a season, 2) Friends for reason, and 3) Friends for a lifetime.

I am blessed with so many great friends (and you all know who you are!). Some have come into my life for a short time, others for longer periods. Some came, left, and came back again. But very few friends are with you for years. Life changes, we move on.

When I first met Stefanie, I had no idea that God was placing her in my life to help me through times I would never dream of. But He knew. In fact, long before either of us was born, He knew that our friendship would defy the odds and last for nearly two decades (and still going strong!).

I guess I am a little more sentimental than usual because I am watching my own daughter at the early stages of building friendships… she is learning how she must treat people, and how she wants to be treated. It is all trial and error. And every night when I say a prayer for her, I pray that God surrounds her with Godly friends who will be with her through the storms and parties that life brings.

And somewhere along the way, I hope she has a friend like Stefanie.

Bet that title grabbed your eye! But isn’t that the way we all feel? If our families would just listen to us, do what we say/recommend/order, then life would be so much easier!

At work, if the bigwigs would take two minutes to talk to us, we could tell them how to fix the business in half the work hours… at double the pay.

Even though we know we are flawed, we humans are egocentric. I continue to be convinced that if I could sit down with all the world leaders, I could have them drinking tea and eating cookies together within minutes.

We always assume that if someone disagrees with us, they just don’t get it.

On a more basic, Christian level, I cringe when I hear someone say that they believe something to be true, when I believe just the opposite. You want to get a loud discussion going? Bring up tithing! Seldom will you ever put two Christians in the same room and have them agree about that topic!

I have friends that drive me mad. They will make bold statements about what they believe God means in some portion of the Bible. I will hold the opposite opinion and, after explaining my point of view, if they don’t agree I just naturally assume that they are insane!

Boy, don’t I have a lofty opinion of myself…

But as I have grown older and wiser (I hope), I have begun to figure out one thing. Disagreement is healthy. As long as we don’t let the discussions devolve into divisiveness, boisterous disagreements can actually help you define your beliefs and grow in faith. After all, if you can’t defend your point, how do you know that you are correct? Because no one has it all right. Scholars have been going over the Bible for centuries and still disagree about certain meanings and parables.

My dad used to drive me crazy. If I said I liked something, he would take the opposite side and argue. If I switched and agreed with him, he would switch and start arguing again. Years later, I figured out he helped me develop my ability to defend my point, while still being open to the opposing viewpoint. I’m not always good at it. In fact, there are days I am pretty awful. But I’m working on it.

The upshot is, don’t let arguments over theology divide you from your brothers and sisters in Christ. Have respectful disagreements. Agree to disagree, as they say. But at the end of the day remember: We all have the same Father, and one day He will sit us down and explain it all to us.

We are bombarded with images of perceived beauty daily, virtually by the minute. “Use this cream and your skin will look younger,” the ads scream at us. “That man will love you more if you use this haircolor,” the ads insinuate. We get the message that whatever we are born with is not good enough. We need to look like the movie star of the day, buy the right clothes, fit the right size mold, and then our lives will be fulfilled.

Ouch!

These messages are aimed at our kids, too. So now, it isn’t just enough that adult women feel the pressure to fit society’s mold of beauty, but our five year olds are trying to fit the mold, too.

I recently picked up a book called, The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young GIrls and What We Can Do About It, by M. Gigi Durham, Ph.D., (Overlook, 2008). I am just at the start, but the premise is obvious. Girls are inundated from an early age to sexualize themselves. Teeny bikinis. Booty-shaking dancing. It’s all there.

What we all need to remember… study, learn, repeat to ourselves, whatever it takes, are the old adages that our moms used to tell us: Beauty comes from within. Beauty is as beauty does.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve spent a small fortune attempting to attain that elusive “beauty.” (OK, maybe not so small of a fortune!). Physical beauty is wonderful, but it can’t be our goal. In I Peter, we read:

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.
I Peter 3:1-7

Real beauty, inner beauty, can change the world. It sheds light where there is darkness. It brings joy in the midst of sadness. And it effects everyone around. Peter goes on to instruct Christian wives to develop their inner beauty, as their husbands will be won by their loving spirit, rather than their looks. If we live our lives developing our inner beauty, our families and friends will see Christ in us.

When we focus on the outward appearance, we become self-centered and can become vain.

For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.
I Timothy 2:10

It does not go against scripture for a woman to want to look pretty. But inner beauty must be the goal. I’ve often used the Christmas present analogy. If you have two presents that are side-by-side, one wrapped in the shiniest paper and the other in plain brown, most people will quickly open the beautifully wrapped gift. But if what is inside is ugly, or the wrong size, the gift will be meaningless. If the plain package is opened to reveal something beautiful, it will be treasured for years to come. The outside is meaningless in the long run, it’s the inside that is the treasure!

And to reference an earlier blog, having the heart of a servant will increase your beauty ten-fold (The Heart of a Servant). Nothing shines brighter to our Heavenly Father as one who humbly serves…

Talk about true beauty!

When my husband and I were first dating, I was telling him a story about the time some friends of mine gave me a gift certificate to bungee jump. Before I could get to the part about how I chickened out, his eyes got big and he said, “You bungee jumped? That is so cool!” Suddenly, it seemed easier to let this guy that I liked be impressed by something that I had never done than tell him the truth. No harm in it, right?

A few weeks later I was telling him about the summer I had the opportunity to go to the Soviet Union. Once again, before I finished the story that my dad wouldn’t let me go, he was so impressed I decided to let him think I had gone. What could it hurt?

Jump ahead a few years. We are married now. We are on a ski trip, my first time to try it. We take the lift to the top of the Bunny Hill (which looked like Mt. Everest to me). I sit down at the top, take off my skis, and beg hubby to let me walk down the mountain. I’m terrified! He is amazed, and says, “I can’t believe you are afraid, after all, you’ve bungee jumped!”

Through my tears, I say “I’ve never bungee jumped… and I’ve never been to Russia, either!

Several important lessons were learned that day… first, my husband learned to wait until I am completely done with a story before jumping to conclusions. And I learned that sooner or later a lie will catch up with you… And I also learned that my husband can be very forgiving!

Honesty breeds trust. When a lie is exposed, there is a separation that occurs, a wall of mistrust that is built. If one spouse can’t trust the other, or if a child can’t trust a parent, the family will break down. When leaders lie to their people, society breaks down. Honesty should be the cornerstone on which our lives are built.

One of the harder truths to understand is that it is better to be honest and be rejected than to lie and find acceptance. We should be honest and straightforward with those around us. As Christians, we must live as far above reproach as possible. Half-truths and omissions accomplish nothing in the end, except to separate us from God and damage our witness to others.

Additionally, trying to live a lie that you have built is impossible. You must constantly guard against the truth slipping out, and to keep one lie up you inevitably have to tell a few more. It is a vicious circle that eventually collapses like a house of cards.

My husband and I laugh about the “Bungee jumping in Russia” story now. But what if this lie had somehow put doubt into his heart about my honesty? It could have destroyed our marriage, crushed our family.

Honesty isn’t just the best policy, it’s the only policy that a Christian can afford.

Don’t you just love God and His sense of humor and timing? Just when you get comfortable in a place, He comes along and pulls the rug out from under you, saying “Nope, this was just a temporary thing. Time for bigger and better ways to go.”

It happens to all of us. We have our little corner of the church world. Whether we are in choir, or mission work, leadership or a Sunday-only worshipper, we get our little comfort zone in the pew and relax. Then it happens.

Maybe it is a sermon that gets under your skin a little… or a lot. Or maybe it is an overwhelming feeling that just won’t go away. But you realize that you have to respond or you will be miserable doing something that used to make you happy.

But the point of service is not to do what we feel comfortable with. When you have a gift that God has given you, there are many ways to use it. For instance, if you sing, you can be in the choir. You may grow comfortable there. But perhaps God would be better served if you took that talent and used it differently. Perhaps you should get a group together and sing at nursing homes. Or become involved in children’s or youth choirs. But you shouldn’t just sit in your comfort zone and say, “Look at me, I’m using my talent!”

I guess what I am trying to say is, using your talent, your gift, is wonderful. But take it to the next level. Use your gift to it’s maximum potential. Raise the stakes. Move out of your comfort zone and into God’s will.

In fact, when you get comfortable, that’s the time to up the ante. Go for it. You can’t go wrong when you are serving God!

How many times have we, as Christians, heard the argument, “You think you’re better than I am because you’re a Christian!” Or how about, “Christians are such hypocrites, they think they are better than the rest of the world.

Hogwash, we say, then respond with a bumper sticker saying: Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.

But we tend to lump non-believers into a category of evil that may or may not apply. We demonize those who haven’t accepted Christ. Heck, sometimes we even demonize those who have accepted Christ but belong to another denomination. “They need us to save them from their evilness!” we proclaim.

We act as if we are doing them a favor by telling them of our Lord and Savior!

But a book by Timothy Keller, entitled “The Reason for God: Faith in an Age of Skepticism” makes some wonderfully valid points that all Christians should keep in mind.

God’s grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior.
Christians, then, should expect to find nonbelievers who are much nicer, kinder, wiser, and better than they are. Why? Christian believers are not accepted by God because of their moral performance, wisdom, or virtue, but because of Christ’s work on their behalf
Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Faith in an Age of Skepticism, Dutton Press 2008

Don’t get me wrong here. Good deeds are a very important part of the Christian walk. We are called to service, following in the footsteps of Jesus. We are servants to Him and to His people. But we don’t hold the monopoly on “goodness.”

Be assured… we must do our best to present the Living Gospel to a fallen world. We must look to lead others to Christ, to witness when and where we are called.

But go in grace and peace. We are doing battle with Satan, but not with those whom we wish to save from his grasp. We are every bit as good/evil, nice/mean, loud/soft, as those we want to lead to the Lord.

Enter into the lives of those who need to learn of Jesus with prayer, humbleness and humility… just as the Savior entered our lives in this world.

We are in the midst of a long election season here in the United States. Now that we have narrowed the field to two primary candidates, Barack Obama (Democrat) and John McCain (Republican), we are inundated every day with stories on the two men… their likes, dislikes, spouses, children, education. And most importantly, their beliefs.

But how important is what they believe, really? The short answer is, very. As Christians we need to do all we can to make sure that we are voting for the man we feel God has chosen to lead this nation. But the reality is that by the time candidates make it to the national stage, they have become well-versed in what to say and how to say it. Their job is to get the most votes, to “court” the different communities that make up this nation. To that end, they will say what they need to say to get the votes.

John McCain

So we open magazines and newspapers and read statements that the candidates make about their faith journeys. We turn on television and see commentators debate whether the “religious right” is willing to back one candidate or will turn to another. And not only to we get to hear each candidate espouse their beliefs, but we get to hear the “dirty little lies” that the candidates will plant about each other (oh sure, THEY don’t do it, but their operatives do. Enough said).

But here is the sad truth. We can’t know the heart of any candidate any more than we can know the heart of the stranger sitting next to us on a bus. We can’t know another’s heart, only God can. So what is a Christian to do?

Pray.

Seems simple enough, but once again, the greatest tool that a Christian has, and the easiest one to use, is the one needed for this task. We may not know John McCain or Barack Obama’s heart, but we can pray and follow God’s direction. We can pray that He will lead us in the direction we should go.

Barack Obama

But it doesn’t stop, or even start, there. We should start praying now, not just for God’s guidance in who to vote for, but that God is preparing the man who will win this election to lead. And by lead, I mean follow God’s leadership. We need to pray for our future president to have the heart of a servant, the ears of the faithful, and the discernment of the saints. We need to pray that God will provide him with honorable men and women to assist him, and that his family will be strong and up to the task.

And once the election comes (finally!), no matter who is elected, we need to continue in prayer for the man that is chosen to lead. It sure is easy to slap a bumper sticker on your car that says, “Don’t blame me, I voted for the other guy,” but it doesn’t do anyone any good. Prayer does.

We need to come together as one and pray for our leaders. And not just our national leaders, but our local and state leaders, as well. All these men and women need our prayers, too.

So let’s all come together in prayer for the men who are running for our highest office. Pray that whoever is elected, God will be in control.

I had to have a little outpatient surgery today. Nothing major, but it would lay me up for a day.

As a wife and mother, I panicked. Not because I worried about who would take care of my family; I worried about what my house would look like with me out of commission! But a funny thing happened… my family stepped up to the plate. My husband finished the laundry and put all the clothes away. Sure, later in the day I had to go back and put them all in the right place, but somehow that wasn’t so bad. His heart was in the right place.

And my five year old made dinner for me… a bowl of Cheerios (no milk). I started to get up for something to drink, and she said, “No, Mommy. I’m your servant tonight.” So there I sat, eating dry Cheerios and drinking water from a sippy cup… and loving every minute of it.

And it got me to thinking. In the secular world, the word “servant” has a negative connotation to it. Somehow, we feel it is demeaning to serve others. We are above that, we should be served. But as Christians, serving can be the highest form of honoring God. In fact, when we serve others, we are directly serving God!

In I Samuel, we learn that Samuel was Eli’s helper. But it is noted that by serving Eli, he is serving a higher power:

Elkanah and Hannah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy became the Lord’s helper, for he assisted Eli the priest.
I Samuel 2:11

When we, as Christians, serve others, we turn the secular world upside down. While the world screams to be served, we know that our duty is to serve those around us. In Matthew, Jesus teaches the disciples a valuable lesson, that to be good, effective leaders, they must first learn how to serve.

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.
Matthew 20:25-26

So be honored to serve, to have the “Heart of a Servant.” For in that service, you are serving God!