What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

from Nothing but the Blood
Words and Music by Robert Lowry

A couple of years ago we took the family to DisneyWorld. I was beyond excited, spent an entire year planning the trip. Our daughter was four when we made the pilgrimage to Orlando, Florida. I was told that would be the perfect age to meet princesses and ride Dumbo, and what a great time we would all have. I loaded the family cameras with digital cards and got ready.

The night we were going to leave, my little girl was playing outside when she fell and skinned her cheekbone up pretty badly. Big, ugly, red scab. Lots and lots of tears. Once she calmed down, we loaded the car and hit the road.

We had a wonderful time (except for the fact that my daughter was afraid of all the characters except princesses, so we spent our time running from Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, et. al.!).

When we got home, I uploaded the pictures to the computer. Lots and lots of gorgeous pictures of my daughter with Cinderella, Belle, on the rides, you name it. And in each one, there it was…

The big, ugly, red scab.

It looked awful.

So I did what any mom would do… I pulled out the Photoshop and erased the scab out of every single picture. You can’t even tell it was ever there.

And that is was Jesus’ death on the cross did for us. We are all full of sin, big, ugly, blood red sins. They are all over us, around us, everywhere. But once we ask Jesus into our lives, those horrible, ugly sins are erased, and we are cleansed of it all.

There’s no other way to rid ourselves of our sinful nature. Jesus’ blood. That’s it.

Not good works, not money, not living a good life, or taking a vow of poverty.

Jesus. Just Him.

I want you to want me.
I need you to need me.
I’d love you to love me.

(from I Want You to Want Me, by Rick Nielsen)

Isn’t it wonderful to be wanted?

I mean, I know we all gripe about it now and then. You cringe when you hear your boss call your name, knowing she has an assignment for you. Your think you’ll scream if you here one more “Mommy!”

But the opposite of being wanted is being… unwanted.

And while there are times that might sound appealing, we actually all need to be wanted.

Whether it is providing some work service, or just a hug, being wanted gives us a reason to get up in the morning, a reason to put one foot in front of the other. Sometimes it is the only thing that can keep us moving when we would otherwise just shut down.

There is a difference between being needed and wanted. A child needs us when she is sick. But sometimes she just wants us.  A boss needs us to complete a project.  But she wants us lead a project.

Being needed is fine. Being wanted is divine.

So, how does this all fit into Life As A Christian Woman? I’m glad you asked!

We all need God. When we are sick, broken, down, depressed. That’s when we call on Him. We need Him.  But when things are all sunshine and warm breezes, we don’t call on Him, talk to Him. Remember the stories of the Garden of Eden? In the “cool of the day”, God would come down and walk with Adam and Eve, talk to them.  They weren’t asking for anything, there was no sin yet. They just talked.

God would love us to just come talk to Him. He wants to hear our needs, of course. But He wants us to want Him, to desire to be in His presence in good times as well as in bad.

I was reading a book to my daughter tonight and got a good laugh.

The book was a book of Bible stories that was given to her when she was born by my mom’s best friend. My daughter has only recently gotten to be old enough to really grasp the stories. So we have started reading a few each night and talking about them.

Tonight, one of the stories we read was about Moses.  Specifically, it was about the Israelites crossing through the parted waters of the Red Sea.

When we got to the part of the story where Moses puts up his staff and the waters crash down upon the Egyptians, the book reads, “The Israelites were amazed at God’s power, and praised Him and quit complaining… at least for a little while.”

I just got a kick out of how it was phrased: “at least for a little while.”  Isn’t that the way it goes? We pray for a miracle, a blessing from God. We get it We praise God, we are amazed by Him and His power. We comment on this life changing event.  And for a few days we really are changed.

And then we go back to our whiny, complaining selves.

Oh, we can’t really help it. It is our human nature. But isn’t it funny, in a kind of sad way, how we are so quick to forget the miracles in our lives and to jump on the junk? The entire book of Exodus is such a great example of that side of human nature.

Israelites: Rescue us from Pharoah!

God: I’m taking you to the Promised Land.

Israelites: The Egyptians are coming! Save us!

God: I’ll cause the Red Sea to swallow them up, after parting it to give you safe passage.

Israelites: We need food! We are starving in the desert!

God: Every morning there will manna to eat, along with other things, and water to drink.

Israelites: …

Well, you get the idea.

Even after miracle upon miracle handed to them, they balked, whined and sinned. We say, “If God parted the Red Sea, I would never doubt Him again.”

Really? I bet if we all stop to think about it, we can come up with miracle after miracle in our own lives. Maybe not the parting of the Red Sea, but a miracle just the same.

It may be human nature to whine and complain, but it isn’t God’s nature.

I’m tired. Sad. Disheartened.

Sometimes, no matter how blessed we may feel, sorrow and fear creep in. We live in a world that is filled with God’s wonders, yet mankind’s dark side is evident daily, whether we read about it in the newspaper, see it on television, or live next door to it.

No matter how happy in God we are, we are all touched by sadness. No matter how strong our faith, we are riddled with fears.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if accepting Christ into your life meant things got easy? That suddenly you were protected in a bubble of God’s love from the hurt that fills this world? But it isn’t that way. We have to exist in this world, with all it’s pain and suffering.

I have a friend who tonight is staring potential death in the face. Not her own death, but that of her nine month old baby. I have another friend who has lost everything– home, car, business — to the ravages of the economy. And yet another friend who is in the midst of a painful divorce.

But all three have something in common… their love of God, and their belief that He will care for them in their lowest moments.

I look at each of them and wonder how they can survive the heartache. Each has reached the breaking point several times. Yet at each step of the way, God cradles them in His love, and they feel it. They hurt, they are broken.

They are loved.

Life with our God on this earth doesn’t protect us from evil, from hurt. But it does assure us that this world is only temporary. Our “forever home” awaits us, where all this junk we deal with every day will be over, done, forgotten.

One of my favorite songs is Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. This old hymn so eloquently speaks of the darkness that descends, yet reminds us to turn our eyes to Him, and this will all fade away. The light of God turns away all darkness.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:5 we read:

You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

The better day is coming!

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Words and Music by Helen H. Lemmel, 1922

O soul are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Saviour,
And life more abundant and free:

Chorus:
Turn you eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion
For more than conqu’rors we are!

Chorus

His word shall not fail you He promised;
Believe Him and all will be well.
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Chorus

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Matthew 28: 20(b)

I heard someone talking the other day, relaying a story of hardship that had befallen a family. The husband was out of work, they were about to lose their home to foreclosure, and one of the children was sick and there was no health insurance. Things were definitely tough.

Then the person relaying the story said that an amazing thing happened.

“God showed up,” he said.

Hmmm.

I understand what the man meant, but I strongly disagree with the sentiment. This isn’t the first time I have heard the phrase “God showed up.” Frankly, I think it is probably pretty insulting to God.

Here is the fact: God is always here. Always.

Christ promised us that He is with us always as He ascended into Heaven, in what has become known as The Great Commission:

19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Matthew 28: 19-20

We trivialize God when we believe that He “shows up” only at certain times. We are told He knows every hair on our head (Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12: 7), that He knew us as we were being knitted together in our mother’s womb (Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;  I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1: 5) …. yet we believe God only “shows up” on certain occasions?

God walks with us, lives in us, and loves us more deeply than we will ever be able to comprehend. It only stands to reason that He is wherever we are, waiting for us to acknowledge Him, and love Him in return.

Cause you’re all I want, You’re all I need
You’re everything,everything
You’re all I want your all I need
You’re everything, everything.
You’re all I want you’re all I need.
You’re everything, everything
You’re all I want you’re all I need, you’re everything, everything.

from Everything, by Lifehouse

The youth at our church recently put on a dramatic skit that was amazing. With a little research, I found out that it is actually sweeping the country and the internet with amazing results.

The wordless play, to the song Everything by Lifehouse, depicts a young woman as she begins her life with God. He shows her the world and it’s wonders. The woman is happy as she is with her Lord, but then the sin of the world begins to creep in…  sexual immorality, greed, alcohol, the desire to be beautiful, and finally, as she reaches lower and lower, she begins cutting herself… and considers suicide.

The entire time, God is there, trying to get her attention. But the world has blocked Him from her. Suddenly, as she hits her lowest point, she turns and sees Him, and fights to get back to Him, yet greed, lust, all manner of evil, blocks her path, fighting to keep her down. Then God steps in, blocks the sin and takes it on Himself. He fights the battle as she returns to Him. Finally, He lifts her up, restores her. Evil is defeated.

Honestly, if you haven’t seen the drama, you need to watch the video. It is only about four minutes long, but my words cannot begin to do it justice.

It debuted in Knoxville, Tennessee, at Winterfest 2006, performed by Mission Baltimore. It was written by Mission Baltimore director Tim Houston. The resulting phenomena has been nothing short of a miracle. With more than 10 million hits on various websites, and hundreds of churches performing the skit, countless lives have been changed by this simple dramatic mini-play.

Please watch and be moved by Everything. If you have trouble viewing, please follow this link, or go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA.

Everything

written by Jason Wade

Find Me Here
Speak To Me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That’s leading me
To the place where I find peace again.

You are the strength, that keeps me walking.
You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.
You are the light to my soul.
You are my purpose…you’re everything.

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

You calm the storms, and you give me rest.
You hold me in your hands, you won’t let me fall.
You steal my heart, and you take my breath away.
Would you take me in? Take me deeper now?

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Cause you’re all I want, You’re all I need
You’re everything,everything
You’re all I want your all I need
You’re everything, everything.
You’re all I want you’re all I need.
You’re everything, everything
You’re all I want you’re all I need, you’re everything, everything.

And How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

³⁴“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John  13: 34

Why do we Christians fight each other? Why do we argue?

I’ve asked this question before, and I never get an answer that satisfies me. I’ve been told that this denomination is wrong because they do things this way, and I’ve been told that one is wrong because they don’t do this or that.

I don’t get it.

Please understand, I know that there are sects that are abominations to God’s word, that take scripture and twist it until it is unrecognizable, all to prop up some agenda of hate or separation.

But within the mainstream of faith, there is so much petty bickering over things that, at the end of the day, just don’t matter.

There is so much more that unites us than there is that separates us. Our love for God. His love for us. Our acceptance of Jesus Christ as the risen Lord. Yet we get so bogged down in the mundane, day to day of spiritual life.

Pray this way!  No, that’s wrong! Pray like this!

Baptize by immersion! No, sprinkle as an infant!

Sing! No, bow!

On and on. I have to believe that all of this breaks our Savior’s heart. In His name, we turn on our brothers and sisters in Christ. We look down our holy little noses at other denominations.

The pastor at my church was talking about Heaven, and although what he was saying wasn’t on this topic, it sure is applicable. Heaven will be crowded. And you won’t know everyone there. And they won’t all be from your church.

That’s right. A Baptist might end up next to a Catholic, next to a Lutheran, next to a non-denominational, etc.

So what will you do? Walk out of Heaven? Heck no!

So, if it isn’t going to be a big deal then, why should it be a big deal now? Aren’t we all brothers and sisters of the God of Love?

It’s important to find a church where you grow spiritually, where you are fed from God’s word, where you feel nearer to Him. And where you can bind with others who love God, to form a community. But it is equally important to let your neighbor find a church where he or she is fed… and that might not be the same church.

But it’s the same Savior.

I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You
All about You, Jesus
I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it
When it’s all about You
It’s all about You Jesus

from The Heart of Worship
by Matt Redman

¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

We were on vacation a couple of weeks ago. I did a good job of not giving in to the temptation of buying t-shirts, pencils, magnets, or anything else that I usually spend money on during a trip. I was proud of myself, especially, when I managed to make it out of a mall with no purchases. I asked my husband if he noticed. He replied, “I’m impressed by your self-control.”

My reply?

“Self-control isn’t much fun.”

And it’s not.

It would be a lot more fun to buy what we want, do what we want, live how we want, with no regard to the future, our budget, or society. And some people do live this way, to some extent.

But just because you have a lot of money doesn’t mean you should buy everything you want. Just because you turn 21 doesn’t mean you should run out and get drunk.

You get the point.

The tenth commandment tells us not to covet what isn’t ours. Talk about fighting human nature? Who hasn’t seen a nice house, a pretty dress, and wished it was yours? There goes #10 right out the window!

Truth is, self-control isn’t fun. It’s boring. It gets in the way of getting “stuff.” But as long as we keep trying to fill ourselves up with “stuff” instead of filling up with God, we will continue to run on empty.

And when we want “stuff,” when we make that desire the centerpiece of our existence, we run smack into the first commandment:

³ “You shall have no other gods before me.”  Exodus 20: 3

When you make the stuff more important than God, when you yearn for things more than you yearn for Him, you are making that stuff into gods, earthly gods. Whether it is a house, a car, or even a spouse or friend, nothing can come before God.

Nothing.

I’ll end with a line from the song “Stuff” by Diamond Rio. Very funny, but pretty darn true, too:

Stuff!  Oh it’s treasure till it’s mine then it ain’t worth a dime!

As I wrote here the other day, I found an old Bible of mine from when I was a teenager, and all the accompanying notes, bookmarks, etc. One of my favorites, something I have never forgotten but was glad to actually put my hands on again, was a piece of paper called Prayer for the Man that One Day I Will Marry. It goes like this:

Dear Father,

Help him grow into the kind of man you want him to be;
a man in the truest Biblical sense of the word. One whom I
can trust as head of the home we will share.  Amen.

Nothing fancy, just short and sweet, and to the point. But as I look at the words now, and think of the things I thought were important in a mate when I was a teenager, I realize the prayer may have done more for me than I realized.  I’m not sure where I got the prayer from; it could have been from a youth pastor, or perhaps we actually were asked to write a prayer ourselves. Either way, the first sentence is the key to the whole exercise.

Help him grow into the kind of man you want him to be.

Obviously I thought that the “you” was important, because I underlined it. In retrospect, I’m darn glad I wasn’t asking for the man I wanted! My list of important things at age 15 were along the lines of cute, funny, cute, smart, cute, nice car, cute, athlete.

You get the idea.

But that isn’t what God was concerning Himself with. All those things are earthly, but God sees the bigger picture. He knew that my future spouse should be a man who loves God, who will be the spiritual leader of the family.

And that is the way we are intended to pray for every matter in our lives, whether it is for our future spouse, for our health, for friends, for a job. As Christ taught us in The Lord’s Prayer, we should always acknowledge that God’s will is our desire, not our own.

Hard, but necessary… and in the long run, rewarding.

⁹“This, then, is how you should pray:
” ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹Give us today our daily bread.
¹²Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one

Matthew 6: 9-13

Indescribable

by Chris Tomlin

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation’s revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

While I was driving home tonight I saw the beginnings of the most amazing storm I have ever seen. Lightning flashed all around us, thunder rolled, rain poured.

As soon as I got home, I went to a window and watched the storm roll in. Lightning so bright it lit the sky like the sun, so bright the street lights were fooled into thinking it was daytime and shut off. Streak after streak of God’s electricity shot across the sky. It went on and on, lasting more than two hours. At one point, it seemed that our little house was smack in the middle of all the action, with lightning on all sides. The thunder shook the walls. The rain pounding on the roof.

It was awesome.

And it reminded me of a song by Chris Tomlin, “Indescribable.”

(Click HERE if you are having trouble viewing the video)

Nothing in God’s world happens by accident. He knows where every bolt of lightning is headed, before it leaves the heavens. He knows where the sun will shine, and where the rain will come down.

God’s world, the world He has given us to live in, is by His design. This world is amazing. We look around and see grass that needs to be mowed, or hedges that need to be trimmed. We see gardens that need to be weeded. When it’s hot, we want cooler weather. When it’s cold, we long for warmth.

That’s all fine, that’s life. But every now and then we need to sit back and be amazed at this world. Amazed that God has pieced it all together, from the smallest insect to the largest mountain. And that it all fits so perfectly.

God’s world is perfectly made. Take a little time to be amazed by His handiwork.