Give Me Your Tired and Poor

One of the sweetest memories I have growing up in New York City is the view of the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry. Growing up, I lived on Staten Island and, for a few years, went to Brooklyn Technical High School, a magnet type of engineering school. I have vivid memories of seeing Lady Liberty as I traveled to school each day (I took a bus, ferry and subway) and think that she represents some of the best things about America. A poem by Emma Lazarus is graven on a tablet within the pedestal on which the statue stands. Here is what it says:

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

With election day one week away please join me in praying for America ... that we would be a people who care for the poorest amongst us and shows love for the immigrant. While you are at it pray for our churches and religious groups that care for our homeless, hurting and struggling brothers and sisters. Lady Liberty would appreciate it.

The Jungle: The Struggle to Follow

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about a vision that I had about a man walking in a jungle. I followed that post up with another where I introduced the idea of the "Three Struggles of the Heart". I discussed in that post the first struggle: "The Struggle to Survive". Today I want to discuss the second struggle: "The Struggle to Follow".

We pick up the vision story just as the man has taken his first step of faith. So far the journey has been one of intense struggle ... a journey marked with desperation and pain. A Lion has shockingly appeared before the man and invited him to follow Him. The man has taken his first step in following the Lion. He is filled with both wonder and fear ... he is walking a path he has never walked before. This struggle to follow reminds me of a quote from "Waking the Dead", a book by John Eldredge:

"The story of your life is the story of the journey of your heart through a dangerous and beautiful world. It's the story of the long and sustained assault on your heart by the Enemy who knows who you could be ... and fears you. But it's also the story of the long and mysterious pursuit of your heart by the God who knows you truly and loves you deeply."

Following Jesus is an intense struggle. So often we forget that we forget that we have an Enemy. This is the way that Jesus, Paul and Peter put it:

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

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

Isn't it interesting that our spiritual battle involves two different lions ... Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and Satan, the roaring lion. I often get caught up in the journey - following Jesus and forgetting that I have an Enemy who fights me at every turn. This Enemy is happy to let me live from my head ... He offers little resistance when I am outwardly religious but confronts every step I take in becoming who I am at a heart level. He is happy to allow me to follow Jesus at a head level.

Following Jesus with our heads is a tiring and joyless trip into the land of burnout, frustration and discouragement. Following Jesus in this way affirms the idea that we do not have an enemy ... an adversary ... one who intensely wars against us to rob us and kill our hearts. When we awake to this spiritual warfare we begin to follow Jesus in a different way ... our prayer life is different ... our hearts begin to shine and we begin to experience life at a different level. It is only when we awake to the idea of spiritual warfare that we begin to take that leap onto the back of the Lion.

Church Speak

About 20 years ago ... when I had finally shed most of my Brooklynese ... I began to realize that I still spoke two different English dialects. I spoke one flavor of English when I was around my church friends and another whenever I was around everyone else. I began then to try to synthesize these two dialects into one that could be used regardless of who I was talking to. It wasn't too hard around non-church folks but a bit different for my church friends. Thanks to Bruce and Bob for the link to this one minute video that captures this struggle of language in a very funny way.



Maybe, if we try very hard, we can all eliminate words like these from our vocabulary:

• Christian: why not use believer?
• Saved: why not say believed in Jesus?
• Salvation: why use it at all?
• Repentance: isn't change good enough?
• Eucharist: how about (holy) communion?

You get the idea. Maybe you can help us and comment with a few other alternatives to "Church Speak". I need all of the help that I can get.

A Mixed Bouquet

On Thursday Janet Detcher posted about Elmer Hollings' passing on the Kanner Lake blogsite. Kanner Lake is a place where characters from Brandilyn Collin's new novel, Violet Dawn, come alive through the writings of people like me, Jason Joyner and, in this past Thursday's post, Kim Thomas. Jason and I post as Pastor Hank Detcher and Kim posts as Hank's wife Janet.

Kim recently wrote a beautiful heartfelt story about God's ministry to her in pain. It was published by Faith Writers Magazine. Following is a reprint of that article.

A Mixed Bouquet
By Kimberly Thomas

I understand it's been raining where you are ... I mean REALLY raining. Life-storms can sure dump on a person, can't they? I know all about that.

Recently I found a little verse in Psalm 71:20: "Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again." David knew about storms, and like him, many of us have had our share of "troubles, many and bitter."

I've certainly had my portion.

I lost my husband to cancer. Ten weeks from start to finish. Yes, it was hard. It was a tornado. Yes, that storm re-arranged life as I knew it. But it has long since settled down and God restored many things.

I struggled to regain my strength after a stroke. The neurologist told me I should have died. I didn't. That storm wreaked havoc in my life. But, like David, I knew God would restore my life again.

He did. And today, though I should be dead, you would never know I ever had that stroke.

The year after I married again, our newborn son was diagnosed with severe Hemophilia. We were not prepared for that deluge and we wondered what it would mean for our son. By the grace of God, we have learned to navigate those uncharted waters.

In spite of the heavy rains in my life, I have discovered an abundance of blessing … sort of the "flowers after the showers."

I have seen the FAITHFULNESS of God, and I have seen my own FAITH grow. I know that regardless of what the storm looks like, my anchor is held firm in my Rock and my Salvation. What He promises, He will do.

I have learned to LAUGH and to have joy in the middle of the downpour. Proverbs 17:22 tells us, "A cheerful heart is good medicine." I have a cheerful heart, and it is well with my soul. Laughter of the heart can transcend the deepest grief.

According to Rev. Fred Lowery, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Bossier City, Louisiana, "Laughter is essential for a balanced life and healthy wellbeing."

Amen!

There have been lessons in OBEDIENCE. What peace there is in obeying God's call, and obeying His word to stand firm! A portion of Deuteronomy 6:3 tells us to "…be careful to obey so that it may go well with you." God knows what He's doing when He leads me down a path that's unfamiliar. He made the map … I will trust His directions. I will follow Him, and I will have no fear, and it will go well with me.

I discovered a new level of WORSHIP. Psalm 108:3-5: "I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth."

Worship opens our hearts to God in new and intimate ways. It allows Him to fill us with his love, forgiveness and healing.

I know how to EMPATHIZE with others who been through storms. I understand grief. I understand physical pain. I understand fear of the unknown. I understand depression.

I've learned that through my heartache, I can offer help and hope as others face similar trials. Galatians 6:2 calls us to "Carry each other's troubles and problems, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." As Christ-followers, if we've "been there, done that," it's our privilege to share in the pain of our brothers and sisters and walk alongside them in their struggle.

I have learned to REST in the peace of God. "When you demand answers, you sacrifice peace." That's His word to my aching spirit. I rejoice in the REST found in His strength, care, and in the miracle of His life-changing power.

One more thing I've found is STRENGTH. I have learned that, like Paul, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13). When God calls me to pain, He provides the power I need to get through it. I am stronger now than before the showers.

Have you noticed? My discoveries spell F-L-O-W-E-R-S. It's a mixed bouquet, but I'm tying a ribbon around it and offering it to my Father. I think He'll love it!

(All scripture is taken from the New International Version.)

Kim Thomas is married and the mother of four children, ages 18, 15, 6 and 2. She lives in St. Charles IL, and enjoys reading, traveling, music, writing, public speaking, and spending time with her family. Kim is in the process of writing an autobiography based on her life experience in the death of her first husband.

The Jungle: The Struggle to Survive

Last week I wrote a post about a vision that I had about a man walking in a jungle. I wrote asking for some feedback and promised that I would share a few of my thoughts on the vision at a later time. I have to say that, a week later, I have a few thoughts about this that I didn't have last week. It seems to me that the vision is a picture of struggle that unfolds in three parts - three separate struggles that I am calling "Three Struggles of the Heart". Here are the struggles as I see them:

1. The struggle to Survive
2. The struggle to Follow
3. The struggle to Trust

Today I would like to discuss the struggle of survival. In the vision I saw a man lost in a dense jungle ... he hacked away at the underbrush trying to find a way out of the jungle. I am not sure that I can portray in words the sense of desperation that I felt as I looked at the jungle through the man's eyes. In a sense life really is a jungle. Listen to this and see if you get a sense of the struggle:

The Song of the Little Hunter

Ere Mor the Peacock flutters, ere the Monkey People cry,
Ere Chil the Kite swoops down a furlong sheer,
Through the Jungle very softly flits a shadow and a sigh--
He is Fear, O Little Hunter, he is Fear!
Very softly down the glade runs a waiting, watching shade,
And the whisper spreads and widens far and near.
And the sweat is on thy brow, for he passes even now--
He is Fear, O Little Hunter, he is Fear!

Ere the moon has climbed the mountain, ere the rocks are ribbed with light,
When the downward-dipping trails are dank and drear,
Comes a breathing hard behind thee--snuffle-snuffle through the night--
It is Fear, O Little Hunter it is Fear,
On thy knees and draw the bow; bid the shrilling arrow go;
In the empty, mocking thicket plunge the spear!
But thy hands are loosed and weak, and the blood has left thy cheek--
It is Fear, O Little Hunter, it is Fear!

When the heat-cloud sucks the tempest, when the slivered pine-trees fall,
When the blinding, blaring rain-squalls lash and veer,
Through the war-gongs of the thunder rings a voice more loud than all--
It is Fear, O Little Hunter, it is Fear!
Now the spates are banked and deep; now the footless boulders leap--
Now the lightning shows each littlest leaf--rib clear--
But thy throat is shut and dried, and thy heart against thy side
Hammers: Fear, O Little Hunter--this is Fear!

-- Rudyard Kipling

Survival drips with the refrain "It is Fear, O Little Hunter, it is Fear! ". Fear and desperation are the hallmarks of survival. Machetes in hand we all begin trying get our bearings in the jungle ... trying make our way in the darkness ... it is a period marked with desperation and fear. It is in this time when we discover that we have lost our way. We give up on ourselves and no longer trust our ability to 'think our way' out of the jungle.

It is during this time that the Lion appears with a roar. We are initially afraid - after all, lions are scary. The Lion surprises us and speaks to us ... yikes, a talking lion? The Lion is not like us - He is different in every way. The Lion is not afraid of the jungle. He challenges us by His friendship and His desire to show us the way out of the jungle. Everything in our head cries out against the Lion. Our head tells us that He is taking us to His den to eat us ... more fear arises as we ponder the words of the Lion ... how can we overcome the fear? Then ... overcoming our 'rational' fears ... we take a step with our heart ... it is the first step of real survival. It is the first time that we walk with our heart and not our head. It is the first step out of the jungle.

Pray for the Sudan

Kelli Standish has a good post on the Sudan. I don't think much about this country ... maybe posts like these will help turn our hearts to pray. This video is especially moving ... take a few minutes out of your busy day and watch it ... let your heart break and pray for these that Jesus loves.

YOU RAISE ME UP (by Selah)

Video provided by Video Code Zone

No Shortcuts

The following great article is brought to you by my friend Nathan Malone ... born in Kansas but currently living in Texas.

“Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21)

A few days ago, God stirred my heart to study about David. I was fascinated that after God had anointed him king of Israel in 1 Samuel 16 that he faced years of struggle before he actually became king. As God was showing me the struggles that David went through, He showed me something I found interesting. When Saul wanted to kill David and David ran, there were two instances (1 Sam. 24:3-7 & 1 Sam. 26:5-10) in which David had the opportunity to kill Saul and become king. In spite of the support of David’s men, David chose not to kill Saul. As I was reading those two instances I heard the Lord speak to my heart, “No shortcuts”.

I believe that as many of us are standing on promises and plans that God has given to us, there are opportunities for us to take shortcuts. By shortcuts I mean our attempts to “take things into our own hands”. David was given two opportunities to kill Saul and thus, accelerate God’s plan through his efforts. While in the midst of these opportunities David showed an unwavering focus toward God’s agenda, even when his destiny seemed within his grasp. He knew that if it was God who had chosen him to be king, it would be God who fulfilled that promise.

The years of struggle and rejection that David experienced had God’s fingerprints all over them. If God’s only desire was to make David king, He could have struck Saul dead and installed David as king instantly. Instead, God used those years of struggle to strengthen the heart of the worshipper and warrior that would lead Israel. Through what David suffered, he experienced the power that comes from total surrender to God’s purposes. Because of his obedience, he experienced a level of protection, provision, and promotion that only God could provide.

When we take a shortcut it robs us of the experience of God’s salvation in our lives. When we miss that experience we miss the true reward: seeing God as “the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). At the end of every battle that we are facing in our lives there is a promise to be fulfilled, a prayer to be answered, and a plan to be established. Our responsibility is to believe God is who He says He is and that He will do what He said He would do (Heb. 11:6). Every promise, prophecy, and plan that God has given to us, He intends to fulfill. The question is “Will we allow Him to finish what He has started?”

God is showing me that my shortcuts need to be avoided at all costs. I pray that He does the same in your life.