Hard-hitting Miracles

 A year ago this week, my brother had a terrible accident. He fell off of a railing about 20 feet high and landed face first onto the cement below. He ended up with 3 skull fractures, 2 broken wrists, facial nerve damage, auditory nerve damage, and displaced bones in his eardrum. He is now permanently deaf in one ear, but amazingly, he is alive! (not to mention back on the volleyball court)

The doctors were amazed that he was as well as he was. One mentioned that a certain fracture in his skull was horizontal, but had it cracked vertically, his fall most likely would have had a fatal result. A horizontal fracture vs a vertical one - really?  I've only told my husband and a spiritual friend of mine this before, maybe because I was embarrassed or maybe because I felt guilty. But the night before my brother fell, I prayed for him by name for the first time in my life. I prayed, "God, I pray for my brother. Do whatever you need to do to reach him." I got a break-of-dawn panicked phone call after the accident, but it wasn't until hours later that I remembered that prayer. I broke into uncontrollable sobs for hours and hours, not knowing what to make of it. But I know now my God is still able and works miracles everyday. I have no doubt.

Sometimes, however, God throws us a hard-hitting miracle. I like to think of them as a slap-in-the-face from God, but a slap filled with a whole lotta love. Sometimes God speaks to us in a still, small voice, but other times a loud, life-altering wake-up call occurs. My husband and myself are so thankful that we each received a divine, personal smack across the face in life which shifted our priorities, put everything in a new perspective, and allowed amazing new blessings to flow down. "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock," says God in Revelation 3:19-20. But in even simpler terms, I imagine God saying  "I only correct you and get on you because I love you! So now, wake up and change direction. I've been trying to get to you for awhile now. But this is the only way I could reach you!" And I thank God for His persistence, even if it comes down to a hard-hitting miracle.

I know my brother's accident reopened my eyes to God's amazing power still at work. I know my brother has a new appreciation for his life, family, and relationships. I know big blessings followed for him. And I know it took a big fall for my family to strongly stand up together again, but a year later we can stand entirely grateful.

  Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
      Let the whole world know what he has done.
  Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
      Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
  Exult in his holy name;
      rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
 Search for the Lord and for his strength;
      continually seek him.
  Remember the wonders he has performed,
      his miracles, and the rulings he has given.
                                                                  


Psalm 105 is what I intend to do by writing this and what I pray I can do for the rest of my days - thank God, remember what He has done, and tell everyone I know about it! Reflecting on almost losing my brother this week also brought to mind for me how close everyone of us are to disaster. And while it may be uncomfortable or seem pushy at times, the message of the Gospel is an urgent message. Paul says in Romans 13:11-12 "This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here."  Again, God is pleading with you, "Wake up! Here I am! Don't wait!"


I read a really thought-provoking story recently that stuck with me intensely. Listen to this piece of history:

On Sunday, October 8, 1871, a Reverend named D.L. Moody preached a Gospel message in Chicago. When he finished, he told the congregation to go home and think about what he said about the gospel, then come back tomorrow to tell him what they decided about whether or not to follow the Lord.

Perhaps a big decision such as that requires some time to sleep on it. But less than an hour later, a huge blaze begun downtown. Before midnight, the fire managed to jump the river and soon the entire district where Moody was preaching was in flames. Before the morning came, the Great Chicago Fire had destroyed over 100,000 homes and left hundreds dead, many of whom had just heard Moody's message. By not responding to God's invitation the moment they heard it, it was soon too late for a decision. Moody and his ministry was forever changed. "From now on, every chance I get I will urge upon people a decision today to turn from sin and leave it behind to follow God's Word. Today if you hear His Voice, don't harden your heart," Moody said. The book of Hebrews gives the same advice. And I pray this for everyone out there:

Today, if you hear His Voice, don't harden your heart. He's standing at the door and knocking waiting for you to open it.

Thank God for those big, hard knocks.

24/7 thanksgiving

This morning I was woken up with little fingers being jabbed into my eyeballs. Then I dropped a freshly poured mug of coffee across the kitchen floor. Some mornings it just doesn't come very naturally to declare "this is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." It's more like, "Ugh, this again. I'll hang in and hope it goes by quickly."

But during this Thanksgiving, let's attempt to get back to the root of the word itself. Here's Merriam-Webster definitions of thanksgiving:

 

: the act of giving thanks

: a prayer expressing gratitude

: a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness 

The word "thanksgiving" does not refer to a "feeling of thankfulness" or " the emotion of gratefulness". Thanksgiving is not merely realizing that you are thankful, but instead is acting upon it. An act, a prayer, a public acknowledgment or celebration that thanks the hand that blessed you. And true thanksgiving gives God all the credit. The Bible actually discusses the word "thanksgiving" some 30 times; it's all about expressing thanks and acknowledging that all you have been given if a gift of love from Love Himself. 

Gratitude is an attitude, but also a choice - a choice not based on emotion, feeling or even circumstance! God desires thanksgiving all the time, but not for His sake. As much as it pleases Him, He doesn't need our praises. This divine suggestion is for our own sake: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Like I said before, sometimes (OK, most of the time) it's easier to complain and focus on the negative than to live above that in a life of thanksgiving. But God knows a negative, ungrateful attitude puts us in a dangerous, miserable place and He does not want us to be there. That's why we must constantly make the choice of thanksgiving.

Growing up, my family said grace just once a year. We gave thanks to God on Thanksgiving Day and that was about the extent of our action-taking. But at least our annual thanksgiving was true thanksgiving. Even at a young age, I looked forward to that time every year (even if it was always filled with snickers and groans over the pages and pages of things my aunt just had to express thanks over - including but not limited to squirrels and birds). But I think I looked forward to that time because God designed us with hearts that thrive when we give thanks, not when we grumble over what we don't have.

Baileigh's TurkeyTato

Thankfully, God gave us beautiful examples in His Word of how to give Him true thanksgiving. The Psalms are filled with it. Writing your own Psalm of sorts is one active way to give thanks. Try writing one to God and reading it not only on Thanksgiving, but everyday, especially on the days when you don't feel like it. Read  Psalm 138 for some inspiration from David and spend time thanking the Creator of the Universe for everything He has done and given you - don't forget the squirrels!

"Strength" Training

So last night I went to the gym after dinner instead of my usual morning routine. It was amazing to me the difference in atmosphere. I think 9 a.m. is not too early and just early enough to have a solid, motivated workout. And there are always lots of people there around that time who seem lively and friendly. But this is not the case around 6 p.m. Everyone seemed straight angry and not one person talked. It was seriously miserable. I guess after a long day at work, going to the gym is less "fun". But after a long day with two little ones, I thought some time to myself sounded good. But once I got there, surrounded by silence and looking out the window to a pitch black scene, the last thing I felt like doing was getting a good sweat. I actually managed to leave there without a single drop on me as a matter of fact. And I never intend to return for another sad, dark, cold, somber night workout again.

But... if I absolutely had to, I'm sure I could. Whenever I feel like I can't push myself any harder, I often remember a dear friend of mine who used to take my fitness class in New York. She would reluctantly take a spot in the back corner of my class and wait for me to hand out the tortuous little resistance bands. Then, mid-exercise she would yell out with her powerful, Black voice, "Oooh, help me Jesus!" It always made me laugh, but I know she was more than serious. She was looking for some divine help to get her through when she was at the point of giving up. And amazingly enough, that is a promise we are given from God.

Philippians 4:13 assures us we are able to do all things through Christ who gives us strength. Whether it's what keeps you going at the gym or what pushes you out of bed in the morning... who or what is your source of strength? I know late-night workouts aren't for me (yes, 6 p.m. now equals "late-night" in my world), but I also know I have a source of strength that I can count on any hour of the day. A never-ending energy drink that pushes me forward when I need it.

Next time you reach your breaking point, try taking a lesson from my old friend:

bellow a big "help me, Jesus!" and let Him show you that He can. :)

" But you, LORD, do not be far from me. 

   You are my strength; come quickly to help me."

  ~Psalm 22:19

Booing Jesus

 Christianity sucks. 

Says who? Close to 97 percent of my generation does!

I have heard and read this statistic multiple times - just 3 percent of America's young people have a positive view of Christianity/Jesus. This is a pretty startling and upsetting statistic for me to see about my own generation, but I get it. There are all sorts of explanations for why the youth of America has decided to boo Jesus, but unfortunately, it mostly comes down to the fact that society equates Christians with Christianity.

Every human being, Christians very much included, struggle with a constant battle of choosing good or evil, grace or judgement, love or hatred every day. Again, Christians are not an exception here, but the good news is we have a lifeline. The lifeline is Jesus - who is overflowing with goodness, grace, and love. And the key to overcoming the struggle is to lean on Him to pull you out.

Now society anticipates that Christians should act like Jesus, represent His brand, be a walking billboard, and the like. "That guy says he follows Jesus, and he just did that?! Then I don't like him or this Jesus guy he follows." I can imagine thousands of variations of that idea in an attempt to justify a negative view of Christianity/Jesus. But society must see the reality that Christians are not perfect, nor should we ever claim to be, but Jesus was! (And still is.)

Don't get me wrong, this is not to give Christians a free pass to make a mess of things. I think a huge problem with Christians ( I put myself in this category too), is that the God we KNOW is not always the God we SHOW. We know we are only able to claim the title of being "Christians" through God's forgiveness, love, and kindness. He has extended such goodness to us, that the least we can do is share it with others, but we don't always succeed in doing that. It is far too easy to stay within our comfortable church walls sometimes, letting society only see/hear about what some Christians are up to on the news. And as a journalism student, I know a producer will happily choose a corrupt, pin- him-as-a-hypocrite type story over some amazing act of goodwill or mercy that occurred that day. Yet as Christians, we have the ability to overcome these negative views by living out a radical, Jesus kind of love-filled life. And as a society, we refrain from holding Christians to an impossible standard of perfection.

Paul, who wrote the majority of the New Testament, admits he is far from perfect, and yet that didn't stop him from being perhaps the all-time best spreader of Christianity.

He says, "I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us." (Phillipians 3: 12-14)


As a fellow sinner and spreader of the Good News, I similarly declare, " I am not perfect, nor will I ever be, but that doesn't stop me from striving to live more like Jesus. I have completely let go of my past, because God let go of it first. And now I can look to my future, here on earth and in heaven, with the confidence that I am forgiven and loved."


Christians aren't perfect - but Jesus is. We can try to be advertisements for Him, but we can only do so much, especially if people can't see past our imperfections. Still, we should strive daily to let the God we know be the God we show to the world. But in the end, the best spokesperson for Jesus is Jesus himself and you'll only find the real truth about Him in His Word (the Bible). So maybe my generation just needs to do some good old reading and less news watching, but in the meantime, I'll keep doing what I can to share the Truth and pray that society stops booing Jesus, because no matter what you do, He will never boo you.


"... my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God." (Acts 20:24)

TMI

So the other night I caught my 3 year old daughter in the bathtub with cups suctioned to her chest. When I asked what on earth she was doing she said, "I'm pumpin my milk!" Lol 
I try to ask for privacy when I'm doing things like that, but it never works and obviously my little girl catches onto things quickly; the trouble is she likes to share her discoveries.

Ever since we brought home her little brother she has been very curious and filled with questions about the whole boy vs. girl thing. And since she is always over my shoulder, she couldn't help but make some obvious observations. So I explained as briefly as I could the difference between boys and girls. Of course I didn't use technical terms because my parenting style is the "I can't handle that yet" kind. (See Potty Talk post) But now my daughter loves to point out which of her classmates, adult friends, family members, random animals, etc. are what. I forgot to tell her that these kinds of topics should generally stay inside our house though.

Which leads us to a couple weeks ago at her preschool when the assistant teacher came out to tell me what happened. They were discussing the similarities and differences between pumpkins and apples.
Similarities like: they are both round, both make pies, both have seeds. Differences: One is orange and the other red or green, one grows on the ground and the other on trees.....


As they sat around in a circle the teacher then asked, "Can anyone else think of any other differences?"

My little girl proudly raised her hand and said, "Boys have wee-wees and girls have -"

"Oook," the teacher interrupted her and quickly diverted the little ones attentions to something else before anything got out of hand.


Well, at least my daughter understood my scholarly explanation of differences. I'll just remember to add a "don't talk about this at school" disclaimer to our next little birds and bees talk! :)

When living by faith IS living by sight

We live in a world that loves clear cut answers - a constant test filled with multiple choice, fill in the blank, and true or false. But very little open-ended. We are in an age of constant communication and immediate answers. An undetermined 5-year-plan or a lack of a quick fix for a big problem is unacceptable. Not knowing makes our society extremely uncomfortable.

Faith, however, requires an acceptance of that which is still left unclear and a trust that God will do the answering for you. Hebrews 11:1 defines it this way: "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."  Other translations substitute those bolded words for words like: sure, certain, the convictions, the firm foundation, the substance, the evidence, the confirmation, the title deed, the proof! I love that - those are some seriously strong words we are talking about here. So faith is not just a wishy-washy, sparkly kind of hope that things will turn out alright - it is being certain that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28). Faith is also not merely believing that God does exist. James pretty humorously gets rid of that misconception by saying "You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror."  (James 2:19)  What matters to obtain faith is not necessarily believing, of course that's an important starting point, but the substance of faith is trusting and depending on who you believe in.

One of the reasons why I can personally and completely trust God with my life, especially when it comes to a crossroad, is because I've seen Him work great things in the past. I know it will happen because I've seen it happen before - God has a reputation.

(*The following is not an uplifting example for us Philly fans, I know and apologize)  Let's talk odds.. you would probably put some money on the Yankees winning another World Series down the line because it has happened a couple dozen times in the past. That's faith in the Yankees because of evidence, statistics, proof - not a wishy-washy hope that they just might win one day. Faith in God works in the same way; not just in my life, not just in this generation or this century... but for thousands and thousands of years, people have put their faith in God and He has rewarded that.

As my little family comes to another crossroads, it's often difficult for people to hear that we have no idea what we are going to do. Not that we don't think over our options, we do. But we leave the details to God. We roll with what He throws at us and pray that we can continue to lean on Him for guidance. We are trusting that we will see His hand at work in our lives because we have seen it before, and often the result is 10x better than anything we could come up with on our own.

When I was broken on a dirty, dorm room floor - I trusted. When I was betrayed and left alone - He stayed right next to me. When I was overwhelmed - He took my burdens. When we left all our family and friends and moved away - He blessed our life abundantly. When we weren't sure if we could make it that month - He provided ALL of our needs. Faith has taken me from where I was going to where God knew I could be. God is faithful, and faith is trusting in a God you know is entirely able.